Eirciv 102a, spring 2006 vi february 7, 2006 basic bibliography some useful literature boyce, m. The alternative, less common englishlanguage form zarathushtra is a. A small but vibrant community of parsis continue to practice this ancient religion in india and contribute richly to its cultural, religious and ethnic diversity. Zoroastrianism believes in the purity and goodness of all of gods creations and thus they are very careful not to pollute and destroy river and trees.
Reading this book is an excellent way to pick up that thread and see where the big three monotheistic religions, starting with judaism, picked up many of their ideas. The name by which he is commonly known in the west is from the greek form of his original name,zarathushtra, which means shining light. A manual of khsnoom the zoroastrian occult knowledge is a near 500 pages long introduction to zoroastrian cosmology, occultism, spirituality and fantastic tales. The sassanians made zoroastrianism the state religion while, at the same time, developing a different branch of the faith usually referred to as a heresy known as zorvanism. The early period volume 1 of a history of zoroastrianism. The interchange of zoroastrian thought with judeochristian ideology first took place when cyrus the great defeated the assyrians and released the jews from babylonian captivity. The words satan, paradise and amen are of zoroastrian origin. When cyrus became the emperor of the vast persian empire, he made zoroastrianism popular throughout egypt, greece, persia and parts of india, mainly with the help of magi, a priestly community that came originally from medes.
Selected proceedings of the xvi congress of the international association for the history of religions. It survives there in isolated areas but primarily exists in india, where the descendants of zoroastrian persian immigrants are known as parsis, or parsees. Zoroastrianism, the ancient pre islamic religion of iran that survives there in isolated areas and, more prosperously, in india, where the descendants of zoroastrian iranian persian immigrants are known as parsis, or parsees. Jun, 2018 zoroastrianism has some historical connection to ancient indianiranian religions. Although this book may be a bit in depth for introductory readers, to get beyond the basic facts of most world religion books, boyces book is a recommended read. Presented chronologically according to the source literature, they present the story of a religion in evolution.
Or what if her future husband was forced to convert to islam. There are less than 190,000 followers of zoroastrianism worldwide. Sep 22, 2009 zoroastrianism is one of the worlds oldest monotheistic religions. A small religious community, which exists mostly in mumbai, is zoroastrianism. Survey of the history and contents o encyclopaedia. Magi archaeology magazine magi zoroastrian priests. Zoroastrianism, although the smallest of the major religions of the world in the number of its adherents, is historically one of the. It contains 14 chapters starting from the prehistory of the ancient iranians to present day zoroastrianism. The holy book of zoroastrianism is the avesta, which contains the gathas, or the seventeen hymns by zoroaster, and the the younger avesta, which includes commentaries, myths, ritual descriptions, and more. Prior to zarathustra, the ancient persians worshipped the deities of the old iranoaryan religion, a counterpart to the indoaryan religion that would come to be known as hinduism. It was founded by the prophet zoroaster in ancient iran approximately 3500 years ago. History of zoroastrianism avesta zoroastrian archives.
The 12thcentury sixteen shlokas, a sanskrit text in praise of the parsis, 20 is the earliest attested use of the term as an identifier for indian zoroastrians. The description of zoroastrianism reflects the authors personal beliefs and should be read with a critical mind and a large dose of sound skepticism. Thus, it is often called the first ecological religion ever. Communication between himself and humans is by a number of attributes, called amesha spentas or bounteous immortals. The oldest part is the gathas, which includes a collection of hymns and one of the oldest examples of religious poetry attributed to the prophet zoroaster ca. Recently i have been studying as much as i can about the religion and it has also caused me to study more of my own history as well, considering that catholics christians came from judaism. He is credited with rejecting the many gods of ancient iranian people and declaring a single god and the. Avesta zoroastrian scripture britannica encyclopedia britannica. Hello, i am a catholic that has always had respect towards the zoroastrianism religion.
Even the idea of satan is a fundamentally zoroastrian one. A presasanian history of the avesta, if it had one, is in the realm of legend and myth. Ancient origins articles related to zoroastrian in the sections of history, archaeology, human origins, unexplained, artifacts, ancient places and myths and legends. According to tradition, it was founded by zoroaster after he received a vision in which he was introduced to ahura mazda, and told of the great god and his adversary. In this popular book he assembles quotations found throughout zoroastrian literature. Arguably the worlds first monotheistic faith, its one of the oldest religions. Zoroastrianism was the state religion of three persian dynasties, until the muslim conquest of persia in the seventh century a. The iranian and indian zoroastrian communities in which the religion has thrived without missionary efforts or vast numbers of believers is also explored. A history of zoroastrianism zoroastrianism under the achaemenians ancient near east, vol 2 handbook of oriental studies. Displayed is a page from the gathas, in the middle persian language pahlavi, and its translation into modern persian. A high priest was established, who was next to the king in authority. Avesta is the name the mazdean mazdayasnian religious tradition gives to the collection of its sacred texts.
