The Zarathushtra Gâthâs and the origins of Mazdaism (5)

The question of whether the Gâthâs are a liturgical recitative, once they have been recognized as hymns, has been hotly debated ever since Jean Kellens and Éric Pirart sought to make the rite their exclusive function. However, the massive condensation of ritual vocabulary in a well-defined sector of each multi-chapter Gâthâ leads to the conclusion that each includes a "sacrificial moment", usually a final one.