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The Avestan ī̆šti- in Middle Persian texts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 February 2024

S. Fatemeh Musavi
S. Fatemeh Musavi*
Affiliation:
Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany
*
Email: rahaamusavi@gmail.com
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Abstract

Middle Persian translations and interpretations of Avestan texts employ the word īšt in the translation of the Avestan ī̆šti- “capability, capacity, competence”. The word became a vocabulary item in the Middle Persian corpus. It seems to be a calque of its Avestan counterpart. The Avestan ī̆šti- has presented challenges in the Avesta scholarship and is translated with words from different semantic domains. This article discusses the definition of Avestan ī̆šti- and how it is reinterpreted and understood in the Middle Persian translations. It is argued here that Av. ī̆šti- refers to “capability, capacity, and competence”. However, it is understood and interpreted in the MP texts as “wealth, property”, “remuneration”, or “reward”. It is sometimes translated to a verb form from xwāstan “desire, want”.

Keywords

ī̆šti-AvestanMiddle PersianTranslationZandDēnkard
Type
Article
Information
Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies , Volume 87 , Issue 1 , February 2024 , pp. 127 - 149
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of SOAS University of London

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