Paschal Beverly Randolph writes about Mahabad in “Pre-Adamite Man,” explaining that Mahabad is a significant figure in ancient Persian mythology and history. Here is a detailed account of what Randolph says about Mahabad:
Mahabad and the Cyclical Nature of Time
Great Cycles and Intelligent Beings: Randolph discusses the concept of time in Persian tradition, which is divided into a succession of great cycles. During each cycle, a class of intelligent, progressive, and immortal beings exists. At the end of each cycle, all beings die except a single pair, who then become the progenitors of the beings in the next cycle.
Mahabad as the Last Survivor: At the end of the great cycle preceding the current one, the last survivor was a being named Mahabad. He is portrayed as the first lawgiver, priest, and king, marking the transition between cycles.
Legacy and Descendants: Mahabad had thirteen descendants, to whom he taught all the primitive arts. These descendants were the first teachers of the human world, succeeding Mahabad and continuing his legacy. This happened many thousands of years ago, long before the traditionally accepted historical timelines.
Reign of Azorabad and Subsequent Corruption: The last of Mahabad’s descendants, Azorabad, saw the world become corrupted by fraud, violence, chicanery, and loose passions. The world was eventually saved by Jy Affram, a devout man who restored order and happiness through decisive actions against the vicious and unwise.
New Dynasty and Miraculous Disappearance: A new dynasty was founded but eventually ended with the miraculous disappearance of its last king, Jy Abad. The world relapsed into corruption multiple times but was repeatedly redeemed until a merciful God decided to use the people’s evil habits to bring about a significant change.
Specific Excerpt
Here is the specific excerpt from the text where Randolph discusses Mahabad:
“According to the authority just named, Time, from all past eternity, has been divided into a succession of cycles. During each of these there exists a class of beings, intelligent, progressive, immortal, who all die when the cycle ends, except a single pair, who become mysteriously changed, and give birth to the progenitors of the beings of a new cycle.
At the end of the great cycle that preceded the present one, the last survivor was a being named Mahabad; and he was the first lawgiver, priest and king. He had thirteen descendants, to whom he taught all the primitive arts, by whom he was succeeded, and who were the first teachers of the human world. All this happened a great many thousand years ago. During the reign of the last of those kings—Azorabad, a good and pious man, the world became corrupted by fraud, violence, chicanery, and loose passions, from which it was at length saved by Jy Affram, a devout man, who, at the instigation of a messenger direct from heaven, assumed the cares of State, and restored order and happiness by very summary dealings with the vicious and unwise.”.
This account places Mahabad at the center of a mythological narrative that underscores the cyclical nature of time and civilization in ancient Persian beliefs, supporting Randolph’s broader thesis of ancient, pre-Adamite civilizations.
