G. K R E Y E N B R O E K

T H E D A D E S T A N i DE, NrfG ON P R I E S T S

The study of the Pahlavi books has so far contributed remarkably little to our understanding of the processes of development and change which affected the Zoroastrian priesthood during and after the Sasanian period. The main reasons for this can be found, no doubt, in the a-historical nature of many of these books -- end-products of a long oral tradition, comprising texts of various origins which may well reflect different stages of such developments -- and in the fact that, while these works contain frequent references to priests, matters pertaining to the actual organisation of the Zoroastrian Church are seldom explicity discussed there.

The information offered by the DgMestgm i DYnig (hereafter DD.) is therefore all the more welcome. As the work of a single author, the 9th century high-priest Manugcihr, 1 the DD. describes the conditions of a well- defined period, and it deals repeatedly and at some length with the way in which the deteriorating economic position of the Zoroastrian community affected the clergy. The dynamics of change, moreover, are strikingly illustrated there by the questions and answers, the former reflecting the problems of a community struggling to adapt itself to the conditions of its time, the latter apparently prompted by Manu~cihr's desire to maintain the traditional order of things as far as possible.

Elsewhere, 2 an attempt was made to trace the changes and developments in priestly functions and titles over a longer period of time. Here it is intended to present the relevant passages of the DD. 3 in full, 4 and to analyse the information found there, so as to gain as clear a picture as possible of the working conditions of the Zoroastrian priesthood in the latter half of the 9th century.

That the economic burden of maintaining the extensive and differentiated clergy which had developed in the Sasanian era was becoming too heavy for the Zoroastrian community of Manugcihr's time, is shown by DD.43. The question deals with the plight of a distinguished prelate, who may have been the head of the ecclesiastical organisation of a city (mrbedS), and who is an authority on the Zand and the gdyist-nY-gdyist (i.e., respectively, the Pahlavi translation and exegesis of the Avesta, and the corpus of instructions on

Indo-lranian Journal 30 (1987), 185--208. �9 1987 by D. Reidel Publishing Company.

186 G. K R E Y E N B R O E K

mat te r s of obse rvance and ritual). F o r reasons no t s ta ted he re - - but ha rd ly

unconnec ted , one might suppose , with economic cons ide ra t ions - - this

pr ies t leaves the p lace where he has he ld such an eminen t pos i t ion . Pe rha ps

for fear of p rovok ing Mus l im antagonism, he t ravels m o r e o r less incogni to

to "a ci ty such as Isfahan", where the l aymen are a c c u s t o m e d to c ommis s ion

pr ies ts f rom o the r towns to have the m o r e e l abo ra t e ce r emon ie s (hamdg-

d~n 6) p e r f o r m e d on thei r behalf . There , the pr ies t does no t "seek e m p l o y -

men t f rom the city", which m a y mean that he does no t app ly to the local

rel igious author i t ies for s o m e sor t of official pos i t i on within the eccles ias t ical

h ierarchy. H e is t he re fo re ob l iged to ea rn a living by such activi t ies as

accept ing commiss ions to m a k e a r r angemen t s for the p e r f o r m a n c e o f

rel igious ce remon ies (on which see below). T h e Z o r o a s t r i a n c o m m u n i t y of

his new p lace of res idence , however , appea r s to be great ly e m b a r r a s s e d by

the arr ival of so eminen t a pr ies t , whose p r o p e r r e m u n e r a t i o n would be

b e y o n d its means :

DD.43 (K 35, 159r.2ff), 7 (1) 43-om pursign ud pdsox hdn ~ pursM k~t mard-Y abarmdndig ud abzftrbmand kY-~ andar dYn abzdr i wuzurg kard estYd u-g dastwaffh ud m6bedih kard estYd, aydb-ig nY kard estYd bY-g abzdr i wuzurg andar mndar> dYn kard estYd, (2) ud andar gahr ud gydg kas nYst kY zand ud ~dyist-nY-~dyist weh ddnYd k~ by; pad gydg-Y ciybn Spdhdn frdz rased; mard6mdn Jahr hamdg-dYn ud was yaziJn hamY framdy~nd 6 kas kas az any gahrihd, *driy6gdn s kY-gdn abzdr ud arbarmdnd i by nYst; bY *6 gahr hamY dyYnd ud hamdg-dYn ud was yazign ~i was~ harnY padir~nd. (3) hdn mard i *abarmdndfg i abzdr6mand gdh ~ arbarmdnd i xwY~ ud gdh i dYn ud gdh i abzdr ~-g ast ( *rdy 9) nY-hugkbhihd ud ~arrngYnihd rawYd andar gahr ud kdr-Y ud dddestdn-Y az ~ahr n~ xwdhYd ud kdr-Y ud dddestdn-Y dudigar nY ddnYd kY-~ sazdgih pad- ig ast. (4) mard6mdn i gahr abzdr ud karddrih [ hdn rnard pad dYn kard estYd rdy az hamdg- dYn ~yazign~ ud yazign kdr i hamY framdyYnd Yg-igdn hdn mard bahr kardan u-~dn bahr abdyYd ddd(an) 6 hdn mard aydb ciy6n abdyYd kardan? u-gdn awig abdyYd handdxt(an) aydb n~? (5) ud hamdg-dYn ud kdr stid f was abdyYd gufian kft td hdn kit t6 mad estY ~g- mdn bY 6 *6y i azYr i tO n~ *abdyist Jo framt~dan, aydb ciybn kunidn ? (6) bahr i sftd ud nirmad i az abdrig dar i-g hdn abzdr rdy awig abdy~d, handdxtan aydb ciy6n? bahr i abzdr ud gdh i d~n ud abarmdnd amdh mard6mdn ciyOn abdy~d handdxtan ? '(1) The 43rd question and answer is that which was asked: a high-born ~ and competent man, who has achieved ~2 great mastery in (the field of) the religion, and who has held the rank of a m6bed and a dastwar, or who has not held this, but has achieved great mastery in (the field of) the religion, (2) and in the city and the place there is no one who knows the Zand and the gdyist-nY-~dyist better than he; he comes to a place such as Isfahan: the people of (that) city always order the hamdg-dYn and many rituals (to be arranged) by various persons from other cities, poor men who do not have his (i.e. that priest's) mastery and high birth; they come to the city and accept the hamdg-dYn and many rituals. (3) That high-born and competent man goes into the city modestly, without the pomp (befitting) his birth, and the position of the religion, and the position (due) to the mastery which he possesses, and he does not seek employment from the city, and he does not know another (type of) employ- ment that would be suitable for him. (4) On account of the mastery and the activities which that man has shown in the religion, should the people of the city let that man share in the hamdg-d~n and in the works of ritual which they order (to be performed), and should they give a share (of the fees) to that man, or how should they act? And should they let him have (a share), or not? (5) And about the hamdg-dYn and the great profit from (such) works,

T H E D f t D E S T A N i DENIG ON P R I E S T S 187

should they say, "Until you came, we only had to commission one who was your inferior", or how should they act? (6) (Should one) let him have a share in the profit and in the income from other sources such as is due to him on account of that mastery, or how (is it)? How should we people let him have a share (worthy) of his mastery, and of the position of

the religion, and of his high birth?'

If Manugcihr, as Leader of the Faithful, 13 had supported the community in its evident wish to avoid employing such a high-ranking priest because he would be entitled to a high remuneration, the consequences for all such priests might have been grave. However, Manugcihr firmly upheld the status

quo:

DD.43.7ff. (K 35, 159v.10ff.), (7) pdsox Yd kti mard-Y i pad hdn Yw~nag i ciy6n nibi~t abarmdnd ud abzdr-kard6rih ud hunar, passazag pad bahr ud xg~b~h abYr arzKnig, ud pad-iz xtib-r(lyYnidg~rih i ham@-d~n ud yazign i yazdfm abYr ~mYdig andar war6mandih. (8) pad hgm abglyYd dd~tan kli payd@-tar ud xtib-tar rglyYn~d az awYJdn kY-~an abzdr ud hunar i 6y nYst. abar-iz bahr ud nirmad ~ az yazi~n ~ yazddn arzdn~gih ~ 6y w~ kY abzglr ud hunar-kardg~rih i pad d~n meh. (9) ud mard i ciy6n nibiJt ka-~ harndg-dYn ud yaziJn xf~b ray~n~d u-g ab(~z-framf~yiJnih ud xlib-rawgtgih i kf~r frf~rOn, n~rmad i xwYg handg~xtan tuwfm ud ~wuzurg~ wuzurg-niy~bagih(~ awiJ framf~d( an ) u-~ pad-i~ bahrwar ud frg~x-n~rmad ud pad~x-windiJn dg~tan. (10) h~n-iz ~ kem-abzdr-tar i kem-g~h-tar az 6y pad cand *bY 14 arzgm~g ast niyg~bag ~ xwYg az-i~ abdz griflan *nY 15 YwYnag. (11) bY 6y i wY~-abzf~r meh-bahr~hf~, ud hgm ~ maygmag-hunar rnaygmagihd, ud 6y kem-abz(~r ud nYk~h arzgm~g~h~ passazag~h(~ ud niy~bag~h~. (12) ud arzgm~g~h ast ciy6n pad dYn g6w~hYd kfi (...?)~6 bahr 6 6y ~ d~n-burdf~r *~ ~7 niwYyYnd, 2 bahr 6 6y i maytinag, Yk 6 6y ~ nidom. (13) ud agar h~n mard rad-(ud)-dastwar ~ dgmf~g, aydb pad hunar ud wehih ud abzg~r ~ dYn ~ mazdYsmin pf~gorn i den-burd~rgm ~ dgm@, (14) u-~ dYnig-xYm~h hg~mist, dYnig bahr6rn~nd kdr ~ andar gyg~g bY 6 6y framKy~nd, ud 6y ud ab~r~g arzdn~g~n ud niyf~bag6- mand~n ~ andar gyg~g niyg~bag 6 gy(~g rasi~n~g, cand sazYd ud niyg~bag ~ xwY~ bawYd; ham@ihf~ bY 6 6y handf~xtan xg&. (15) ud agar pad hfm ~ niyf~bag *bax~YnM~rih nY spurr~g, ud 6y pad fr6z~g-hunar~h ud frg~z~g-weh~h ud wYg-abz(~r~h passazag i meh gf~h ud weJ bahr arz~n{gdh~, pad xwY~ niy~bag *pg~yagihg~ *bahr6mand kardan cimig. '(7) The answer is this: a man who is high-born, and who has achieved mastery, and has ability, in the manner which was described, is worthy of a share and very deserving of good treatment; and also there is great hope that, in case of doubt, he will arrange the hamg~g-dYn and the rituals for the Yazads well. (8) One should consider (the matter) thus, that he will arrange (the rituals) more in accordance with what is revealed, and better, than those who do not have his mastery and ability. And as to the share and the profit from the ritual for the Yazads, that person's worthiness (of these) is greater whose mastery and exercise of abilities in the religion are superior. (9) And such a man as was described, if the ham@-dYn and the (other) rituals are well arranged by him, and if the way in which he delegates (part of the work to other priests) and (makes) the work proceed well is righteous, then one can let him have his profit and, for a suitably large (reward), commission him (to have rituals performed), and thereby keep him provided and in possession of an ample income and liberal earnings. (10) And as to the one whose mastery is less, and whose status is lower than his, it is not customary to take away from him so much as he deserves, (i.e) his proper share. (I 1) But the one with the greatest mastery (is to be rewarded) with the largest share, and the one of mediocre ability with the middling share, and the one whose mastery and goodness are least (is to be rewarded) as he deserves and as is fitting and proper. (12) As to worthiness (of rewards), it is as it is said in the religion: "let them o f f e r . . . (?)~s shares to th~ one who is responsible for the religion (dYn-burdf~r), two shares for the middle one, and one

188 G. K R E Y E N B R O E K

for the lowest". (13) And if that man is a wise Rad-(and)-Dastwar j9 or if, because of his ability and goodness and mastery of the religion of the Mazdayasnians, he excels among the wise ones responsible for the religion, (14) and if he has a religious mentality altogether, let them give him commissions for (such) religious works, which bring in a share, (as are available) in the place; and to him and to the other worthy and deserving ones who are in that place, that which is fitting must be presented, as much as is proper and fitting for (each of) them; and it is good to hand it all over to him (i.e. to the superior priest). (15) And if they are not fully capable of donating that which is fitting, and if he deserves the higher status and is worthy of the larger share because of his eminent ability, eminent goodness and greater mastery, then it is reasonable to reward him in proportion to what is properly due to him.'

