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Persian Scribes
The 20 Jan. 2010 at 01:02A Perso-Aryan scholar priest belonged to the Mazdayasnian priestly families, who pursued the study of the Avesta and Zand, and who put the sacred knowledge in the service of the religious office. A scribe belonged to a distinct but "artificial" estate of the Aryan society, who pursued, beside the study of the scribal art various kinds of study: agriculture, irrigation, architecture, mathematics, astronomy and astrology, medicine, and poetry, who played a significant role in the composition and transmission of the abundant secular literature in the Perso-Aryan languages, and who put his knowledge and skill in the service of the royal and public administration of the kingdom.
Death of Balder
The 18 Jan. 2010 at 12:10Quelques rencontres de thèmes légendaires
qui s’observent entre Germains et Perses
Manichaeism
The 12 Jan. 2010 at 23:31The book of Mardānfarrox ends with this chapter devoted to Manichaeism which contains, according to Franz Cumont, “un exposé très remarquable dans sa concision de la doctrine manichéenne, qu’il combat.” (60) The text has been translated and or commented many times –we can name West (1887), Saleman (1904), Jackson (1932), Henning (1934), Hedayat (1943), Menasce (1945), Zaehner (A937-39, 1955), Shakiba (2001), Sundermann (2001), and Taillieu (2003). However, some technical terms of Mardānfarrox’s exposition of Mani’s cosmology remained “undeciphered”, for example the Pazand kunī.
Christianity
The 04 Jan. 2010 at 12:01In his criticism of Christianity (XV), the author first mentions the origin of Christian sects, which is Judaism, and then deals with the Christian mysteries: the Incarnation, Trinity, and Redemption. He quotes from the canonical texts this: « There is one principle, and every thing is through his will. » And he finds it incompatible with the idea of the freedom of will defended by some Christian exegetes like Ephraim. He argues that the New Testament really confirms the existence of two principles, good and evil. And he concludes that: Although Jesus claimed that he had not come to abolish the Laws of Moses, his sayings and commands really dissipate these laws.
Sequel
The 03 Jan. 2010 at 10:00Judaism II
The second part (XIV) of the ŠGV is about the qualities of Adonai as described in a series of Scriptures and agadot: He is vengeful, raging, heavy-hearted, wrathful, deceitful even of those who serve him best, warlike and cruel, capricious and mean to men; he does not even tolerate the protestation of the angels; he dismisses his own angels to a fiery river in hell; he engages in bloody battles against men; in the end, he comes to regret his creation.
Judaism I
The 01 Jan. 2010 at 17:54Mardānfarrox proceeds to a polemical critique of Judaism. James Darmesteter who translated it into French in his “Textes pehlvis relatifs au judaisme” (1889), concerning its place in the criticismes of Judaism and its Scriptures said thus:
From the Denkird
The 29 Dec. 2009 at 16:09Sequel
This is the only chapter of the first two books of the Dēnkird that has been preserved. Mardānfarrox has cited it by way of authority after the chapter on Islam. It is about the inconsistent discourses of the Muslim doctrines as regards God, and concludes that Islam is incompatible with a measured religion.
Islam I
The 28 Dec. 2009 at 21:14Four virtues are requisite for godhead: omniscience, omnipotence, goodness, and mercifulness. Monotheism, and especially Islam, traces both good and evil to a divinity whose attributes are incompatible with the latter. Allah fails to be a divinity worthy of worship.
Dualism
The 14 Dec. 2009 at 15:52The speculation of the monists and the demonstration of dualism
The whole dissertation culminates in a demonstration of two principles. The different doctrines are classified in two original ones, one monist, the other dualist. The creator is explained in his three “functions”, that is, the creation and religion and (salvation of) soul. Then Mardānfarrox describes his religious quest, and how he escaped from doubtfulness, especially from the alien faith of Mani and the heresy of “those who wear the sacred mask” –probably, an esoteric tendency among the Zoroastrians, like the actual Khshnoom heresy among the Parsis.
From Engels
The 14 Dec. 2009 at 10:16F. Engels, in his letter to K. Marx (Manchester, 6 June [1853,] evening), said this: « I am in any case tied up with the eastern mummery for some weeks; I have made use of the opportunity to learn Persian. I am put off Arabic, partly by my inborn hatred of Semitic languages, partly by the impossibility of getting anywhere, without considerable expenditure of time, in so extensive a language — one which has 4,000 roots and goes back over 2,000-3,000 years. By comparison, Persian is absolute child’s play. Were it not for that damned Arabic alphabet in which every half dozen letters looks like every other half dozen and the vowels are not written, I would undertake to learn the entire grammar within 48 hours. This for the better encouragement of Pieper should he feel the urge to imitate me in this poor joke. I have set myself a maximum of three weeks for Persian, so if he stakes two months on it he'll best me anyway. What a pity Weitling can’t speak Persian; he would then have his langue universelle toute trouvé [universal language ready-made] since it is, to my knowledge, the only language where ‘me’ and ‘to me’ are never at odds, the dative and accusative always being the same. » (see MECW Volume 39, p. 335 )
In fact Engels has described the Persic language avant la letter.
