Why do we really need a new edition of the Avesta?

Why do we really need a new edition 

of the Avesta? 

Alberto Cantera

FONTES CRITICAE 

Westergaard (p. 3): 

“The manuscripts containing these texts, and of which I have made 

use, are first and chiefly the splendid collection now in the 

University-library of Copenhagen, which Erasmus Rask succeeded 

in acquiring on a scientific visit to Bombay in 1820. […] Besides a 

few manuscripts belonging to myself, I have also been privileged 

freely to use in my own home those belonging to my friend Dr. John 

Wilson of Bombay. I have further examined more or less 

completely, during a short journey abroad for that purpose in the 

spring of 1850, the collections and single manuscripts preserved in 

the East-India-house and the British museum, in the two 

libraries of Oxford, in the Imperial library, Paris, and those which 

belonged to Eugène Burnouf” [my italics]

Geldner about Westergaard’s edition 

(Prolegomena, i): 

I may say at once that he succeeded 

marvellously in accomplishing the most 

difficult task, an editio princeps of the Avesta. 

So admirably did Westergaard work through 

the manuscripts known to him, and so model 

the text he provided, that without entirely 

new material, there would have remained 

little or nothing for me to do. A re-reading 

of the texts extant in Europe, I found, promised 

but little fruit.

Geldner (Prolegomena, p. i): 

A re-reading of the texts extant in Europe, I found, promised but little fruit. It son 

became evident, however, that in India there was hidden an unopened store of 

manuscripts, and I forthwith directed my attention to securing these. Through the 

kindness of friends I succeeded in procuring the greater number of them, and those 

the more important; this circumstance has placed me in a position to improve upon 

Westergaard in details, or in cases where he had already hit upon the right Reading - 

as for the most part he had- to substantiate this by better authority. 

Especially for the Yasna much new material became accessible to me. In the Yashts, 

the one ancestral manuscript has placed the text criticism on a firmer basis. In the 

Vendidad, on the contrary, I have not been able to get much beyond Westergaard's 

material. It is particularly to be regretted that some of the Yasna manuscripts 

came to hand late; some in fact even after the printing was finished. All the 

more unfortunate was this, as among the stragglers were some that at the outset 

were almost indispensable, as regards text criticism for a proper classification and 

estimation of the manuscripts.

Iranian manuscripts of the long liturgy used by 

Westergaard 

• K4 (1723) 

• K9 (copy of Mf2) 

• a collation of 8 fragards of 

Mf2 

First page of K4

Iranian manuscripts of the long liturgy used by 

Geldner 

only Iranian manuscripts available 

in Europe or India 

• Vīdēvdād Sāde Mf2 

(1618/1638) y Jp1 

(1638/1658, actual location 

unknown) , K9 (copy of Mf2) 

• Yasna Sāde: Mf1 (1741) 

• Yasna Pahlaví Pt4 (1774) y Mf4 

(younger), they are Indian 

copies 

• VīštāspYašt Sāde K4 (1723) 

Sample of Pt4

G18a (Meherji-rana Library, Navsari)

Iranian manuscripts known today 

Yasna Vīsperad Vīdēvdād Vīštāsp Yašt 

s. XVII G18b (1647) Ave976 (1627) 

Ave977/978 (1628) 

Mf2 (1618/1638) 

Jp1 (1638/1658) 

Ave992 (1643) 

Ave1001 (1632/1652) 

Ave1007 (1638/1658) 

RSPA 230 (BL) (1647) 

G18a (1647) 

Mf9 (1647) 

s. XVIII Mf1 (1741) K9 (1746) K4 (1723) 

s. XIX ML15284 (< 1823) Xodābaxš Forud 

(1842) 

Sorušyān (1884) 

ML15285 1893 

D59 (1816) 

MK 1182 (< 1813) 

MK1185 (1816) 

MK1263 (1894) 

s. XX Nuširawān Jahāngir 

(1918) 

sin fecha 

Fl1 (Iranian style) 

Kh1 (Iranian style) 

ML15283

Ave977/978 (private owner, Yazd)

EXAMINATIO CODICUM 

• Use of collations and transcriptions by scholars, mainly of 

European manuscripts 

• Superficial analysis of many manuscripts

USE OF COLLATIONS AND TRANSLITERATED COPIES 

• Collations: 

