This book traces the continuous history of the faith from the time it was preached by zoroaster down to the present day a span of about 3,500 years. Religion a thousand years of the persian book exhibitions. Textual sources for the study of zoroastrianism by boyce, mary, boyce, mary isbn. Zoroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of prophet zoroaster also known as zarathustra, in avestan. Jul 23, 2017 the second half of the book is important quotes from the sacred texts.
Buy cheap zoroastrianism books online zoroastrianism. The whole book is relatively short, and i managed to skim read it in a few hours. Zoroaster, also called zarathustra, was an ancient persian prophet who founded the first world religion zoroastrianism. Zoroastrianism or mazdayasna is one of the worlds oldest continuously practiced religions. Zartosht, zardosht, was the founder of zoroastrianism. It was founded by the prophet zoroaster or zarathustra in ancient iran approximately 3500 years. The enlightenment saw the philosophes and their like minds enlist zoroasters authority to combat revelation and to advance the cause of natural religion. This book covers not just the history of zoroastrianism but also some of its theology and background information crucial to understanding this obscure major. Zoroastrianism, religion founded in ancient persia by the prophet zoroaster. Since the appearance of the prophet known as zoroaster or zarathustra in the persian world to the present day has remained one of the most ancient religions of the ancient era. I now feel armed with enough knowledge to try a reading of the avesta, the sacred zoroaster texts.
The iranian prophet and religious reformer zarathustra. The teachings of zoroaster, and the philosophy of the. Islam assimilated the zoroastrians to the people of the book, it evinced a rare historical sense and solved the problem of the origin of the avesta. Scriptures zoroastrianisms scriptures are the avesta or the zend avesta pahlavi avestalaw, zendcommentary. It survives there in isolated areas but primarily exists in india, where the descendants of zoroastrian persian immigrants are known as parsis, or parsees. Zoroaster, also known as zarathustra, zarathushtra spitama and ashu zarathushtra, was a prophet who started a new movement, which eventually developed into a new religion called zoroastrianism. Whilst this figure is known as zoroaster in the west being derived from the greek zoroastres. The prophet zoroaster reforms religious belief, retains ancient mythological symbols and. Zoroastrianism is one of the worlds oldest monotheistic religions. He is credited with the authorship of the yasna haptanghaiti as.
The religion founded by zoroaster was the first major world religion and has had significant influence on other religious and philosophical systems, including christianity, judaism, islam, buddhism, the bahai faith, gnosticism and greek philosophy. May 23, 2014 zoroaster initiated the tradition of devotional monotheistic and doctrinally dualistic religion. 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. Apr 19, 20 founded by the iranian prophet and reformer zoroaster in the 6th century bc, zoroastrianism contains both monotheistic and dualistic features. He was born into a bronze age culture with a polytheistic religion the worship of many gods, which included animal sacrifice and.
Once upon a time, before wisdom was confined to books, shamans of the great spirit anticipated an afterlife for their peoples. Centuries before dantes divine comedy, the book of arda viraf described in. Zoroastrianism, the worlds oldest monotheistic religion. Zoroastrianism is the monotheistic faith established by the persian prophet. He served as an inspiration to millennia of philosophers, including those of classic greek, judaism, islam, and christianity, to as recently as friedrich nietzsche 18441900. Zoroastrianism now has an estimated 100,000 to 200,000 worshipers worldwide. Iranian religious prophet and teacher zoroaster zarathushtra. May 30, 2016 and the philosophy of the parsi religion by s. Zarathushtra spitama aka zoroaster surely inspired his listeners by many sermons and also personal examples, and these experiences of theirs were reflected and reproduced v. The teachings of zoroaster and the philosophy of the parsi. Aug, 2019 zoroaster was a prophet of ancient persia, whose teachings laid the foundation for the religion known as zoroastrianism, which largely dominated the land of iran until the arrival of islam after the fall of the sassanian empire.
Apr 23, 2019 zoroastrianism is arguably the worlds oldest monotheistic religion. 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. Zoroastrianism may have been the first monotheistic religion, and its emphasis on. The history of the religion that he founded is even more complicated and controversial than the history of prezoroastrian iranian religion. Zoroaster was a religious reformer teaching a monotheistic religion based on choosing between light and darkness truth and falsehood. So fire becomes, in zoroastrianism, the sacred symbol of truth. Buy cheap zoroastrianism books online zoroastrianism book. But the earliest existing expression of the universalist idea of an afterlife where god saves all people can be found in the revelation of zoroaster, prophet of the magi.
