Avesta

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Avesta

Avesta (/əˈvɛstə/; Avestan: 𐬀𐬎𐬎𐬆𐬯𐬆𐬀) is the primary collection of religious texts of Zoroastrianism, composed in the otherwise unrecorded Avestan language.

Etymology

The term Avesta is from the 9th/10th-century works of Zoroastrian tradition in which the word appears as Zoroastrian Middle Persian abestāg, Book Pahlavi ʾp(y)stʾk'. In that context, abestāg texts are portrayed as received knowledge, and are distinguished from the exegetical commentaries (the Zend) thereof. The literal meaning of the word abestāg is uncertain; it is generally acknowledged to be a learned borrowing from Avestan, but none of the suggested etymologies have been universally accepted.

Pronunciation

The word Avesta is pronounced as /əˈvɛstə/.

Related Terms

  • Zoroastrianism: The monotheistic pre-Islamic religion of ancient Persia founded by Zoroaster in the 6th century BC.
  • Avestan language: The extinct East Iranian language in which the Avesta, the sacred scriptures of Zoroastrianism, were written.
  • Zend: The ancient commentary on the Avesta and the language in which it is written.

External links

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