Such terms as rdyYnMan ( ' to ar range ' ) and f ramf tdan ( ' to commiss ion ' ) ,

which were met with a n u m b e r of t imes in the preceding passages, occur f requent ly th roughout the texts of the DD. which deal with the pr ies thood.

They refer to a pract ice which, though se ldom ment ioned , it seems, else-

where in the Zoroas t r i an books , appea r s to be of fundamen ta l impor tance for unders tanding the relat ions be tween priests in Manu~cihr 's time. The

DD. shows that it was cus tomary for l aymen who wished to have a ritual

p e r f o r m e d to commiss ion an ' accepter ' (padMfidr) - - ideally a pr ies t of

some learning and distinction (cf. below, pass im) - - who subsequent ly

delegated (abdz f r a m a d a n ) the actual p e r f o r m a n c e of the rite to o ther

priests, the ' pe r fo rmer s ' (yagtdrdn, yazi~ngardn). Some of these ' accepters ' apparen t ly t ravel led cons iderable dis tances to obta in such commiss ions (DD.43.2 , 84.5, 85.42~ T h e y took responsibi l i ty for 'arranging '21 the ritual

- - which p robab ly consis ted in engaging suitable ' pe r fo rmer s ' (DD.82.2) ,

seeing that p r o p e r p repara t ions were m a d e for the ce r emony (DD.87.6, 65.20ff.) and that it was carr ied out in accordance with the ~dyist-nY-~dyist

(DD.43.2 , 7, 82.2 etc.) - - but did not necessari ly take par t in its actual

p e r f o r m a n c e (DD.65.5 , 46.3, et passim).

F r o m DD.43.14 , 65.29, and f r o m the following passage (DD.81.1) , it seems clear that fees for the ritual were usually paid to the ' accepter ' in

advance, a pract ice which evidently involved certain risks:

DD.81.1 (K 35, 192r.4ff.), (1) 81-om pursign ud pdsox hdn i pursM kft mard-~ k~ yazign-~ b~ framdy~d ud *drahm b~ dah~d ud mard k~-~ yazi~n padMfi u-~ drahm *stad 22 yazign n~ kard, ~g-i~ dddestdn c~, ud mard k~ yazi~n framed ~g-i~ dddestdn c~ ? '(1) The 81st question and answer is that which was asked: a man who orders a ritual (to be performed), and gives money, and the man who accepted his (commission for the) ritual and took his money did not perform the ritual, 23 what is the judgement about him, and what is the judgement about the man who ordered the ritual?'

The pract ice of 'accept ing ' commiss ions for the ritual is fur ther discussed in DD. 82. T h e pu rpo r t of the passage seems to be that the ' accep te r ' must

THE D A D E S T A N i DENiG ON PRIESTS 189

be a m t ~ m a r d , i.e. p r e s u m a b l y a fu l ly- t ra ined pr ies t (as o p p o s e d to a

hdwigt or 'pr ies t ly s tudent ' , cf. DD.65, passim), who has s tud ied the gdyist-

nY-gdyist and is t he r e fo re capab le of d i rec t ing the ritual. Converse ly , one

might infer f rom Manu~cihr ' s w o r d s that, in his op in ion , a m t ~ m a r d was

mora l ly ob l iged to accep t such commiss ions even if he had no f inancial

mot ive for do ing so. Since, as is c lear f rom the fol lowing passage, the

' a ccep te r s ' were r e spons ib l e for engaging and supervis ing the ' pe r fo rmers ' ,

and were appa ren t l y f ree to d iv ide the m o n e y they rece ived as they saw fit,

thei r pos i t i on was no t only a po ten t ia l ly lucra t ive one, bu t mus t also have

lent t hem cons ide r ab l e pres t ige and author i ty .

DD.82 (K 35, 192v.3ff.), (1) 82-om pursign ud pdsox hdn g pursM kti *6y ? m6~,mard hamdg-dYn ud abdffg yazign abdyYd pad~riflan aydb <pad> ciytn bawYd? (2) pdsox Yd k~t mO?mard hamdg-dYn ud abdrig yazignihd padiriflan frYzwdnigihd cY xftbih-nY-xtib[h ud gdyist-nY-gdyist ~ yazign ud wizin i *passand i yazigngardn im mOTmarddn weh gndsYnd. (3) ka padirifldr ud rdyYnfddr i hamdg- dYn 6y i <ty b mt~,mard bawYd, pad xt~b?h ud rawdg?h Ymtdig-tar. (4) hdn m67mard k6 harndg-dYn pad?rYd, agar-*ig 24 az bahr ~ mdnbedih ud wisbedih ud zandbedfh ud dehbed~h huz~wign u-g 25 d6n-burddrih niydbag hdn nirrnad esttd i pad-ig huziwi~n, u-J 6 bahr hamdg-dYn n6 niydz, Yg-ig hdn mizd ud pddd~n <ddgn> ~ hamdg-dtn be 6 ya~tdrdn handdxtan Yw6n. (5) agar-ig niydbag ~ m67mard ciy6n sazYd nY winddd estYd u-g *hurdyYnignih nY mad estYd, u-g bY 6 nirrnad i hamdg-dYn niydz, Yg-ig pad kdr f dastwarih-karddrih ud arzdnigih ud rdy6niddrih *sazdg. (6) ka Ydtn kunYd hdn hamdg-dYn xtibihd-tar rdyYn?hdd ud rOz-6 yagtdrdn pad *pdyag ~ m67mardih az sar-dwurd i hamdg-dYn bahr- "6 passazagihd stdntnd dastwar?hd, u-g pad-ig arzdnig. '(1) The 82nd question and answer is that which was asked: must a m67mard accept the harndg-d6n and other rituals, or how is it? (2) The answer is this, that it is obligatory for a mt?mard to accept the hamdg-dYn and other rituals, for these mtvmards know better what is good and what is not good, and what is allowed and not allowed (~dyist-n6-gdyist) in the ritual, and (know best about) the appropriate choice of celebrating priests. (3) When the one who accepts and arranges the hamdg-dYn is a mOTmard, there is greater hope of (its) goodness and correct progress. (4) If the mt?mard who accepts the hamdg-d6n can live comfortably on his income as a master of the house, the village, the district (or) the land, 26 and if his rank as one (who is) responsible for the religion 27 entities him to a profit on which he can live comfortably, and he has no need of the share from the hamdg-dtn, then it is customary for him to allot that reward and recompense for the hamdg-dYn to the per- formers. (5) If he has not obtained what is due to a mt?mard, as would be proper, and has not received (the means to) arrange (the ritual) well, 2s and if he needs the profit from the hamdg-dtn, then it is fitting (that) he (take it), on account of his activities as a dastwar, his worthiness (of it), and his task as an arranger. (6) When he acts thus, the hamdg-dYn will be arranged in a better way, and one day the performers will legitimately, (and) deservedly, receive a share of the profit from the hamdg-dYn such as is due to a m67mard, 29 and they will be worthy of it.'

F r o m DD.82 .6 , t oge the r wi th DD.85 .6 (below), it seems that, in t heo ry

at least , the ' p e r fo rmer s ' were expec t ed to r each the level of fu l ly- t ra ined

pr ies ts in due course , and to act as ' accep te r s ' in thei r turn.

In the fo l lowing passages , D D . 8 4 - - 5 , Manu~cihr po in ts out the advan-

190 G. KREYENBROEK

tages of g iving g e n e r o u s 'gifts ' for the r i tual , a n d shows g rave c o n c e r n for

the fu tu re of the p r i e s t h o o d in case the i m p o v e r i s h e d l a y m e n were to

p e r s e v e r e in the i r t e n d e n c y to r e d u c e such gifts ( on wh ich see fu r the r

be low, DD.87 ) .

DD.84 (K 35, 193r.12ff.), (1) 84-om pursign ud pdsox hdn f pursid kti dd~n f yazign nY kdhYnYnd ud pad abzrn dahYnd, Yg-ig meh-sftdih pad c~ YwYnag ud cY ray ud pad cand dar gayYd bad(an)? (2) pasox dd ks162 pad hdwand-rawagih i yazign i yazdan, cand ddgn purr-tar dahih~d kirbag ud rneh- sftdih wYg. (3) u-g cim was, u-g Yn kti 30 xwastag 6 dar f kirbag mad, ud kam-gndyign i yazdan ud huziwi~nih i-Jan yagtdrdn *abzayihYd, 31 ud frarOn?h bY az meh-d(Mestanih kastan abarOn. (4) ka dagn i yazign frdx~hd dahfhYd, yazigngaran kY-gan pad was ran] ud uzdnag abestag *xwast 32 ud gahan srad u-g6n yagt, az mizd i yagtdrTh bahr ayabYnd i huzfwign *pad-i~ 33 ud wabaffgan baw~nd. (5) ud hamag-dYn-iz padfrfftardn kd dm~d f frdrrn sad rdy pad dftr ud bfmgYn gydg *rah 34 *YwarzYnd ud ahldyih-kdmagdn bY 6 d~n hdz~nd (ud kirbag aydb~nd) 35 ud hamdg-dYn ud yazign f yazddn padfrdnd, az frdrrn tux~dgfh bahr ud nfrmad dgnag. (6) ta abar pad~rifidrdn ud yagtdrdn i hamdg-dYn sadOmandfh ud wuzurg- bahffh ~ wdJ windfhdd ud wdnih~d kft ta abdffg p~gag, (7) frazandan i hYrbeddn ud hawigt6n 6 wdzag xwast(an) tuxgYnd, u-Jan *yagtan arzOg-tar ud was-iz 6 hamdg-dYn pad~riftan nixwdrignfg-tar bawYnd, ud *ndm ~ frarrn pattdyign?g-tar ud abzrnig-tar, ud wehdn rah 6 ruwan-brzignfh flax-tar bawYd. '(1) The 84th question and answer is that which was asked: if they do not reduce the gift for the ritual, and give more, in what way, and why, and in how many respects may there be greater benefit (in that)? (2) The answer is this, that -- if the way in which the ritual for the Yazads proceeds remains similar -- the fuller the gift that is given, the greater the merit and the great benefit. (3) And there are many reasons for this, such as the fact that (spending) the money 36 adds to (one's) merit, 37 and that the propitiation of the will of the Yazads, and the comfortable living of those who perform the rituals for them will be increased; and it is sinful to diminish (acts of) righteousness except for considerations of overriding importance. (4) When the gift for the ritual is given liberally, the performers, who have learned Avestan (texts) by heart 38 with great difficulty and expense, and have recited the Gdthds and celebrated them, will receive a share of the reward for performing the ritual on which they can live comfortably, and they will be reliable. (5) And the accepters of the hamdg-dYn, too, who travel in far and terrible places in the hope of a righteous benefit, and who guide those whose desire is righteousness to the religion, (and acquire merit), 35 and who accept the hamdg-dYn and the rituals for the Yazads, (will be) known (to obtain) a share and a profit from their righteous endeavours. (6) As long as greater benefits and a larger share will be obtained and seen (to be obtained) by the accepters and the performers of the hamdg-dYn than (by) other professions, (7) the children of the h~rbeds and hdwigts will be diligent in learning the Word, and they will have more desire to perform (the rituals), and they will also be much more eager to accept the hamdg-ddn, and their righteous reputation will be more lasting and more increasing, and for the laymen the road to the salvation of the soul will be wider.'