Although the exact time and place of his birth is never known he is believed to have lived in eastern iran sometime between 1500 bce and 500 bce. These, we are informed, dealt with religion, philosophy, ethics, medicine, and various sciences. Yet certain features of his religious reform stand out. He is credited with rejecting the many gods of ancient iranian people and declaring a single god and the. Founded by the iranian prophet and reformer zoroaster in the 6th century bc, zoroastrianism contains both monotheistic and dualistic features. Zoroastrianism was the state religion of three persian dynasties, until the muslim conquest of persia in the seventh century a.
It is a heterodox yet orthopraxic faith centered in a dualistic cosmology of good and evil and an eschatology predicting the ultimate conquest of evil with theological elements of henotheism, monotheismmonism, and polytheism. The obscure religion that shaped the west bbc culture. Zoroaster was born into a polytheistic religion similar to early hinduism in northeast iran or southwest afghanistan. Zarathushtra eventually came to be regarded as the founder and prophet of the. Zoroastrianism is an ancient persian religion that may have originated as early as 4000 years ago.
The iranian prophet and reformer zarathustra greek. Chapter 36 of the bundahishn one of the pahlavi books offers a. Scholars differ considerably about the date of zoroaster s birth. Outdated from the point of view of history of religions, but contains the late traditions about zarathustra.
These are easy to understand and written in simple english. Founded by the iranian prophet and reformer zoroaster in the 6th. Zoroastrianism is an ancient persian religion that may have originated as early as 4,000 years ago. Not only was it a cohort of the ancient vedic hinduism, but also had a huge influence on the development of judaism and christianity. This book is useful for the later history of the zoroastrians. It was founded by the prophet zoroaster or zarathustra in ancient iran. Life of zoroaster according to modern scholar estimations. Celebrated as the embodiment of wisdom and morality, and enjoying the prestige of an unfathomable antiquity, a personality cult, with validating authority, was created around him. The dates given for zoroaster by ancient and modern writers differ considerably. He was an ethical prophet of the highest rank, stressing constantly the need. Even if somewhat outdated this is a classical introduction to ancient iranian religion.
The fresh reader into zoroastrianism will be helped greatly by the forward. Zoroaster is believed to have been born in nw persia. Although flippant at times and not rooted in history, voltaires. This is a thread related to the religion zoroastrianism. Zoroastrianism and world history amazing bible timeline. 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. Middle persian and pahlavi works created in the 9th and 10th century contain many religious zoroastrian books, as most of the writers and copyists were part of. Zoroastrianism, in spite of its small current number of adherents, has played a huge role in the study of comparative religion. 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. It likely influenced the other major western religionsjudaism, christianity, and islam. History of zoroastrianism zoroastrianism was founded in persia ancient iran around 3500 years ago by the prophet zoroaster, or zarathustra. The place of zoroaster in history by estakhr, mehdi ebook.
Modern zoroastrian priest wearing mouth cover while tending a temple fire. Apr 10, 2015 history of zoroastrianism zarathustra in greek, zoroaster was a persian prophet who at the age of 30 believed he had seen visions of god, whom is ahura mazda, the creator of all that is good and who alone is worthy of worship. Zoroaster is said to have fled his homeland, arriving in heratmerv todays turkmenistan and becoming adviser to king vishtaspato, where the religion grew. Zoroastrianism, ancient preislamic religion of iran that likely influenced the other major western religions. It is not known how the religion spreads through iran to become, eventually, the official religion of the achaemenid dynasty. The avesta consists of fragmentary and muchcorrupted texts. Oct 02, 2009 zoroaster was born in northeast iran or southwest afghanistan. Eirciv 102a, spring 2006 vi february 7, 2006 basic bibliography some useful literature boyce, m. Its concepts of one god, judgment, heaven and hell. Zoroastrianism eventually became the official religion of ancient persia and its distant subdivisions from the 6th century bce to the 7th century ce. Indoiranian religion in zarathushtras time was polytheistic meaning that people worshipped multiple gods. The second half of the book is important quotes from the sacred texts. Most scholars place zoroaster s life earlier in history as long ago as 1200 1800 bce, mainly due to the ancient eastern persian language he used to compose his hymns. 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.
