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TheDēnkard orDēnkart (Middle Persian: 𐭣𐭩𐭭𐭪𐭠𐭫𐭲 "Acts of Religion") is a 10th-century compendium ofZoroastrian beliefs and customs during the time. TheDenkard has been called an "Encyclopedia of Mazdaism"[1] and is a valuable source ofZoroastrian literature especially during itsMiddle Persian iteration. TheDenkard is not considered asacred text by a majority of Zoroastrians, but is still considered worthy of study.
The name traditionally given to the compendium reflects a phrase from thecolophons, which speaks of thekart/kard, fromAvestankarda meaning "acts" (also in the sense of "chapters"), anddēn, from Avestandaena, literally "insight" or "revelation", but more commonly translated as "religion." Accordingly,dēn-kart means "religious acts" or "acts of religion." The ambiguity of-kart or-kard in the title reflects the orthography ofPahlavi writing, in which the letter⟨t⟩ may sometimes denote /d/.
The individual chapters vary in age, style and authorship. Authorship of the first three books is attributed by thecolophons to 9th-century priestAdurfarnbag-i Farrokhzadan, as identified in the last chapter of book 3. Of these three books, only a larger portion of the third has survived. The historianJean de Menasce proposes[citation needed] that this survival was the result of transmission through other persons.[according to whom?] The first three books were edited and in fact partially reconstructed,[2] circa 1020, by a certain Ādurbād Ēmēdān ofBaghdad,[2] who is also the author of the remaining six books.[citation needed] The manuscript 'B' (ms. 'B 55', B for Bombay) that is the basis for most surviving copies and translations is dated 1659. Only fragments survive of any other copies.
TheDenkard is roughly contemporary with the main texts of theBundahishn.
TheDenkard originally contained nine books or volumes, callednasks, and the first two and part of the third have not survived. However, theDenkard itself contains summaries ofnasks from other compilations, such asChihrdad from theAvesta, which are otherwise lost.
The natural divisions of the books are as follows: Books 3-5 are devoted to rationalapologetics, book 4 to moral wisdom, and books 7–9 toexegeticaltheology.[2]
Book 3, with 420 chapters, represents almost half of the surviving texts.Jean de Menasce observes[citation needed] that there must have been several different authors at work, as the style and language of the collection is not uniform. The authors are however united in their polemic against the "bad religions", which they do not fail to identify by name (the prudent avoidance of any mention ofIslam being an exception).
The majority of the chapters in book 3 are short, of two or three pages apiece. The topics covered in detail, though rare, frequently also identify issues for which the Zoroastrians of the period were severely criticized, such as marriage to next-of-kin (chapter 80). Although on first sight there appears to be no systematic organization of the texts in book 3, the chapter that deals with the principles of Zoroastriancosmogony (Ch. 123) is the central theme around which the other chapters are topically arranged.[citation needed]
The last chapter of book 3 mentions two legends: one in whichAlexander destroys a copy of theAvesta, and another in which theGreeks translate the Avesta into their own language.[2]
Book 4, the shortest (and most haphazardly organized) volume in the collection, deals primarily with the arts and sciences. Texts on those topics are interspersed by chapters explaining philosophical and theological concepts such as that of theAmesha Spentas, while other chapters deal with history and the religious contributions ofAchaemenid andSassanid monarchs.
Book 4 also contains an enumeration of works fromGreece andIndia, and "reveals foreign influence from the 3rd century onward."[2] The last chapter of Book 4 ends with a chapter explaining the necessity for practicing good thoughts, words and deeds, and the influences these have on one's afterlife.
Book 5 deals specifically with queries from adherents of other faiths.
The first half of Book 5, titled the "Book of Daylamite", is addressed to a Muslim, Yaqub bin Khaled, who apparently requested information on Zoroastrianism. A large part of this section is summary of the history (from the Zoroastrian point of view) of the world up to the advent ofZoroaster and the impact of his revelations. The history is then followed by a summary of the tenets of the faith. According toPhilippe Gignoux, the section "clearlynationalist and Persian in orientation, expressing the hope of a Mazdean restoration in the face of Islam and its Arab supporters."[2]
The second half of Book 5 is a series of 33 responses to questions posed by a certain Bōxt-Mārā, aChristian. Thirteen responses address objections raised by Boxt-Mara on issues ofritual purity. The bulk of the remaining material deals withfree will and the efficacy of good thoughts, words and deeds as a means to battle evil.
Book 6 is a compilation ofandarz (a literary genre, lit: "advice", "counsel"), anecdotes and aphorisms that embody a general truth or astute observation. Most of the compositions in book 6 are shortdidactic sentences that deal with morality and personal ethics.
Structurally, the book is divided into sections that are distinguished from one another by their introductory formulae. In the thematic divisions identified by Shaul Shaked,[3] the first part is devoted to religious subjects, with a stress on devotion and piety. The second and third are related to ethical principles, with the third possibly revealingAristotelian values. The fourth part may be roughly divided into sections with each addressing a particular human quality or activity. The fifth part includes a summary of twenty-five functions or conditions of human life, organized in five categories: destiny, action, custom, substance and inheritance. The fifth part also includes an enumeration of the names of authors that may have once been the last part of the book. In its extant form the book has a sixth part that, like the first part, addresses religious subjects.
Book 7 deals the "legend of Zoroaster", but which extends beyond the life of the prophet. The legend of Zoroaster as it appears in the Denkard is differs slightly from similar legends (such as those presented in the contemporaneousSelections of Zadspram and the laterZardosht-nama) in that it presents the story of the prophet as an analogy of theYasna ceremony.
The thematic and structural divisions[1]: 64 are as follows:
Book 8 is a commentary on the various texts of theAvesta, or rather, on the Sassanid archetype of the Avesta. Book 8 is of particular interest to scholars of Zoroastrianism because portions of the canon have been lost and the Denkard at least makes it possible to determine which portions are missing and what those portions might have contained. The Denkard also includes an enumeration of the divisions of the Avesta, and which once served as the basis for a speculation that only one quarter of the texts had survived. In the 20th century it was determined that the Denkard's divisions also took Sassanid-era translations and commentaries into account; these were however not considered to be a part of the Avesta.
Book 9 is a commentary on theGathic prayers ofYasna 27 andYasna 54. Together, these make up Zoroastrianism's four most sacred invocations: theahuna vairya (Y 27.13), theAshem Vohu (Y 27.14), theyenghe hatam (Y 27.15) and theairyaman ishya (Y 54.1).
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