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A Zervanite Apocalypse I

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 December 2009

R. C. Zaehner
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Extract

Of all our Iranian sources for that form of Zoroastrianism which recognized Zurvān as the prime principle of the cosmos, the Selections of Zātspram are undoubtedly the most important. We have seen (BSOS., IX, p. 573) that in his first chapter Zātspram assigns to Zurvān a decisive rôle in the creative process not found elsewhere; for it was he who handed to Ahriman that “black and ashen garment”, “that weapon, like unto fire … that containeth the very essence of Āz”. In so doing he was making no idle gesture; he was presenting Ahriman with one who was to be at once his most powerful ally and his eventual destroyer. The results of this action are related in the thirty-fourth chapter, an edition of which is offered here. Though our text is at some points exasperatingly corrupt, our chapter does seem to throw additional light on the mysterious figure of Jēh, the Primal Whore, and to support the theory advanced by Professor Benveniste that woman belonged, in the Zervanite system, to the evil creation. We hope in the near future to be able to offer an interpretation of this fascinating chapter: in this article we have confined ourselves to the text and, in the next number of this Bulletin, we will add a first translation which we hope will be of use to such students of religion as are unfamiliar with Pahlavi.

Type
Papers Contributed
Information
Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies , Volume 10 , Issue 2 , June 1940 , pp. 377 - 398
Copyright
Copyright © School of Oriental and African Studies 1940

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References

(0) 1krt٫l y Bk.

(1) 1y inserit TD.

2 TD.

3 Bk.

4lnn٫wmn٫’n TD.

5ḏ () TD.

6 bis scriptum in Bk.

(2) 1 om. Bk.

2 om. TD.

(3) 1 om. Bk. et postea legit.

2 om. TD.

3 TD.

4 om. Bk.

5s٫nḏ Bk.

6 om. Bk.

7kyhlmn Bk.

(4) 1 Bk.

2٫h Bk.

3 om. Bk. recte.

4 Bk.

5’pḏšb BK.

6 Bk.

7y inserit Bk.

8 Bk.

9 TD.

10 TD.

11 Bk.

12 pro ps٫χtn , ps’χt legit Bk.

(5) 1 Bk.

2 om. TD.

3 Bk.

4 ab § 4 restitui.

(6) 1 addit Bk.

2nḏ TD.

3MT, TD.

4 Bk.

5W inserit6 Bk.

6 Bk.

(7) 1 TD.

2wtlt٫n TD.

3MN MDM MN W MDM TD, pro MN MDM.

4 om. Bk.

5 ٫Stwn TD.

6 om. TD.

7 om. Bk.

8d٫š٫lyh Bk.

9y inserit Bk.

10 om. TD.

11 sic T D: Wāw PraePonit Bk.

12 om. TD.

13 TD.

(8) 1GLYTTWm TD.

2 bis scriptum in Bk.

3 TD.

4 om. TD.

5y Bk.

(9) 1Wāw ad m ligatum adjungit Bk.

2DNM TD.

3 om. Bk.

4kt՚lyh Bk.

5y inserit Bk.

(10) 1՚Iwnḏ Bk.

2 om. Bk.

3 Bk.

4 Bk.

(11) 1 ∵ inserit Bk.

2 addit TD ad finem lineae.

3 Bk. mutilatus usque ad primum kt՚l ZK.

4 om. TD.

5 TD.

(12) 1 Bk. mutilatus usque ad .

2M, TD.

(13) 1W praeponit Bk.

2 hic mutilatus Bk.

3 Iranice az, “ego,” at cf. §§ 9 et 11.

4HWWYTWm TD.

5 TD.

6 om. TD.

(14) 1W praeponit Bk.

2 om. TD.

3y inserit TD.

(15) 1 Bk.

2ZK addit Bk.

3 Cf. (13).3

4HWWYTWm TD.

(16) 1 ∵ inserunt ambo.

2 BK.: addit TD.

3W inserit Bk.

