The Zend Avesta

The remaining scripture of Zoroastrianism written in Avestan (language) is called *Avesta*. Avestan is a very ancient language and on account of its age and continuity comes in two flavors, old Avestan and young Avestan which are as mutually intelligible as old English and modern English. It's believed that only 1/4 of the original texts of Avesta has remained and it was probably written over a period of a few centuries. The oldest sections of Avesta are called the Gathas which are believed to have been written by Zoroaster himself. The classical interpretations which came at least a 1000+ years later are called *Zend* which were written in a different Iranic language, namely Middle Persian (Pahlavi/Parsig - contemporaneous with Classical Latin). The whole book is sometimes, mistakenly, called *Zend Avesta* meaning that it should contain both the scripture and the classical interpretation, but it does not so the name "Zend Avesta" is a misnomer. Be that as it may, the Avesta is really not a single book but a collection of sacred texts that have survived over the millennia of very tumultuous history of Persia and here there are: (Everything that is written in this book is written in one of the Avestan languages. Nothing is in Old Persian or Pahlavi counts as Avesta)1. *Yasna*: 72 sections, Old Avestan, Liturgical texts - 1-27 - 28-34 (***Gathas***, written in very archaic language. The only text that could be as old Gathas are some closely related Vedic texts) - 35-41 (*Yasna Haptanghaiti*, almost as old as Gathas) - 42 - 43-51 (***Gathas***) - 52 - 53 (***Gathas***) - 54-722. *Visperad*: 23 sections, Young Avestan, Supplements to Yasnas3. *Vendidad*: 22 sections, Young Avestan, Descriptions of Different Types Of Evil and how to confound them. Contains lots about funerary rites of the ancient Persians4. *Yashts/Yasts*: 21 sections, Young Avestan, About different divinities. There are logs of divinities in Zoroastrianism5. *Sirozah*: 30 sections, Young Avestan, About different divinities related to month. "Si" means 30 and "roz" means day so "Sirozah" means a month.6. *Nyayeshs*: ? sections, Young Avestan, Prayers addressed to Sun/Mithra/Moon/Waters/Fire/Etc7. *Gahs*: 5 sections, Young Avestan, About five divinities associated with five sections of the day (Five Namazs).8. *Afrinagans*: 4 sections, Young Avestan, About four blessings addressed to the Dead/End of year/Seasonal feasts/End and start of summer9. *Fragments*: 20+ sections, Young Avestan, About miscellaneous stuffYou might sometimes here the word "Khordeh Avesta" (Little Avesta). That would be a book containing sections 4-9 only.

Ottimo