Zoroastrianism, in spite of its small current number of adherents, has played a huge role in the study of comparative religion. Ad 226 under ardashir i, who established the sassanid dynasty and fostered a general revival of achaemenian culture. Its followers can choose whether they wish to pray and how. What is the religious book of zoroastrianism and islam. The sacred book of zoroastrianism is called the avesta, and has two main sections. The avesta is the primary collection of sacred texts of zoroastrianism, composed in the avestan language. As the linguists of both europe and india worked with the language of the gathas attributed to zarathushtra it became clear that they were far older than the language spoken in iran at the time of king darius father. This part of the site has complete online editions of the sacred books of the easts zoroastrian texts. No zoroastrian ritual or ceremony is performed without the presence of a sacred fire.
The zendavesta the sacred books of the east series hardcover. According to avesta, the prophet and the founder of the religion of zoroastrianism, as well as the author of the sacred book, was zoroaster also spelled zarathushtra, zarathustra. The law of asha is the principle of righteousness or rightness by which all things are exactly what they should be. The sacred books of parsees, or zoroastrians, and the main source of our knowledge concerning the religious and spiritual life the ancient persians. Zoroastrianism, the ancient pre islamic religion of iran that survives there in isolated areas and, more prosperously, in india, where the descendants of zoroastrian iranian persian immigrants are known as parsis, or parsees.
Avesta by zoroastrian scripture the greatest books. This is the holy book of zoroastrianism itself and its printed here in a book that is just way too small. Pahlavi texts, part v sbe 47 marvels of zoroastrianism e. This book was the first, and right now the only attempt to try and present a basic introduction to zoroastrianism. These texts were written in the ancient languages avestan and gnathic. And forget about any increased price for doing that it would be worth it to have a truly readable book. As the name suggests it contains prayers for the use of lay followers. This book is called the avesta and is actually a compilation collection of writings, and wasnt put together until a time period called the sassanid dynasty, which took place between the years 226641 ce. Zoroastrianism definition and meaning bible dictionary.
Name binding sales rank lowest new lowest used published. This includes the original words of their founder zarathushtra, preserved in a series of five hymns, called the gathas. Regardless of whether you are a girl, or a boy, or young, or old, of a different race, or poor, or rich, or anything in between, all people are treated equally. Vendidad videvdad or laws against the demons avesta the sacred books of zoroastrianism, book 3. 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 zoroastrian name of the religion is mazdayasna, which combines mazdawith the avestan language word yasna, meaning worship, devotion. The sacred book of zoroastrianism, only a quarter has survived. Top countries of the world by zoroastrian population. It brings together a compilation of sacred texts in the form of chants written by the prophet zarathustra. Avesta is the name the mazdean mazdayasnian religious tradition gives to the collection of its sacred texts.
It survives there in isolated areas but primarily exists in india, where the descendants of zoroastrian persian immigrants are known as parsis, or parsees. Modern zoroastrian priest wearing mouth cover while tending a temple fire. Zoroastrian dietary laws, animal friendship and stewardship. Religious texts are to be found in the avesta, which is the holy book of zoroastrianism. It may fairly be said that the sacred books of no other people, outside the light of. In english, an adherent of the faith is commonly called a zoroastrian or a. The name zoroaster is a greek rendering of the avestan name zarathustra. Zoroastrianism survived, however, in small communities of gabars a derogatory term coined by the arabs in the mountainous regions of yezd and kerman. Avesta, the bible of zoroaster wikisource, the free. Scriptures zoroastrianism s scriptures are the avesta or the zend avesta pahlavi avestalaw, zendcommentary.
A zoroastrian was reciting a prayer, probably from the avesta, the sacred books of zoroastrianism. A holy man reading the guru granth sahib, the holy book of sikhism. The name zoroaster is a greek rendering of the name zarathustra. Middle persian language of early islamic times in which later zoroastrian books are written. The mobeds and herbeds were the levites and kohanim of zoroastrianism. 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. Popular, unique, and inspired from the holy book avesta, zoroastrian girl names are as unique and rare as their religion. The latter represent the basic source of the religion.
Or the religious books of the zoroastrians by niels ludvig westergaard. Across iran and central asia to find the worlds first prophet paul kriwaczek. Avesta, also called zendavesta, sacred book of zoroastrianism containing its cosmogony, law, and liturgy, the teachings of the prophet zoroaster zarathushtra. The primary religion in iran today is the shia sect of islam but the far older faith of the prophet zoroaster is still openly practiced, particularly in the central and northwestern regions of the country. In ancient times, historical records state than when the community gathered together for a religious event, they did so in open air gathering areas around a podium where a fire was lit. The holy books of world religions sacred texts in world. It also includes information about the avestan language, and other useful information for students of zoroastrian religion. We provide the complete text of the extant avesta, the most ancient scriptures of zoroastrianism, as well as many pahlavi scriptures. One of the oldest known religious texts is the kesh temple hymn of ancient sumer, a set of inscribed clay tablets which scholars typically date around 2600 bce. The avesta museum is situated in khiva, in one of its numerous madrasahs. An introduction by jenny rose, demons of the flesh. Apr 26, 2020 the sacred books of the east all 50 volumes march 30, 2020 january 2, 2012 by lichtenberg the sacred books of the east is an enormous project undertaken by max muller and various authors from 1879 and 1910.
