Avesta people. The term "Avesta" is from the 9th/10th-century works of Zoroastrian tradition in which the word appears as Zoroastrian Middle Persian "abestāg", Book Pahlavi "ʾp(y)stʾkʼ". In that context, "abestāg" texts are portrayed as received knowledge, and are distinguished from the exegetical commentaries (the "zand") thereof. The literal meaning of the word "abestāg" is uncertain; it is generally acknowledged to be a learned borrowing from Avestan, but none of the suggested etymologies have been universally accepted. The widely repeated derivation from *"upa-stavaka" is from Christian Bartholomae ("Altiranisches Wörterbuch", 1904), who interpreted "abestāg" as a contraction of a hypothetical reconstructed Old Iranian
Criticism of Mormon sacred texts Criticism of Mormon sacred texts The Latter Day Saints (full name: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) believe that the Book of Mormon is a sacred text with the same divine authority as the Bible. Latter Day Saints also recognize the Pearl of Great Price and Doctrine and Covenants as scripture. Religious and scholarly critics outside the Latter Day Saint religion have disputed this view, questioning the traditional narrative of how these books came to light, and the extent to which they describe actual events. They cite research in history, archeology, and other disciplines to support their