E.W. West (tr.) - Pahlavi Texts, Part 5

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This is part V of the Sacred Books of the EastPahlavi Texts translation.It is the shortest one in the series, a slight233 pp., about half of most other SBE volumes.SBE 47 contains translations of a number of very lateZoroastrian texts, some prophetic in nature, othersproviding clues to the chronology of the religion.As such, the texts here, the Dinkard and Selections of Zad-Sparam,make interesting reading.They will be of use both to scholars looking for information aboutthe development of Zoroastrianism, and those looking fornon-traditional books of prophecy.West concludes that the traditional date of the birthof Zoroaster corresponds to 660 BCE; more recently, 628 BCE hasbeen proposed, so the former date probably isn't so far off.He also computes the:don't get too excited, though, the end of the world isn't until 2398, sowe still have about four centuries left.

PRODUCTION NOTES: This volume proved a tough job. As the title page notes,I worked on it between 2002 and 2007, when my STML technology was matureenough to allow me to finish it in a reasonable timeframe.

--J.B. Hare, August 13, 2007.

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Title PageContentsIntroduction Title PageObservationsChapter IChapter IIChapter IIIChapter IVChapter VChapter VIChapter VIIChapter VIIIChapter IXChapter XChapter XI Chapter IChapter IIChapter IIIChapter IV Chapter XIIChapter XIIIChapter XIVChapter XVChapter XVIChapter XVIIChapter XVIIIChapter XIXChapter XXChapter XXIChapter XXIIChapter XXIIIChapter XXIVIndexErratum

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Notice of Attribution.
Scanned at sacred-texts.com, June 2002. Proofed and formatted by John Bruno Hare, August 2005, March 2007, completed August 2007. This text is in the public domain in the United States because it was published prior to 1923. These files may be used for any non-commercial purpose, provided this notice of attribution is left intact in all copies.

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PAGE
INTRODUCTION
Abbreviations used in this volume
MARVELS OF ZOROASTRIANISM.
DINKA.RD, BOOK VII.
Chap.
	Descent of the glorious destiny
	Parentage of Zaratust
	His birth, childhood, and youth till his conference
	His missions to the Karaps, and Vistasp's conversion
	Events in the last thirty-five years of his life
	Further events till the death of Vistasp
	" " till end of Sasanian monarchy
	" " till end of Zaratust's millennium
	Aushedar's millennium
	Aushedar-mah's millennium
	Soshans and the renovation
DINKARD, BOOK V.
	Kai-Loharasp at Jerusalem, and descent of the religion.
	Parentage, birth, and life of Zaratust. Future apostles
	Events after Vistasp's conversion and in later times
	Descent of the Iranians. The tribe having a Gyemara
SELECTIONS OF ZAD-SPARAM.
	Two old legends of Spendarmad and of the hero Srito
	Parentage of Zaratust
	Demons try to injure him before and at his birth
	Five Karap brothers opposed to Zaratust and his four brothers
	One Karap tries to kill Zaratust five times
CHAP.	PAGE
	Another foretells his glorious destiny
	His father disagrees with him
	And he disagrees with his father and the chief Karap
	Legends indicative of his good disposition
	His going to confer with Auharmazd
	His conferences with the archangels
	Dates of conversions, births, and deaths
	Five dispositions of priests and ten admonitions
INDEX
ERRATUM
Transliteration of Oriental Alphabets adopted for the Translations of the Sacred Books of the East

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1. IN the summary account of the Spend Nask, given in the eighth book of the Dinkard, chapter XIV, it is stated in 4 (see S.B.E., vol. xxxvii, p. 32) that many marvels, owing to Zaratust, are published therein, 'just as there are some which, collected and selected, are noticed by the Dinkard manuscript.' This statement evidently refers to the seventh book of the Dinkard, which contains the legendary history of Zaratust and his religion, related as a series of marvels extending from the creation to the resurrection of mankind. A much briefer account of some of the same details occurs at the beginning of the fifth book of the Dinkard, and appears to have been abridged from a compilation which was either derived partially from a foreign source, or prepared for the use of foreign proselytes. A third compilation of similar legends is found among the Selections of Zad-sparam. And a careful translation of these three Pahlavi Texts constitutes the Marvels of Zoroastrianism contained in this volume.

2. As the extent of Dk. VII is about 16,000 Pahlavi words (without allowing for one folio lost), it probably contains about four-fifths of the details included in the Spend Nask, the Pahlavi version, of which has been estimated, in S.B.E., vol. xxxvii, p. 469, to extend to 20,500 words. It says very little about Zaratust's conferences with the sacred beings (mentioned in Dk. VIII, xiv, 5, 6), and gives no description of the other world and the way thither (as reported ibid. 8). But it probably contains many verbatim extracts from other parts of the Pahlavi version of the Spend Nask, which appear, however, to have been previously collected in the Exposition of the Good Religion, an older MS. than the Dinkard, which is quoted as an authority in Dk. VII, i, 2.

3. This seventh book commences with a detailed statement of the descent of the glorious ruling dynasty from the primeval man Gayomard, through his descendants, the Pesdadian and Kayanian rulers, to Kai-Vistasp. Among the individuals, rarely mentioned elsewhere, are the sacred being Hadish (the protector of homesteads in the Visperad), Vaegered the brother of king Hoshang, Patakhsrobo king of the Arabs, and Aoshnar the chancellor of Kai-Us. Zaratust and the three millennial apostles are also mentioned, but the contents of this first chapter are probably derived from the Kitradad Nask (see Dk. VII, xiii, 20) and from Yt. XIX, 25-93.