38 



PAUL OK LAG AR DK, 



was wir am Nöthig-sten brauchen — das lolivon der /,weit(> und der dritte 

 Monat — ; das Leben im Reiche Gottes und das deniüthigc Imuier-aufs- 

 Neue-Geben als höchste Weisheit, das ist (U-r durcli die Arb(>it des 

 Jahres errungene Schluß der Einsicht und Tugend. Und wenn das Jahr 

 mit einem AllerSeelenMonat anhebt, mit dem Bekenntnisse, daß die 

 Toten uns nicht tot sind, schließt es. 



x\ber damit nicht genug. Auch die Monatstage sind gcweilit. 

 Ahuramazda mit seinen sechs Amesa 9penta tritt zuerst auf. Dann tref- 

 fen wir drei Gruppen. Da waltet Dai, der Scliöpfer, der Reihe nach 

 im Feuer, in den Wassern, in der Sonne, im Monde, im Sterne Tir, in 

 der Thierwelt. Da waltet er weiter im Mithras (dem ju^afri^g), dem Ge- 

 horsam (dem Horchen auf die Stimme Gottes), der Aufrichtigkeit, den 



first day of siimmer. Therc was no difference betwcen tliCTii and the Por.sians re- 

 garding the beginning of the year and tlie beginnings of some of the montli«, but 

 there was a diflference regarding the place of the five Epagomenae, aa we have he- 

 retofore explained. And they did so for no other reason but this, that they honou- 

 red their kings to such a degrec that they would not do the warne things which the 

 kings did. They prefcrred to use as new-ycar that momcnt whcn Jam returned 

 successful, whilst the kings preferred as new-year tliat momont wlien Jam startcd 

 (set out). 



Some people maintain that these two different ncw-years were to be traced to 

 a difference that was discovered in the astronomical observations. For the ancient 

 Persians used a solar year of 365 days 6 hours 1 minute, and. it was their univer- 

 sal practice to reckon these 6 hours plus tlie 1 minute as a unit (i. e. to disregard 

 the 1 minute in reckoning). 



But afterwards when Zoroastcr appeared and introduced the religion of the 

 Magi, when the kings transferred their residence from Balkli to Persis and Babel 

 and occupied themselves with the affairs of their religion , they ordered new obser- 

 vations to be made, and then they found that the summer-solstice preceded by five 

 days the beginning of the year , which was the tlürd year after intercalation. In 

 consequence , they gave up their former System and adopted what astronomical Ob- 

 servation had taught them, whilst the people of Transoxiana kept the old System 

 and disregarded the State of that same year (i.e. its deviation from real timej, on 

 which their calendar was based. Hence the difference of the beginnings of the Per- 

 sian and Sughdian years. 



Other people maintain that originally both the Persian and Sughdian years 

 had the same beginning, until the time when Zoroas ter appeared. But wlien after 

 Zoroaster the Persians began to transfer the five Epagomenae to each of the Icap- 

 months, as we have before mentioned, the Sughdians left them in their original place 

 and did not transfer them. So they kept them at the end of the months of their 

 year, whilst the ^Persians , after they began to neglect intercalation, retained them 

 at the end of Abän-Mäh. God knows best! 



