Zad-sparam - Icon Profile | Alexandria
Zad-sparam (fl. 9th century CE), also known as Zadspram or Zatspram, was a prominent Zoroastrian priest and scholar whose theological writings provide crucial insights into the religious and intellectual landscape of early medieval Persia. His name, meaning "with golden feet" or "having golden steps," reflects the elevated status he held within the Sasanian religious hierarchy.
As the son of Juwanjam and brother of the influential high priest Manuscihr, Zad-sparam served as the religious authority in Sirkan (modern-day Kerman province, Iran). His most significant contribution to Zoroastrian literature is the "Selections of Zad-sparam" (Wizidagiha i Zadspram), a comprehensive theological treatise that explores cosmogony, astronomical phenomena, and human physiology through the lens of Zoroastrian doctrine. This text, written in Middle Persian (Pahlavi), represents one of the most detailed expositions of Zoroastrian scientific and religious thought from the post-Sasanian period.
Zad-sparam's work gained notoriety when he became embroiled in a theological dispute with his brother Manuscihr regarding proper ritual practices, particularly concerning the purification ceremony (bareshnum). This controversy, documented in their surviving correspondence, offers rare insight into the intellectual debates that characterized 9th-century Zoroastrian scholarship. The exchange reveals both the rigorous nature of religious discourse and the complex power dynamics within the Zoroastrian priesthood during a period of increasing Islamic influence.
The legacy of Zad-sparam extends beyond his immediate historical context, as his writings continue to serve as an invaluable source for understanding Zoroastrian cosmology, medical knowledge, and religious practice during the early Islamic period. His detailed discussions of human anatomy, celestial phenomena, and religious ritual demonstrate the sophisticated integration of scientific observation with religious doctrine in medieval Persian thought. Modern scholars particularly value his work for its preservation of ancient Zoroastrian traditions and its illustration of how Persian intellectual culture adapted to changing social and political circumstances. The questions raised in his writings about the relationship between religious authority, scientific knowledge, and ritual practice remain relevant to contemporary discussions of religion and modernity.