The original zoroastrian world view interprets being essentially on a moralistic basis and depicts the world as an arena for the struggle of the two fundamentals of being, good and evil, represented in two antagonistic divine figures. It is generally thought that the later abrahamic religions, including judaism, christianity, and islam, have borrowed many of their key concepts from zoroastrianism. It is generally accepted that in the abrahamic religions, the concepts of. How is the christian god viewed in reference to ahura mazda. Worship focuses on the central ethical values of good words, good thoughts, and good deeds. Manichaeism considered zoroaster to be a figure along with jesus and the buddha in a line of prophets of which mani 216276 was the culmination.
It survives there in isolated areas but primarily exists in india, where the. After reading this book, i am able to talk to others about this religion as i have a good base. Rejection of evil and adoration of the divine for ones own good is the. Zoroastrianism influence on christianity and judaism hard to. Zoroaster believed that the universe was constantly under the. Zarathushtra teaches his disciples to be active and constructive because monasticism, celibacy, asceticism and selfmortification have no place in zoroastrianism. Zoroastrianism and the cosmic conflict between good and evil. Note specifically any deities that may be associated with either concept. Hell even among zoroastrian holy texts, youll find only a few overt mentions of the nature of hell, but the book of arda. The concept of duality, or the battle between good and evil forces is found in all religions.
Nov 06, 2015 good and evil fight an unequal battle in which the former is assured of triumph. Being made of light who revealed himself as vohu manah good mind. To me it seems like they both represent, at least fundamentally, the same concepts, but please correct me if im wrong. Some scholars assert that zoroastrianisms concept of divinity covers both being. Zurvanism is also known as zurvanite zoroastrianism, and may be contrasted with mazdaism. Good and evil in zoroastrianism, ahura mazda has an adversary called angra mainyu meaning destructive spirit.
Thus zoroastrianism is a highly ethical religion in which the choice of good over evil has cosmic importance. Is ahura mazda specifically the concept of good and evil or. May 28, 2017 concepts such as heaven and hell, god and the evil adversary ahriman, the coming of the saviour or saoshyant born of a virgin, the endtime purge of the world by fire followed by the resurrection of the dead ristakhiz, the making fresh of the world frashogard and the final battle between good and evil leading to the final defeat of evil. The context for this analysis is the zarathushti attribution of malevolence and benevolence to the feminine, the masculine, the female and the male. It is the zoroastrian initiation ceremony meant for both boys and girls to induct them into the religion roughly between the ages 7 and 9 saoshyant. It is a multitendency faith centered on a dualistic cosmology of good and evil and an eschatology predicting the ultimate conquest of evil with theological elements. Jafarey almost all zoroastrians and those who are well acquainted with zoroastrianism know the term spenta mainyu, and since the days the avesta was translated by the early christian scholars who happened to have the holy ghost and the holy spirit in mind into english and other european languages, the term has. Zoroasters ethical dualism is to an extent incorporated in manis doctrine, which viewed the world as being locked in an epic battle between opposing forces of good and evil. Its actually rather difficult to find a good book on zoroastrianism.
Ascribed to the teachings of the iranianspeaking spiritual leader zoroaster also known. The complete guide to left hand path sex magic by ni. In the book of the parsees he celebrates fireworshippers in the diaspora, who could no longer practise zoroastrianism in safety after the arab. Write a minimum of 250 words paper to compare and contrast shinto and zoroastrian concepts of good and evil.
He is the highest and supreme god who is the lord of the universe, creator, judge and righteousness. The scripture of zoroastrianism is called the avesta, which consist of the following five books. The context for this analysis is the zarathushti attribution of. In zurvanism, zurvan was perceived as the god of infinite time and space and was aka one, alone. An introduction by jenny rose, demons of the flesh. Apr 23, 2019 worship focuses on the central ethical values of good words, good thoughts, and good deeds. According to the gathas humans are free and responsible beings. But these concepts are often addressed from different. Angra mainyu is the originator of death and all that is evil in the world. Be sure to show similarities and differences, using examples and details to support your general conclusions. The first prophet and the ideas that changed the world paul. Zoroasters ethical dualism is to an extent incorporated in manis doctrine, which viewed the world as being. Hell even among zoroastrian holy texts, youll find only a few overt mentions of the nature of hell, but the book of arda viraf describes the zoroastrian hell as a place of fire with a terrible stench. The appealing zoroastrian doctrine that light stood for goodness and darkness for evil, had apparently spread to palestine before the age of qumran texts and had been accepted by all the sects.
