Avesta, the bible of zoroaster wikisource, the free online. Mills from sacred books of the east, american edition, 1898 except as noted. He abhorred sin and loathed evil deeds prompted by anger, drink and gambling. Westergaard, zendavesta or the religious book of the zoroastrians i, copenhagen, 18521854. Which is the first place where the earth feels most happy. It also includes information about the avestan language, and other useful information for students of zoroastrian religion. Jan 15, 2007 in avesta, ahura mazda is the main divinity and some people think that he is the same as varuna. Avesta, also called zendavesta, sacred book of zoroastrianism containing its. Max muller and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Zendavesta definition and meaning collins english dictionary.
The avesta is the analogue of the bible for zoroastrians. But it shared the fate of the persian monarchy, it was shattered, though not. Connected series of notes on the koran, zendavesta, vedas, kings and edda by butler, charles and a great selection of related books, art. Avesta is the name the mazdean mazdayasnian religious tradition gives to the. The first sassanian king, ardeshir babagan, made the avesta the sacred book of iran. The indigenous history of the sacred books is told in several pahlavi texts. The collection of zend fragments, known as the zendavesta 1, is divided. The zoroastrian scriptures are called the avesta and the classical explanations, interpretations and commentaries are called the zend or zand. According to a legend preserved in the book of arda viraf, a 3rd or 4th century work, a written.
The term zand is a contraction of the avestan language word zainti, 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 second successor of mohammed overthrew the sassanian dynasty1, and which. Zendavesta cyclopedia of biblical, theological and. Supposedly written by zarathushtra himself, the original avesta was destoryed by alexander the great. This is the holy book of zoroastrianism itself and its printed here in a book that is. The zendavesta, part 1 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, and which has been called dualism, or mazdeism, or magism, or zoroastrianism, or fireworship, according as its main tenet, or its.
Jan 02, 2011 although i have not read it yet, i plan to read the holy book of destiny from start to finish when it comes in the mail. Do not fear 33 verses about fear and anxiety to remind us. Rasks examination of the avestan language a dissertation on the authenticity of the zend language, bombay, 1821. Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples log in dictionary. The zend avesta are the main texts used in the zoroastrian faith. The avesta is the original sacred book of zoroastrianism. 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.
Or the scripture of the parsis in this essay it is intended to give a brief statement of the contents. Westergaard, zendavesta or the religious book of the zoroastrians i. Book that contains the holy writings of zoroastrianism. Formerly a copper mining and refining center, avesta was the seat of copper minting in sweden from 1644.
Thence is derived the modern usage of the zadmarg, a small mud house where the corpse is laid, to lie there till it can be taken to the dakhma anquetil, zendavesta ii, 583. The name zendavesta has been current in europe since the time of anquetil duperron c. The avesta was written in old iranian, and contains four main parts. Zendavesta definition and meaning bible study tools. 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.
Iv the zendavesta, part 1, xxiii the zendavesta, part 2, xxxi the. Most of the texts in these archives are extremely rare. The zend avesta, part i sbe04, james darmesteter, tr. Avestan falls into two strata, the older being that of the gathas, which reflects a linguistic stage dating from c. Aluminum and high quality steel are manufactured there. The zend avesta is the main texts used in the zoroastrian faith. Avesta, also called zendavesta, sacred book of zoroastrianism containing its cosmogony, law, and liturgy, the teachings of the prophet zoroaster zarathushtra. Varuna sat with his spies who flew all around the world and bought back reports on the conduct of mortals. Zendavesta definition and meaning bible dictionary. In her book, a history of zoroastrianism volume 1, mary boyce includes a chapter on the pagan gods that existed before. This chapter and the following ones, to the end of the twelfth, deal chiefly with uncleanness arising from the dead, and with the means of removing it from men and things. The zendavesta or persian holy scripture by charles. 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.
