Sep 12, 2021 19:00:00

3 unknown important books that color the history of Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism , known for its sacred view of fire, is an unfamiliar religion in Japan, but it is still worshiped in many areas, especially in Iran and India. The official blog of the British Library explains historical books related to Zoroastrianism.

Epic Iran: Some Zoroastrian Treasures --Asian and African studies blog
https://blogs.bl.uk/asian-and-african/2021/08/epic-iran-some-zoroastrian-treasures.html

◆ The oldest existing scripture
Zoroastrianism is a religion that began to be worshiped in Central Asia from 1500 BC to 1000 BC, and its doctrine was basically verbally conveyed. The

oldest extant scripture was written around the 9th century and was discovered in Dunhuang, China in 1907.

The Zoroastrian doctrine was conveyed in a language called Avestan. In the scriptures found in Dunhuang, the Avestan alphabet is written using the Sogdian language used in medieval Iran instead of the Avestan alphabet. This scripture is treated as evidence of worship until around the 9th century since Zoroastrianism was brought to China. In addition, it is said that the second oldest existing scripture was written around the 13th century, and the speed of the time when this scripture was written is noteworthy.

◆ Law book with illustrations
Most of the Zoroastrian-related books preserved by the British Library are said to have been written by people who emigrated from Iran to India. Most of these books consist only of text, but the 1647

law book written in Yazd , Iran, contains multiple color illustrations and is decorated specifically for the Islamic culture. increase. The following page describes the 'ritual to purify the dead' in the law book.

The law was brought from Iran to India in the mid-19th century and then stored in the British Library in 1982. You can browse the contents of the illustrated law book on the following pages of the British Library.

The British Library MS Viewer

http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/Viewer.aspx?ref=rspa_230_fs001r

◆ A book describing the Zoroastrian view of the universe
Zoroastrianism entered a period of cultural development around the 9th century, and priests wrote a lot of literature in Middle Persian. The British Library cites 'Bundahishn, ' which describes the Zoroastrian view of the universe, as a particularly important document among the documents written in Middle Persian.

Bundahishn describes the good and evil gods of Zoroastrianism, the origins of rivers, lakes, mountains, plants, animals, and humankind in the world. Bundahishun has manuscripts written in Iranian and Indian languages, and the British Library has a collection of manuscripts written in India in the 17th or 18th centuries and then purchased by the East India Company in the 1800s. It has been.