• Bibliothèque Nationale of Paris: Olshausen’s P6, P10 and 

P12 

• British Museum of London: 

• M. A. Stein’s Lb1 and Lb16 

• E. V. Arnold’s Lb2 

• A. V. Williams Jackson’s Lb5 

• Copies: 

• Bibliothèque Nationale of Paris: 

• Olshausen’s P2, P11, P13 and P14 

• Burnouf’s & Brockhaus printed edition of P1

Consequences: confusion of manuscripts 

P2 :: P10 

• Geldner’s presentation of the mss: P2 = Suppl. Pers. 26 & P10 = 

Suppl.Pers. 25 

• But Geldner’s Prolegomena and critical apparatus: P2 = 

Suppl. Pers. 25 & P10 = Suppl.Pers. 26 

• Geldner (Prolegomena x) V13.17 P2 pr. manu srao inō; sec. 

manu sraē əmnō 

Suppl.Pers.25 Suppl.Pers.26 

• Geldner (Prolegomena xiv) V13.50: P2 pr. Manu nasuš, 

Suppl.Pers.25 Suppl.Pers.26

L17 and B3 in Geldner’s description 

Prolegomena, pp. ii & ix 

Prolegomena, pp. xxx 

•B3 and L17 are “from 

the same scribe” 

•L17 (1551) ist the 

oldest Yasna Sāde 

•B3 and L17 derive 

from K5

• B3 and L17 belong to the same school, but are not written by the 

same scribe 

• They do not derive from K5 

• L17 is an indirect copy of B3 and its date is not the year 1551 

given in the colophon.

L17 

B3 

4 

5 

10

• Numbering in lists

• Probably different hands

L17 B3 otros 

ą 

T46 

ah 

β 

b

L17 is a later copy than B3 

• Y2.1 

zaoϑra. āiiese. yešti. barəsma. āiiese. yešti. barəsma. āiiese. 

yešti. zaoϑra. āiiese. yešti: zaoϑra. haδa.barəsma. āiiese. 

yešti. barəsma. haδa.zaoϑra. āiiese. yešti: ahmiia. zaoϑre. 

ima . barəsma. āiiese. yešti. ana. barəsmana. imąm. 

zaoϑrąm. āiiese. yešti: haδa.zaoϑrəm. ima . barəsma. 

āiiese. yešti. ima . barəsma. haδa.zaoϑrəm. haδa.aiβii 

ŋhanəm. a aiia. frastarətəm. > āiiese. yešti. 

• Y2.2 

ahmiia. zaoϑre. barəsmanaēca.ahurəm. mazdąm. a 

auuanəm. a ahe. ratūm. āiiese. yešti amə ā. spəṇtā. 

hux aϑrā. huδ ŋhō. āiiese. yešti 

Include the secondary 

addition: 

YS: J6, Lb2,L20 

VS: Ml630, M2, T46, 

O2, B4, FK1, G42 

PV: F2 

Missing: 

PV:K5, J2, Mf4, Pt4, 

M1, T6 

YS Bh5 

YS-Ir: ML15284 

VrS: G18b, K4, K8

Y51.1: the definitive proof 

vohū. xšạϑrəm. vairīm. bāgəm. 

aibī.bairištəm. vīdīṣ̌əmnāiš. īžācīt̰. aṣ̌ā. 

aṇtarə.caraitī. šíiaoϑanāiš. mazdā. 

vahištəm. tat̰. nə̄ . nūcīt̰. varəṣ̌ānē.::

Yes, but not direct copies

The Avestan text is not extracted from K5 

• Geldner does not give any arguments 

• Where Sāde manuscripts show differences to 

the Pahlavi, B3 and L17 show the readings of 

the Sāde 

• The readings of B3 and L17 do not confirm the 

dependence from K5

Beginning of the Gāθās

CONSTITUTIO STEMMATIS CODICUM 

LACHMANN’S METHOD 

• Agreement of error as an indicator of relationship between manuscripts, s. V3.41 

A(B2, T46, L1, P1) B (L5, FK1) C (L2, E4, G42, B4) 

spaiieiti draošəm spaiieiti draošəm spaiieiti draošəm 

auuaγnīm 

spaiieiti. auuaγnīm 

spaiieiti. yātuγnīm spaiieiti. yātuγnīm spaiieiti. yātuγnīm 

L5 

X 

FK1 

daēna. māzdaiiasniš. narš. āstauua 

nahe. baṇdəm. spaiieite. drao əm. 

spaiieite. yātuγnīm. spaiieiti. a 

auuaγnīm. spaiieite. nasuspaēm. 



auuaγnīm. spaiieite. yātuγnīm. spaiieiti. 

a auuaγnīm. spaiieite. nasuspaēm. 

