AVESTA

n.

or Zend-Avesta

Sacred book of Zoroastrianism .

It contains hymns, prayers, and appeals to righteousness ascribed to Zoroaster . The present text was assembled in the 3rd–7th century AD from the remains of a larger body of scripture that was destroyed when Alexander the Great conquered Persia. It has five parts: the Gatha s, hymns in what are thought to be Zoroaster's own words; Visp-rat , containing homages to spiritual leaders; Vendidad , the main source for Zoroastrian law; the Yasht s, 21 hymns to angels and ancient heroes; and the Khurda avesta , composed of minor texts.