DD.85 (K 35, 193v.14ff.), (1) 85-om pursi~n ud pdsox hdn ~ pursid (*kt~) d(tgn kahenlhed, 39 zy8n cg gdy(d *bgtdan? 4~ (2) pdsox Yd kft ciyrn xab ddgn-~ *dah(nd 41 dYn yazign rdy, hamdg-dYn pad~rifi(lrdn nirrnadrmand ud yagtdrdn-iz ~8-z> bahrrmand ? yazi~n ud harw 2 huziwign bawYnd. (3) frazand8n ~ hdwi~tdn 6 wdz xwast(an) ud passand *xwdst(an) dhangig-tar baw~nd, ud framdyign ud padgrign f yaziJn ~ hamdg-d(n rawSg-tar baw(d. (4) ~drn-iz ka *hugk-

T H E D A D E S T A N i D E N i G ON P R I E S T S 191

wdzdraganiha yazign rnizd-dahign i kdst ray padirifl, ud ~aw~nd ud az padirifian ud ab(tz fram(tdan pad dtir rdh and bahr n~ ayab~nd ciyOn *az karbag xrMan ud abdz frOxtan andar xw~g gahr, (5) ud yazi~ngaran-iz k~ pad was ranj wdz xwast(an) ~ passand hand6xt, mizd i ruwanig-iz iast yazi~n, andakpad uzidan ayabYnd ~pad-i~ tang-ziwign, az burdan ~ ranj pa~Yman ud az im p~gag afsard-meni~n~ih> bawYnd. (6) frazandan-iz i hawigtan bY 6 *MZBNWblyh *~ karba~ ud frOxtan ~ nan ud abar~g pYgag i kem-ranfiha ~ay~d handrxtan, urwaz~nd, ud nOg-*madagan az w6z xwast(an), ud xwast-wazan az passand *xwast(an), ud passandfgan az hamag-dYn padirifian Yd6n afsard ud *abaz-ahang bawYnd. (7) han-iz kY xwad pad frarnt~dan tafiig-meni~n padiriflarih ~ hamag-dYn kern aydbYnd ud han-iz ~ sazdg nY aydfian *rdy 42 ast-iz ka 6 *dlnc'n framaydnd. (8) ud afsard-menignih i kirbag-framayidaran ud dugraw[h ? pY~ag i hawi~tan abzfn az-ig, ud kern-raw@fh i yazdan yaziJnih, ud stardih bawYd wehan 6 ruwan-b6zign?h, ud az han mar '(1) The 85th question and answer is that which was asked: (if) the gift is reduced, what harm can occur? (2) The answer is this, that when they give a good gift for the ritual of the religion, those who accept the hamag-dYn will gain a profit, and those who perform the ritual, too, will have a share from the ritual, and both (groups) will live comfortably. (3) The children of the hawi~ts will be more inclined 43 to learn the Word by heart, and to pray 44 in a pleasing way. And the ordering and accepting of the hamdg-dYn will proceed better. (4) And when, on the other hand, in the manner of avaricious merchants, 45 the ritual is accepted for a diminished gift of the reward, and they go and do not receive as much from accepting and delegating (the ritual) far away as (they would) from buying and retailing linen in their own towns, (5) and when the performers who, with great difficulty, have managed to memorise the Word, receive for going out (to perform the ritual) -- even as a reward for the spiritual (thing) that is the ritual -- (so) little that they can barely live on it, they will regret taking that trouble, and will regard the profession with coolness. (6) And the children of the hrwi~ts, too, will rejoice in selling 46 linen and selling bread, and in other professions that can be mastered with little difficulty. And the beginners will thus be unenthusiastic and dis- inclined to learn the Word, and those who have learned the Word (will be disinclined) to pray in a pleasing way, and those who (pray) in a pleasing way (will be disinclined) to accept the hamag-dYn. (7) And even those who are eager to order (it) will find little readiness to accept the hamag-d~n, and since a suitable (priest) is not found, they will sometimes commission...47 (8) And the lack of enthusiasm of those who order the meritorious work, and the bad reputation of the profession of the hrwigts is increased thereby, and also the imperfection of the progress of the ritual for the Yazads, and there will be bewilderment for the laymen as to the salvation of the soul, and (other things) of that kind.'

If Manu~cihr had fears of a future shortage of priests, some of the problems of his own time were apparently caused by the fact that there were more priests than could derive an adequate income from the diminish- ing gifts offered by the community. This is suggested by the fierce competi- tion which evidently existed between different groups of priests. One such group offered to 'accept' two ham@-dYn ceremonies for the customary price of one, or less, while another condemned such practices as illegitimate.

DD.87 (K 35, 194v.8ff.), (1) 87-om pursi~n ud p~sox han i pursM kti *az *xanagddn ud d~dag i amah ~rdn ud weh~ dYn(tn pY~ harw hamag-dYn-Y i pad zrhr f pad *bftm i Pars bY *ya~t 4s hYnd, Yg-i~ dagn 400 drahm ud kammist 350 hamY dad hYrn, (2) ud n~n *ast 49 grrh-Y ? ka-gdn dagn az 400 drahm ayab az 350 drahm tis-Y abaz kdhYnYm, Yg-mrn az-i~ nY pad?rYnd, ud gOwYnd kft kem az 400 aydb 350 drahm *nY 5~ pad~rYm. (3) ud ast *grrh-Y 51 kY-mdn xwad awig hamY ay~nd

192 G. KREYENBROEK

ud hamY grw~nd kFt pad *350 s2 drahm 2 hamag-dYn yazi~n i pad z6hr ciy6n-*man 53 p~J pad 40054 hamY framFtd h~d, bY rayYnYm, bY (*6) arndh framdyYd. (4) grrh-Y az m6ymardan hamY grwYnd kti awYJan nY dastwariha, aydb n~ ? '(1) The 87th question and answer is that which was asked: formerly, we, the gentlemen and laymen of our lineage and family, have given a gift of 400 dirhams, s5 or at least 350, for every harndg-dYn with z6hr that was performed 56 in the land of Pars. (2) And now there is a group (of priests) who, when we reduce the gift to them somewhat, (to less) than 400 or 350 dirhams, do not accept it from us for (?) that, and they say, "We do not accept less than 400 or 350 dirhams". (3) And there is a group who come to us for it of their own accord, and say, "For 350 dirhams we shall arrange the performance of two hamag-dYn ceremonies with zohr, 57 just as you used to order from us before for 400; give the commission to us". (4) A group of m6ymardan say that they (act) illegitimately; (is that so) or not?'

Virtually the same passage occurs in DD.65.15--7 (K 35, 179v.8ff.), where the sum of 400 or even 45058 dirhams is mentioned as the tradi- tional gift for a hamdg-dYn with z6hr.

The question of priestly fees was naturally of vital importance to the Church, and Manu~cihr goes into the matter at length. He argues that, for a costly ceremony such as the hamdg-dYn with z6hr, a gift of 350 dirhams is reasonable. He further identifies the priests who are prepared to lower their fees as hdwi~tdn ('priestly students', see further below), who are driven to their action by poverty but will, he says, grow poorer still if they persist in it. Moreover, such hdwigts will have to spend much of their time in arranging rituals and seeking commissions, and are bound to neglect the "proper business of hdwigt-hood", which probably included the further study of the religious tradition under a priestly teacher. Nevertheless, Manu~cihr cannot deny that it is more meritorious to order two ceremonies, if these are performed properly, than one.

DD.87.5ff. (K 35, 195r. 2ft.), (5) pasox Yd kFt hdn hYrbed ? pYJYn~gan abar hamag-d~n i pad z6hr dagn ~ 400 ayab 350 dad, cim~g ud frdrrn ud 6st~gan ddgtan sazdg. (6) ka-g any tis nYst i han ray juttar, ham@-dYn-Y pad zrhr kY-g 4 grspand i pdk pad-ig gTrend, Ydrn ciyrn dastwaran cdgtag, ud harw Yk atax~ az Yk gfspand Yk z6hr dahYnd . . . ka andar gyag i padiriftan rayYnYnd, ud ka az gahr-Y dFtr padirift, 350 drahm mizd tarazYnfdariha. (7) ud andar Ardax~Yr-xwarrah pad ayadag~h i man h(m kY-g kem az 300 drahm padirifi frahang kardan ud pad ayad daJtan, ud hamag-dYn i saxtag *35059 drahm *rasm 60 bt~dan az de wan 61 t ArdaxgYr-xwarrah paydag. (8) ud hufraward-iz Adur-farnbag i Farroxzddan i abar-tar hudYnan pYg6bay bad ham-g6nag- *am wiz?rYnM. (9) ud nan-iz pad 150 drahm pad-iz 120 han i nY pad zOhr ham~ ray~nYnd, u-J cim niydzrmand~h 7 hawigtan kY han niyaz ray pad ~mYd ~ kari wYg ayafl harnY kah~n~nd ud kem-mizdih ray niydzrmand-tar ud acar-tar ud pad *kamist-mizdih wMwar-tar hamY bawYnd, ud pad rah i abzar-kuniJnih ud hamag-dYn-xwahignih kar ud bar i hawigt?h hamY anabih~d. (10) han kY pad 350 drahm 2 hamag-dYn rayYnidan padirYd, agar-i~ 6 hamag- dYn yazignih ham~ dahfh~d 350 drahm xtib-kaffha ud hupadistihd, ciy6n han kY Yk hamY padirYd, ud 2 hamag-dYn rayYnihYd ud awestwaffhYd, kirbag i az rawdg-yazignTh i yazdan ray 6 han kY 2 hamag-dYn *yazYd 62 framtidan dastwaraniha-tar. (11) bY 6y kY pad 350 drahm 2 hamag-dYn padirYd, ud bY agar-ig az xwYg xwastag awig nihYd ta-g han raft(an) passand,

