Avestan is named for the zend avesta, the sacred scriptures of the zoroastrians in which it appears. Just as the vedas mitra is related to varua, so the mithra of the persian avesta is related to ahura mazda. Avesta, also called zendavesta, sacred book of zoroastrianism containing its. The avesta is composed in two different dialects of a very archaic. Avesta, also called zend avesta, sacred book of zoroastrianism containing its cosmogony, law, and liturgy, the teachings of the prophet zoroaster zarathushtra. It is hardly more than a century ago that the western world, already often enriched by the treasures of the east, received another gift, a contribution from persia, and a new text deci phered was added to our list of sacred books of ancient nations this was the avesta, or zendavesta, the bible and prayer book of zoroaster, the prophet of. Avestan is the oldest known form of the languages in the iranian part of the indoiranian language family, part of the indoeuropean language family. The term zan d is a contraction of the avesta n language word za i nti, meaning interpretation, or as understood. The zendavesta is the sacred book of the parsis, that is to say, of the few remaining followers of that religion which feigned over persia at the time when the. The zend avesta prophesied that messiahs star would bein virgo. These appear to be a personification of the acquisitive aspects of. The great culture that followed ancient india takes place in the mountainous plateaus of persia.
These commentaries which date from the 3rd to 10th centuries were not intended for use as theological texts by themselves but for religious instruction of the by. The sacred book of the parsees, the modern persian followers of the ancient religion of zoroaster. Apr 03, 2016 it is hardly more than a century ago that the western world, already often enriched by the treasures of the east, received another gift, a contribution from persia, and a new text deciphered was added to our list of sacred books of ancient nations this was the avesta, or zendavesta, the bible and prayer book of zoroaster, the prophet of ancient iran. Taken together, the khordeh avesta is considered the prayer book for general lay use. The current avesta is all that remains of a much larger body of scripture. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. Until recently, the avesta was known in the west as the zendavesta. The avesta contains books written in various but related old indoiranian languages, broadly called the. The pahlawi script resembles the present persian script but zendi and cuneiform writing is different from it. The texts come from times that may be as early as 1700 bc and as late as 400 a. The oldest zoroastrian religious scripture, as preserved at present, is known as the avesta. The zendavesta is the sacred book of the parsis, that is to say, of the few remaining followers of that religion which reigned over persia at the time when the.
Of the post14th century works all in new persian, only the saddar. The indian religion in ancient iran and zarathushtra. Properly, the avesta, or sacred text, and its zend, or interpretation, in a more modern and intelligible language. The zendavesta or persian holy scripture 9781425328788. Also available in german, pdf and epub of english translation, and pdf of avestan text in transcription font.
At avesta persian grill, our passion is to provide guests with quality ingredients and outstanding service in an unforgettable atmosphere. Book that contains the holy writings of zoroastrianism. Avesta, also called zendavesta, sacred book of zoroastrianism containing its cosmogony, law, and liturgy, the teachings of the prophet zoroaster zarathushtra. The extant avesta is all that remains of a much larger body of scripture, apparently zoroasters transformation of a very ancient tradition.
These many different texts are believed to have been transmitted orally for centuries before they were written down in the 3rd century. Besides these two scripts, some literature in cuneiform writing is also found. Westergaard, zendavesta or the religious book of the zoroastrians i, copenhagen, 18521854. The avesta contains books written in various but related old indoiranian languages, broadly called the avestan languages. The zendavesta is the sacred book of the parsis, that is to say, of the few remaining followers of that religion which feigned over persia at the time when the second successor of mohammed overthrew the.
The name zendavesta has been current in europe since the time of anquetil duperron c. Two divisions in the ancient iranian scriptures are of importancethe one is known as dasatir and the other as vesta or zend avesta. The word zend or zand, literally meaning interpretation, refers to late middle persian see pazend and pahlavi language paraphrases of and commentaries on the individual avestan books. In a wider sense, the term khordeh avesta includes all material other than the yasna, the visparad and the vendidad, as it is only the ceremonies contained in these three books that are reserved for the priests. Until recently, the avesta was known in the west as the zend avesta. The zend avesta the sacred books of the east series.