Zoroastrian sacred places in yazd travelling spice blog. West 1892 longlost zoroastrian texts available now only in summaries and fragments. To eat and kill whatever animal imaginable without any boundaries or restrictions. Arguably the worlds first monotheistic faith, its one of the oldest religions still in. Persian prophet whose visions are the basis of zoroastrianism. Well, the easy answer would be that the holy book of zoroastrianism is primarily the avesta, and then some other traditional scriptures. The zendavesta pahlavi texts links zoroastrianism, in spite of its small current number of adherents, has played a huge role in the study of comparative religion. They are written in various metres and in a dialect different from the rest of the avesta, except for seven chapters, chiefly in prose, that appear to have been composed shortly after the prophets demise. The name for priest, athaurvan, in the avesta corresponds to atharvan in india. Zoroastrianism or mazdayasna is one of the worlds oldest continuously practiced religions.
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. Avesta, sacred book of zoroastrianism containing its cosmogony, law, and liturgy, the teachings of the prophet zoroaster zarathushtra. It is aimed mainly at zoroastrians who live outside of iran and india. Its also a sacred language because the texts are written in it an. It is composed in the avestan language and it is only known and attested because of that.
Feb 09, 2017 zoroastrianism is the ancient, preislamic religion of persia modernday iran. What are the sacred writings of zoroastrianism answers. Biography of zarathustra, founder of zoroastrianism. According to the zend avesta, the sacred book of zoroastrianism, zoroaster was born in azerbaijan, in northern persia. The complete guide to left hand path sex magic by ni. West 1897 late zoroastrian texts of traditional history and prophecy. Zoroastrian dietary laws, animal friendship and stewardship to say that dietary laws are not part of the original zoroastrian teachings and that all kind food is allowed in zoroastrianism is nothing more than unsubstantiated sheer nonsense. Zoroastrian scriptures do not prescribe worshipping in a temple and make no mention of zoroastrian places of worship. As their name indicates, the books were written by moses, as dictated by g. The epic of gilgamesh from sumer, although only considered by some scholars as a religious text, has origins as early as 2150 bce, and stands as one of the earliest literary works that includes various mythological figures and themes. Zoroastrianism what is, history, beliefs, characteristics.
Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. Zoroastrianism download books, sacred, spiritual texts and. The avesta consists of fragmentary and muchcorrupted texts. They contain 6 mitzvahs divine commandments which shape the lives of jewish people everywhere. In zoroastrianism, all people are considered equal, and treated exactly the same, despite differences. The name of the founder of zoroastrianism in its original avestan language form. It is a multitendency faith centered on a dualistic cosmology of good and evil and an eschatology predicting the ultimate conquest of evil with theological elements of henotheism, monotheismmonism, and polytheism. This book is useful for the later history of the zoroastrians. There is a legend that after alexander the great conquered persia, a huge amount of zoroastrian literature disappeared.
Before leaving i stole one last glance at the central fire altar and the tree candles at the back symbolizing good. This book should be at least 25% bigger than it is, and the font size along with it. The zend avesta download books, sacred, spiritual texts. Zoroastrian baby names and meaning for boys and girls. Zoroastrians, called parsis literally, persians, are numerous and prosperous in india, chiefly in the vicinity of bombay now mumbai.
Jan 21, 2020 the earliest form of zoroastrianism, known as gathic zarathustrianism, was founded during zoroasters lifetime, perhaps as early as 1500 bce. The designation zendavesta, which is often employed to denote the sacred code, is not strictly correct. Sep 19, 2017 the sacred religious book in zoroastrianism is known as the avesta which is made up of a compilation of religious texts. Jewish people view every letter and nuance as a sacred communication from g. We have 1 answer for the clue sacred book of zoroastrianism. The zoroastrian name of the religion is mazdayasna, which combines mazda with the avestan language word yasna, meaning worship, devotion. He is known as zartosht and zardosht in persian and zaratosht in gujarati. Zoroastrianism has one book that is considered sacred and that contains all the stories, lessons, and ideals that zoroastrians live by. These many different texts are believed to have been transmitted orally for centuries before they were written down in the 3rd century.
