Denkard
The Denkard (also written Dēnkard , Dēnkart , Dinkard or Dinkart ) is the most important Middle Persian religious book of Zoroastrianism with over 1000 printed pages and dates from the 9th to 10th centuries AD. Dēn means “religion, belief; Doctrine of faith; Conscience; Eigenwesen "and k (a) rd / t " files, cards; Chapter, section; Plant".
The text originally consisted of nine books, of which the first two and almost half of the third book have not survived. The Denkard has been written by various authors, some of which are main authors mentioned by name, and is of very different importance for Zoroastrian believers. The Iranist Jean de Menasce , who published basic textual research on the Denkard, called it "a Mazdaist (Zoroastrian) encyclopedia". Like all Central Persian Zoroastrian religious books from the 9th to 11th centuries AD, the Denkard also had the function of preserving the once extensive teachings of Zoroastrianism by summarizing them for Zoroastrian posterity, because on the one hand parts of the extensive literature due to the advancing Islamization were lost and on the other hand the Zoroastrian priestly class, the Mager , was increasingly decimated. In addition to Bundahishn ( Bundahišn ), the Denkard provides the most comprehensive amount of data preserved for deeper research into Zoroastrian philosophy and doctrinal buildings. On the other hand, it is of great importance because it lists many lost writings.
Web links
- Denkard. avesta.org (English translation by Ratanshah E. Kohiyar, 1876)
- Philippe Gignoux: Dēnkard . In: Encyclopædia Iranica
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Middle Persian language was written without short vowels and often with ambiguous consonants. See: Pahlavi Script. Iran Chamber Society