________________
276
THE INDIAN ANTIQUABY.
[SEPTEMBER, 1881.
the Iranians, though it cannot be proved to have travelled westward, and that the name of the rebeen occasioned by a religious schism, it is still former had been forgotten by all but the priesthood, most reasonable to suppose that the two races who were uot likely to be very communicative to remained in contact until they had developed the foreigners. This seems to be the most reasonable leading characteristics of their divergent faiths ; conclusion from the scanty information we long enough, at least, for the Iranians to contract possess, but it is. of course. fatal to all ideas of that horror of the daévas (the Brahman's gods, Jewish influence upon the reformer. but their own demons) which has ever since It would far exceed our limits even to mention remained one of their most distinctive tenets. the numerous details discussed by M. de Harlez The reform attributed to Spitama Zarathushtra is in his essay, and as he brings to the discussion only another name for a rapid form of develop all the experience acquired during his recent ment, so that in this respect all three theories are translation of such fragments of the Avesta as really much more in accord than is at first are still extant, it would be presumptuous to apparent; and as all developments are more or differ from him without undertaking an elaborate less influenced by external circumstances (more examination of the whole of the existing texts. especially when progress is rapid) there is every Although it is hardly possible to assent to some probability that Spitama Zarathushtra was in- of his conclusions, he has certainly done good fluenced by some foreign forms of religious service in showing that Spitama Zarathushtra was thought. But as we know neither the age in something more than a storm-myth, and that which he lived, nor the foreign religions with there is every probability that he was an ardent which he came in contact, it is mere waste of
reformer. This is very much the opinion that has time to attempt to point out the sources of the long been entertained, and is nearly all that can tenets he taught, whether Iranian or foreign
be safely asserted in the present state of our In fixing the period of the Zoroastrian reform knowledge. Beyond this point there is certainly about the time of Darius Hystaspes, M. de Harlez
ground for speculation, but the less we dogmatize has brought it down to the latest possible date;
upon it the better.
E. W. WEST. in fact, later than is at all probable, as we may
München, 28th May 1881. conclude from the name of Adramazdå being already compounded in the cuneiform inscriptions of that monarch, whereas its component parts, LES INSCRIPTIONS de PIYADABI, par E. Senart. Tomo Ahura and Mazda, are not only distinct words, premier: les quatorze édits. Paris: 1881. but are also generally used separately in the This volume of 326 pages has appeared by Gathan of Spitama Zarathushtra. This condensa- instalments in the recent parts of the Journal tion of the two distinct titles into one name must Asiatique, and is partly known to our readers by surely indicate some interval of development reproductions which have been published in these between the period of the Gathas and that of pages giving the text of the Girnar version, with Darius. M. de Harlez, however, argues that, if M. Senart's translation turned into English. It the Zoroastrian reform bad occurred before the is to be understood however that besides the text time of Darius Hystaspes, the name of Zoroaster of all the Girnår edicts (except in the case of the would have heen mentioned by Herodotus and 13th) in Páli characters, and that of all the verXenophon. This argument would have been per- sions in Roman characters, the volume contains a fectly sound if these two historians had lived
very full commentary, discussing all doubtful before the time of Darius, as, in that case, they readings, differences of the various texts, and could have known nothing about the events of his difficulties of translation. Nothing at all so elabo. reign. But the fact is that Herodotus acquired rate and able has hitherto been written on these his knowledge of Persia about twenty-five years earliest and most extensive of Indian Pali inscripafter the death of Darius, and Xenophon lived in tions. It is only to be regretted that even at this Persia about sixty years later still. Now if a late date, the copies of some of the northern great reformer had appeared in the reign of versions are so inaccurate or defective. This will Darius, and if the reform he carried out were of be at once apparent from a comparison of the first the important and sweeping character that M. de edict in the previously published copies of KapurHarlez supposes, it is hardly to be supposed that di-giri and Kalsi, and the plate quite recentlygiven his name and work would have been so far for in this journal by Pandit Bhagvånlal Indraji gotten by the Persian people, in the course of (p. 107). We fear the copies available to M. Senart half a century, as not to have come to the ears of for the separate and pillar edicts are not more these two Greek historians. Their silence on the trustworthy, and will task all his talent to divine subject rather indicates that a period of some the correct readings. We hail the present centuries had elapsed since the reform had volume as a most valuable contribution to Pali occurred in another land, before the religion had studies.
Ind. Ant., vol. IX, pp. 282ff ; vol. X, pp. 834f, 1808, 209, 269ff.