T H E DADEST,,~N [ DEN[G ON P R I E S T S 1 9 3

ciyOn andar dftr rdyYnYnd, rdy~nidan n~ tuw(m; ma agar az hdn cimihd padir~d *i-mdn 63 pad any dar nibigt td ab~r-tar 6 niy6zOmand?h, (12) ud mdndg-tar 7 andar pYgYn *zamanag 64 b~d az hdwigt6n kY-g6n (~gen~n *dugsazdgTh 65 ud harn~m(tlih kard . . . '(5) The answer is this, that it is proper to regard that h~rbed (to) whom the ancients gave a gift of 400 or 350 dirhams for the ham@-dYn with z6hr, as reasonable and honest and trustworthy. (6) If there is no other factor which is different from that, for a hamdg-dYn in which they take four pure g6spands, as is the teaching of the authorities, and they offer to each fire one z6hr from one gOspand,.., whether they arrange it in the place where it was accepted, or if it is accepted in a far country, a reward of 350 dirhams is fair. (7) And in Ardax~r-xwarrah, I remember, 66 the fact that one who accepted less than 300 dirhams was corrected and kept it in mind, and that, for a (fully) performed ham@-den, (the sum of) 350 (_dirhams) was customary, is evident from the records of Ardax~r-xwarrah. (8) And the late Adur-farnbag, son of Farroxzfid, who was the highest Leader of the Faithful, also judged in the same way as I. (9) And now they arrange it for 150 dirhams, and that (hamdg-dYn) without zOhr even for 120 dirhams, and the reason for this is the poverty of the hdwi~tdn who, because of that need, let the gift be reduced in the hope of more work; and because of their low rewards they become poorer and more helpless, and more readily content with the lowest rewards. And because of such activities as exercising their skills (i.e. as 'arrangers') and soliciting (commissions for) the hamdg-dYn, the proper business of hdwigt-hood will be neglected. (10) (As to) the one who accepts to arrange two hamdg-dYns for 350 dirhams, if the 350 dirhams are spent by him on the performance of the hamdg-d~n, (and he does it) well and (is) faithful to his promise, like the one who accepts one (hamdg-d~n), and the two hamdg-dYns are arranged and performed reliably, then there is better authority, on account of the merit of the correct performance of rituals for the Yazads, for commissioning the one who performs two hamdg-dYns. (11) Except in the case of one who accepts two ham6g-d~ns for 350 dirhams, and cannot arrange them unless he adds money of his own, so that (the way) it proceeds 67 will be pleasing for him, as they arrange (ceremonies) far away; lest he accept (it) for such reasons as we have described in another chapter, so that (it leads) mostly to poverty, (12) and is more like what was (done) in former times by hdwigts who behaved indecorously to one another, and were in competition . . . . '

The "other chapter" referred to in DD.87.11 is probably DD.65, where, in answer to the same question, Manugcihr states plainly that it is impos- sible for a priest to arrange two hamdg-ddn ceremonies for 350 dirhams without loss to himself. It seems, however, that some priests were prepared to incur such losses, either for the sake of piety or in order to strengthen their own position vis-h-vis their competitors.

DD.65.19ff. (K 35, 180r.3ff.), (19) pdsox ~d kft hdn weh-dYn k~ ham@-dYn wurr6yist fram(tdan hdn kdmag-wehih i pad-ig pursignihd ud wizMdffhd. (20) hdn hYrbed kY-g gufl k~t pad 350 drahm ciyOn-tdn pYg az Yn hamY ddd hYd, bY 6 man framdy; *xwad 6s nY dYnfg kdr bahr bawYd ? dastwarfhd dahign ciy6n raft bawYdL gufl gahffg-barignihd ud maydnffg-kdffhd ud hamdg-dYn i pad z6hr ciy6n pad dtir yazYnd kY-g was ka *20 pad-ig ud was *xtibgarih 69 andar ast Yg-ig ddgn i 350 drahm nY freh-mizdih. (21) hdwigt kY-g gufi kft pad350 drahm (*2) TM hamdg-dYn pad *bitm i Pdrs bY rdyYnYm, Yg-ig Yd6n ciy6n pad dftr rdyYnYnd pad *uz~nag 71 nY was; u-g zydn ~ xwdstag Ywar. (22) ud *agar-i~ hamdg-dYn pad hdn kemih az-ig padirift ~d rdy kFt pad ahl6yih dOJdram ud az xwYg xir *bdrestdnih abar hdn hamdg-dYn uzYnag kunYd ud yazign i yazddn 6 wYg rafian ud *abzdydnidan 72 hand6zYd, *ti-~ 73 pad hdn bdrestdnih i az xw~g xir ud abzdyYnMan i yazddn yazign spds ud kirbag. (23) be~*,( TM im-iz spas ud kirbag Yd6n bun-

194 G. K R E Y E N B R O E K

xw~gig-tar ka hdn bdrestdnih *dgkdrag 75 kunYd, (24) k~t framdyiddr ~ kirbag gndsYd kEt hdn i-g *kdst 76 bdrestdnih i hdwi~t *az xw~g xfr, ud *pad 77 framtidan 6 awY~dn kY xwdstag *az xwYg xir pad-ig dddan nY tuwdn hdn kem-mizdihd, btzign nY kun~d. (25) ud agar hdn hdwigt pad mizd ~ kern az ~wYn hamdg-dYn padfr~d n~ *bdrestdnThd 7s pad xir hdn rdy kft xab-kdrih ud uz~nag i zthr *rdy, ~dtn ciytn pad d~r rdy~n~nd, bY pad YwYnag-~ i pad *(n) 'ycyt 79 gdy~d rdyYngd, hdn kdstdrih i xab-kdffh n~ passandi~nig. (26) agar-ig hdn padirign ~ kem- mizdih ham~mdlih ~-~ 6 hYrbeddn ud kYn ud wizdy ud ~d-iz rdy kft raft abar xwY~ girYd ud *hdwigtdn az hamdg-dYn xwdstan ud padfriftan abdz ddr~d, (27) frdz-tar ka padfriftdr i xwdstdr harndg-dYn pad hdn mizd padired i-g xwad abdy~d, hdn nY d~nig-x~mfhd. '(19) The answer is this, that that layman who has undertaken to order (a performance of) the hamdg-dYn must enquire and decide about the goodness of the intentions regarding it. (20) That h~rbed who said, "Order it from me for 350 dirhams, as you used to give before this; is it not indeed the share of the religious work, which must legitimately be given, as is the tradition?" -- he spoke in accordance with the custom of the land 8~ and in fairness; 8~ and for a hamdg-d~n with z6hr, as they celebrate it far away, in which there are often 20 (celebrants) 81 and in which there is much goodness, 82 a gift of 350 dirhams is not an excessive reward. (21) As to the hdwigt who said, "For 350 dirhams I shall arrange two hamdg-ddns in the land of Pars," it is not enough for his expenses (if he is to arrange it) as they arrange it far away, and he is sure to lose money. (22) And if he has accepted the hamdg-d~n from him for so little for this reason that he (intends to) spend money on that hamdg-dYn for the love of righteousness and with readiness to spend his own capital, 83 and that he (intends to) spend (the money) for the more frequent performance and increase of the rituals for the Yazads, then thanks and merit are his for his readiness to spend his own capital, and for causing the ritual for the Yazads to increase. (23) But even such thanks and merit are more properly his if he makes that readiness to spend (his own capital) known, (24) so that he one who orders the meritorious work shall know that that (amount by) which he reduced the gift (is supplied by) the readiness of the hdwi~t to spend his own capital; and by commissioning those who cannot spend money from their own capital on it (i.e. on the ritual), for such small rewards, he does not acquit himself (of his obligation). (25) And if that hdwigt accepts the hamdg-dYn for a fee that is less than (is) customary, without being ready to spend (his own) capital on that - - i.e. on the proper performance (of the ritual) and the expense of the zOhr, as they arrange it far away -- but (if he) arranges it in a way which is barely 84 permissible, then that lessening of the correctness of the performance is not to be approved of. (26) And if he accepts the lesser reward because of his rivalry with the hYrbeds, out of malice and (desire to do) harm, and in order to attract patronage(?) 85 for himself and to prevent the hdwigts from soliciting and accepting (commissions), (27) and further if the one who accepts and solicits accepts the hamdg-dYn for that reward which is due to himself (only), that is not the way of a religious mentality.'

Although the practice of 'accepting' rituals for inadequate fees was thus

frowned upon, Manu~cihr goes on to mention one exception. The passage contains a few unfamiliar expressions and is probably corrupt in places, but the gist of it appears to be that a priest accepted a commission for a low fee at a time when he was in urgent need of money, intending to have the ritual performed, partly at his own expense, at a time when he would again be solvent. Apart from throwing an interesting side-light on the practice of 'accepting', the passage shows that it was not unusual for a priest to derive part of his income from secular sources.

THE DfixDESTftN [ DENIG ON PRIESTS 195

DD.65.28ff. (K 35, 180v.14ff.), (28) bY gdyYd-iz b6dan kft kas pad hdn kem-mizd~h xwdst ud padirifi az ac(trfh ud *anaydbi~n?h i kdr bahr, cY-m(m andar-iz Pdrs did kY-~ k(ir pad nYmag-mizdfh f hdn i pYg pad uzYn andar abdyist, pad?rift ud mizd stad, (29) u-g cim an gufl *k~-m s6 gdhigdn *appdr 87 estdd ud fordd *ahan~tz 88 nY mad estYd, ud awigtdfiag hYm ud abdm ~ab(~m~ pad-iz Yk 2 nY hamY aydbYm, ud Yn mizd i zamdn?g, gydn pad-ig b6zYm ud Yd6n hangdrYm kti ~kY~ pad ab(tm YwYn (*Yk)s9 aydb 2 stdnYm ud ka ]ordd fr(tz rasYd ford(t *fr6xgYm 90 ud abar hfn kdr uzYnag kunYm; u-m hfn mard was abdyignfg sahist. '(28) Yet it may also be that someone has solicited and accepted (a commission) for a smaller reward because of helplessness and inability to obtain a share of the work, for even in Pars we have seen one who accepted (a commission) and took the reward for half the sum which it was necessary to spend before. 9~ (29) And he gave this explanation: "My cash 9z has dwindled, 92 and my corn has not yet ripened, and I am pressed (for money), and I cannot get a loan, even for one (or) t w o , 93 and with this immediate reward I shall save my life, and I consider that I take it by way of a loan, (for one) o r t w o , 93 and when the corn is ripe I shall sell the corn, and spend (money) on that work." And that man seemed to me (to act) very suitably.'

In the a b o v e accounts of the tens ions be twe e n pr ies ts in thei r compe t i -

t ion for work , those who were p r e p a r e d to lower thei r fees a re r e pe a t e d ly

ca l led hdwi~t (cf. above) ; thei r o p p o n e n t s a re said to be "a g roup of

m6ymarddn" (DD.87 .4) , and in DD.87 .7 such a ' conserva t ive ' p r ies t is

ca l led hYrbed. In DD.65 .26 a hdwi~t's r ival ry with the h~rbeds is again

r e fe r red to, appa ren t l y as a c o m m o n p h e n o m e n o n . The la t te r passage is

pa r t of Manu~cihr ' s r ep ly to a ques t ion conce rn ing the compe t i t i on be tw e e n

a hdwigt and a hYrbed (also r e fe r red to as "m6ymard" , DD.65.6) , for the

funct ion of ' accepter ' . In po in t ing out the d i f fe rence be tw e e n the spheres

of c o m p e t e n c e of these men, the ques t ion gives us a va luab le clue to the

d e e p e r causes of the r ival ry b e t w e e n the two types of pr iest :

