Zoroastrian literature: Difference between revisions
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{{History of literature by era}}'''Zoroastrian literature''' is the corpus of literary texts produced within the religious tradition of [[Zoroastrianism]]. These texts span the languages of [[Avestan]], named after the famous Zoroastrian work known as the [[Avesta]], and [[Middle Persian]] (Pahlavi), which includes a range of [[Middle Persian literature]]. |
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== Avesta == |
== Avesta == |
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Zoroastrian literature is the corpus of literary texts produced within the religious tradition of Zoroastrianism. These texts span the languages of Avestan, named after the famous Zoroastrian work known as the Avesta, and Middle Persian (Pahlavi), which includes a range of Middle Persian literature.
Avesta
The Avesta is the oldest extant primary source of Zoroastrian literature, although the term "Avesta" designates not one text but a group of texts written in the Old Iranian language called Avestan, attested from the 2nd to 1st millennia BC. The types of manuscripts preserve Avestan texts, the oldest of which dates to the 13th century AD: those liturgical manuscripts which combine passages from various Avestan texts alongside ritual instructions in various languages such as Pahlavi, and those which simply present the text alongside a Pahlavi translation/commentary, an example of the latter being the Zend.[1] The former category can be further subdivided into long and short liturgies.
The following list of manuscripts is taken from Andrés-Toledo 2015.[2]
Liturgical manuscripts
Long liturgies
Short liturgies
- Khordeh Avesta
- Yašts (a group of 21 hymns, such as the Ohrmazd Yašt)
Manuscripts companied by translations
- Āfrīn ī Zardušt
- Aogəmadaecā
- Frahang ī ōīm
- Hāδōxt Nask
- Herbedestān and Nerangestān
- Nerang ī āta(x)š
- Pursišnīhā
- Vaēθā Nask
Middle Persian
Most Sassanid (224–651 AD) and post-Sassanid Zoroastrian literature was composed in Middle Persian. These texts span four alphabets: Inscriptional Middle Persian, Book Pahlavi, Avestan (Pāzand texts), and New Persian. Literary activity in Zoroastrian Middle Persian can be divided into three phases: a Sasanian Middle Persian (3rd to 7th centuries AD), Classical Middle Persian (8th to 10th centuries), and Late MIddle Persian and Neo-Pahlavi (11th to 19th centuries).[3]
The following list of texts is taken from Andrés-Toledo 2015.[4]
Sasanian Middle Persian
- Various inscriptions (especially of the 3rd-century priest Kartir) and Pahlavi translations and commentaries of Avestan texts
Classical Middle Persian
- Book of Arda Viraf
- Jamasp Namag
- Čīdag Andarz ī Pōryōtkēšān
- Čim ī Kustīg
- Dadestan-i Denig
- Dādestān ī Mēnōg ī Xrad
- Denkard
- Bundahishn
- Mādayān ī Gizistag Abāliš
- Nāmagīhā ī Manuščihr
- Pahlavi Rivāyat
- Rivāyat of Ādurfarrbag ī Farroxzādān
- Rivāyat of Ēmēdī Ašwahištān
- Šayest-nē-šāyest
- Škand-gumānīg Wizār
- Wizidagiha-i Zadspram
- Zand ī Wahman Yasn
Late Middle Persian
- Colophons
- Nērangs
Neo-Pahlavi
- Late redactions and recompositions of earlier texts
- Wizirgerd ī Dēnīg
See more
References
Citations
- ^ Andrés-Toledo 2015, p. 519.
- ^ Andrés-Toledo 2015, p. 519–523.
- ^ Andrés-Toledo 2015, p. 523–524.
- ^ Andrés-Toledo 2015, p. 524–528.
Sources
- Andrés-Toledo, Miguel Ángel (2015). "Primary Sources: Avestan and Pahlavi". In Stausberg, Michael; Vevaina, Yuhan Sohrab-Dinshaw (eds.). The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Zoroastrianism. Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 519–528.
- Sheffield, Daniel J. (2015a). "Primary Sources: New Persian". In Stausberg, Michael; Vevaina, Yuhan Sohrab-Dinshaw (eds.). The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Zoroastrianism. Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 529–542.
- Sheffield, Daniel J. (2015b). "Primary Sources: Gujarati". In Stausberg, Michael; Vevaina, Yuhan Sohrab-Dinshaw (eds.). The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Zoroastrianism. Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 543–554.