So fire becomes, in zoroastrianism, the sacred symbol of truth. The religion s priests, successors to the prezoroastrian magi, acquired great power by their command of the techniques of purification. This story is taken from the book of creation, the bundahishn, which dates from the 6 th century ad. Mar 12, 2018 trio of women at zoroastrian fire temple yazd central iran. After the muslim arab invasion in 651 ce, zoroastrians were persecuted, the faith suppressed, and their religious sites destroyed or turned into mosques. Bbc culture the obscure religion that shaped the west. Islam, judaism, and zoroastrianism zayn kassam springer. Old persian texts, predating the hellenistic period, refer to a magus as a zurvanic, and presumably zoroastrian, priest. It centers on the words of the prophet zarathushtra, called zoroaster by the ancient greeks, and focuses worship upon ahura mazda, the lord of wisdom.
The iranian prophet and religious reformer zarathustra. Zoroastrianism as a religion was not firmly established until several centuries later. Vincent about zoroaster who was the prophet of the magi and the first universalist. It was founded by the prophet zoroaster approximately 3500 years ago. Zarathushtra eventually came to be regarded as the founder and. A moment later, vesta became aware that her life was passing her by in that busy city, where no man could capture her heart what if she married someone, who wasnt mentally prepared to keep his zoroastrian identity intact. Zoroastrianism is defined by the merriam webster 1 online dictionary as a persian religion founded in the sixth century b. This is the first book to attempt a global comparison of diaspora groups in six. According to zoroastrianism, followers can pray as often as they like. Within the gathas, the original zoroastrian sacred text, these immortals are sometimes described as concepts, and are sometimes personified. Centuries before dantes divine comedy, the book of arda viraf described in.
Its name comes from the prophet zoroaster or zarathustra and its supreme identity is aura mazada or ormuz the wise lord, which is why it is also known as mazdeism. Only the hymns, or gathas, are attributable to zarathustra. We provide the complete text of the extant avesta, the most ancient scriptures of zoroastrianism, as well as many pahlavi scriptures. A brief introduction to zoroastrianism commisceo global. Zoroastrianism is the ancient, preislamic religion of persia modernday iran. The latter represent the basic source of the religion. Zoroastrianism, ancient preislamic religion of iran that likely influenced the. Zoroastrianism is one of the worlds oldest monotheistic religions. The description of zoroastrianism reflects the authors personal. This book covers not just the history of zoroastrianism but also some of its theology and background information crucial to understanding this obscure major religion. Ahuramazda, the sun god mithras, and the most important archangel, spenta mainyu holy spirit, formed a holy trinity. Zoroastrian refugees, called parsis, escaped muslim persecution in. The zoroastrian book of holy scriptures is called the.
They are written in various metres and in a dialect different from the rest of the avesta, except for seven chapters, chiefly in prose, that appear to have been composed shortly after the prophets demise. Rich in historical detail, sometimes a bit thick and heavy, boyce packs a lot into 230 pages. Zoroastrianism was made the state religion of the empire, and conversions were actively made to counteract the proselytizing zeal of christians. All these texts are embedded in the yasna, which is one of the main. This includes the original words of their founder zarathushtra, preserved in a series of five hymns, called the gathas. Boyce, mary, a history of zoroastrianism, handbuch. The book is written by phiroz read more and download pdf. Until that time, such texts consistently use the persianorigin terms zartoshti zoroastrian or vehdin of the good religion. He has been a major figure in the history of world religions, in large part because of his apparent monotheism, his purported dualism, and the possible influence of his teachings on middle eastern religions. It also includes information about the avestan language, and other useful information for students of zoroastrian religion. According to later zoroastrian legend denkard and the book of arda viraf, many sacred texts were lost when. Originally printed in the january february 2003 issue of quest magazine. According to the legend, at the beginning of the 10th century a small group of zoroastrians living around the town of nyshapour and fort of sanjan in the province of greater khorasan, decided that iran was no longer safe for zoroastrians and their religion. It was packed with information, but still written well enough to be able to follow and not be overly dry and confusing.
Zoroastrianism enters recorded history in the mid5th century bce. Zoroastrianism, the worlds oldest monotheistic religion. The priests also had great influence on the government in the first period of zoroastrianism, that under the achaemenids, when it was for a time the state religion. The winner of three wig awards for distinguished teaching, she has also won the national american academy of religion award for excellence in teaching and the theta alpha kappa kathleen connollyweinart leader of the year award. Zoroastrianism was founded in persia ancient iran around 3500 years ago by the prophet zoroaster, or zarathustra. Zoroaster was the persian prophet on whose teachings the ancient religion of zoroastrianism is based. The zoroastrian book of holy scriptures is called the avesta. Zoroastrianism is arguably the worlds oldest monotheistic religion. This book is useful for the later history of the zoroastrians. This book does a great job of covering the history, theology, and changes of the zoroastrian religion. Zoroastrianism, in spite of its small current number of adherents, has played a huge role in the study of comparative religion.
