A literary history of Persia

THE AVESTA 101spiritual hierarchy.The only difference between the twosystems the most ancient and the most modern which Persiahas producedlies in the substitution of attributes for Angelsby the Babis, and further in the fact that to only twelve of thethirty Amshaspands and Izads who preside over the days of themonth are allotted months also, while with the Babis the samenineteen names serve for both purposes. In both calendarsthe week plays no part ;in both ithappens once in each monththat the same name indicates both the month and the day and;in both cases such days are observed as festivals. Yet itismost improbable that the Bab, who was a Sayyid, and, ere heannounced his Divine mission (A.D. 1844), an ultra-zealousShi'ite, holding all unbelievers as unclean and to be sedulouslyavoided (he enjoinsin the Persian Bayfin the expulsion of allwho refuse to accept his doctrine, save such as are engagedin avocations useful to the community, from the five principalprovinces of Persia), had,or would have condescended toacquire, any direct knowledge of the Zoroastrian religionand practices ;and the same applies to the many strikinganalogies which his doctrine, and even phraseology, presentwith those of the Isma'Ilis and other older sects ;so that weare almost driven to regard a certain circle of religious andphilosophical ideas as endemic in Persia, and liable at anymoment, under a suitable stimulus, to become epidemic. Tothis point we shall have repeated occasion to recur later.5. The Khorda Avesta, or " Little Avesta,"is a kind ofprayer-book or religious chrestomathy compiled for the use ofthe laityin the reign of Shapur II (A.D.Th da310379)A^ta by the priest, Adharpadh Mahraspand. It consistspartly of selections from the whole Avesta, partly offormulae written in Pazend (see pp. 81-2 supra] ;and comprisesthe five Nydyishes (prayers addressed to the Sun, the Moon,Mithra, the Genius of the Water, and the Bahram-Fire), thefive Gdhs, the greater and lesser Slruza ("thirty days"), andthe four Afr'ing&n^ or blessings.