The present article is intended to be the first of a series devoted -L to the “Zervanite question”. It seemed desirable that before embarking on the uncertain seas of speculation, the author should publish a transliterated text and translation of the more important passages in the Pahlavī and kindred literature which might be found to bear upon this problem. The present article contains two excerpts from the Dēnkart, and a short passage from the Persian Rivāyats of the greatest interest. It is hoped that the first chapter of Zātspram will appear in the next number of the Bulletin. The notes in this and the next article will be confined, so far as possible, to matters of philology: discussion of the problem itself must be deferred till the linguistic difficulties have been adequately dealt with.