Not only was it a cohort of the ancient vedic hinduism, but also had a huge influence on the development of judaism and christianity. The earliest known use of the word magi is in the trilingual inscription written by darius the great, known as the behistun inscription. Nov 06, 2015 zoroastrian beliefs the zoroastrian concept of god incorporates elements of both monotheism and dualism. However, zoroaster is the prophet of ancient iran persia. Modern zoroastrian priest wearing mouth cover while tending a temple fire. There are some good reference books on zoroastrian religion, history and language to which a link is provided here. Zoroastrianism is an ancient persian religion that may have originated as early as 4,000 years ago. Zoroaster was born into a polytheistic religion similar to early hinduism in northeast iran or southwest afghanistan.
Jan 06, 2016 unsubscribe from calabasas online tutoring. Other texts such as zartushtnamah book of zoroaster are only notable for their preservation of legend and folklore. Zoroastrianism, known to its followers as the zarathushti din zoroastrian religion, developed from the words, ideas, beliefs, and rituals attributed to a devotional poet named zarathushtra later middle persian or pahlavi. I will always keep my the zoroastrian faith book handy as my reference source.
It was the official religion of persia iran from 600 bce to 650 ce. Culture the obscure religion that shaped the west bbc. Zoroastrianism one of the most ancient religions of the world found sometime before 650 b. This missionary activity shows that zoroastrianism was really a universal religion and not an ethnic religion, limited to one people. Prior to reading this book, i had encountered many references to the ideas and texts of the zoroastrian religion, mostly in relation to the vedic religion and mythology with which early zoroastrianism shares much in common, as well as with regard to its influence on the beliefs of the hebrew and early christian religions. Dastur dhalla was high priest of the parsis as well as a trained scholar. Zoroastrianism or mazdayasna is one of the worlds oldest continuously practiced religions. He saw other radiant figures too, but could not see his shadow on the ground, a sign which convince zoroaster his vision was. In the beginning, there was nothing in the world except ahura mazda, the wise lord, who lived in the endless light. It does not flow either quickly or smoothly, but boyce masterfully puts order into that imperfectly documented flowthe fresh reader into zoroastrianism will be helped greatly by the forward section of this volume in that forward, she. Religion a thousand years of the persian book exhibitions. Holy text, beliefs and practices religious tolerance.
Ascribed to the teachings of the iranianspeaking spiritual leader zoroaster also known. Zayn kassam is the john knox mclean professor of religious studies at pomona college in claremont, ca. Apr 23, 2019 zoroastrianism is arguably the worlds oldest monotheistic religion. Apr 10, 2015 zoroastrian texts the zoroastrian sacred text is the avesta book of the law, a fragmentary collection of sacred writings. The refugees accepted the conditions and founded the settlement of sanjan gujarat, which is said to have been named. The religion of zoroastrianism and its impact on the world 986 words 4 pages. Zoroastrianism, third edition traces the history and beliefs of zoroastrianism and its followers determination through centuries of persecution and hardship into the present day. Zoroaster rejects all but one of the forms of sacrifice practised by the indoiranians, and keeps only sacrifice by fire. I feel that waterhouse was holding back on his belief that judaism picked up a lot of its ideology and tales from zoroastrianism. Old persian texts, predating the hellenistic period, refer to a magus as a zurvanic, and. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. In the early 19th century, a christian missionary based in british india, john wilson, claimed that zoroaster never had a genuine divine commission or ever claimed such a role, never performed miracles, or uttered prophecies and that the story of his life is a mere tissue of comparatively modern fables and fiction. List of books and articles about zoroastrianism online.
However, as herodotus reports in his first book paragraph 1 the persians had no images of their gods and considered the use of them as a sign of folly. After reading this book, i am able to talk to others about this religion as i have a good base, and i am ready to take the next step in ordering another book, maybe the avesta itself or the prayer book, to delve deeper into zoroastrian understanding. Apr 28, 2005 the zoroastrian diaspora is the outcome of twenty years of research and of archival and fieldwork in eleven countries, involving approximately 250,000 miles of travel. This priesthood introduced many prezoroastrian gods into the religion. And the evil spirit, ahriman, who lived in the absolute darkness. A collection of genealogical profiles related to zoroastrianism magi.
It was founded by the prophet zoroaster or zarathustra in ancient iran approximately 3500 years. It is not known how the religion spreads through iran to become, eventually, the official religion of the achaemenid dynasty. The origins of zoroastrianism not much is known about the personal history of zoroaster. The teachings of zoroaster began to spread among the people of persia and adjoining provinces mainly through wandering tribes. Arguably the worlds first monotheistic faith, its one of the oldest religions still in existence. Zarathustra, iranian religious reformer and prophet, traditionally regarded as the founder of zoroastrianism. By 650 bce, the zoroastrian faith, a monotheistic religion founded on the ideas. In his visions, zarathustra was taken up to heaven, where ahura mazda revealed that he had an opponent, aura mainyu, the spirit and promoter of evil.