This work of antiquity, dating back some centuries before the christian era, still forms, with the supplementary writings in the pahlavi or. Its most recent parts may be as late as the sassanian period 3d cent. Volume iv of the sacred books of the east series, this is part 1 of the ancient zoroastrian text, the zend avesta and this part covers the venidad. The zend avesta by james darmesteter ebooks scribd. The following titles of the main parts of the avesta were taken from the translation by james darmesteter and l. The term avesta is from the 9th10thcentury works of zoroastrian tradition in which the word appears as zoroastrian middle persian abestag, book pahlavi. Zoroastrianism, in spite of its small current number of adherents, has played a huge role in the study of comparative religion. Other parts of avesta are named yasna, yashts, visperad, vendidad and khordeh avesta.
It is composed in the avestan language and it is only known and attested because of that. Avesta simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Like the bible, it is a collection of many texts from many eras, in different languages. The extant avesta is all that remains of a much larger body of scripture, apparently zoroasters transformation of a very ancient tradition. But if we interpret them in a reasonable manner and corroborate them by facts of history, they clearly apply to the holy prophet mohammad and none else. Semitic authors add testimony about the works of the prophet being translated into seven or even twelve different tongues. It was a huge manuscript of scriptures which is said to have been destroyed during the reign of alexander. Avestan falls into two strata, the older being that of the gathas, which reflects a linguistic stage dating from c. This is the book of daily prayers of the zoroastrians. What is the name of the holy book of zoroastrianism. The vendidad, translated by james darmesteter sacred books of the east part 1 of the zend avesta, lawrence heyworth mills. Zoroastrians believe ahura mazda created two spirits. The avesta has also been translated into other languages including farsi and english.
Its oldest part, the g a th a s, dates back probably to zoroaster himself. Iv the zend avesta, part 1, xxiii the zend avesta, part 2, xxxi the zend avesta, part 3. Zend avesta is the sacred book of the parsiszoroastrianism. Zendavesta cyclopedia of biblical, theological and. 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. The first european translation of the holy avestai. The sacred books of the east download books, sacred. Mar 27, 2018 the story of the zend avesta controversy is thus also a story about the generation of expert judgement in the study of language.
Stayishn of this prayer book says, praise be to the name of him who always was, always is and always will be. Apr 03, 2016 tradition claims that the original zoroastrian avesta was in itself a literature of vast dimensions. These many different texts are believed to have been transmitted orally for. Zend avesta is a set of the parsis religious texts. Zend avesta is a collection of the religious text of the parsis. There are two other religious texts in zoroastrianism. Avesta the scriptures of zoroastrianism access new age. Religious texts are to be found in the avesta, which is the holy book of zoroastrianism.
Until recently, the avesta was known in the west as the zend avesta. Westergaards zendavesta, or the religious books of the zoroastrians copenhagen, 185254, by the earlymid 19th century, the confusion became too universal in western scholarship to be easily reversed, and zendavesta, although a misnomer, continued to be fashionable well into the 20th century. Mar 11, 20 the seven texts of the zendavesta the sanskrit decode the avesta is the collection of seven primary texts books of zoroastrianism the ancient religion of iran, then called persia. Avestan language, also called incorrectly zend language, eastern iranian language of the avesta, the sacred book of zoroastrianism. Westergaards zendavesta, or the religious books of the zoroastrians copenhagen, 185254, by the earlymid 19th century, the confusion became too universal in western scholarship to be easily reversed, and zendavesta, although a misnomer, continued to. The gathas, forming the oldest part, originated with zoroaster. The photographs of these 3 rare volumes were acquired after a special permission, following an. The zend texts schmitt, astrid, westergaard, n l on. Dec 08, 2005 the zend avesta or persian holy scripture by charles f. Most of the original was apparently lost when alexander the great burned persepolis, the capital of ancient persia, in 331 bc.
The avesta is a compilation of ancient texts, which we owe to the collaboration of the mazdean priesthood and the sasanian political power, but of which. It owes its origin to a mistaken inversion of the pahlavi designation avistak u zand, a term which probably means text and commentary. Ashem vohu invocation of asha ahunwar most sacred manthra of zoroastrianism kem na mazda exorcism padyabkusti ablution and formula for tying the kusti. 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 khordeh avesta is a collection of prayers selected from other major works of extant avesta literature such as yasna. It has translations of key sacred texts of hinduism, buddhism, taoism, confucianism, zoroastrianism, jainism, and islam. The avesta is the zoroastrian bible supplemented by. This part of the site has complete online editions of the sacred books of the easts zoroastrian texts.