This article examines zoroastrian beliefs about god, zoroaster and the immortals. Their religious beliefs and practices the library of religious beliefs. A large part of this section is summary of the history from the zoroastrian point of view of the world up to the advent of zoroaster and the impact of his revelations. Zoroastrianism, ancient preislamic religion of iran that likely. In march 2000 at the zoroastrian qasrefiroozeh cemetery in teheran, zoroastrian priests prayed at the funeral of the religious leader of the iranian zoroastrian community, dastur rostam. Evil souls are consigned to a hell called achista ahu, the worst existence. The term zoroastrianism is, in general usage, essentially synonymous with mazdaism the worship of ahura mazda, exalted by zoroaster as the supreme divine authority. Names of god in islam there are the 99 names of allah. Zoroastrian religion is based on the belief that the world is a battleground between good and evil forces, with far reaching consequences for the humanity, depending upon which side they join. Good souls go to a heaven called vahishta ahu, the excellent abode. Oct 02, 2009 good and evil in zoroastrianism, ahura mazda has an adversary called angra mainyu meaning destructive spirit. 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. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. This includes the original words of their founder zarathushtra, preserved in a series of five hymns, called the gathas.
In the oldest zoroastrian scriptures, heaven and hell are not places, but states of mind that result from right or wrong choices. Zoroastrianism download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. If you wish to hear one answer which would reflect the opinion of all zoroastrians who ever lived, then it is impossible to give such answer. An introduction to the ancient wisdom of zarathushtra vols 1 and 2 farhang mehr. Comparing shinto and zoroastrian religions research paper. Zoroastrianism is a religion which promotes a modern, intelligent and sane way of thinking and behavior. Many zoroastrians pray several times a day, always facing a source of fire or light. Also, the concept of right and wrong, namely, asha, sanskrit.
He received a revelation in the form of the avesta, the holy book of. The first half of book 5, titled the book of daylamite, is addressed to a muslim, yaqub bin khaled, who apparently requested information on zoroastrianism. Although the topic of this book, gender stereotypes in zoroastrianism. Zarathustra spoke of a single universal god, the battle between good and evil, the. Zoroastrianisms influence on judaism, christianity, islam. Though it is not required, some practitioners wear a knotted cord called a kusti.
Choksy brings the remarkable range of his scholarship to do a superb job of examining doctrinal, theological and ritual developments over time in the relationship between evil, good and gender. In zoroastrianism which predates islam there are the 101 names of god. Zoroastrianism, third edition traces the history and beliefs of zoroastrianism and its followers determination through centuries of persecution and hardship into. Facets of the feminine in zoroastrian religious history. A great book for everyone interested in discover a little more about the. It is a multitendency faith centered on a dualistic cosmology of good and evil and an eschatology predicting the ultimate conquest of evil with theological elements of henotheism, monotheismmonism, and polytheism. Zoroastrianism teaches many of the concepts found in the major abrahamic faiths, such as heaven, hell, day of judgement, the concept of satan, the prophecy and the coming of the messiah and the extensive teaching of angels and evil spirits. The obscure religion that shaped the west bbc culture. Oct 02, 2009 zoroaster placed less emphasis on ritual worship, instead focusing on the central ethics of good words, good thoughts and good deeds. Zoroastrianism originated in ancient iran sometime around 2000 b. Zoroastrianism is the oldest monotheistic religion still in existence today. And since the 19th century ce, the institutionalized zoroastrianism means the final institutionalized version of the good religion. Zoroastrianism is an ancient persian religion that may have originated as early as 4,000 years ago. The cosmic battle between good and evil will ultimately lead to the destruction of all evil.
