Description
Book SynopsisThe Pahlavi Widēwdād (Vidēvdād), The Law (Serving to Keep) Demons Away, a fifth-century Middle Persian commentary on the Avestan Vidēvdād, describes rules and regulations that serve to prevent pollution caused by dead matter, menstrual discharges, and other agents. It recognizes the perpetual presence of the demons, the forces of the Evil Spirit –forces that should be fought through law-abiding conduct. In spite of its formidable textual problems, the commentary provides an invaluable quarry for the rules of the Zoroastrian community through its citation of regulations for the conduct of its members. Many topics are covered, from jurisprudence to penalties, procedures for dealing with pollution, purification, and arrangements for funerals. Viewed together, they provide the reader with an exquisite interlace of a community’s concerns.
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1 Creation of the Different Lands Chapter 2 Jam’s Golden Rule and the Great Winter Chapter 3 Delightful and Demonic Places on Earth Chapter 4 Contracts and Offenses Chapter 5 Dead Matter and Defilement Chapter 6 Contamination of the Land by Corpses Chapter 7 On Nasuš, the She Demon of Dead Matter Chapter 8 Purification Rituals after Death Chapter 9 The Baršnūm Purification Chapter 10 Formulae Against the Demons Chapter 11 Exorcisms for Purification Chapter 12 On Ritual Observance for the Dead Chapter 13 Veneration of Dogs Chapter 14 Crime of Killing an Otter Chapter 15 Sinners Deserving a Death Sentence Chapter 16 Impurity During Menstruation Chapter 17 Proper Disposition of Hair and Nails Chapter 18 The Unworthy Priest and the Rooster Chapter 19 Temptation of Zarathushtra by the Evil Spirit Chapter 20 Zoroastrian Concepts of Medicine Chapter 21 Invocations Against the Demons Chapter 22 Antidotes Against the Evil Spirit Conclusion Glossary Bibliography