But the usage jars, since in their own cultures the avesta, vedas, and tripitaka are conceived as oral, not written, texts. Like the bible, the avesta sometimes incorrectly called zendavesta is. Persia, and a new text deciphered was added to our list of sacred books of ancient nations this was the avesta, or zendavesta, the bible. Mills from sacred books of the east, american edition, 1898 except as noted. Jul 25, 2011 according to a legend preserved in the book of arda viraf, a 3rd or 4th century work, a written version of the zend avesta had existed in the palace library of the achaemenid kings 559330 bc, but which was then supposedly lost in a fire caused by the troops of alexander the great. The scriptures of zoroastrianism the latest book of the avesta is a book of mythological material, priestly instructions, and purity laws called the vendidad. This work of antiquity, dating back some centuries before the christian era, still forms, with the supplementary writings in the pahlavi or middle persian language, the scriptures of the modern parsis in.
It also includes information about the avestan language, and other useful information for students of zoroastrian religion. The term avesta is from the 9th10thcentury works of zoroastrian tradition in which the word appears as zoroastrian middle persian abestag, book pahlavi. Jul 08, 2011 in this video, readings from zoroastrianisms sacred avesta will be presented. The zendavesta is the sacred book of the parsis, that is to say, of the few remaining followers of that religion which feigned over persia at the time when the second successor of mohammed overthrew the sassanian dynasty 1, and which has been called dualism, or mazdeism, or magism, or zoroastrianism, or fireworship, according. Avesta in persian englishpersian dictionary glosbe. This is the complete zend avesta in english, a public. In 1875 he published a thesis on the mythology of the avesta, in which he advocated that the persian religion of zoroastrianism had been influenced by judaism and not backwards as many scholars say. The extant avesta is all that remains of a much larger body of scripture, apparently zoroasters transformation of a very. The khordeh avesta the khordeh avesta little avesta is both a selection of verses from the other collections, as well as three subcollections that do not appear elsewhere.
Avestan falls into two strata, the older being that of the gathas, which reflects a linguistic stage dating from c. New capital of the persian empire established under the reign of darius in 520 b. Not only was it a cohort of the ancient vedic hinduism, but also had a huge influence on the development of judaism and christianity. The greater part of the avesta is written in a more recent form of the language and shows. The zoroastrian scriptures are called the avesta and the classical explanations, interpretations and commentaries are called the zend or zand. Hostile spirit, but middle iranian books label indar indra, nanhaithya nasatya, and savol. This early belief system had a strong influence on many following belief systems, inc. Avesta in persian translation and definition avesta, englishpersian dictionary online. In this video, readings from zoroastrianisms sacred avesta will be presented. This is the complete zend avesta in english, a public domain version published in 1880 in oxford.
Here, the holy book of zoroastrianism, the zendavesta, tells of the mighty zarathustra who, following 20 years of solitude in the mountains, descends to the valleys teaching mankind to till the earth and build dwellings. It focuses on the yasna, and from the 72 chapters it contains, 48 to 50 will be read. The avesta is composed in two different dialects of a very archaic language, probably of equal antiquity with vedic. Avestan language a dissertation on the authenticity of the zend language. It is a collection of many texts from many eras, in different languages. Of the twentyone books of the sasanian canon of the avesta that were detailed in the denkard, this is the only one which has survived in its entirety. The oldest portion, the ghathas, are the religious songs composed by zoroaster himself. Entry for zend avesta cyclopedia of biblical, theological and ecclesiastical literature one of 8 bible encyclopedias freely available, this encyclopedia, with its nearly 50,000 entries and 17 millin words, dwarfs modern bible encyclopedias with the depth of knowledge. Avesta by zoroastrian scripture the greatest books.
Like the bible, the avesta sometimes incorrectly called zendavesta is actually a library, containing different sacred texts which were written during a very long period in different languages. This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. A section of this avesta is known as the khordeh avesta which means the smaller or selected avesta. The gathas of zarathushtra from accessed 15 dec 2019. Edmond bordeaux szekely this is a translation of one of the main historical texts of zoroastrianism called mazdayasnianism by followers. This barcode number lets you verify that youre getting exactly the right version or edition of a book. Geldner, avesta, the sacred books of the parsis, stuttgart, 18891896.
Of the post14th century works all in new persian, only the sad dar. It did not become generally accessible, however, until 1960, when it was reprinted in three small volumes that could be on every scholars shelves. Published in three volumes with a long series of appendices and a book length introduction about anquetils travels in india, it offered the first known example. Survey of the history and contents o encyclopaedia. Tile language of the avesta is best designated simply as avestan, not as zend, for the reasons given in the beginning of this. A section of this avesta is known as the khordehavesta which means the smaller or selected avesta. Persiandna avesta the sacred scripture of zoroastrianism. James darmesteter translated the text in 1880, relying. This work was reproduced from the original artifact. Avesta, the bible of zoroaster wikisource, the free online library.