CRITICISM 

• The emphasis is upon the difference, but manuscripts have much more text in 

common tan differences 

• Common errors might be coincidental and this possibility increases in tradition with 

texts copied frequently 

• Readings do not spread necessarily only trough copies of manuscripts

CONSCIOUS AND UNCONSCIOUS CHANGES: Y30.1 

• mazdaθā: PV: J2, K5, Pt4 

Skt-Y: S1, P11 (mazda.θā) 

IrYS: Mf1 

IrVS: Ave976, Ave977/978, RSPA230, Jp1 

IrVrS: K4 

Ind-VS: B2, Bb1, G112 

Ind-YS: B3, H1 

• mazdā.θβā Ind-YS: L17, G26b, Bh5, J6,7, K11, C1, P6, L13, L20 

IndVS: L1, T46, B4, ML630, G106, L3 

Skt-Y: T7 

PY: F2, M1 

• mazdaδātā: IrVrS: G18b 

IrYS: Ml15284 

PY: M1 (transcription of K5, but corrected prim.man.) 

Bartholomae, Die Zend-Hss., 2.3:

COINCIDENTAL AGREEMENT 

U. B. Schmid, ‘Genealogy by Chance!’, On the Significance of 

Accidental Variation (Parallelisms)’, in Studies in 

Stemmatology, ii.127–43 

H. J. Vogels found in the Codex Cassellaneus of Tatian’s 

Diatessaron 44 “carefully selected as genealocally significant 

deviations” from the Codex Fuldensis, from which supossedly 

derives. These readings seemed to derive from other codices 

and to postulate a new genelogical adscription of this codex. 

Schmid has shown that 24 of these “significant readings” are 

not present in the original codex, but only in his 19th-century 

edition. They were mistakes of the editor and it can be only by 

chance that these errors happened to agree with the parallels 

adduced by Vogels.

THE PROCESS OF COPY 

written transmission 

ritual-oral transmission 

manuscript

THE SPREADING OF READINGS. FUNCTION OF MANUSCRIPTS 

• Not to be used in ritual: 

• prohibition 

• impossibility. Manuscripts with alternatives (sample G18b) 

• for the ritual instruction of priests in the priestly school 

• The activity of manuscripts copying can not be separated from 

the teaching of the ritual practice and the ritual text 

• In the priestly school the autoritative text is the result of 

the combination of the knowledge of the priest and the 

available written copies 

• Priest’s knowledge is partly herited and partly result of his 

exegetical activity

CONSCIOUS AND UNCONSCIOUS CHANGES: Y30.1 

• mazdaθā: PV: J2, K5, Pt4 

Skt-Y: S1, P11 (mazda.θā) 

IrYS: Mf1 

IrVS: Ave976, Ave977/978, RSPA230, Jp1 

IrVrS: K4 

Ind-VS: B2, Bb1, G112 

Ind-YS: B3, H1 

• mazdā.θβā Ind-YS: L17, G26b, Bh5, J6,7, K11, C1, P6, L13, L20 

IndVS: L1, T46, B4, ML630, G106, L3 

Skt-Y: T7 

PY: F2, M1 

• mazdaδātā: IrVrS: G18b 

IrYS: Ml15284 

PY: M1 (transcription of K5, but corrected prim.man.) 

Bartholomae, Die Zend-Hss., 2.3:

CONSCIOUS AND UNCONSCIOUS CHANGES: V3.41 

A(B2, T46, L1, P1) B (L5, FK1) C (L2, E4, G42, B4) 

spaiieiti draošəm spaiieiti draošəm spaiieiti draošəm 

auuaγnīm 

spaiieiti. auuaγnīm 

spaiieiti. yātuγnīm spaiieiti. yātuγnīm spaiieiti. yātuγnīm 



spaiieite. yātuγnīm. spaiieiti. a 

auuaγnīm. spaiieite. nasuspaēm. 



auuaγnīm. spaiieite. yātuγnīm. spaiieiti. 

a auuaγnīm. spaiieite. nasuspaēm. 