DD.65.1ff. (K 35, 178r.17ff.), (1) 65-om pursign ud p(tsox hdn i pursid ktJ mard-Y Yr i hudYn hamdg-dYn-Y bY wurr6yYd framtidan u-~ hYrbed-Y kY-g *fud-( *dYw)-ddd 94 ud nYrangestdn 5 fragard, abestdg i pad zand, warm ast pad m6ymardfh hamY rawYd, (2) u-~ bY awi~ gawYd ud g6wYd kfi hamdg-dYn pad 350 ciyOn-igdn pY~ ddgn hamY dftd bY 6 man *framdy ~td~ td man bY *rdyYnYm 95 (3) az hdwi~tdn mard-Y kY-~ abestdg 5 nask warm u-~ zand tis-iz nY warm, Yg-i~ bY awig g6wYd, bY 6 hdn mard kY hamdg-dYn kdmYd framftdan, kit man pad an d~n 2 hamdg-dYn f pad *zohr 96 pad *b~m f Pdrs t6 rdy bY rdyYnYm; (4) bY 6 man framdy cY man pad dast i xwad cand nask bY tuwdn ast yagtan, ud *6y rdy abdz abdyYd framftd(an) ud pad *z6tih 97 i xwad Yc nask yaJtan nY tuw(m, ud xwad nY yazYd ud 6y 6 parwdr i hamdg-dYn nY abdyYd gud(an). (5) ka-~ bahr i n~rmad-Y andar ast ud man abdz stdnYm kY xwad hamY *yazYm, weh kli 6y kY frdz padirYd ud abdz framdyYd, u-J xwad nY tuwdn ya~t(an), ka-g sar-dwurd-Y andar ast, ka amdh st(mYm ud xwad hamY yazYm, weh k~t 6y kY frdz pad~rYd ud abdz framdyYd, u-m tis pad *tah 9s bY (twarYd. (6) 6y m6ymard g6wYd k~t *man *az 99 abdrfg mard6mdn bahr i nirmad wYg abdyYd btid(an) az gdh ~ dan rdy, ud hamdg-dYn ud abdrfg *yazign loo *Yg-am abYr dastwarfhd pad~rifi(an) ud rdyYnM( an), ud ka frf~z pad~rYm ud abdz abespdrYm ud bY framdyYm td bY yazYnd, u-~ tis i wY~ ~ pad *tah bY dwarYd az-i~ abar stdnYm Yg-iz-am

196 G. K R E Y E N B R O E K

dastwarihd, c~ Yn bahr i dYnast. (7) ~n k~-g dastwarfhd *stadan aydb nY? rnard kg ham@- d~n hamY framdyYd, Yg-i~ ddgn f yaziJn abdz kdstan ~wYn aydb nY?, (8) ciyrn ast-rndn rrgnihd wijrYnYd ud framdyYd . . . '(1) The 65th question and answer is that which was asked: a gentleman of the Good Religion undertakes to order a hamdg-dYn, and a h~rbed lol who has the VendMdd and 5 fragards of the NYrangestdn by heart, the Avestan with the Zand, goes out to do the work of a m67mard, (2) and he goes to him and says, "Give the commission for the ham@-dYn to me for 350 (dirhams), as they used to give the gift in the past, that I may arrange it". (3) A man of the hdwi~ts who has 5 nasks of the Avesta by heart, but knows no Zand at all, says to him -- to that man who wishes to order the hamdg-dYn -- "For that gift I shall arrange two ham@-dYn ceremonies with z6hr in the land of Pars for you. (4) Give the commission to me, for I am capable of celebrating a number of nasks by my own hand, and he has to delegate it, and he cannot celebrate a single nask as a zrt in his own right, and he does not officiate himself, and he must not go into the enclosure 1~ for the harndg-dYn. (5) If there is a share of the profit in it and I take it, (it is) better than (that) he (should take it) who accepts and delegates, but cannot officiate himself. If there is a profit in it, it is better if we take it and perform (the ritual) ourselves, than (that) he (should take it) who accepts and delegates; and it will bring in 1~ something for me." (6) That rn67mard says, "My share of the profit must be larger than other people's because of the position of the religion; 104 and it is quite legitimate for me to accept and arrange the hamdg-dYn and the other rituals, and if I accept them and entrust them (to others), and order those to perform them, and take most of what it brings in, then that, too, is legitimate for me, for that is the share of the religion". (7) (The question is) this: is it legitimate for him to take it, or not? As to the man who orders the ham@-dYn, is it proper for him to reduce the gift for the ritual, or not? (8) Give us a clear judgement and tell us how it is . . . . '

The fundamental difference between the hYrbed and the hdwi~t, as described here, appears to have lain in the nature, rather than in the extent of their respective studies. The hYrbed was evidently a scholar-priest who had concentrated on the study of the Vendfddd and NYrangestdn with Zand, and was thus probably an expert on technical matters concerning the ritual (~dyist-nY-gdyist). Knowledge of the Zand seems to have been an essential part of the qualifications of a hYrbed (cf. below, DD.44.6). While the hYrbed described here was thus presumably well suited for the tasks of an

'accepter' and supervisor of the ritual, it seems that he was incapable of taking part in it as a performer. One reason for this may have been that he was not in a state of ritual purity and could not enter the yazign-gdh (DD.65.4), but this could presumably have been remedied, and can hardly have been the main obstacle. It seems more likely, in view of his opponent 's claim that he could not celebrate a single nask as a zOt, that he had lost the necessary fluency in reciting even such liturgical texts as he must have committed to memory in order to qualify as a priest (cf. DD.44.6), during his later career as a scholar.

The hdwigt, on the other hand, seems to have been a practising priest, who had memorised a considerable number of Avestan liturgical texts and could recite these as a celebrant. A possible reason why such a priest was

THE D . d D E S T A N [ D E N [ G ON PRIESTS 197

given the seemingly modest title of 'student' may have been that he had no knowledge of the Zand -- without which a deeper understanding or inter- pretation of the religious tradition can hardly have been possible -- and had therefore, theoretically, failed to complete his priestly studies. In spite of Manugcihr's condemnation of the neglect of the "proper business of hdwi~t- hood" (DD.87.9), however, and of his suggestion in DD.82.6, that all priests might eventually become 'fully trained priests' (rn67mard, a rank which evidently included the hYrbeds), it seems doubtful whether the majority of such hdwigts had any intention of further study; priests such as the hdwigt described here evidently regarded themselves as 'specialists' in their own right (cf. also below, DD.46).

Despite his lack of theoretical knowledge, moreover, the hdwi~t (if he was an experienced celebrant) was no doubt justified in claiming that he had sufficient knowledge of the practical side of conducting a hamdg-dYn to be capable of arranging the ceremony. Since, in Manugcihr's time, accepting commissions appears to have been one of the few priestly activities by which a 'pure' scholar could make a livelihood (cf. DD.45, below), the out- come of the struggle between these groups was to influence the future of the priesthood to a considerable degree. If the picture presented by the DD. is a truthful one, it is clear that the position of the scholar-priest -- whose claim to the office of 'accepter' and to a large share of the fee was mainly based on privilege -- was essentially weaker than that of the practising priests, who could apparently work for lower fees because they could act as celebrants as well as 'accepters', and thus had more opportunities of finding paid employment, and who were probably accustomed to more modest earnings in any case, because of their lower status (cf. above, DD.43.6).

It seems likely, however, that the case of a scholar-priest who had no skills at all as a celebrant was an extreme one, which may have been put forward here for the sake of argument. For many hYrbeds the state of affairs depicted above may well have meant that they were increasingly forced to concentrate on whatever practical skills they had, to the detriment of religious scholarship generally (see further below).

Manugcihr, however, evidently still thought it possible to stem the tide of these developments by supporting the h~rbed's claim:

DD.65.33ff. (K 35, 181r.15ff.), (33) hdn i hdwigt arzdnfgih f-~ az xwad yagtdrfh ud h~rbed *arzdnigih i-g az karddr~h i pad d~n gut Yg-igdn harw 2-gm *niydbag arzgmfgfh i wuzurg; ~drn cim~g-tar ka hdwigt yagtdr ud hYrbed frarngtddr ud xtib-kdffh xwdstdr bawYd; ud harw 2 6 weh-rawrgfh tuxgOnd, ud pad w~J-bahffh ~w~nfhd arzdnggihYnd. (34) u-gdn harw 2 im spgts i pad-ig ud bahr ~ sar-gtwurd dastwarihd stdnYnd, bY-gdn hdn arzdnfgih ~ az kdr ud spas i pad-ig, ~d pad yagtan ud Yd pad dmdr ud *abarmadih ud passandi~nigih ud abdrfg weh kard.

198 G. KREYENBROEK

' (33) The worthiness (of rewards) of the hdwi~t, which he is said to derive f rom the fact that he himself is a performer, and the worthiness of the hYrbed, which he is said to derive from his activities in (the field of) the religion, constitute p roper worthiness of large (rewards) for bo th of them; thus it is more reasonable if the hdwigt is the performer, and the hYrbed the one who directs ~05 and seeks (to achieve) a proper performance; and bo th strive to make (the ritual) proceed better, and will properly be entitled to a large ~~ share. (34) And both of them legitimately receive the gratitude which it br ings] ~ and a share of the profit; but that worthiness (of rewards) f rom the work, and the gratitude which it brings, one of them (acquires) by performing the ritual, and the other by calculating and supervising(?) and (arranging) a pleasing (performance), and by other good works.'

The rivalry between a Zand-scholar and a group of 'performers' is again described in DD.46. There the parties quarrel over precedence at a religious dinner, which suggests that prestige, as well as money, was an important issue in such disputes, and again shows that practising priests did not consider themselves the inferiors of a scholar-priest.

DD.46 (K 35, 162v.9ff.), (1) 46-om pursign ud pdsox hdn 7 pursid k~ andar *mYzd i weh-dYndn kd-g mard 50 aydb 100, wYg aydb kem ciyOn ka bawYd, andar hYnd, ud mard 7 k6-Jdn pad dYn karddrih kard estYd abdg awYg~n ham-m~zd h6nd," az hdn 7 mard ast kY 5 nask ud ast (*k~) 6 *bax~i#n ~os i abestdg warm ud tuwdn htnd yagt(an), u-~dn zand i ~c fragard *n6 warm u-~dn harw 7 pad rdh i *p~ggdhih pahikdr. (2) ud 6y kY-g 30 fragard [ pad zand warm, gbwYd kfr *pYggdh[h hdn i man, ud gdh i man ~az~ meh *ab@Yd 109 dd~tan ud bftd(an), cY zand ud gdyist-nY-~@ist man weh ddnYm, ud g~h f man weh abdyYd bftd(an) cg Yn gdh i ddn," hamY ka bY 6 mardtmdn nY nimdyYm, andar dYn nY btzign hYm. ud a~mdh pad gdh ~ man ma pah[kdrYd cd nY sazdg pahikdrd(an), cY Yn sabukih ud anYrih 6 dYn hamY dwarYd, nY 6 man. (3) ud awYgdn-iz 7 mard bY 6 ~awY~dn-iz 7 mard bY 6~ 6y hamY gOwYnd kft gdh i amdh meh abdyYd b~td(an), cY amdh pad zOtih i xwY~ harw mard-Y cand nask tuwdn yagt(an) ud hamY az *mYzd pad bahr bahr6mand-tar abdyYd ddgtan. (4) awYgdn kY-gdn abestdg wYg warm aydb 6y kY zand ud gdyist-nY-gdyist weh ddnYd *kehih 11o ud meh[h [pad Yn *dar ciytn-mdn pursid, Yg-mdn andar rtJn framdyYd kardan, cY ka pad Yn dar kehih ud mehih nimdyYd ~g-ig *meh- sftdih b6wandagfhd ast. '(1) The 46th question and answer is that which was asked: at a myazd (dinner) l lJ of the faithful, at which 50 or 100 men - - or more, or less, as the case may be - - are present, and seven men who have worked in (the field of) the religion share the myazd with them; of these seven men there are some who have five nasks, and some who have six parts ~j~- of the Avesta by heart and can celebrate it, and they have not memorised the Zand of a single fragard; and all seven are disputing about precedence. (2) And the one who has thirty fragards with Zand by heart says, "Precedence (must be) mine, and my status must be considered to be higher, and must be so, for I know the Zand and the ~dyist-nY-gdyist best, and my status must be better, for this is the status of the religion; and unless I show (that) to the people, I am not to be acquitted in the religion. Do not dispute my status, for it is not suitable to dispute (it), since you commit this unseemliness and impropriety against the religion, not against me". (3) And those seven men say to him, "Our status must be higher, for each of us can celebrate a number of nasks as a zOt in his own right, and we must be kept bet ter supplied with shares f rom the myazd", j ~3 (4) Please enlighten us as to the inferiority and superiority in this matter: (whether they belong to) those who have more Aves tan by heart, or to the one who knows the Zand and gdyist-n~-gdyist best, as we have asked; for if you show us the inferior and superior positions in this matter, then it has great advantage entirely.'

