 Middle Persian 𐭧𐭩𐭫𐭯𐭲 "harpat" (Pahlavi "ʼyhlpt") derives from Avestan 𐬀𐬈𐬚𐬭𐬀𐬞𐬀𐬌𐬙𐬌 "aethrapaiti", which the Avesta uses denote a priestly teacher whose students ("aethrii") would be taught to recite the sacred texts.By the 2nd century CE, the term had come to refer to a clergyman who taught religious subjects, and the term appears to have commanded greater prestige than it does today.In the late 3rd century inscription at the Ka'ba-ye Zartosht, the high-priest Kartir refers to himself as "hērbad".