Both sections in Book 3 of the Dēnkard (the 9th-century Middle Persian Zoroastrian encyclopedia) explicitly link Aži Dahāka (Zohak / Dahāg) to the origin of Judaism and the Jewish scriptures.
1. Dēnkard Book 3, Chapter 229
This is the most famous and explicit passage regarding the codification of the religion.
* The Text: States that the "bad religion and non-law" (ag-dēn) was first cherished by Dahāg, who codified it into the writings of Judaism (referred to in Pahlavi via the Syriac borrowing ʾwlytʾ / Urāyθā, meaning the Torah or Pentateuch).
* The Lineage: It claims that this line of thought was passed down from Dahāg to Abraham, whom the text frames as a priest/master (dastūr) of the Jews, leading humanity astray into the Jewish faith through Abraham and later Moses.
2. Dēnkard Book 3, Chapter 288
This section compares the righteous precepts of King Jamshid (Yima) against the ten anti-commandments (ten evil doctrines) of Zohak.
* The Text: Outlines how Dahāg established false teachings that directly corrupted divine laws. It cites his doctrines as the philosophical root of non-Mazdayasnian, foreign religions—specifically identifying the Jewish scripture and traditions as stemming from Dahāg’s opposition to Jamshid's rule.
Historical Context
In late Sasanian and early Islamic-era Zoroastrian polemics, foreign religions (especially Judaism and Islam) were often mapped onto the mythical demon-king Aži Dahāka. Because Dahāg represents the arch-tyrant who brought corrupt laws, sorcery, and foreign rule to Iran, Zoroastrian priests used his mythic figure to explain the origins of non-Zoroastrian monotheistic texts.
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