Denkard
Also known as: Dēnkard, Dinkard, Acts of the Religion, Acts of the Faith
A 9-book Middle Persian compendium of Zoroastrian doctrine, law, ritual, and tradition, the Denkard preserves extensive abstracts of the lost Avestan nasks and consolidates Sasanian-era learning for post-conquest communities.
Description
The Denkard is an encyclopedic Pahlavi work that gathers theology, ethics, ritual law, historiographical notices, and catechetical materials from earlier Zoroastrian tradition. Compiled in the early Islamic period, it aims to safeguard orthodoxy by summarizing authoritative texts—especially in Books 8–9, which outline the contents of the twenty-one Avestan nasks no longer extant. Alongside doctrinal expositions on creation, dualism, and eschatology, the Denkard records rules for purity and worship, defenses of the Mazdean faith, and narratives about Zarathustra, kings, and divine beings. Its redactors interweave mythic exempla, legal reasoning, and pastoral guidance, yielding a rare window into late antique Iranian religious scholarship and the transmission of sacred knowledge after the Sasanian collapse.
Historiography
Surviving in late Pahlavi manuscripts copied centuries after its compilation, the Denkard reflects layered redaction and excerpting from Sasanian sources. Books 8–9 are prized for preserving structured synopses of the lost Avestan nasks, enabling partial reconstruction of the canon’s scope. Modern scholarship relies on critical editions, partial translations, and comparative work with related Pahlavi texts to assess its doctrinal and historical claims. Reception emphasizes its role as a post-conquest archive of priestly memory rather than a unitary authorial treatise.
Date Notes
Compiled in Middle Persian by priest-scholars Ādurfarnbag ī Farruxzādān and continued by Ādurbād ī Ēmēdān using earlier Sasanian-era materials; preserves synopses of lost Avestan nasks.
Archetypes
Major Characters
- Ahura Mazda
- Zoroaster
- Ahriman
- Sraosha
Myths
- Summaries of the Lost Avesta
- Cosmogony and Eschatology
- Laws, Rituals, and Doctrine
- Preservation of the Faith
Facts
- Nine-book Pahlavi compendium preserving theology, law, ritual, and mythic summaries.
- Books 8–9 contain structured synopses of the twenty-one Avestan nasks otherwise lost.
- Language is Middle Persian (Pahlavi) with technical priestly vocabulary.
- Compiled in the early Islamic era from Sasanian priestly sources and archives.
- A key witness for reconstructing the late Sasanian Avesta’s organization and content.
- Provides polemics against heresy and defenses of Mazdean orthodoxy.
- Records rules of purity, worship, and priestly conduct alongside doctrinal exegesis.
- Cites royal exempla and legendary figures to illustrate ethical and legal norms.
- Transmitted in relatively late manuscripts with signs of layered redaction.
- Remains central for comparative study of Zoroastrian cosmology and eschatology.