T H E D A D E S T A N [ DENIG O N P R I E S T S 199

In his reply, Manugcihr declares that a priest's status depends on the extent rather than on the nature of his knowledge. (This may, incidentally, be the reason why no specific titles are mentioned in DD.46: since individual 'reciters of Avestan' might thus be superior to some Zand-scholars, such terms as 'student' for the former, and 'teacher' for the latter may have seemed inappropriate.) He does add, however, that one section of Avestan with Zand is equal in value to seven sections without Zand -- an equation which, to judge by what survives of the Zand, can hardly have been based on considerations of length alone and suggests that the study of the Zand, unlike that of the Avestan liturgy, entailed more than learning texts by rote, and may have included such disciplines as exegesis and other branches of religious learning.

DD.46.5ff. (K 35, 163r.14ff.), (5) pg~sox Yd k~ az hdn i pursM ud *nibigt kli (*ast ke) 114 30 fragard i pad zand warm, ud ab8rig-iz ast i 5 ud ast i 6 nask i abestdg *warm, az hgm kadgzm-fragardih ud kaddm-naskih n~ *wiz~nid, ~ 15 ud wizYn ~ ( *abar> abar w~g-abzgtrih ud kem-abzdrih n~ payddg, *cY nask ast [ az cand nask meh, ud fragard ast i (*az) cand fragard meh. (6) b~ hdn k~-g 5 nask abestdg warm hdn-iz kY(-*g) 30, 40 fragard i pad zand warm, jud-jud *blyh mar dgmistan, ud harw Yk *blyh i pad zand pad 7 *blyh i jud az zand 6 mar kardan ud hang6gSnMan abdyYd u-g az-ig payddgihYd kft kY we~ll6-abzar ud k~ kern. (7) ka-g tis andar nYst ? hgm rdy juttar, bY ka abarrndnd ud framdn i xwaddyih 1i 7 gdh ud kdr i pad-iS gumdrdag, aydb nOg-z6tih aydb gdhgmb~r-radih aydb griflag-pYJgdhihgt aygtb im cim rgty juttar baw~d, td hamd hdn i w~g-abzdr-tar ggth ~ meh ud bahr f wYg handdxtan sazgtg. (8) ka any i w~g 1~8 sazdg6mand ud abzdr6mand aydb wYgih ud kemih *i-gdn abzg~r ngtmci~ffg nY payddg, hdn kY-J zand wYg warm ud w~g yagt cPWN ptm'nwl~ pad xwdrign pad~x-tar drift(an) cimig-tar *sah~d. (9) u-gdn harw 2 *rdy arzdnigih i wuzurg ud frgtx &arm ud slid *purrih niydbag, abzdr i pad zand ud hdn i pad abestdg dgen~n ham-hayydr, cY abestdg-yagtdrdn-iz niyg~z d dgg~hfh i az zand abar *nYrang 119 ud gdyist-nY-gdyist ~ yazign, ud hdn i az zand-dgdh~h kdr~g-tar ~20 stidfhYd ka-~dn yazign weh rawdgihYd. (10) awYgdn harw 2 ~k; abzdr6manddn Yk 6 did d6st ud payrdstdr ud st@id& ud *wuzurgYnM&, TM ud d~n-d6stgm 6-gdn harw 2-dn hucagm ud payrgtstdr. (11) ka-z Yk abar did hamYmM-g6wign payddg bawYnd, az niydz aydb az stahmagfh i pety6rag ray baw~d ud abar-*igdn abaxgdyMdr u-ggm bahr n~ k6stg~r ud 6 ham- z6r~h ud *husdzagfh hdxtgtr btidan cirnig. '(5) The answer is this, that from what was asked and written - - (viz.) that (there is one who) has thirty fragards with Zand by heart, and there are others who have five, and in some cases six nasks of the Avesta by heart - - from that it (could) not be discerned: which fragards and which nasks; and the choice as to greater and lesser mastery is not clear, for there are nasks which are longer than a number of (other) nasks, and there are fragards which are longer than a number of (other) fragards. (6) But as to the one who has five nasks of the Avesta by heart and the one who has thirty or forty fragards with Zand by heart, one must know the number of blyh (sections?) of each one of them, and one must reckon that every blyh with Zand is equal to seven blyh without Zand, and compare them (thus), and from that it will be evident who has the greater mastery and who the lesser. (7) If there is nothing in it (i.e. in the case) which is different from that - - (i.e.) except if privilege and lordly command are the status and the work to which one is appointed, or (if he is) n6g- zdt 122 or lord of the gdhdmbdr, ~23 or because his precedence is an established fact, or if it is different for s o m e such 124 reason - - it is fitting to let the one who has greater mastery have higher status and a larger share. (8) When another who is more worthy and has greater

200 G. K R E Y E N B R O E K

mastery (is not present), or the superiority and inferiority of their qualifications are not precisely known, then it seems more reasonable to keep the one who knows more of the Zand by heart, and has celebrated more, more liberally supplied with food. (9) And it is appropriate for both of them to be considered worthy of large (rewards), and (to receive) much respect and fulness of profit. Mastery of the Zand and that of the Avesta are mutual helpmates, for those who recite the Avesta also have need of information from the Zand about ritual directions and about what is allowed and not allowed (gdyist-nY-gdyist) in the ritual, and the one who is more active in the field of the Zand will profit when their (i.e. the performers') performance of the ritual is made to proceed better. (10) They are both one; those who have mastery (of religious subjects) are friends to each other, and help ~z~ and praise and aggrandise each other, and those who are friends to the religion are benevolent and helpful towards both (groups). (11) And even when they are heard to say hostile things about one another, it is because of indigence, or because of the oppression by the Adversary, and it is reasonable to be forgiving to them, and not to reduce their shares, and to guide them towards uniting their strength, and towards agreement.'

T h e p r e c a r i o u s e c o n o m i c p o s i t i o n o f s o m e scho la r -p r i e s t s , w h i c h c o u l d

b e d e d u c e d f r o m such pas sages as DD.65 , is exp l ic i t ly r e f e r r e d to in

D D . 4 5 :

DD.45 (K 35, 162r.3ff.), (1) 45-om pursi~n hdn i pursM k~ hdn *hYrbed ka-g az ziwi~n i hYrbedih ziwi~n i rOzgdffg nYst, hYrbedih bY pddixgdy hi,tan ud any k(tr kardan aydb nY? (2) Pdsox Yd kft hYrbeddn az hYrbedih kY xwad ast harnrnrxt(an) ~ ddnign ud dsrrnig xYm ud ruwdnig pahrYz ud xwdst(an) i kirbag ud handOxt(an) i husrawih Yc zydn nYst. (3) Yn stud ast k~t dgdhih ~ az dYn i yazd(m ud abdgumdnih i pad mYnOg mizdih rdy pad tangih hunsand-tar ud andar saxtih ud *futtaffh ud abar astdnag *cdrag-~nds-tar ud 6 *brzi~n YmYd-*menign-tar 126 bawYnd. (4) td hdn-iz azydn, sftd-iz i kdr i hYrbedih i (*pad) was ranj ud *xwdstag *xwdst ud hammrxt bY hi, tan nY sazdg. (5) bY ~bY~ ka az hYrbedih zt-wign i rrzgdr nY aydb~nd, u-~dn wehdn 6st ahlaw-ddd awig nY dahYnd, ud az nabdnazdi~tdn druwanddn pad-iz xwdhign nY wind~nd, az mizdig yazt~ngarih ud ham~g-dYn rry~nM~rih ud abitrig 6srrn~h ud hKwigtih, pad-i~ z~wi~n-Y xwdst(an). (6) ka pad-iz hdn nY aydbYnd pad warzigarih ud ggspand-warzih ud dibiffh ud abdrig frdrrn kdr i andar *wdstaryrgih 127 z[wisn xwdst(an)) 28 ka-gdn pad-iz hdn zistan nY tuwdn pad zYnwarih ud naxcYrgarih ud abdrig frdrOn kdr i andar pYgag i frdrOn i artYgt(tr ziwi~n xwdst(an). (7) ud ka-z-igdn pad hdn niydbag i gugdrd(an) i xwYJ tan, kY andar frYzwdnig sdldrih, ddgtan nY tuwdn, ahlaw-ddd xwdstan dastwarfhd pad cdr tuwdn; *cY ajgahdnihd zistan ayrb atux~i~nihd xwY~ tan, k~ andar sMdffh, abY-ziwign bY hi, tan ~29 nY dastwarihd. '(1) The 45th question is that which was asked: that h~rbed, when he cannot make a daily living from his work as a hYrbed, may he leave the profession of a hYrbed and do other work, or not? (2) The answer is this, that the h~rbeds suffer no loss at all from being hYrbeds, which consists in learning knowledge and a priestly mentality and care for the soul, and in seeking merit and acquiring a good reputation. (3) There is this advantage (in being a hYrbed) that, because of their knowledge of the religion of the Yazads, and their certainty of the spiritual reward, they are more contented in distress, and in hardship and adversity, ~3~ and in case of misfortune they are better at knowing remedies, and they are more inclined to hope for salvation. (4) And as long as that does not bring loss, it is not fitting to give up the benefit of the profession of a hYrbed which was sought and acquired at the expense of much trouble and wealth. (5) But if they do not make a daily living from their work as hYrbeds, and the laymen do not give them regular TM pious gifts for it, and they do not receive these, even by asking for them, from their wicked relatives, (then let them) seek to make a living by

T H E D A D E S T A N i DE, NIG ON P R I E S T S 201

such works as ~32 performing rituals, which brings rewards, and arranging the hamdg-dOn, and other occupations of the priest and the hdwi~t. (6) If they do not obtain (it) even by that, (let them) seek a livelihood by farming and animal husbandry, and by working as scribes, and by other righteous works belonging to (the class of) husbandmenJ 33 If they cannot make a living even by that, (let them) seek a livelihood by bearing arms, hunting and other righteous works which belong to the righteous profession of the warrior. (7) And if even by that they cannot have what is suitable for the digestion of their own bodies -- which are necessarily in control134 - - then, by way of remedy, they can legitimately ask for pious gifts, for it is not legitimate to live negligently, or leave one's own body -- which is in control - - without (the means to) live, without exerting oneself.'

In DD.45.4, Manugcihr recommends that a priest who cannot live on the income he makes by his activities as a hOrbed should have recourse to "such works as performing r i tua l s . . , and arranging the hamdg-dYn". If taken literally, this statement not only implies that many hOrbeds were capable of taking part in the performance of the ritual, but also that the much coveted office of arranging the hamdg-dYn was not regarded as part of the proper tasks of a hYrbed. When viewed in combination with the evidence of DD.44 (below), this suggests that Manugcihr used the term hdrbed in its original sense of 'priestly teacher'. (Such an assumption might also explain the wording of DD.65.1, where a hOrbed who worked as an 'accepter' was said to "go out to do the work of a rn67rnard", i.e., perhaps, to engage in priestly activities not directly connected with his status as a hYrbed.)