4dhšnnyh Bk.

5 ∵ inserit Bk.

6wsč TD.

7nḏd՚n Bk.

8 transposui.

9 om. Bk.

10tčnḏ Bk.

11m om. Bk.

12y’mkb TD.

13 om. Bk.

14yš՚n Bk.

15 alter Wāw otiosum praebet TD.

16 Bk.

17y om. TD.

(17) 1 Bk.

2y inserit Bk.

3χwyšk՚ly Bk.

(18) 1 om. TD.

2 om. Bk.

3m055A;yyy055A; Bk.

4 om. Bk.

5 sic TD: BK.

(19) 1 om. Bk.

2W addit TD.

3 om. Bk.

4 TD.

(20) 1y ad finem lineae superscribit TD.

2L՚WHL Bk., bis seriptura.

3 om. Bk.

4d՚št՚lyh TD.

5kwt՚lč՚y TD.

6 usque ad χw in mutilatus Bk.

7 usque ad ՚sywčšnyh om. Bk.

8 ∵ inserit TD.

9hm addit TD.

10MT, Bk.

11 usque ad mutilatus Bk.

12 om. TD.

13 TD.

14 addit Bk.

15 om. TD.

16 usque ad ՚MTm proximum mutilatus Bk.

17 in TD. lacuna patet.

18 Bk.

19 Bk.

20y inserit Bk.

21ZK mutilata in Bk.

22 Bk.

23Wāw inserit TD.

24՚St՚wmnnḏ TD.

25dlm’n Bk.

26 om. TD.

27slwbwy TD.

28W praeponit Bk.

29 TD.

30 Bk.

31yhyndhwm TD.

32Wāw apponit TD.

33 pro hwm՚n՚kyh y, hru՚w՚hyh՚ Bk.

34y inserit TD.

35 TD.

(21) 1hwm՚n՚kyh TD.

2y inserit TD.

3y inserit Bk.

4BR՚ TD.

(22) 1W praeponit Bk.

2 ՚ ∵ addit Bk.

3y inserit Bk.

4ḏywd՚ḻ Bk.

5 om. Bk.

6Iwb՚yh Bk.

7ḏywd՚l Bk.

8y W addit Bk.

(23) 1BWYT՚, TD.

2W addit Bk.

3 TD.

4 addit TD.

5ḏywd՚l Bk.

6 om. TD.

7 addit TD. ad finem lineae.

8 TD.

9 om. Bk.

10ḏywd՚l Bk.

11 TD.

(24) 1Wāw inserit Bk.

2 om. TD.

3 addit Bk.

4L՚ TD.

5ḏylst՚χxw Bk.

6 pro (resp. ), TD.

7 om. TD.

8hwḏlBk.

9ZKš՚nč Bk.

10PWN KBḎ Bk.

(25) 1TNNY, TD.

2y inserit Bk.

3 om. Bk.

4 pro W, mtZb Bk.

5 ∵ inserit TD. et lacunam habet.

6 om. TD.

7 ∵ inserit TD.

8 om. Bk.

9W inserit TD.

(26) 1 Bk.

2 om. TD.

3՚wyn՚pt՚k nwk, mutilatus BK.

4štrh՚l Bk.

5 hactenus Bk, cetera desunt.

(28) 1 post laeunam ∵ habet cod.

(30) 1

2

3

4addit cod. ad finem lineae.

5

(35) 1 addit cod. ad finem lineae.

2

3

4 addit cod. ad finem lineae.

(38) 1

2 bavēt conjecit Anklesaria.

3

(42) 1

(44) 1 addit cod. ad finem lineae.

(47) 1nihān virēχt conjecit Anklesaria, fortasse recte.

(48) 1 ad fincm lineae cod.

(49) 1 conjecit Anklesaria.

(50) 1 sic Anklesaria recte.

(51) 1 sic Anklesaria.

(54) 1špUn deletum in cod., suprascripto š՚n.