Hērbad (also ''hīrbad'', ''hērbed'' or ''ērvad'') is a title given to

Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism ( ), also called Mazdayasnā () or Beh-dīn (), is an Iranian religion centred on the Avesta and the teachings of Zarathushtra Spitama, who is more commonly referred to by the Greek translation, Zoroaster ( ). Among the wo ...

priests of minor orders. In the present day, ''hērbad'' is the lowest rank in the Zoroastrian priesthood, and is granted following the basic ''navar'' ceremony that marks the beginning of theological training. Unlike a ''

mobed A mobed, mowbed, or mobad (Middle Persian: 𐭬𐭢𐭥𐭯𐭲) is a Zoroastrian cleric of a particular rank. Unlike a '' herbad'' (''ervad''), a ''mobed'' is qualified to serve as celebrant priest at the Yasna ceremony and other higher liturgi ...

'' or ''

dastūr A dastur ( ), sometimes spelt dustoor, is a term for a Zoroastrian high priest who has authority in religious matters and ranks higher than a mobad or herbad. In this specific sense, the term is used mostly among the Parsis of India. The term has ...

'', a ''hērbad'' may not celebrate the ''

yasna Yasna (;"Yasna"
''

Vendidad The Vendidad /ˈvendi'dæd/, also known as Videvdat, Videvdad or Juddēvdād, is a collection of texts within the greater compendium of the Avesta. However, unlike the other texts of the Avesta, the ''Vendidad'' is an ecclesiastical code, not a ...

'', which is reserved for priests of higher grade. Amongst lay Zoroastrians, the three terms are used interchangeably. Unlike ''mobed'' but like ''dastūr'', ''hērbad'' may be adopted as a professional title in a person's name.

History of term

Middle Persian 𐭧𐭩𐭫𐭯𐭲 ''harpat'' ( Pahlavi ''ʼyhlpt'') derives from

Avestan Avestan ( ) is the liturgical language of Zoroastrianism. It belongs to the Iranian languages, Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family and was First language, originally spoken during the Avestan period, Old ...

𐬀𐬈𐬚𐬭𐬀𐬞𐬀𐬌𐬙𐬌 ''aeθrapaiti'', which the

Avesta The Avesta (, Book Pahlavi: (), Persian language, Persian: ()) is the text corpus of Zoroastrian literature, religious literature of Zoroastrianism. All its texts are composed in the Avestan language and written in the Avestan alphabet. Mod ...

uses denote a priestly teacher whose students (''aethrii'') would be taught to recite the sacred texts. By the 2nd century CE, the term had come to refer to a clergyman who taught religious subjects, and the term appears to have commanded greater prestige than it does today. In the late 3rd century inscription at the

Ka'ba-ye Zartosht Kaaba, Ka'ba-ye Zartosht (), also called the Kaaba or Cube of Zoroaster, is a rectangular stepped stone structure in the Naqsh-e Rustam compound beside Zangiabad, Fars, Zangiabad village in Marvdasht county in Fars province, Fars, Iran. The Naqs ...

, the high-priest

Kartir Kartir (also spelled Karder, Karter and Kerdir; Middle Persian: 𐭪𐭫𐭲𐭩𐭫 ''Kardīr'') was a powerful and influential Zoroastrian priest during the reigns of four Sasanian kings in the 3rd century. His name is cited in the inscriptions ...

refers to himself as ''hērbad''. There is some evidence that suggest that already by the 6th century, ''hērbad''s performed advanced theological tasks, including translations and interpretation of Avestan texts. The 10th century ''

Denkard The ''Dēnkard'' or ''Dēnkart'' (Middle Persian: 𐭣𐭩𐭭𐭪𐭠𐭫𐭲 "Acts of Religion") is a 10th-century compendium of Zoroastrian beliefs and customs during the time. The ''Denkard'' has been called an "Encyclopedia of Mazdaism" an ...

'' refers to the high-priest Tansar, who, in legend, is attributed with the collation of the Avesta, as ''hērbad''. Following the collapse of the Sassanid state in the 7th century, after which Zoroastrianism began to be supplanted by

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

, the increasingly impoverished Zoroastrian communities found it difficult to support a priesthood known only for their scholarship. By the 9th century, there was an active rivalry between these scholar-priests and ritual priests, with each group underbidding the other in their attempts to secure an income. For Zoroastrian laypersons, the distinction between the two groups was at best theoretical and by the 10th century, the term ''hērbad'' had lost most associations of scholarship and eventually came to refer to priests that had no theological authority. Beyond that distinction, the terms ''hērbad'', ''mobad'' and ''dastūr'' were used interchangeably. In the 16th century, the ''

Rivayat The ''Rivayats'' (also spelled as ''Revayats'') are a series of exchanges between the Parsi, Zoroastrian community in India and their co-religionists in Early modern period, early modern Iran. They have been ascribed the same importance of the Tal ...

'' epistles encouraged the Indian Zoroastrians to distinguish between priests capable of officiating at a ''

'' reading and the others. That led to the reinstatement of a hierarchy, with ''hērbad''s at the lowest rung on the ladder. Above them were the ''

mobad A mobed, mowbed, or mobad (Middle Persian: 𐭬𐭢𐭥𐭯𐭲) is a Zoroastrian cleric of a particular rank. Unlike a '' herbad'' (''ervad''), a ''mobed'' is qualified to serve as celebrant priest at the Yasna ceremony and other higher liturgi ...

''s, denoting priests who had completed their training. In India, the ''mobad''s have a ''dastur'' as their superior. This is effectively an administrative rank and denotes a director of a

fire temple A fire temple (; ) is a place of worship for Zoroastrians. In Zoroastrian doctrine, ''atar'' and '' aban'' (fire and water) are agents of ritual purity. Clean, white "ash for the purification ceremonies sregarded as the basis of ritual lif ...

. A ''dastūr'' is also the highest religious instance for the community that worships at that temple.

References

* * {{refend Herbad