The Religion of the Iranian Peoples Part I from the German With

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The Religion of the Iranian Peoples Part I from the German With EhIG ION OF T HE HN P EOP h P C . T . IELE P a rt I. (F ro m the G erm an ) WITH DAR MES‘ TETER ’ S SKETC H OF PER SIA AN D COLDZIHER ’S “ INFLUENC EOF P AR SISM ON ISLAM (Fro m t he F ren ch) Tra nsla ted by K. NA MAN G . R I ” THE PAR SI P U BLI SHIN G C 0 BOM BAY. ' T R AN SL ATOR S P R E F AC E . r r li ion f r n r a s nd I have studied y ou e g o ow fo ty y e r a my . " n o m n s e So o t o inte rest in it has t di i i h d . Dr . T i ele w r e t m e in 1 902 when I had asked his p er mi ssion to tran sl ate in t o E nglish hi s histo ry o f the R eligio n o f the Iran ian Peo ples fr o m its man ve s on the o n a u c e n e o n m T i G er r i , rigi l D t h b i g b y d e . he re s hardly a li ne in hi s writi ngs whi ch the learne d author has given s u o e t he Av es a . It was m n en i n u s but i s pp rt d by t y i t t o , th e re e a ul ran s a o n o f all the ass e fo re, to giv f l t l ti p ages r lied on by f c n oe I c o u n o t av er ve D r. T iele and o o r ld h e d i d better he lp o an E n s so urce an the Sa cred Boo ks o the East I fr m y gli h th f, . m a e m o ec t ro ssor Tie o th erefore i nti t d y pr j t o P fe le , wh cour teously replied " L When y ou draw o n the Sa cred Boo ks of the E a st which means the d a t w en ou n t ive the u ss translatio n of D rmes eter, h y thi k o g q oted pa ages in fu ou w a low m emo e n so me e a s mos of em as I h n ll , y ill l y r d lli g , p rh p t th , t i k ’ n a i n o us e o u e n 4 D s tra sl tio n s t to be tr t d , th gh th re is ot a scholar in the world ' h w h Av s a so o ou as he did It as his e w o k ne t e e t th r ghly . w syst m that spoilt ” 7 his translation . Pro fessor J ames D arme st eter to whom o ur community is ind ebted for more than a co mple te rendering o f our sc riptures in a 1 E uropean language erred i n holdi ng that the who le o f our Avesta writings are n o t older than the Sasan ian pe riod in the fo rm in which the y have been transmi tted to us an d that they betray r n n uences ahman c a u is ree d fo e ig i fl , B r i l , B ddh t , G k an J ewish. T his hy po thesis has been c h all enge d and ref ute d by a number of ri an savan s, b none mo e ex aus ve a n T e b lli t t y r h ti ly th i le, (R ev ue ’ ' d s i i u d e ZHistozre e R el g ons, by West , ( Jo rn a l of the 2 R o a l Asia ti G eldn er G m nd riss de y c Society , by , f i m' ra schen P hilologi e) ; twi ce by M ax M iille r (C on tempora ry 1 Besides the mo n umen tal G uimet Zen d A vest a in F ren ch w e o we him two Vo s . I V a nd XXIII in h B E l ( ) t e S. 2 ’ G eldner s unsurpassed survey of Avesta L iterature has been done in to E n s b . M ackich u of B mba in he as u P shoh n M or l gli h y Dr. a o y t D t r e a e m ta u Vol me. 3 772 02 ’ ii TRANSLATOR S PREFACE ‘ vi w 1 93 an d ewish n a rterl R ev iew and the R e e , 8 J Q y , by — o o ur co mm u n S am s - scholarly r ep resen tativ e f ity , h ul U lma o w ose a e ea e o e the om a an c o f the J . J . M di , h p p r r d b f r B b y B r h R oyal Asiatic So ciety in 1 896 was repro duc ed in a F ren c h ren ’ derin g by the a pp r ec iativ e con du c tors o f the R ev u e d e ZH i stoire ‘ s d es R eligion . c o f the e e o m o e sso T e S oon aft er the re eipt l tt r fr Pr f r i le, to i 1 w I ea o f h s ea . my great sorro , h rd d th T he g r eat v alu e o f the work o f T i ele is c en te red in so und s he has w en n o sen ence fo r brev ity . J ust a ritt t which th er e 1 s n t am e wa an so a so e e is n o t a su e uo us a a o pl rr t , l th r p rfl p r graph . B ut whil e ex tr em e t er sen ess ha s b een att emp te d by man y o f i o e e s in e m e our au o far sur asses t h h s c nfr r , lit rary rit th r p e la tte r wh o se sc i en tific c o mpilati on s a re so m an y c atalogues of dry 2 en c s . e w a s n u da ta an d bald i n fe r e Dr . T i el a x io s to see his boo k r ead by the Par si s an d the mai n porti o n o f the b ook is in t n n n en e for o u r c omm un A he first i st a ce i t d d ity . n d it is p ro n n c e duced be fo re them with som e co fide . It is easy to i nd ulge in c heap sar c asm at t he exp ones o f the - - muc - o o n m uch beclu bbin hea re o n ac n . h m t ri g, g, t t g i g, r i g , spo rt ing sec tio n o f the latt e r-day P a rsi s to w h om a boo k o n p hilo logi cal an d r eligi ous an tiq u iti es is boun d to prov e a v iol en t 0 o rifi c It is t e to o the o n n 5 p . r u r p in t to gr wi g umb er o f m en wh o se scho larship has en titl ed th em t o ran k amon g W est ern 3 s s n ee t he o un er V e u a e re earc her . I d d s d i w wo ld pp ar to p r eva il th at o u r sc ho larshi has o utgrown our mat erial ros erity p p p . d ’ An thi s b rings m e to the ra iso n d etre o f thi s tr an sla tion . 1 ’ J usti spok e of T iele s pro found k n ow l edge o f the Zarathushtrian e on ru n driss d r i ra n . P h l ol o i iii 4 e i e 3 7. I n hi s r ligi , G g , , Z oro a st er “ ” ’ our P o f. ac son efe s to i x en v um f Ti l s e ce o e o e e s.
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