Book Series Berliner Turfantexte, vol. 31

Miscellaneous Hymns

Middle Persian and Parthian Hymns in the Turfan Collection

Desmond Durkin-Meisterernst (ed)

  • Pages: 464 p.
  • Size:210 x 297 mm
  • Illustrations:12 b/w
  • Language(s):English
  • Publication Year:2014

  • € 95,00 EXCL. VAT RETAIL PRICE
  • ISBN: 978-2-503-54628-5
  • Paperback
  • Available


This edition presents a large collection of (unpublished) fragments of Middle Persian and Parthian Manichaean hymns, both in the original language and translated into English.

Review(s)

“cette édition met à la disposition des spécialistes une nouvelle moisson de documents qui enrichissent notre documentation directe sur le manichéisme et qui sont désormais aisément repérables et accessibles.” (Paul-Hubert Poirier, dans Laval théologique et philosophique, 71, 3 (octobre 2015): p. 542)

« Le travail philologique minutieux et impressionnant entrepris par l’A. a donné un ensemble de presque 5000 lignes de texte, contribuant ainsi de façon significative à l’élargissement du corpus de textes manichéens en moyen-perse et en parthe disponibles. » (Agnes Korn, dans Abstracta Iranica. 37-38-39, 2018)

Summary

This is an edition of a large number of fragments of Middle Persian and Parthian Manichaean hymns in the Berlin Turfan Collection.  M. Boyce in the register of her 1960 Catalogue of the Iranian Manuscripts in Manichaean script in the German Turfan Collection identified fragments of hymns 'to the Third Messenger' (group 44); 'Parthian hymns written in couplets, unclassified' (group 58) and 'Hymns, unclassified, including poems' (group 81). Though some of these fragments have been published in the meantime and others are very small, this yields more than 250 previously unpublished fragments, many of considerable size. The fragments are presented in diplomatic edition together with a transcription and translation into English. Since most of the hymns are abecedarian they are presented as far as possible in strophic form. An extensive introduction, notes, a complete glossary and facsimiles of joined fragments accompany the edition.
Will interest: Students of Manichaeism; of Central Asian history and cultures; of comparative religion; of Iranian languages and literatures.