The conventional translation as 'heretic' was already common in the 19th century when Christian Bartholomae (1885),[REF] derived zandik from Avestan zanda, which he treated as a name of certain heretics [REF].
An alternative interpretation that explains both 'Manichaean' and 'heretic' derives the substantive in zandik from Avestan zan 'to know, to explain',[REF] which is also the origin of Middle Persian 'zand' (a class of exegetical commentaries) and 'Pazand' (a writing system).