Edward William West - Böcker

Published between 1880 and 1897 as part of Max Müller's Sacred Books of the East series, this five-volume translation of Pahlavi texts was the work of Edward William West (1824-1905). Largely self-taught, West developed his knowledge of ancient oriental languages in India, where he worked as a civil engineer. After returning to Europe, West focused on the study of sacred Zoroastrian texts and prepared these translations of Pahlavi manuscripts, cementing his reputation for pioneering scholarship. His writings and editions are still referenced today in Indo-Iranian studies. Volume 1 includes the Bundahis (Zoroastrian traditions about the creation of the world), the Bahman Yast (a prophetic text detailing thousands of years of history, including the downfall and rebirth of Zoroastrianism) and the Shayâst Lâ-Shâyast (detailing ritual impurity and sin, and purification rituals, such as those used for dead bodies). In his introduction, West compares these texts to the biblical books of Genesis, Revelation, and Leviticus.

Published between 1880 and 1897 as part of Max Müller's Sacred Books of the East series, this five-volume translation of Pahlavi texts was the work of Edward William West (1824-1905). Largely self-taught, West developed his knowledge of ancient oriental languages in India, where he worked as a civil engineer. After returning to Europe, West focused on the study of sacred Zoroastrian texts and prepared these translations of Pahlavi manuscripts. His writings and editions are still referenced today in Indo-Iranian studies. Volume 2 contains the ninth-century Dâdistân-î Dînîk and Epistles of Mân-skîhar. The former are religious judgments or decisions given by Mân-skîhar, a high priest of Iran, in answer to ninety-two queries put to him by fellow Zoroastrians. Along with the Epistles, relating to complaints made to Mân-skîhar about his brother Zâd-sparam, these texts give the reader an insight into the Zoroastrianism of the period, its tenets, and its relationship with the developing Islamic faith.

Published between 1880 and 1897 as part of Max Müller's Sacred Books of the East series, this five-volume translation of Pahlavi texts was the work of Edward William West (1824-1905). Largely self-taught, West developed his knowledge of ancient oriental languages in India, where he worked as a civil engineer. After returning to Europe, West focused on the study of sacred Zoroastrian texts and prepared these translations of Pahlavi manuscripts. His writings and editions are still referenced today in Indo-Iranian studies. Volume 3 contains the Dînâ-î Maînôg-î Khirad ('Opinions of the Spirit of Wisdom' - a series of enquiries and answers relating to the worship of Ahura Mazda); the Sikand-g-mânîk Vigâr ('Doubt-dispelling Exposition' - a controversial ninth-century Zoroastrian apologetic, designed to prove the correctness of the fundamental doctrine of Mazda-worship); and the Sad Dar, a Persian rather than Pahlavi text, offering valuable discussion of 'a hundred subjects' connected to Zoroastrianism.

Published between 1880 and 1897 as part of Max Müller's Sacred Books of the East series, this five-volume translation of Pahlavi texts was the work of Edward William West (1824-1905). Largely self-taught, West developed his knowledge of ancient oriental languages in India, where he worked as a civil engineer. After returning to Europe, West focused on the study of sacred Zoroastrian texts and prepared these translations of Pahlavi manuscripts. His writings and editions are still referenced today in Indo-Iranian studies. The Nasks are the focus of Volume 4, wherein West collects, translates and analyses fragments such as names, summaries, digests and stray quotes from other books in order to present all that is known of the twenty-one original treatises containing Sassanid Zoroastrian literature. The treatises were themselves records of what was legendarily lost after Alexander the Great's conquest of Persia in the fourth century BCE.

Published between 1880 and 1897 as part of Max Müller's Sacred Books of the East series, this five-volume translation of Pahlavi texts was the work of Edward William West (1824-1905). Largely self-taught, West developed his knowledge of ancient oriental languages in India, where he worked as a civil engineer. After returning to Europe, West focused on the study of sacred Zoroastrian texts and prepared these translations of Pahlavi manuscripts. His writings and editions are still referenced today in Indo-Iranian studies. Volume 5 contains translations of the Dînkard (books 7 and 5) and Selections of Zâd-sparam. Some parts of these texts are prophetic, and West's introductory analysis provides an insight into the chronology of Zoroastrianism, which suggests that Zoroaster was born in 660 BCE and that the world will come to an end in 2398 CE.