The entire history of the universe, past, present, and future, the religion teaches, is divided into four periods, each of 3,000 years. List of books and articles about zoroastrianism online. To navigate the timeline, click and drag it with your mouse, or click on the timeline overview on the bottom. Scholars differ considerably about the date of zoroasters birth. Another example can be seen in the fact that zoroastrianism is a monotheistic religion, while the people of zoroasters society was essentially polytheistic zoroastrian devotional art depicts the religions founder with white clothing and a long beard. Arguably the worlds first monotheistic faith, its one of the oldest religions still in. Zoroastrianism is an ancient religion that was founded by the prophet zoroaster in persia modern day iran. Zoroastrianism enters recorded history in the mid5th century bce. Angra mainyus origin and so this was most likely another aspect of the old religion which he kept. Zoroasterzarathustra c 550523 bce was a prophet and spiritual teacher who founded the religion of zoroastrianism. Zoroaster validating auhority continued to be exploited even after the arrival and the translation of the avesta in france which shattered the image the west had made of him. History of zoroastrianism zarathustra in greek, zoroaster was a persian prophet who at the age of 30 believed he had seen visions of god, whom is ahura mazda, the creator of all that is good and who alone is worthy of worship. The term zoroastrianism is, in general usage, essentially synonymous with mazdaism the worship of ahura mazda, exalted by zoroaster as the supreme divine authority.
Zoroaster was the persian prophet on whose teachings the ancient religion of zoroastrianism is based. Zoroastrianism eventually became the official religion of ancient persia and its distant. Avesta, sacred book of zoroastrianism containing its cosmogony, law, and liturgy, the teachings of the. According to the zend avesta, the sacred book of zoroastrianism, he was born in azerbaijan, in northern persia, probably in the seventh century bc, although some scholars put the timeframe for zoroaster much earlier. The long history of zoroastrianism from about bce to the present does not flow either quickly or smoothly, but boyce, in these 3 volumes, masterfully puts order into that imperfectly documented flow. The iranian prophet and religious reformer zarathustra flourished before the 6th century bcemore widely known outside iran as zoroaster, the greek form of his nameis traditionally regarded as the founder of the religion. His youthful studies were crowned at the age of 30 by the first of a series of revelations of a new religion. Zoroastrianism what is, history, beliefs, characteristics. Jenny roses lively and engaging account comprises a very readable, well informed survey of zoroastrianism and its history.
While details are scarce, zoroaster probably elevated an already existing deity into the role of supreme creator, thus creating the worlds first monotheistic religion a religion worshipping one creator. By claiming that every person was an active soldier in the cosmic struggle and was free to choose sides, he imbued human life with a higher dimension and meaning than it had in earlier religious systems. This article continues after a message from the authors these articles are written by. Zoroaster was born in northeast iran, close to the border of modern day afghanistan old persian empire. Zoroastrian refugees, called parsis, escaped muslim persecution in iran by emigrating to india. This led several western schools of thought to claim him as their precursor and first master. Zoroaster rejects all but one of the forms of sacrifice practised by the indoiranians, and keeps only sacrifice by fire. However, zoroaster is the prophet of ancient iran persia. It was probably founded some time before the 6th century bce in persia iran. Zoroastrianism was founded in persia ancient iran around 3500 years ago by the prophet zoroaster, or zarathustra.
Zoroastrianism contains both monotheistic and dualistic features. Zoroaster was born in northeast iran or southwest afghanistan. For instance, zoroaster was against animal sacrifices, which were carried out by the priests at that time for certain rituals. Zoroaster s parents were middleclass, and his father was probably a horse or camel trader as well as a priest. Zoroastrianism is ranked with judaism, christianity, and islam among the higher religions originating in the middle east the dates given for zoroaster by ancient and modern writers differ considerably. Jan 21, 2020 preaching his new religion and conducting new rituals, zoroaster made enemies of the elites in the society who maintained the status quo by conducting old style rituals.
Iranian prophet and religious reformer zarathustra flourished before the 6th century bce more widely known outside iran as zoroaster, the greek form of his nameis traditionally regarded as the founder of the religion. Zoroaster is credited with authorship of the gathas as well as the yasna haptanghaiti, hymns composed in his native dialect, old avestan, and which comprise the core of zoroastrian thinking. First taught among nomads on the asian steppes, zoroastrianism became the state religion of the three great iranian empires and had a remarkable influence on other world faiths. The sun, the moon, the stars, the seas, the hills and the plains are not these, o soul, the vision of him who reigns. Jun, 2018 zoroastrianism has some historical connection to ancient indianiranian religions. This book traces the continuous history of the faith from the time it was preached by zoroaster down to the present day a span of about 3500 years. Zoroaster founded his religion in the 6th century bc. The description of zoroastrianism reflects the authors personal. Biography of zarathustra, founder of zoroastrianism. The alternative, less common englishlanguage form zarathushtra is a. Zoroastrianism has some historical connection to ancient indianiranian religions. Zoroaster also known as zarathustra was an important religious figure in. By 650 bce, the zoroastrian faith, a monotheistic religion founded on the ideas of the philosopher zoroaster, had become the official religion of ancient persia. Zoroastrianism is ranked with judaism, christianity, and islam among the higher religions originating in the middle east.
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