The proper tasks of the hYrbed, as opposed to those of the hdwigt, are further defined in DD.44:

DD.44 (K 35, 161r.13ff.), (1) 44-om pursi~n hdn f pursid kli hYrbedfh aydb hdwidtih, kaddm hYrbed baw~d ud kaddm hdwi~t; kaddm hdn f pad hYrbedfh ud kaddrn hdn f pad hdwtXtih abdyYd dddtan? (2) Pdsox Yd kg~ h~rbedfh ud hdwigtfh hamband rnddaydnfhd, hYrbeddn hammdzYnd ud hdwi~tdn hamm6zYnd ddnidn i dYn f ast abestdg ud zand. (3) hfrbeddn hdwidtdn btid hYnd pad hamm6xtan f az xw4J hotbed; hdwidt-iz i *harnm6xt 135 *ddnidn 13s hdrbed *baw~d 136 abdg hammdxtdr," andar Yk tan bawYd hYrbedih ud hdwidtfh, (4) pad hdn i hdwidt kehfh *hammdz~d 137 az h~rbed ~ ddndg-tar *k2 ~38 az xw~-tan heibedfh hammdzfd 6 hdwidt i hammdxtdr-kdmag kd-d hamrn6zidn niydz az-iz 6y. ka andar xwfd hgrbed hKwi~t, abar xwYd ~hYrbed ~ 139 hdwidt hYrbed ast, (5) ciydn gdwihYd-iz k~ Pdrs dsrdndn p~gag framdddr i abar *awestdm ~4o rn6beddn-iz f Pdrs sdldr ud pddObdy f dYn, *hagdgird 141 ast ~ bY wizM pYdfhd ~ andar dYn. (6) hYrbed abar zand *dgdhdn ud hdwidt abar *abestdg; awYddn *ddndg- tar, hYrbed frdz az ya~t ud wisparad hdd ud n~rang abzdr, ud abzdr i pad zand, hdwidtdn frdz az ndrdng { yazidn ud pddydbih ud apddydbih ud *pdkih ud rYmdnih ud windh pad *dldtk' dndxt(an), ud abzdr ~ pad abestdg, (7) ud harw 2 pYdag az harw-ast~h ud harnYfg-asffh ud hamdg-weh[h ud frazdm-pdrdzfh ? yazddn, ud harndg-wattarfh ud n~st-wehih 142 ud ab~s~h~ni~n f *d~wdn b~ gndxt(an), ud yazddn-ddstfhd hdn ~ ~ *slw~ dsr6nig x~rn hamm6xt( an) ud grifl( an ) ud ddgt( an) frYzwdnfg ud meh-dddestdn ddgtf~r. '(1) The 44th question is that which was asked: as to the status of hYrbed or hdwi~t, which is the hYrbed and which the hdwi~t; which is to be regarded as the status of a hYrbed, and which as that of a hdwi~t? (2) The answer is this, that essentially the status of a hYrbed and

202 G. KREYENBROEK

that of a hdwigt are connected. The h~rbeds teach (or "learn"), and the hdwigts learn the knowledge of the religion, which (is) the Avesta and Zand. (3) The h~rbeds have been hdwi~ts in (that they have) learned from their own hYrbed; and the hdwi~t who has learned knowledge will be a h~rbed to (his) students; in one person, the status of a hdrbed and that of a hdwigt are (combined). (4) With the inferiority of a hdwigt one learns from a hYrbed who is wiser (than oneself) who, in his own capacity as a h~rbed, teaches the hdwigt who has the desire to learn, and whose learning (process) has need of him (viz. of the h&bed). While one is a hdwi~t with respect to one's hYrbed, one is a hYrbed with respect to one's hdwigt. (5) As it is said, even, that the Commander of the profession of priests in Pars, who is the head of the m6beds of the province of Pars and the Leader of the Religion, is a student who was chosen for his eminence in (matters of) religion. (6) The hYrbed has knowledge Ha of the Zand, the hdwigt of the Avesta; in particular they (can be) known, the h&bed by his mastery of the texts and ritual directions of the Yasna and ~spered, and his mastery of the Zand, the hdwigts by the fact that they know. . . (PWN dlgtk') the directions of the rituals and (the rules of) ritual cleanness and uncleanness and purity and pollution, and by their mastery of the Avesta. (7) And both professions (are known) by the fact that they know of the universal existence, the eternal existence, the all-goodness, and the ultimate victory of the Yazads, and of the all-wickedness, absence of goodness and (ultimate) destruction of the d~ws. And learning, acquiring and keeping the priestly mentality, with love for the Yazads, is obligatory (on both of them) and has great importance.' 144

Even more interesting than Manu~cihr 's answer to this question, perhaps,

is the fact that it was asked at all, suggesting as it does that the distinction

between hYrbeds and hdwi~ts was no longer clear to many of Manu~cihr 's

contemporar ies . This is conf i rmed by other 9th century sources 145 which

show that the word hYrbed was widely used at that time as a general term

for 'priest'. As far as the origin of this usage is concerned, Manu~cihr 's

remarks on the relative nature of these titles (DD.44.4) may lead one to

surmise that laymen may have looked u p o n all priests as ' teachers ' and,

at some stage, came to address them as such. While this is no more than

speculation, however, the DD. clearly shows that, as far as practical activities were concerned, the work of Zand-scholars and that of ord inary

practising priests was becoming more and more alike (cf. above, DD.45.5

et passim), a process which no doubt helped to bring about the eventual

d isappearance of any formal distinction between the two types of priest.

The conservative Manu~cihr, however, still used the word h~rbed in its

original sense, viz. for one who acted, o r was at least qualified to act, as a priestly teacher. Such hYrbeds had studied the Z a n d and were familiar with

the "texts and ritual directions of the Yasna and V~spered", which they may well have mastered in the course of their initial training as priests, 146 even if

some of them could no longer pe r fo rm these rituals later in life (cf. above).

As to the hdwi~t, DD.44.6 confirms that the word was used for priests who had memorised Aves tan liturgical texts and could celebrate the ritual.

The exact nature o f their concern with ritual impuri ty and sin, however, is

T H E D A D E S T A N i DENIG ON P R I E S T S 203

not made clear. As it seems unlikely that priests who had no knowledge of the Zand were qualified to decide complicated questions of this kind, one may perhaps conclude that they guided the faithful in everyday matters of purity and proper conduct, and possibly performed some of the purification rituals. 147.

To sum up, the DD. passages discussed here show that the impoverishment of the Zoroastrian community in Manu~cihr's time seriously affected the in- come and the working conditions of the priesthood. Thus it seems likely that, as both private individuals and religious institutions grew poorer, the gifts which the faithful gave for the rituals came to be practically the only non-secular source from which priests could derive an income. Priests who could celebrate the rituals therefore had a considerable advantage over those who could only act as 'accepters', in that they had more opportunities of finding paid employment and could thus afford to 'arrange' rituals for more moderate fees.

Although the DD. repeatedly refers to 'pure' scholar-priests (h&bed) who were incapable of taking part in the performance of the rituals, it seems probable that such cases were extreme ones, and that most h&beds were increasingly forced to combine their scholarly activities with the duties of a practising priest. As a result, the 'scholar-cure-teacher' eventually ceased to be a distinct type of priest (much to the detriment of religious scholarship in later centuries), and the title of h&bed came to denote members of the clergy generally.

N O T E S

i One of Manu~cihr's Epistles (EM. IIL21) is dated A.Y. 250 (= A.C. 881), and it is generally believed therefore that he flourished in the latter half of the 9th century A.C. For an unexpectedly early date, put forward without comment, see J. de Menasce, 'Zoroastrian Pahlavi Writing', The Cambridge History oflran 3 (2), ed. E. Yarshater, Cambridge etc., 1983, 1191. 2 G. Kreyenbroek, 'The Zoroastrian Priesthood after the Fall of the Sasanian Empire', to appear in Studia lranica in 1987. 3 The texts as presented here are based on MS. K 35 (The Pahlavi Codex K 35, facs. ed., Copenhagen, 1934, repr. Shiraz, no date). When the first draft of the article had been completed, the London University Library kindly provided me with a microfiche copy of P. K. Anklesaria's A Critical Edition of the Unedited Portion of the Dddest(m4 Din~k, unpubl, thesis, University of London, 1958 (hereafter 'Anklesaria'). Where Anklesaria's readings have been adopted, this has been duly noted. For further philological data the reader is referred to Anklesaria's work, which may now be published in the foreseeable future.

2 0 4 G. KREYENBROEK

4 In order to prevent the article from reaching inordinate length, however, sections of each Question which are not directly relevant to the subject under discussion, and are not of especial interest for other reasons, have generally been omitted. 5 On the mdbed see forthcoming article (cf. above, n. 2). 6 On the hamdg-d~n see ibid., n. 25; on the hamdg-d~n for the souls of one's ancestors see The Pahlavi Rivdyat Accompanying the Dddestdn i Dinfk, ed. B. N. Dhabhar, Bombay, 1913, Ch. XXXVIII. 7 Unlike the numbering used by E. W. West in his translation of the DD. (SBE XVIII), the first number given here corresponds to that of the Question. West's division of the text into sections has been retained, except where a different understanding of the text from his would have made this illogical. 8 So Anklesaria; K 35: dlgwsy. 9 So Anklesaria; K 35 ore. lo MSS.; ~v),yt'. ~ This translation is a guess. The precise meaning in this context of Phi. abarmdnd, which usually means 'inheritance, heritage, privilege', is not certain. J2 Or perhaps 'exercised'? ~3 Cf. West, op. cit., xiii. J4 Conjecture; K 35: r ' (for *BR'). W. B. Henning apud Anklesaria emends to dar (BB'). 15 So Henning, ibid.; K 35: l'd. J6 MSS. omit. J7 K 35: XN' (Yd); Anklesaria reads: *5. ~8 Cf. last two notes. 19 The words rad and dastwar may well form a compound here, cf. forthcoming article (see above, n. 2). 20 All DD. passages referred to in the text are given in the article. ~J For the sake of consistency this perhaps somewhat inadequate term will be used to render Phi. rdy~nidan throughout the article. 22 K 35: YNSJ~WNym. 23 Meaning, presumably, 'did not have the ritual performed'. z4 K 35: XTm. 25 So K 35; Anklesaria omits huziwign u-g. 26 The precise significance of mdnbed?h, wisbedih etc., in this context is not clear. At times, the words mdnbed etc., seem to be used for the members of a hierarchy headed by the ZaraOu~trttama, and thus perhaps to connote priestly activities, e.g. The Supplementary Texts to the ~r nY-~ayist (ed. F. M. Kotwal, Copenhagen, 1969) 13.11, 44; 19.5, and Pahlavi Yasna 19.18, where the words render Av. nmdniia- etc. (cf. also Phl. Y. 1.3--7; 2.3--6, etc.). Elsewhere, however, particularly where the words are used to translate Av. nmdnt.paiti- etc. (see Chr. Bartholomae, Altiranisches Wtrterbuch, Strassburg, 1904, repr., 1093), they appear to refer to the secular master of the house, etc. 27 Phl. d~n-burddr, cf. above, DD.43.12. 28 This translation of Phi. hurdyYnignih is tentative. 29 Lit. 'at the level of mtymard-hood'. 3o So Anklesaria; K 35 omits ktZ al K 35: 'pzwnyhyt'. 3e K 35: PLXWNyt'. 39 K 35: ptg'n'. 34 K 35: I'd. 35 So Anklesaria; K 35 omits ud kirbag aydbYnd. 36 Phl. xwdstag, lit. 'wealth, possessions', here apparently refers to the sums of money which were paid as 'gifts' for the ritual (cf. DD.87, 65), and is therefore tentatively

T H E D A D E S T A N i DIENiG O N P R I E S T S 205

t ranslated here as 'money' . It is of course possible that such fees could be paid in kind, but there appears to be no evidence in the DD. to suggest that Manu~cihr had this in mind. 37 Lit. 'canle to the door of meri torious actions'. 38 On xwastan ' to learn by heart ' see Kotwal, op. cit. (above, n. 26), 183. 39 K 35: k'hynynd with k'hynyhyt writ ten over it. 40 K 35: YXWWNyt. 4l K 35: YXWWNd for *YXBWNd. 42 MSS.." L ' .

