How to specify $Path items on the command line?

Question

On Unix, I can run Python scripts from the command line like this¹:

PYTHONPATH=lib/python path/to/script.py

The setting of PYTHONPATH affects the run-time value of the sys.path variable, which is Python's equivalent of Mathematica's $Path variable.

For example:

% PYTHONPATH=/foo:/bar:/baz python -c 'import sys; print sys.path[1:4]'
['/foo', '/bar', '/baz']

Is there a similar way to modify the value of the $Path variable from the command line when invoking WolframScripts?

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^{1 Of course, I can omit the PYTHONPATH=lib/python "prefix" by first running export PYTHONPATH=/absolute/path/to/lib/python. The form with the "prefix", however, gives me the flexibility to tailor the library path to the script, something I often find useful.}

Answer 1

OK, I cobbled together this hack, inspired by Ilian's comment. Below is the content of a wrapper script, which I called wolframscript, and put in my $PATH:

#!/bin/bash

components='"'"${MATHEMATICAPATH//:/'", "'}"'"'
setpath=$( printf '$Path = DeleteDuplicates @ Join[{%s}, $Path];' "$components" )
interpreter=$( which WolframScript )

exec $interpreter -run "$setpath" -script "$@"

Now, for example, if /tmp/test.m is the following executable script

#!/usr/bin/env wolframscript

Write["stdout", ToString @ Column @ Take[$Path, 3]];

...I can run

% MATHEMATICAPATH='/yabba:/dabba:/doo' /tmp/test.m
/yabba
/dabba
/doo