Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1p. 56), about A.D. 1000. The reason for intercalating two months at once, was because the time for the seventh intercalation (A.D. 363) was already long past ; so the eighth was added three or four score years in | advance, being due in 487. 88. All that Albirani says about this double intercalation is quite in accordance with the original establishment of the calendar by Darius Hystaspes, and would render any date more than thirty-seven years later than his reign impossible’. With regard to the earlier intercalations (which must have occurred to account for the movement of the five extra days) that of A.D. 115 was neither in the reign of Vologeses I, nor in that of Vologeses III, one of whom must have been the Askdnian renovator of the Avesta. That of A.D. 239, if carried out punctually, would have been at the extreme end of the reign of Ardashir ; but the intercalations seem to have been usually delayed, as in the case of that of 363 which was delayed for thirty to fifty years, although it ought to have been carried out under the direction of one of those ultra-orthodox high-priests, Atdxpad son of Maraspend, or his son Zarattist, in the reign of Shahpdhar IT. . 89. It is worthy of notice that the names of both the days and months, which have come down to us in this calendar of Darius, include the names of the six Ameshaspeztas, which, according to Darmesteter’s hypothesis, were not invented till the time of Vologeses I, in the first century A.D. We have positive evidence that the calendar of twelve months of thirty days each, with five extra days to complete the year, must have been established in the time of Darius. This fact being recorded mechanically by the extent of the retreat of the Persian Parsis’ new-year’s day down to the present time, and by the number of months intercalated in their religious calendar down to the fifth 1 If the calendar had been established thirty-eight years after the death of Darius, the seventh intercalation would not have been due till one year after the death of Yazdakard I, INTRODUCTION. xl vii century A.D., being known from the position of the five extra days in the rectified calendar. We have no evidence of any change of names having been made in this calendar at any time; and only positive and indisputable evidence could be admitted, because reformers of calendars are hardly ever satisfied with mere change of names, and the calendar itself is a permanent witness that no alteration can have been made in any other particular, since the time of Darius.
2go. Darmesteter’s theory of a late origin for the Avesta having been mentioned, it may be allowable to add, that the likelihood of this theory “does not increase upon closer examination. It is a brilliant hypothesis, very carefully prepared to meet ordinary criticism; but it does not appear to convince Avesta scholars in general, for want of sufficient evidence, as it is very necessary to distinguish carefully between possibilities and probabilities ; the former being not admissible as evidence, unless corroborated by positive facts. Its chief use has been in checking the tendency to exaggerate the age of the Avesta, but it seems itself to be an exaggeration in the opposite direction, a returning swing of the ever-restless pendulum of judgment. On the other hand, the traditional age of the religion cannot be fairly considered as exaggerated, for the chief difficulty in accepting it as sufficiently old, is that the nearer our researches penetrate to that time the less real light we obtain. E. W. WEST. April, 1897. ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS VOLUME.
3E. W. WEST. April, 1897. ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS VOLUME. a.p. for Anno Domini; Alb. for Albirint’s Chronology of Ancient Nations, translated by Sachau; a.r. for Anno Religionis ; Ar. for Arabic; AV. for the Book of Arda-Viraf; Av. for Avesta; B for Bombay MS. of Dfnkard, brought from Iran in 1783; B.c. for Before Christ; Bd. for Bundahis (S. B. E.v, 1-1g1), and Band (volume); Beh. for BehistQn inscription; BK for an old copy of K35, made when this MS. was more complete than it is now; B.R. for Before the Religion; Byt. for Bahman Yast (S.B.E. v, 189-235); Chald. for Chaldee; Chap. for chapter; Chaps. for chapters ; Dd. for Dadistan-f Dintk (S. B. E. xviii, 1-276); Dk. for Dinkard (S. B. E. xxxvii, 1-397, 406-418, and this volume); ed. for editor or edition; Ep. for Epistles of Manfséthar (S. B.E. xviii, 277-366) ; Etudes iran. for Etudes iraniennes; Farh. Oim for Farhang-i Ofm-aévak; gen. for