43 For this t ranslat ion of Phi. dhangig, cf. M. Mo in, Farhang-e F6rsi I, Tehran, 1963, 108, s.v. dhang ("qasd, C azm, C azirnat"). 44 The text consistently distinguishes be tween xwastan (PLXWNtn') and xwdstan (BcYXWNstn'); for the use of xwdstan in the sense of ' to pray' see B. N. Dhabhar , Pahlavi Yasna and Visperad, Bombay, 1949, Glossary, 67, s.v. 45 For this t ranslat ion of Phi. hugk cf. Mo in, op. cit., 1422, s.v. xo~k ("xas?s, momsek"). 46 ? MSS.: MZJ~NWblyh. 47 All MSS.: dlnc'n. Henning (apud Anklesaria) suggested emendat ion to *dranfign. The preposi t ion 6 with framadan, however, normally indicates the person to whom a commission is given. Ano the r possibility would be to unders tand the word as *dranjtn 'one who is at the stage of learning (the sacred texts) by heart ' (i.e. who is not yet capable of reciting them properly), f rom dranjMan instead of the usual dranj~nidan (cf. the verbal noun dranji~n ' learning by rote', see Dhabhar , op. cit., Glossary, 192). as So Anklesaria, and the parallel passage, DD.65.15 (K 35, 179v.8); K 35 here: d't'. 49 MSS.: '7", for *'YT. 50 MSS.: L'L'. sl So Anklesaria; K 35: glwh'n. s2 MSS.: 300 hm'y 50. s3 So Anldesaria; K 35: cygwn' MNW. 54 Anlesaria: 450. s5 On the value of the d i rham in this period see A. Bausani, The Persians, tr. J. B. Donne, London, 1971, 85ff. 56 Lit. 'which they (i.e. the priests) have performed' . 57 O n the zthr see M. Boyce, 'Atag-zbhr and Ab-zthF, JRAS 1966, 100--118. 58 So K 35; Anldesaria: 350. 59 K 35: 150, with 350 writ ten over it, Anklesaria: 150. 60 MSS.: lsym. The word rasm is, of course, of Arabic origin. 61 So Anklesaria; K 35: dyw' p 'nd. 62 MSS.: YI~BXWNd (yaz~nd). 63 Anklesaria; zm'n; K 35: m'nk'. 64 So Anldesaria; K 35: m'nk'. 65 MSS.: dw~s'ckyh. 66 Lit. 'within my memory' . 67 Lit. ' that going'. 6s MSS.: NP~H (xwY~). 69 MSS,: hwpkl. 70 MSS. om. 71 MSS.: cynk'. 72 Anklesaria; 'pz'yynyt; K 35: 'pz'yt. 73 MSS.: ZYd. 74 So Anklesaria; K 35: BR' I'd. 75 So Anklesaria; K 35: 'gk'lyh.

206 G. KREYENBROEK

76 So Anklesaria; K 35: g'st'. 77 So Anldesaria; K 35 ore. 78 K 35: bhgyyt; Anklesaria: b'hst'nyh. 79 MSS.." 'ycyt', but cf. below, n. 84. s0 For these renderings of the words ~ahrig-barignihd and maydnfig-kdrihd see S. Shaked, 'Mihr the Judge', Jerusalem Studies in Arabic and Islam II, 1980, 3. 8l I am indebted to Professor M. Boyce for this explanation of the figure '20'. s2 Or 'many good performers ' (reading x~bgar). s3 Lit. 'with resignation away from his own goods'. 84 The phrase pad *n'ycyt gdy~d occurs twice in the H~rbedestdn (see D. P. Sanjana, N~rangist6n, Bombay, 1894, 22), apparently as a paraphrase of Av. n6it auuacin6 dditim vine." an6h payd(tg kEt pad *n'ycyt ~dy~d. . . ast k~ ~dOn g6w~d h~d ham~ pad *n'ycyt ~dy~d, az hdn gydg payddg. Although the meaning of the Avestan sentence is obscure, it seems probable that *n'ycyt ( = Av. *naYcit?) is roughly equivalent in meaning to Av. *auuacina-, for which Bartholomae (AirWb, 169--70, s.v. avacin6-mazah-) postulates a meaning 'lesser, inferior'. The Phl. phrase may therefore mean, approximately, ' tolerated as satisfying the minimal requirements, barely permissible'. s5 The meaning of raft in this context is uncertain; it may mean ' the habit of going (to a certain priest for ordering a ritual), custom'. s6 Anklesaria: 'YK MN; K 35 om. s7 MSS.: ]0l. ss MSS.: 'hnw. 89 ? MSS. om. 90 MSS.: zywm for *MZBNWm. 9~ Or 'in advance'? 92 This interpretation of the passage is hardly more than a guess. For the translation of gdhfgdn as 'cash, coins', cf. NP. gdhi. 93 Non liquet. 94 MSS,." jwyyt d't'. 95 K 35: lsnm; Anklesaria: lsym. 96 So Anklesaria; K 35: 'pz'l. 97 MSS.: zwtk'. 98 MSS.: tyh. 99 K 35: Into for *L *MN; Anklesaria: LNH (amdh). 100 MSS.: y~d'n'. ~01 Lit. 'and a hYrbed for him'. ~02 Phl. parwdr: D. N. MacKenzie (A Concise Pahlavi Dictionary, London etc., 1971, 65) gives 'citadel, c i rcumval la t ion . . . ' . The word thus apparently denotes something which surrounds or is surrounded, and in the present context may well refer to the yazign-gdh with its enclosing furrows. ~o3 pad *tah dwurdan, lit. ' to bring (something) to the bottom', i.e. of the purse? 104 I.e., presumably, the respect due to one who is a master of the religious tradition, including Avesta and Zand, cf. DD.43.6, 46.2. ~05 Phi. framgtddr is here used of the priest who directs the ritual, rather than of the person who orders it. ~06 Lit. 'a larger share', which does not seem to make sense. 107 Lit. 'which is in it'. 108 See below, n. 112. 109 So Anklesaria; K 35 om. t~0 So Anklesaria; K 35: g's. 111 On m~zd ' solemn dinner eaten in connection with religious ceremonies ' see Kotwal, op. cit. (above, n. 26), 157.

T H E D i t D E S T f i N i DENIG O N P R I E S T S 2 0 7

112 K 35 has what might be wh~gn' or nyd'd~n' (niydyi~n). Anklesar ia suggests emendat ion to bhgJn' (cf. also West, op. cit., 155). In the Suppl~n~ (see Kotwal, op. cir., 81, 160) the words dtax~ niydyign occur, suggesting that niydyign was already used as a technical term for a short Aves tan prayer (niydye~). Unless the word could also denote a type of text comparable in length to a nask, therefore, Anklesaria 's solution is probably correct. 113 Or, reading mizd, 'of the reward'. In view of DD.46.8 (below), however, it seems that the amount of food allotted to each priest was actually one of the points at issue. 114 MSS. om. 115 MSS.: wcyt'. 116 So Anklesaria; K 35: MNW 'pz7 WMNW 'pz'l. 117 So Anldesaria; K 35; hwt'y'n. 11s So Anldesaria; K 35: 'MTg'n. 119 So Anklesaria; K 35: plwnd. 120 So K 35; Anklesaria: PWN k'lyktl (pad-kdrig-tar). ~21 K 35: w'dlgynyt'l; the MS. tradit ion is confused. For this reading cf. West (op. cit., 158), who translates 'aggrandizer' . ~22 I.e. if he has just undergone the Ndvar-ceremony. 123 The exact nature of this office is not known. ~24 Lit. 'this'. 125 ? Lit. '(are) adorners to'. 126 The MS. tradit ion is clearly corrupt here. K 35: CL wwhtgn 'dymyt m'n mngngntl. 127 Conjecture. MSS.: 'slwnyh'. See further below, n. 133. L28 So MS. TD 1 (apud Anklesaria); K 35 omits ziwign xwdstan. ~29 So TD 1; K 35 ore. ~30 On juttarih see S. Shaked, 'Pahlavi Notes ' , Monumentum Georg Morgenstierne lI (Acta lranica 22), Leiden, 1982, 201ff. 13J MSS.: 'wst'('); Henning (apud Anklesaria) emends to axwdst 'unasked for'. The emendat ion yields excellent sense, but the reading 6st 'steadfast, reliable', whence perhaps 'regular', does not seem impossible. 132 Phi. az mizdfg yazigngaffh . . . pad-ig. ~33 The MSS. have what looks like dsrdnihd. It seems unlikely, however, that most of the occupations ment ioned here could be described as 'belonging to the priestly class'. Scribes, it is true, at one time seem to have been priests (cf. M. Boyce, A History of Zoroastrianism II, Leiden/Cologne, 1982, 178), but in Sasanian times they were evidently regarded as a separate class (cf. A. Christensen, l'Iran sous les Sassanides, Copenhagen, 1944, 98 with n. 3; M. Boyce, The Letter of Tansar, Rome, 1968, 38). The later religious tradition, however, does not appear to have recognised them as such, and may well have classified them as 'husbandmen ' . 134 ? Lit. ' in obligatory leadership' . 135 K 35: hmwdht d'n"L 136 MSSA YXWWNynd (baw~nd). 137 MSSA hmwhtyt'. 138 So Anldesaria; K 35 om. 139 The word h~rbed is clearly to be deleted here, cf. S. Shaked, 'Esoteric Trends in Zoroastr ianism' , Proceedings of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities Vol. III, No. 7, 1969, 203 with n. 2. Anklesar ia has: abar xw~g ~h~rbed ud> hdwi~t abar xwdg hdwigt hYrbed, where the words f rom the second abar onward appear to be a correct ion of the first phrase, which must therefore be deleted as a whole. 140 MSS.: 'wst'n (cf. NP. ostdn). 14l MSS.: whg krt' for *hg'klt'. 142 F rom hamdg-wattarih up to here, the text follows Anklesaria; K 35 has nYst-wattarih ud hamdg-weMh.

2 0 8 G. K R E Y E N B R O E K

143 For Phi. dgdhdn as a singular adjective cf. NP. 6gdhdn (see A. A. Dehkhoda, Loghatndma, Tehran, 1959 onward, s.v.). ~44 Phi. meh-dddestdn; the translation is tentative. J45 See forthcoming article (cf. above, n. 2). For the Arabic sources see M.-L. Chaumont, 'Recherches sur le clerg6 zoroastrien: Le h~rbad (suite)', Revue de l'Histoire des Religions CLVIII, 1960, 163ff. 146 Ability to perform these rituals is still required of a candidate for the Ndvar, cf. J. J. Modi, The Religious Ceremonies and Customs of the Parsees, Bombay, 1922, 200ft. ~47 As is well-known, priests who could perform the bareJnum were extremely scarce in Manu~cihr's day, cf. B. T. Anklesaria, Vichitakiha-i Zatsparam, Bombay, 1964, Introduction, passim.

Instituut Voor Oosterse Talen,

Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht, Lucas Bolwerk 5,

3512 E G Utrecht, The Netherlands