Description

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The Pahlavi Widēwdād (Vidēvdād), The Law (Serving to Keep) Demons Away, a fifth-century Middle Persian commentary on the Avestan Vidēvdād, describes rules and regulations that serve to prevent pollution caused by dead matter, menstrual discharges, and other agents. It recognizes the perpetual presence of the demons, the forces of the Evil Spirit -forces that should be fought through law-abiding conduct. In spite of its formidable textual problems, the commentary provides an invaluable quarry for the rules of the Zoroastrian community through its citation of regulations for the conduct of its members. Many topics are covered, from jurisprudence to penalties, procedures for dealing with pollution, purification, and arrangements for funerals. Viewed together, they provide the reader with an exquisite interlace of a community's concerns.

About the Author

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Mahnaz Moazami, Ph.D. (Sorbonne, 1995) Associate Research Scholar, Columbia University, and Visiting Professor at the Graduate School of Jewish Studies, Yeshiva University, has written extensively on aspects of Zoroastrian tradition including Evil Animals in the Zoroastrian Religion (History of Religions, 2005).