An old edition of the avesta with zand interspersed is called the zend avesta or zand avesta. Its oldest part, the g a th a s, dates back probably to zoroaster himself. Library of the worlds best literature audio book, ancient and modern volume 3 by charles dudley warner, ed. In it, he writes that the the persian achaemenian kings c. The term zand is a contraction of the avestan language word za i nti, meaning interpretation, or as understood. The zendavesta or persian holy scripture by charles. The zendavesta or persian holy scripture by charles francis. The zend avesta pahlavi texts links zoroastrianism, in spite of its small current number of adherents, has played a huge role in the study of comparative religion. It is a cherished possession of every devoted zoroastrian household. This is the book of daily prayers of the zoroastrians. The zend avesta or persian holy scripture by charles f.
Avesta project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks read. There is also some later zoroastrian literature in modern persian, comprising works like the zartushtnamah book of zoroaster, the saddar hundred doors, or chapters, the rivayats traditional treatises. The acorn recently had a post on the divergence of persian and indian cultures over values suggesting that persians went for morals while indians went for might. This early belief system had a strong influence on many. Williams abra 18621937 and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Pdf in avestan charactersdin dabireh now available too. Westergaard, zendavesta or the religious book of the zoroastrians i. The analysis of the sasanian avesta and zand in the denkard is summarized in darmesteter, zendavesta iii, pp. Comprised in the jewish law, the ordinances of menu, the ta tsing leu lee, the zend avesta, the laws of solon. A difference with the bible is that the avesta often resembles a prayer book and has few narratives. He quotes rajesh kochhars observations on the similarities between avesta, the sacred texts of zoroastrianism and rig veda. The zendavesta is the sacred book of the parsis, that is to say, of the few remaining followers of that religion which feigned over persia at the time when the second successor of mohammed overthrew the sassanian dynasty1, and which. It is hardly more than a century ago that the western world, already often enriched by the treasures of the east, received another gift, a contribution from persia, and a new text deciphered was added to our list of sacred books of ancient nations this was the avesta, or zend avesta, the bible and prayer book of zoroaster, the prophet of ancient iran.
Zendavesta cyclopedia of biblical, theological and. It is hardly more than a century ago that the western world, already often enriched by the treasures of the east, received another gift, a contribution from persia, and a new text deci phered was added to our list of sacred books of ancient nations this was the avesta, or zend avesta, the bible and prayer book of zoroaster, the prophet of. The term zand is a contraction of the avestan language word za i nti, meaning interpretation, or as understood zand glosses and commentaries exist in several languages, including in the avestan. Avesta, the bible of zoroaster wikisource, the free online. Zend avesta, the original document of the religion of zoroaster, still used by the parsees as their bible and prayer book. The zand is written in middle persian pahlavi, the language that preceded modern persian. Here, the holy book of zoroastrianism, the zend avesta, tells of the mighty zarathustra who, following 20 years of solitude in the mountains, descends to the valleys teaching mankind to till the earth and build dwellings. The zend avesta is the main texts used in the zoroastrian faith.
Avesta the sacred books of the parsis internet archive. The avesta has also been translated into other languages including farsi and english. Avesta, the bible of zoroaster wikisource, the free. During the sasanian period the avesta was translated into pahlavi and this version is called zend avesta. Download the zend avesta in full text pdf download free here. Avesta persian grill is a unique dining experience, combining authentic persian and middle eastern cuisine. According to a legend preserved in the book of arda viraf, a 3rd or 4th century work, a written version of the zend avesta had existed in the palace library of the achaemenid kings 559330 bc, but which was then supposedly lost in a fire caused by the troops of alexander the great. The library of the worlds best literature, ancient and. This is a misnomer and was caused by the misinterpretation of the word zend. This is a humble effort to bring all our zarathushti. Hamaanjuman prayers for naurooz in english, farsi and gujarati. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. Its most recent parts may be as late as the sassanian period 3d cent. Avestan language, also called incorrectly zend language, eastern iranian language of the avesta, the sacred book of zoroastrianism.
41 338 176 561 367 343 360 174 681 423 1099 356 172 226 1204 568 882 719 300 1278 650 411 1222 58 132 1308 1247 31 370 560 130 1395 1340 1457 535 386 399 384 299 570 305