Conscious change: addition of spaiieiti and creation of a PT 

PV: spaiieiti draošəm … spaiieiti as ̣uuaɤnīm (L4, T44, B1, Bh11, M3, G34); 

spaiieiti draošəm … spaiieiti auuaɤnīm … spaiieiti yātuɤnīm … spaiieiti as ̣uuaɤnīm: F10

A NEW APPROACH TO THE CONSTRUCTIO STEMMATIS CODICUM 

•Coherence based genealogical method (CBGM): Institut für neutestamentliche Forschung, 

Münster 

•Pregenalogical coherence: quantitative method 

•Genealogical coherence: a global stemma is the stemma most coherent with the local 

stemmata. 

•Tools for Avestan Text Criticism 

100 

80 

60 

40 

20 

0 

K1 B1 P10 M3 D62 P2 

K1 

B1 

P10 

M3 

D62 

P2 

K1 

B1 

M3 

P10 

D62 

reformist mss. of the family of L4 

P2

CONSTITUTIO TEXTUS 

SĀDE AND PAHLAVI MANUSCRIPTS 

Sample of RSPA230, British Library 

Sample of L4, British Library

Pahlavi manuscripts 

• Yasna without correspondence in the Great Avesta: the PT and 

the Avestan text were put together in the 10 th C. Only small 

differences. 

• Vidēvdād and VīštāspYašt: only the intercalation between the 

Old Avestan texts, although there are peculiarities in the Yasna 

parts too. 

• Vīsperad: only 24 additions or substitutions before Y54

Visperad 

Vidēvdād 

Y54.2 

VrS29.1 = Vr24.0 

airiiamanəm. i īm. a auuanəm. a ahe. ratūm. 

yazamaide. ma .afsmanəm. ma .vacastaštīm. ma 

.āzaiṇtīm. ma .pərəsūm. ma .paiti.pərəsūm. ma . 

vaγžibiiāca. pa biiasca. huframərətəm. framarəmnəm. 

hufrāiiaštəm. 

frāiiaēziiaṇtəm. ahmi. dąm. ahmi. ciϑre. frax ne. 

auui. manō. zrazdātōi . aŋhuiia . haca 

airiiamanəm. i īm. a auuanəm. a ahe. ratūm. 

yazamaide. ma .afsmanəm. ma .vacastaštīm. ma 

.āzaiṇtīm. ma .pərəsūm. ma .paiti.pərəsūm. ma . 

vaγžibiiāca. pa biiasca. huframərətəm. framarəmnəm. 

hufrāiiaštəm. 

frāiiaēziiaṇtəm. ahmi. dąm. ahmi. ciϑre. frax ne. 

auui. manō. zrazdātōi . aŋhuiia . haca 

VS54.1 =VrS21.2 

ātrəmca. iδa. ahurahe. mazdā̊. puϑrəm. yazamaide: 

ātarš. ciϑrə̄sca. yazatə̄. yazamaide: ātarš. ciϑrə̄sca. 

rašṇušca. yazamaide: aṣ̌āunąmca. frauuašạiiō. 

yazamaide: sraoṣ̌əmca. yim. vərəϑrājanəm. yazamaide: 

narəmca. yim. aṣ̌auuanəm. yazamaide: vīspąmca. yąm. 

ašạonō. stīm. yazamaide. 

VS54.2 =VrS21.3 

zaraϑuštrahe. spitāmahe. iδa. ašạonō. aṣ̌īmca. 

frauuaṣ̌īmca. yazamaide: vīspaēca. iδa. ašạonō. aṣ̌īmca. 

frauuaṣ̌īmca. yazamaide: vīspā̊. frauuašạiiō. aṣ̌āunąm. 

yazamaide: ādax́iiunąmca. ašạonąm. frauuaṣ̌aiiō. 

yazamaide: uzdāxíiunąmca. aṣ̌aonąm. frauuašạiiō. 

yazamaide: narąmca. ašạonąm. frauuašạiiō. 

yazamaide: nāirinąmca. ašạoninąm. frauuaṣ̌aiiō. 

yazamaide. 