The first european translation of the holy avestai, paris. Avesta, also called zend avesta, sacred book of zoroastrianism containing its cosmogony, law, and liturgy, the teachings of the prophet zoroaster zarathushtra. The canonical book of the religious sect known as the parsees, more frequently though less precisely called zend avesta an inversion of the pahlavi phrase avistak va zand, the scriptures and the commentary or the law and its interpretation. This is part i of the sacred books of the east zend avesta translation. Avesta, the bible of zoroaster wikisource, the free online library. Survey of the history and contents o encyclopaedia. Choosing good will lead to happiness, and choosing bad will lead to unhappiness. This is the holy book of zoroastrianism itself and its printed here in a book that is just way too small. Zoroastrians believe people are free to choose between good and bad. Khorda avesta book of common prayer, chapter title. The zend avesta, part 1, by james darmesteter free ebook.
These many different texts are believed to have been transmitted orally for centuries before they were written down in the 3rd century. The zend avesta or persian holy scripture by charles f. The zend avesta 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. It was a massive manuscript of scriptures which during alexanders. The avesta is the analogue of the bible for zoroastrians. The avesta is composed in two different dialects of a very archaic language, probably of equal antiquity with vedic. The sacred books of the east sbe series, comprising fifty volumes, was issued by the oxford university press between 1879 and 1910. The latin writer, pliny, in his natural history, speaks of 2,000,000 verses of zoroaster. We worship the ashavan, good, powerful, holy fravashis. Sep 29, 2018 zend avesta, the original document of the religion of zoroaster, still used by the parsees as their bible and prayerbook. Zoroastrianism simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Yasna, the sacred liturgical texts of the avesta zoroastrian scriptures, which include the gathas, or sacred hymns of zarathushtra. The holy book of zoroastrianism is the zend avesta. It contains the cosmogony, law and liturgy and the teachings of the prophet zoroaster. We provide the complete text of the extant avesta, the most ancient scriptures of zoroastrianism, as well as many pahlavi scriptures. This book should be at least 25% bigger than it is, and the font size along with it. The sacred books of parsees, or zoroastrians, and the main source of our knowledge concerning the religious and spiritual life the ancient persians. He was also the first to make use of the vedic language for philological.
According to the latest researches, it would seem as if only a small portion of the. It also includes information about the avestan language, and other useful information for students of zoroastrian religion. Avesta, the bible of zoroaster wikisource, the free online. Download books, sacred, spiritual texts and pdf ebooks. Jan 07, 2020 the zend avesta is the main texts used in the zoroastrian faith. The word avesta avastha means text, or orifiinal text.
The designation zend avesta, which is often employed to denote the sacred code, is not strictly correct. The greater part of the avesta is written in a more recent form of the language and shows. Zend avesta, the original document of the religion of zoroaster, still used by the parsees as their bible and prayerbook. The doctrine of the magi, as the zoroastrian priests were anciently called, as well as those of india and babylonia, is first alluded to in jeremiah, where the chief of the magi is mentioned among nebuchadnezzars retinue. Passing an expert judgement means claiming a kind of professional authority that overrules amateurs and traditions, on the basis of accumulated insight and a methodical or systematic approach. The sacred book of the parsees, the modern persian followers of the ancient religion of zoroaster. Zendavesta or the religious books of the zoroastrians. A public domain book is one that was never subject. Vendidad sbe 4 translated by james darmesteter 1880 part i of the sbe avesta translation. The texts come from times that may be as early as 1700 bc and as late as 400 a. The zendavesta or persian holy scripture by charles francis. Homage to the omniscient one, to him who is compassionate, who, through zartosht spitaman of holy farohar, sent for the creatures the apostleship of religion, the knowledge of and the. This collection of writings occupies the same place in the literature of iran ancient persia that the vedas do in india.
Avesta, also called zendavesta, sacred book of zoroastrianism containing its cosmogony, law, and liturgy, the teachings of the prophet zoroaster zarathushtra. The etymological origins of the word persia are unclear though it is known that the most ancient form of the name persia is parsa. 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. Zend is the language of the socalled ayesa,3 the holy book of the persians, containing the oldest documents of the religion of. The zend avesta is the main texts used in the zoroastrian faith. Its also a sacred language because the texts are written in it an. It is a cherished possession of every devoted zoroastrian household. Avesta, the bible of zoroaster to the biblical student, the avesta and the religion of zoroaster have more than one distinct point of interest. The zendavesta or persian holy scripture by charles. The zend avesta 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, and which has been called dualism, or mazdeism, or magism, or zoroastrianism, or fireworship, according as its main tenet. English translation of holy zend avesta english translation translation by james.
The zend avesta, part i sacred books of the east, vol. Khorda avesta book of common prayer translation by james darmesteter from sacred books of the east, american edition, 1898. There are numerous clear prophecies in zend avesta, the recognized book of the prophet zartushtra, about the holy quran, the prophet mohammad and his companions. A still further explanation of the zend doctrine is the pazend, a word which often occurs in connection with avesta and zend. Avesta, the bible of zoroaster wikisource, the free. The zendavesta, volumes 12 volume 3 of sacred books of the east volume 3 of sacred books of the east. It has survived long enough for the to expire and the book to enter the public domain.
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