The sacred writings of Zoroaster (or Zarathustra) that formed the basis of the religion that prevailed in Persia from the 6th century B.C. to the 7th century A.D. Avesta means the text, and Zend its interpretation into a more modern and intelligible language; hence the latter name has been given to the ancient Iranian language in which the Zend-Avesta is written.
The sacred writings of the Parsis have usually been called Zend-Avesta by Europeans: but this is, without doubt, an inversion of the proper order of the words, as the Pahlavi books always style them "Avisták-va-Zand" (text and commentary).-- Haúg, Essays on the Parsis, Essay iii, p. 19.
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