VS54.3 = VrS21.4 

yaēṣ̌ąm. nō. ahurō. mazdā̊. aṣ̌auua. yesne. paiti. vaŋhō. 

vaēδa. aēṣ̌ąm. zaraϑuštrō. aŋhuca. ratušca: ṣ̌ōiϑriia. 

apasca. zəmasca. uruuarā̊sca. yazamaide.: 

VS54.4 =VrS21.5 

VrS29.2 = Vr24.1 

auuat̰. miždəm. yazamaide: auuat̰. dasuuarə. 

yazamaide: auuat̰. ... 

VS54.1-3 

do bar guftan 

auuat̰. miždəm. yazamaide: auuat̰. dasuuarə. 

yazamaide: auuat̰. ...

Visperad after Y54 

• VrS30 (after Y57) = #VrS20.2-9 

• Bhaǰ Dharnā (afterY59): VrS32-VrS37 

• Between Y63.3a & 3b 

• After Y65 

• After Y68

Correspondences between Bhaj 

Dharnā and Srōš Drōn 

VrS32.0 

VrS32.1-6 

Y62.1-6 

VrS32.7 

#Y3.1 

VrS32.8 Y22.4 

VrS32.9-14 Y3.5-10 Y22.5-10 

VrS32.10 Y3.6 Y22.6 

VrS32.11 Y3.7 Y22.7 

VrS32.12 Y3.8 Y22.8 

VrS32.13 Y3.9 Y22.9 

VrS32.14 Y3.10 Y22.10 

VrS32.15-23 

VrS11.1-9 

VrS32.24-31 Y3.12-19 Y22.12-19 

VrS32.32 #Y22.22 Y22.23-27 

VrS32.34 

VrS32.32-33 

VrS32.35 -38 

Y23.1-23 

VrS32.39-41 

Y3.22-24 

VrS33.1 

#Y4.1 

VrS33.2 Y4.2 

VrS33.3 

#Y4.3 

VrS33.4-21 

Y4.4-21 

VrS33.22 #Y4.22 Y4.23-25 

VrS34.1-6 Y36.1-6 Y5 

VrS35.1 Y17.1 

VrS35.2-7 Y17.2-7 Y6 

VrS35.8-18 

VrS7.1-11 

VrS35.19-27 

Y17.9-17 

VrS35.28 VrS32.32 #Y25.4 

VrS35.30 

Y26 

VrS35.31-33 

Y6.19-21 

VrS36.1 #Y71+Y7.2 #Y7.4 

VrS36.3-22 

Y7.5-25 

VrS36.23 

#Y52.1 

VrS36.24-26 

Y52.2-4 

VrS36.27 no equivalent #Y52.4 

VrS36.29 Y27.14

Y25.1a 

VrS14.1 

Amə ā.1 spəṇtā. hux aϑrā. huδ ŋhō. yazamaide: 

ahurəm. mazdąm. a auuanəm. a ahe. ratūm. yazamaide: 

zaraϑuštrəm. a auuanəm. a ahe. ratūm. yazamaide: zaraϑuštrahe. a 

aonō. frauua īm. yazamaide: amə . spəṇt . a aonąm. yazamaide. 

Y25.1° 

Vr3.13 

VrS14.2 

a āunąm.1 vaŋuhīš. sūr . spəṇt .frauua aiiō. yazamaide. astuuatō. 

manahiiāca:2 apanōtəməm. raϑβąm. yazamaide. yaētuštəməm. 

yazatanąm. haŋhanuštəməm. a ahe. raϑβąm. aiβinasąstəməm. 

jaγmūštəmąm.3 a aonō. a ahe. raϑβō. ratufritīm. yazamaide. 

Vr3.14 

VrS14.3 

vaca. aršuxδa. yazamaide: srao əm. a īm. yazamaide: a īm. vaŋuhīm. 

yazamaide: nairīm.2 saŋhəm. yazamaide: āxštīm. hąm.vaiṇtīm.3 

yazamaide: astərətaca. amuiiamna. yazamaide:a āunąmca. frauua 

aiiō. yazamaide: cinuuatō.7 pərətūm. yazamaide: garō. nmānəm. 

ahurahe. mazd . yazamaide: vahištəm. ahūm. a aonąm. yazamaide. 

raocaŋhəm. vīspō. āϑrəm (3x) 

Vr7.1 

VrS14.4 

vahištahe. aŋh uš. vahištąm. aiianąm. yazamaide: arštātəm. 

yazamaide. 

vaŋuhīm.frāda .gaēϑąm. varəda .gaēϑąm. sauuō.gaēϑąm.3 yąm. 

daēnąm. māzdaiiasnīm: ra nūm. razištəm. yazamaide: miϑrəm. 

vouru.gaoiiaoitīm. yazamaide: rəuuīm.4 parəṇdīm.5 yazamaide. 

rəuuīm. rauuō.manaŋhąm.6 rəuuīm. rauuō.vacaŋhąm. rəuuīm. 

rauuō. iiaoϑənanąm. frā. tanuuō. rəṇjaiieiti. 

