Pahlavi Texts V1: The Sacred Books of the East

Pahlavi Texts, Volume I, is part of the ambitious Sacred Books of the East series, a monumental collection of translated religious texts edited by the renowned philologist F. Max Müller. Commissioned and published by Oxford University Press in the late 19th century, this series sought to make the foundational scriptures of non-Western faiths accessible to a global academic audience. This specific volume, translated by E.W. West, focuses on the foundational Zoroastrian texts, representing a significant effort to standardize the translation of Pahlavi literature for English-speaking scholars.

The design of the volume reflects the Victorian era's dedication to meticulous, authoritative scholarship. Müller insisted on rigorous standards, aiming for texts that captured both the nuance of the original manuscripts and the clarity required for comparative religious studies. Upon its release, the series was received as a milestone in Orientalism and religious studies, serving for decades as the definitive reference point for researchers engaging with the linguistic and historical intricacies of the Pahlavi language and Zoroastrian tradition.