The Spirit of Zoroastrianism

by Translated and edited by Prods Oktor Skjærvø

• ISBN13: 9780300170351
• ISBN10: 0300170351
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2012-02-07
• Publisher: Yale University Press

Summary

Zoroastrianism is one of the world's oldest religions, though it is not among the best understood. Originating with Iranian tribes living in Central Asia in the second millennium BCE, Zoroastrianism was the official religion of the Iranian empires until Islam superseded it in the seventh century AD. Centered on the worship of Ahura Mazda, the All-knowing Ruler, Zoroastrianism follows the practices and rituals set out by the prophet Zarathustra, according to the indigenous tradition. As one of the world's great religions, Zoroastrianism has a heritage rich in texts and cultic practices. The texts are often markedly difficult to translate, but in this volume, Prods Oktor Skjarvo, professor of ancient Iranian languages and culture at Harvard, provides modern and accurate translations of Zoroastrian texts that have been selected to provide an overview of Zoroastrian beliefs and practices. In a comprehensive introduction to these sacred texts, Skjarvo outlines the history and essence of Zoroastrianism and discusses the major themes of this the first fully representative selection of Zoroastrian texts to be made available in English for over a century.

Author Biography

Prods Oktor Skjærvø has been Aga Khan Professor of Iranian, Harvard University, since 1991. He has taught Old Iranian languages, literature and religion since the early 1970s and is currently preparing a book on Iranian creation myths. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. x
Acknowledgements	p. xi
Editorial note	p. xii
Introduction
Zoroastrian Literature	p. 1
Background	p. 1
The Avesta and other Zoroastrian literature	p. 2
Creation and the Divine World	p. 8
Cosmic contrasts and the two Spirits	p. 8
Order and chaos	p. 10
Creation	p. 11
Gods	p. 12
Demons	p. 20
The creation of living beings	p. 21
Mythical History and the Zarathustra Myth	p. 22
Hero-sacrificers of the first ages	p. 22
Eschatology and the End of the World	p. 29
Body and Soul	p. 30
Death, Rewards, and Punishment	p. 32
Ethics	p. 33
Rituals	p. 34
The Yasna, a ritual re-creation of the world	p. 34
The Videvdad, a ritual purification of the world	p. 36
Other rituals	p. 37
On Kingship	p. 37
Doctrinal Issues	p. 38
Translations
Texts on the History of the Sacred Tradition	p. 39
From the Pahlavi texts	p. 39
Texts on Creation and the Divine World	p. 44
From the Old Persian inscriptions	p. 44
From the Old Avesta	p. 44
From the Young Avesta	p. 50
From the Pahlavi texts	p. 75
Texts on Mythical History	p. 113
Hero-sacrificers of the first ages in the Young Avesta	p. 113
Hero-sacrificers of the first ages in the Pahlavi texts	p. 116
Zarathustra and the Gathic characters in the Gathas	p. 122
Zarathustra and the Gathic characters in the Young Avesta	p. 130
Zarathustra in the Pahlavi texts	p. 138
Texts on Eschatology and the End of the World	p. 157
On the actors of the final battles	p. 157
On the evils that are befalling and will befall Iran	p. 160
On the resurrection and the Final Body	p. 166
Texts on Body and Soul	p. 175
From the Young Avesta	p. 175
From the Old Persian inscriptions	p. 176
From the Pahlavi texts	p. 177
Texts on Death, Rewards, and Punishment	p. 180
From the Young Avesta	p. 180
From the Old Persian inscriptions	p. 181
From the Middle Persian inscriptions	p. 181
From the Pahlavi texts	p. 185
Texts on Ethics	p. 191
From the Young Avesta	p. 191
From the Old Persian inscriptions	p. 191
From the Pahlavi texts	p. 192
Ritual Texts	p. 214
From the Old Avesta	p. 214
From the Young Avesta	p. 215
From the Pahlavi texts	p. 221
From the Avesta and Zand	p. 221
Texts on Kingship	p. 228
From the Old Persian inscriptions	p. 228
From the Middle Persian inscriptions	p. 233
From the Pahlavi texts	p. 233
Texts on Doctrinal Issues	p. 235
Diverging practices in the Yasna	p. 235
On right practices and foreign worship	p. 236
From the Pahlavi books	p. 239
Select bibliography	p. 259
List of texts translated	p. 261
Glossarial index	p. 263
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