genitive case; Gesch. der Sas. for Geschichte der Perser und Araber zur Zeit der SdasAniden; Gf. for the Tale of Gést-f Fryin6; Heb. for Hebrew; Ibid. for ibidem; Ind. vers. for Indian version; J. for Jamasp’s old MS.; K for University Library at Kopenhagen; L for India Office Library at London; 1. for line; ll. for lines; Mkh. for Mainyé-i Khirad (S.B.E. xxiv, 1-113); MS. for manuscript; MSS. for manuscripts; n. for footnote; nom. for nominative case; p. for page; Pahl. for Pahlavi; Pers. for Persian; pp. for pages; Pt. for Peshotan’s old MS.; S.B.E. for Sacred Books of the East; Sd. for Sad-dar (S. B. E. xxiv, 253-361); Sg. for Sikand-gumanik Vigar (S. B. E. xxiv, 115-251); Sls. for Shayast-l4-shayast (S. B. E. v, 237-406); Sp. for Spiegel’s edition ; T for Tehmuras’s MS. of Dd., Zs., &c.; Vd. for Vendidad, ed. Geldner; Vig. for Vigirkard-! Dinik; Visp. for Visperad, ed. Geldner ; vol. for volume; Westerg. Frag. for Westergaard’s Fragments; Yas. for Yasna, ed. Geldner; Yt. for Yast, ed. Geldner; YZ. for Geiger’s Yatkar-i Zariran; Z. for ZaratQst ; Zs. for Selections of Z4d-sparam, first series. MARVELS OF ZOROASTRIANISM AS STATED IN THE SEVENTH AND FIFTH BOOKS OF THE DiINKARD . AND IN THE SELECTIONS OF ZAD-SPARAM CHAPTERS XII-XXIV. YY (47) B OBSERVATIONS. 1. For all divisions into chapters and sections the translator is chiefly responsible, as the stops found in the manuscripts are not used systematically. 2. Italics are used for any English words which are not expressed, or fully understood, in the original text, but are added to complete the sense of the translation. 3. Italics occurring in Oriental words, or names, represent certain peculiar Oriental letters (see the ‘ Transliteration of Oriental Alphabets’ at the end of this volume), or certain abbreviated modes of writing Pahlavi letters. Italic a, 4, 4, d, ¢, & h, 2, & Rh, 1, p, r, sh, u, v, 2d indicate no change of pronunciation; but g should be sounded like j, Av like wh, & like ch in ‘church,’ s like sh, and Avesta z like French j.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1p. 56), about A.D. 1000. The reason for intercalating two months at once, was because the time for the seventh intercalation (A.D. 363) was already long past ; so the eighth was added three or four score years in | advance, being due in 487. 88. All that Albirani says about this double intercalation is quite in accordance with the original establishment of the calendar by Darius Hystaspes, and would render any date more than thirty-seven years later than his reign impossible’. With regard to the earlier intercalations (which must have occurred to account for the movement of the five extra days) that of A.D. 115 was neither in the reign of Vologeses I, nor in that of Vologeses III, one of whom must have been the Askdnian renovator of the Avesta. That of A.D. 239, if carried out punctually, would have been at the extreme end of the reign of Ardashir ; but the intercalations seem to have been usually delayed, as in the case of that of 363 which was delayed for thirty to fifty years, although it ought to have been carried out under the direction of one of those ultra-orthodox high-priests, Atdxpad son of Maraspend, or his son Zarattist, in the reign of Shahpdhar IT. . 89. It is worthy of notice that the names of both the days and months, which have come down to us in this calendar of Darius, include the names of the six Ameshaspeztas, which, according to Darmesteter’s hypothesis, were not invented till the time of Vologeses I, in the first century A.D. We have positive evidence that the calendar of twelve months of thirty days each, with five extra days to complete the year, must have been established in the time of Darius. This fact being recorded mechanically by the extent of the retreat of the Persian Parsis’ new-year’s day down to the present time, and by the number of months intercalated in their religious calendar down to the fifth 1 If the calendar had been established thirty-eight years after the death of Darius, the seventh intercalation would not have been due till one year after the death of Yazdakard I, INTRODUCTION. xl vii century A.D., being known from the position of the five extra days in the rectified calendar. We have no evidence of any change of names having been made in this calendar at any time; and only positive and indisputable evidence could be admitted, because reformers of calendars are hardly ever satisfied with mere change of names, and the calendar itself is a permanent witness that no alteration can have been made in any other particular, since the time of Darius.