Zoroastrianism rituals, world, burial, body, funeral, life. It was probably founded some time before the 6th century bce in persia iran. Eirciv 102a, spring 2006 vi february 7, 2006 basic bibliography some useful literature boyce, m. Following are some of the core concepts of zoroastrianism. In fact, the beliefs in a satan of evil pitted against a god of good, the belief in angels and demons fighting a cosmic war, and the belief in a savior figure who would save all of humanity from evil and sin are all elements deriving from zoroastrianism. Jewish and christian concept of the devil or satan was influenced by iranian tradition. Evil remains a possibility until some action makes it real and when freewilling individuals, through their own rational choice, do not choose evil, then evil losses its influence, it is destroyed. The paper comparing shinto and zoroastrian religions aims to compare two religions which are unique based on their beliefs and take on different aspects.
Arguably the worlds first monotheistic faith, its one of the oldest religions still in. Main beliefs and concepts of zoroastrianism or zoroastrian religion. Zoroaster taught that man must enlist in this cosmic struggle because of his capacity of free choice. The latter represent the basic source of the religion. True achaemenian zoroastrianism developed the concept of the virgin birth of a series of saviors. It is a multitendency faith centered on a dualistic cosmology of good and evil. The book also provides extensive historical detail which play a key in understanding. The book of acts also tells us that many of the people who joined the church on the first day of pentecost came from zoroastrian lands. He is the destroyer, the antigod principle or the evil being who is opposed to god and all that god represents. A large part of this section is summary of the history from the zoroastrian point of view of the world up. How does zoroastrianism explain the existence of evil. If read aloud, these books would still have been intelligible to the laity. How did zoroastrian ideas find their way into the abrahamic faiths and elsewhere.
The primary tenets of good and evil in zoroastrianism are truth and deceit, meaning that a moral zoroastrian is honest and forthright at all times. Zurvan was portrayed as a transcendental and neutral god, without passion, and one for whom there was no distinction between good or evil. Concepts such as the notion of one god, heaven and hell, the dualism of good and evil, a savior to come, and everlasting life can trace their roots to the religion of zarathustra. Zoroastrianism is the ancient, preislamic religion of persia modernday iran. In achaemenian zoroastrianism creation was a dualistic procedure with the good spirit creating that which was good and the evil spirit creating that which was evil. Concepts such as heaven and hell, god and the evil adversary ahriman, the coming of the saviour or saoshyant born of a virgin, the endtime purge of the world by fire followed by the resurrection of the dead ristakhiz, the making fresh of the. Good and evil fight an unequal battle in which the former is assured of triumph.
The original zoroastrian world view interprets being essentially on a moralistic basis and depicts the world as an arena for the struggle of the two fundamentals of being, good. He is the future prophet, believed to be a future son of zoroaster himself, who will wage a battle against evil and herald the end of the world and the last judgment day. With all the forms in view, a follower of the good religion is a zarathushtrian, zarathushti, zartoshti, zoroastrian, mazdayasni, or behdin. Were quran and islam taken from zoroastrian tradition. Zoroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of prophet zoroaster also known as zarathustra, in avestan. Zoroastrianism or mazdayasna is one of the worlds oldest continuously practiced religions. Many zoroastrians pray several times a day, always facing.
Obviously ahura mazda is the embodiment of good and ahriman evil, and one question i have involves this. Zoroastrian texts vary in their interpretations of this epic battle. In march 2000 at the zoroastrian qasrefiroozeh cemetery in teheran, zoroastrian priests prayed at the funeral of the religious leader of the iranian zoroastrian community, dastur rostam dinyar shahzadi. I make good fortune and create calamity, it is i, yhvh, who do all this. Is ahura mazda specifically the concept of good and evil or more generally the concept of opposites like life and death female and male light and dark yin and yang. The zoroastrian scriptures not only describe ahura mazda, who is the creator, but they also tell of the holy spirit and of righteousness becoming incarnate in the name of asha, who i believe the wise men were. Zoroaster placed less emphasis on ritual worship, instead focusing on the central ethics of good words, good thoughts and good deeds. In the latter, forces designated as good and evil are said to operate on both spiritual and. Centuries before dantes divine comedy, the book of arda viraf.
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