older Zend, the sacred
language of Persia, is, like other Bibles, a collection of books
written in different ages, and even, it may be, in different lands.
The books were brought together into one only at some period after
the Christian era. The later legends as to the supernatural
communication to Zoroaster of the earlier books need not detain us;
we must notice, however, that the preserved books of Persian religion
are held to be no more than the scanty ruins of an extensive
literature. The Avesta consisted originally of 21 Nosks or books, and
most of these were destroyed by Alexander when he invaded the East;
only one Nosk was preserved entire. As we have it, the Avesta is a
liturgical work, it contains some legends and some ancient hymns, as
well as a good deal of law, but its prevailing character is that of a
service-book, and it is to this that its partial preservation both at
the invasion of Alexander, and at that of the Mohammedans in a later
century, is probably due. It consists of three parts. The oldest is
the Yasna, a collection of liturgies, which admit and indeed invite
comparison with those of early Christianity: along with these are
found the Gathas or hymns, the only part of the Avesta composed in
verse, and written in an older dialect. The Visperad is a collection
of litanies for the sacrifice; and the Vendidad is a code of early
law, but contains also various religious legends. Besides these
works, which constitute the Avesta proper, there is the Khorda (or
small) Avesta containing devotions for various times of the day, for
the days of the month, and for the religious year; these are for the
use not of the priests alone but of all the faithful, and many of
them are still so used.

The Contents of the Zend-Avesta are Composite.--In these works the
student soon observes that he has before him not one religious system
only but several. In one place we find a worship of one god, as if
there were no others to be considered; some of the litanies on the
other hand contain lengthy and elaborate lists of objects of worship.
In some parts the religion is personal and immediate; in others it is
priestly. Parsism is often called fire-worship, and the elements of
earth and water also obtain extreme sanctity in it, but of this also
there is in the oldest books little trace. The variety in the
literature no doubt reflects a variety in the religion of Iran. Iran
in fact had not one religion but several, and thus t