2go. Darmesteter’s theory of a late origin for the Avesta having been mentioned, it may be allowable to add, that the likelihood of this theory “does not increase upon closer examination. It is a brilliant hypothesis, very carefully prepared to meet ordinary criticism; but it does not appear to convince Avesta scholars in general, for want of sufficient evidence, as it is very necessary to distinguish carefully between possibilities and probabilities ; the former being not admissible as evidence, unless corroborated by positive facts. Its chief use has been in checking the tendency to exaggerate the age of the Avesta, but it seems itself to be an exaggeration in the opposite direction, a returning swing of the ever-restless pendulum of judgment. On the other hand, the traditional age of the religion cannot be fairly considered as exaggerated, for the chief difficulty in accepting it as sufficiently old, is that the nearer our researches penetrate to that time the less real light we obtain. E. W. WEST. April, 1897. ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS VOLUME.
3E. W. WEST. April, 1897. ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS VOLUME. a.p. for Anno Domini; Alb. for Albirint’s Chronology of Ancient Nations, translated by Sachau; a.r. for Anno Religionis ; Ar. for Arabic; AV. for the Book of Arda-Viraf; Av. for Avesta; B for Bombay MS. of Dfnkard, brought from Iran in 1783; B.c. for Before Christ; Bd. for Bundahis (S. B. E.v, 1-1g1), and Band (volume); Beh. for BehistQn inscription; BK for an old copy of K35, made when this MS. was more complete than it is now; B.R. for Before the Religion; Byt. for Bahman Yast (S.B.E. v, 189-235); Chald. for Chaldee; Chap. for chapter; Chaps. for chapters ; Dd. for Dadistan-f Dintk (S. B. E. xviii, 1-276); Dk. for Dinkard (S. B. E. xxxvii, 1-397, 406-418, and this volume); ed. for editor or edition; Ep. for Epistles of Manfséthar (S. B.E. xviii, 277-366) ; Etudes iran. for Etudes iraniennes; Farh. Oim for Farhang-i Ofm-aévak; gen. for genitive case; Gesch. der Sas. for Geschichte der Perser und Araber zur Zeit der SdasAniden; Gf. for the Tale of Gést-f Fryin6; Heb. for Hebrew; Ibid. for ibidem; Ind. vers. for Indian version; J. for Jamasp’s old MS.; K for University Library at Kopenhagen; L for India Office Library at London; 1. for line; ll. for lines; Mkh. for Mainyé-i Khirad (S.B.E. xxiv, 1-113); MS. for manuscript; MSS. for manuscripts; n. for footnote; nom. for nominative case; p. for page; Pahl. for Pahlavi; Pers. for Persian; pp. for pages; Pt. for Peshotan’s old MS.; S.B.E. for Sacred Books of the East; Sd. for Sad-dar (S. B. E. xxiv, 253-361); Sg. for Sikand-gumanik Vigar (S. B. E. xxiv, 115-251); Sls. for Shayast-l4-shayast (S. B. E. v, 237-406); Sp. for Spiegel’s edition ; T for Tehmuras’s MS. of Dd., Zs., &c.; Vd. for Vendidad, ed. Geldner; Vig. for Vigirkard-! Dinik; Visp. for Visperad, ed. Geldner ; vol. for volume; Westerg. Frag. for Westergaard’s Fragments; Yas. for Yasna, ed. Geldner; Yt. for Yast, ed. Geldner; YZ. for Geiger’s Yatkar-i Zariran; Z. for ZaratQst ; Zs. for Selections of Z4d-sparam, first series. MARVELS OF ZOROASTRIANISM AS STATED IN THE SEVENTH AND FIFTH BOOKS OF THE DiINKARD . AND IN THE SELECTIONS OF ZAD-SPARAM CHAPTERS XII-XXIV. YY (47) B OBSERVATIONS. 1. For all divisions into chapters and sections the translator is chiefly responsible, as the stops found in the manuscripts are not used systematically. 2. Italics are used for any English words which are not expressed, or fully understood, in the original text, but are added to complete the sense of the translation. 3. Italics occurring in Oriental words, or names, represent certain peculiar Oriental letters (see the ‘ Transliteration of Oriental Alphabets’ at the end of this volume), or certain abbreviated modes of writing Pahlavi letters. Italic a, 4, 4, d, ¢, & h, 2, & Rh, 1, p, r, sh, u, v, 2d indicate no change of pronunciation; but g should be sounded like j, Av like wh, & like ch in ‘church,’ s like sh, and Avesta z like French j.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
No commentary for this page.