The gathas documents, a set of hymns written in the old avestan language and attributed to zoroaster, are oldest part of the holy book. In zoroastrian thought, the amesha spentas are heavenly beings created by ahura mazda and, combined, represent the sevenfold character of god. Avesta, the bible of zoroaster wikisource, the free online library. Zarathustras name for god, meaning lord of wisdom the supreme deity of good aka ohrmazd. What is the name of the holy book of zoroastrianism. The second the younger avesta contains rituals, laws and observances. Zoroastrianism was suppressed from the 7th century onwards following the muslim conquest of persia. Zoroastrianism is an ancient persian religion that may have originated as early as 4,000 years ago. The indigenous history of the sacred books is told in several pahlavi texts. Yes, there are quite a few, in fact where i live in california, there are a lot of zoroastrians. There are other important religious books which were written by zoroastrian clergy between the 9 th century and the 10 th century, and these books include the arda viraf namag, the epistles of manucher, the selections of. Khiva is mentioned in the zoroastrian sacred book under the names of urva and urga. Recent estimates place the current number of zoroastrians at around 2.
The principal text in the liturgical group is the yasna, which takes its name from the yasna ceremony, zoroastrianism s primary act of worship, and at which the yasna text. The gathas are abstract sacred poetry, directed towards the worship of the one god, understanding of righteousness and. Survey of the history and contents o encyclopaedia iranica. For four centuries zoroastrianism was the state religion of the sassanids, and it successfully met the challenge of nascent christianity and, later, of heretical manichaeism. The earliest form of zoroastrianism, known as gathic zarathustrianism, was founded during zoroasters lifetime, perhaps as early as 1500 bce. The gathas documents, a set of hymns written in the old avestan language and attributed to zoroaster, are oldest part of the holy book of the zend avesta. Post zoroastrian scripture introduced the concept of ahriman, the devil, which was effectively a personification of angra mainyu. The five sacred qualities of a womans soul pythia peay in search of zarathustra. Eirciv 102a, spring 2006 vi february 7, 2006 basic bibliography some useful literature boyce, m. Skjaervo, is one of the worlds leading experts in zoroastrianism and iranian languages so this book couldnt be any more authoritative.
Almost every school of religious thought and belief has its own central texts to guide its followers. The book gives concise introductions to zoroastrian sacred texts, theology, history and ethics. The zoroastrian sacred text is the avesta book of the law, a fragmentary collection of sacred. List of books and articles about zoroastrianism online. Included in this interpretation of the book is a list of glossary terms for the reader to further understand one of the oldest religions in the world. In any case, the name avesta was coined in the parthian age. Zoroastrianism avesta museum zoroastrianism mazdaism. Zoroasters name in its original form is found in the sacred scripture the avesta as zarathushtra. This sacred text is divided into two main sections, the old testament and the new testament which are then further divided into various books.
It contains the five gahs or prayers used daily for each period of the day, nine niyashis or litanies and 11 frequently used short prayers including the most sacred mantra, ahunwar, said to have been recited by ahura mazda himself before the beginning of creation. The zend avesta is the main texts used in the zoroastrian faith. The extant avesta is all that remains of a much larger body of scripture, apparently zoroasters transformation of a very ancient tradition. Zoroastrianism zoroastrianism beliefs and mythology. Zoroastrianism views the world as having been created by ahura mazda and as meant to evolve to perfection according to the law or plan of asha, the divine order of things. Sacred book of zoroastrianism crossword clue answer. Faravahar symbol of ancient persia and zoroastrianism. Jan 07, 2020 the zend avesta is the main texts used in the zoroastrian faith. Vendidad videvdad or laws against the demons avesta the. The zoroastrian name of the religion is mazdayasna, which combines mazda with the avestan language. According to later zoroastrian legend denkard and the book of arda viraf, many sacred texts were lost when alexander.
Only the hymns, or gathas, are attributable to zarathustra. Other texts such as zartushtnamah book of zoroaster are only notable for their preservation of legend and folklore. Most of the texts in these archives are extremely rare. As avesta was being written for several centuries, influenced by various cultures, dialects and languages, the prophet zoroaster is mentioned under different names. In this volume west presents what is known about a number of fragmentary zoroastrian texts, some only known by name, including summaries, digests, and stray quotes from other books. In their most basic prayer, the ashem vohu, repeated. Pahlavi texts, part iv sbe 37 contents of the nasks e. Translated by james darmesteter from sacred books of the east, american edition, 1898. According to some scientists, avesta, the sacred book of zoroastrianism, originated in ancient khorezm also spelled khwarezmia, khwarizm, khwarazm, khwarezm, khoresm, khorasam, harezm, horezm, and chorezm, which was the reason why the avesta museum was organised in.
In religious matters the priesthood was supreme in authority, and the sacerdotal order was hereditary. Zoroastrianism download books, sacred, spiritual texts. Zoroastrianism is the ancient, preislamic religion of persia modernday iran. All the existing scriptures propounded by zarathushtra as well as the religious writings of his followers are collectively known as the avesta this is not to be confused with avestan, which is the name of a language spoken in persia at one time. The set, as finally realized, is a collection of holy books belonging to the religion of the brahmans, as.