Vr7.2 

VrS14.5 

nairiiąm. hąm.varəitīm.1 yazamaide. framən.narąm.2 

framən.narō.vīrąm.2 yā. āsao . āsii .3 yā. taxmō.tą ii . yā . dim. 

jasaiti. baγō.baxtəmci . 

yā. narəm. vīγərəptāci . tanuuō. baoxtārəm. daδāiti: 

afnəm. mazdaδātəm. yazamaide. āitīm. pasuu . vīraii 

Vr7.3 

VrS14.6 

auu . Dāmąn. a auuanō. yazamaide. y .4həṇti. paoiriiō.dāta. 

paoiriiō.fraϑβaršta. a n āa ca. apāa ca. zəmāa ca. uruuaraiiāa ca. 

gao ca. 

huδ ŋha : zraiiō. vouruka əm. yazamaide: vātəm. dar īm.10 

mazdaδātəm. yazamaide: asmanəm. anuuaṇtəm. yazamaide. 

paoiriiō.dātəm. paoiriiō.fraϑβarštəm. gaēϑīm. gaēϑaii . stōiš 

Vr7.4 

Y25.1b 

iməm. haoməm. a aiia. uzdātəm. yazamaide: imąmcā. 

gąm. jīuuiiąm. a aiia. uzdātąm. yazamaide: imąmcā. 

uruuarąm. haδānaēpatąm. a aiia. uzdātąm. 

yazamaide.

Between Y63.3a & 3b 

Y63.3 (a) VrS39.3 VrS39.3 

VrS39.4 Y39.2 VrS39.4 Y39.2 

VrS39.5 Yt13.155 VrS39.5 Yt13.155 

VrS39.6 no equivalent, #Y25.2+Y25.3VrS39.6 no equivalent, #Y25. 

VrS39.7 Vr7.5 VrS39.7 Vr7.5 

Y63.3 (b) VrS39.8 Y71.24 VrS39.8 Y71.24

After Y65 

Y65.17 VrS40.2 Y65.17 + VrS10.6b VrS40.2 Y65.17 + VrS10.6b 

VrS40.3 #VrS10.7 VrS40.3 #VrS10.7 

VrS40.4 #VrS10.7 VrS40.4 #VrS10.7 

Y65.18 VrS40.5 VrS40.5 

VrS40.6 

VrS40.6 

VrS40.7 VrS4.3 VrS40.7 VrS4.3 

Y65.19 VrS40.8 VrS40.8 

VrS40.9 VrS9.1 VrS40.9 VrS9.1 

VrS40.10 VrS9.2 VrS40.10 VrS9.2 

VrS40.11 VrS18.1 VrS40.11 VrS18.1

After Y68 

Y68.24 Y47 Y68.24 Y47 / Y43 Y68.24 Y47 / Y43 

VrS43.1 VrS3.11 VrS43.1 VrS3.11 

VrS43.2 VrS3.12 VrS43.2 VrS3.12 

VrS43.3 VrS24.0 / VrS23.0 VrS43.3 VrS24.0 / VrS23.0 





VS68.2 

VrS43.8 VrS15.1 VrS44.8 VrS15.1 

VrS43.9 VrS15.2 VrS44.9 VrS15.2

GELDNER’S PREEMINENCE OF THE PAHLAVI MANUSCRIPTS 

GELDNER, Prolegomena xix: 

All mss. of the Vendidâd sâda ultimately presuppose a common 

archetype. There seems to me to be no doubt that this 

archetype in turn was excerpted and compiled from the Pahlavi 

Avestâ Mss. We can hardly conceive of the Vendidâd of the 

Sassanians without the Pahlavi translation. As a direct proof of 

this may be instanced numerous Avesta glosses of the Pahlavi 

translation which have crept into the Avesta text of the 

Vendidâd sâda. In separating the Avesta text from its Pahlavi 

setting several mistakes may have been made by the compiler of 

the Vendidad sada, namely in cases where the text was abridged 

and he tried to give it complete.

