Avesta

Avesta is the name of the surviving scriptural corpus of Zoroastrianism, in the Avestan language (an old Iranian language related to Vedic Sanskrit)[1]. The exact etymology is debated; some scholars connect it to a root meaning praise or knowledge. The name appears in Middle Persian sources and has been used in scholarly literature since the 18th century.

the Avesta is both ritually important and historically fragmentary, so readers need context to approach it well.

The Avesta is the ritual and scriptural collection of Zoroastrianism[1]. It includes several major sections: the Gathas (the oldest material, attributed to Zarathustra himself, in an archaic form of Avestan)[2], the Yasna (liturgical texts including the Gathas), the Visperad (further liturgical material), the Vendidad (a priestly code with detailed purity and ritual law), the Yashts (hymns to specific divine beings), and various smaller texts.

What survives is a fraction of the original. Much of the pre-Islamic Avestan literature was lost during the centuries after the Arab conquest of Iran (7th century CE), as Zoroastrian communities declined, dispersed, and lost institutional continuity[3]. The surviving material was redacted in the Sassanian period (3rd-7th centuries CE) and transmitted by the priestly community through subsequent centuries.

In Zoroastrian practice, much of the Avesta is recited in ritual rather than read for content[3]. The Yasna ceremony involves recitation of substantial portions accompanied by ritual action. Priests memorize key texts in the original Avestan, often without complete understanding of the archaic language; understanding the precise meaning of Avestan terms is itself a specialized scholarly task.

Translation has been done since the 19th century by Western scholars and by Iranian and Parsi scholars in India. The most influential English-language work has come from figures including Martin Haug, K. F. Geldner, and more recently James Darmesteter and Mary Boyce[3]. Reading the Avesta in translation gives access to the content but loses the ritual force of recitation in the original.

Avestan studies is a small but well-developed field. Iranian linguistics, comparative Indo-European studies (especially comparison with Vedic Sanskrit), and Zoroastrian religious studies all engage the Avesta. Major scholars include Karl Hoffmann, Helmut Humbach, and Almut Hintze[3].

• The Hymns of Zoroasterby M. L. West
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• A History of Zoroastrianismby Mary Boyce
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