The avesta texts fall into several different categories, arranged either by dialect, or by usage. The designation zendavesta, which is often employed to denote the sacred code, is not. The zend avesta 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. The zendavesta is the sacred book of the parsis, that. Pdf in avestan charactersdin dabireh now available too. Hence came also the distinction of two vai 1, the good one and the bad one, which, probably by the natural connection of vayu, the atmosphere, with the heavens 2 whose movement is destiny 3, became at last the good fate and the bad fate, or destiny bringing good and evil, life and death 4. The sacred books of parsees, or zoroastrians, and the main source of our. Avesta, also called zend avesta, sacred book of zoroastrianism containing its cosmogony, law, and liturgy, the teachings of the prophet zoroaster zarathushtra. Zend avesta by english avesta goodreads share book. To the biblical student, the avesta and the religion of zoroaster have. The object of that provision is to remove the uncleanness of the dead from the place of the living.
These many different texts are believed to have been transmitted orally for centuries before. 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. Maitreya the friend of all souls was a teacher to me, one who showed me the value of hardwork and integrity. These many different texts are believed to have been transmitted orally for centuries before they were written down. This is the holy book of zoroastrianism itself and its printed here in a book that is just way too small. The analysis of the sasanian avesta and zand in the denkard is summarized in darmesteter, zendavesta iii, pp. These many different texts are believed to have been transmitted orally for centuries before they were written down in the 3rd century.
It is the place whereon one of the faithful steps forward, o spitama zarathushtra. When the first khordeh avesta editions were printed in the 19th century, these texts together with some nonavestan language prayers became a book of common prayer for lay people. The texts come from times that may be as early as 1700 bc and as late as 400 a. Zend avesta article about zend avesta by the free dictionary. Offer up the sacrifice to the holy sraosha, that the holy sraosha may smite down the fiend kunda, who is drunken without drinking, and throws down into the hell of the druj the wicked daevaworshippers, who live in sin. Avesta, the bible of zoroaster wikisource, the free. The zendavesta is the sacred book of the parsis, that is to say, of the few. Martin haug, in his book on the zoroastrian religion notes that the zend avesta has references to the atharva veda, showing that the atharva veda already existed at the time of composition of the zend avesta.
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 prayerbook of zoroaster, the prophet of ancient iran. Connected series of notes on the koran, zend avesta, vedas, kings and edda by butler, charles and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. I am sure that this book will spark a passion for all those who are interested in the content and read it thoroughly. The principal text in the liturgical group is the yasna, which takes its name from the yasna ceremony, zoroastrianisms primary. Avesta, the bible of zoroaster wikisource, the free online library. 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 dynasty1, and which has been called dualism, or mazdeism, or magism, or zoroastrianism, or fireworship, according as its main tenet.
An old edition of the avesta with zand interspersed is called the zend avesta or zand avesta. Together, these lesser texts are conventionally called khordeh avesta or little avesta texts. The extant avesta is all that remains of a much larger body of scripture, apparently zoroasters transformation of a very ancient tradition. Until recently, the avesta was known in the west as the zend avesta. Avestan language, also called incorrectly zend language, eastern iranian language of the avesta, the sacred book of zoroastrianism.
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. Some of them are full of interest as they relate to the fate of the soul after death. We provide the complete text of the extant avesta, the most ancient scriptures of zoroastrianism, as well as many pahlavi scriptures. Like the bible, it is a collection of many texts from many eras, in different languages. Survey of the history and contents o encyclopaedia. 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 analysis of the sasanian avesta and zand in the denkard is summarized in darmesteter, zend avesta iii, pp. The twentyone nasks books of the avesta were created by ahura mazda.
It may fairly be said that the sacred books of no other people, outside the. Geldner, avesta, the sacred books of the parsis, stuttgart, 18891896. 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. The current avesta contains fragments of the original text, and was put back together around the thirteenth century. The zendavesta or persian holy scripture by charles francis. May 07, 2016 this is an extract from essays on the sacred language, writings, and religion of the parsis written by martin haug in 1878. Zend avesta, the original document of the religion of zoroaster, still used by the parsees as their bible and prayerbook. The avesta contains books written in various but related old indoiranian languages, broadly called the.
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