PREEMINENCE OF THE SĀDE-TRADITION 

• Spiegel (Zur Textkritik des Avesta), 592 

Zu meiner Rechtfertigung kann ich jedoch sagen, dass ich zwar 

keine einzelne Handschrift der Vendidäd-sades einer 

besonderen Berücksichtigung werth finde, dass mir aber die 

Lesart der Vendidād-sādes ebensoviel gilt, wie die der alten 

Handschriften, wenn sie unter sich übereinstimmen, denn ich 

halte den Grundcodex der Vendidad-sâdes dem der 

Handschriften mit Uebersetzung vollkommen ebenbürtig. 

• Kellens, “Considérations sur l’histoire de l’Avesta”, JA 

1998: 

the refuse of the linearity: Sassanian archetypes > 

Stammhandschriften > manuscripts 

the “Sassanian” ritual Avesta: argumentation based on 

the existence of the ceremonies 

• Nērangs and nērangestān

RITUAL VARIETY 

Geldner Rituals in the mss. varieties 

Yasna ī rapihwin 

Yasna 

Yasna 

Visperad (only 24 changes) Visperad Gāhānbār 

Frawardīgān 

Panǰ Gāhān 

Ardā Frawahr 

Srōš 

Dō-hōmāst 

Vīdēvdād (interc.) Vīdēvdād Ohrmazd 

Srōš 

VīštāspYašt

RITUAL VARIETY: DEDICATORIES (ŠNUMAN) 

Yasna 

Visperad + intercalation ceremonies 

Y0.8-12 

Y4.23-24 (drōn šnūman) 

Y22.23-27 

Y24.28-32 

Y25.4-8 

Y0.8-12 

Y4.23-24 (drōn šnūman) 

Y22.23-27 

VrS13.41-46 [Vr11.16] 

Y25.4-8 

VrS32.33 

VrS33.23-25 

VrS35.29 

VrS36.18 

VrS36.28

• DEDICATORIES OF VISPERAD 

• Gāhānbār: 

raϑβō. bərəzatō. yō. a ahe. raϑβąm. yō. a ahe. raϑβąm. 

aiiaranąmca. asniianąmca. māhiianąmca. yāiriianąmca. 

sarəδanąmca. raϑβąm. vīspe. mazištanąm. yōi. həṇti. a ahe. 

ratauuō. hāuuanīm. paiti. ratūm. + corresponding Gāhānbār 

raϑβō 

• Srōš: 

sraošahe. ašịiehe. taxmahe. tanumąϑrahe. dar i. draoš. āhūiriiehe. 

• Frawardīgān und Ardā Frawahr: 

ahurahe. mazd . raēuuatō. arənaŋuhatō. amə anąm. 

spəṇtanąm. a āunąm. frauua inąm. uγranąm. aiβiϑūranąm. 

paoiriiō. kaē anąm. frauua inąm. nabānazdištanąm. frauua inąm. 

• Dō-Hōmāst (K7b): 

isa .vāstrahe. Zaraθuštrahe. ašạonō. frauuaṣ̌əe

OTHER CHANGES: Y23 (1-4) & Y26 

Ave976, Ave977/78, RSPA 230 

agar šnūman nē srōš bawēd ān ī bawēd guftan agar ardā 

fraward bawēd čīyōn mazdaδāta. a aciϑra. y. (end of Y25.3) 

guftan ahurəm. mazdąm. raēuuaṇtəm. arənaŋuhaṇtəm. y. 

amə ā. spəṇtā. huxšaϑrā. huδ ŋhō. y. [it followsY26] 

If it is not the dedicatory to Sros, then you say the 

corresponding dedicatory. If it is the (the dedicatory) to Arda 

Frawahr, then you say as mazdaδāta. a aciϑra. y. (end of 

Y25.3), (then) (the dedicatory) ahurəm. mazdąm. raēuuaṇtəm. 

arənaŋuhaṇtəm. y. amə ā. spəṇtā. huxšaϑrā. huδ ŋhō. y. [it 

follows Y26]

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