Zoroastrianism

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Zoroastrianism

• November 2011

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Zoroastrianism

• Zoroastrianism is an ancient religion which was
  once widespread in what is now Iran, Pakistan,
  India, and the Middle East
• It was the state religion of the ancient Persian
  Empire, during which time it was one of the most
  important religions of the ancient world
• It has under 200,000 practitioners today, mostly
  in India, and much of its scripture and history
  has been lost

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Zarathustra

• Zarathustra was an ancient prophet who may have
  lived in Central Asia sometime between 1800 and
  600 BCE
• In the fourth century BCE, Zoroastrian priests
  estimated the date of Zarathustras lifetime to
  be around 600 BCE
• Recent scholars argue that Zarathustra lived much
  earlier, based on the language in which the
  Gathas, texts attributed to Zarathustra, are
  composed
• Scholars believe that Zarathustra lived in what
  is now eastern Iran or Afghanistan
• Zarathustra was known to the ancient Greeks, who
  called him Zoroaster
• Zarathustra belonged to a priestly family and was
  raised in the ancient Indo-Iranian tradition,
  which was closely related to the Vedic religion

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Zarathustra

• Little is known about the life of Zarathustra,
  but the Gathas indicate that he had an experience
  of Ahura Mazda, the benevolent creator god, and
  founded a new, monotheistic religion
• Zarathustra apparently had difficulty winning
  converts during his lifetime
• According to legend, Zarathustra was murdered by
  his enemies while performing a religious ceremony

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Sacred Texts

• Zarathustra is said to be the author of the
  Gathas, a collection of sacred hymns dedicated to
  Ahura Mazda
• The Gathas are written in Avestan, an ancient
  Persian language that is now extinct, and are
  extremely difficult to translate
• They may be approximately as old as the Rig Veda
• In addition to the sacred texts of
  Zoroastrianism, a number of texts were composed
  in the 9th to 11th centures CE which supplement
  the fragmentary Avestan material however, only
  the Avestan texts are considered sacred

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History of Zoroastrianism

• By the 6th century BCE, the Achaemenid kings of
  the Persian Empire made Zoroastrianism the
  religion of the land, and compiled the Avesta
  canon
• The religion appears to have been administered by
  a priestly class called the Magi
• The invasion of Alexander of Macedon (Alexander
  the Great) in 330 BCE brought an end to the
  Achaemenid Empire
• According to legend, Alexander destroyed a
  library containing many Zoroastrian texts and
  killed many Zoroastrian priests when he reached
  the capital city of Persepolis

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History of Zoroastrianism

• A smaller Persian Empire was established by the
  Parthians following Alexanders invasion
• The Parthians were succeeded by the Sassanid
  dynasty in the 3rd century CE
• In the 7th century CE, the Zoroastrian Sassanids
  were overthrown by Muslim Arab armies
• In the centuries that followed, most Persians
  became Muslim
• Some Zoroastrians migrated to India
• Today, Mumbai is the global centre of
  Zoroastrianism

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Beliefs of Zoroastrianism

• According to Zoroastrianism, Ahura Mazda is the
  one true god
• Ahura Mazda created the world and imbued it with
  asha (truth, good, order)
• Ahura Mazda first created the Amesha Spentas
  (heavenly beings), then the material world, then
  the first human and the first bull
• However, an evil spirit, Angra Mainyu (also known
  as Ahriman) opposes Ahura Mazda, and brought druj
  (falsehood, evil, disorder) to the world
• Angra Mainyu created various demons and also
  corrupted and destroyed the first human and bull
• The world is characterized by a struggle between
  asha and druj
• All humans have free will and must choose asha
  over druj

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Supernatural Beings

• Zoroastrian mythology includes a complex
  hierarchy of supernatural beings
• The highest of the heavenly beings are the six
  Amesha Spentas, which are emanations or divine
  sparks of Ahura Mazda and were responsible for
  the creation of the universe
• Mithra is a divine being who is associated with
  contracts, justice, cattle, and the Sun, and is
  sometimes worshipped as a deity in his own right
• Yazatas are divine beings which serve Ahura
  Mazda, and are comparable to angels in the
  Abrahamic traditions

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Daevas

• Daevas are demonic beings
• In the Gathas, daevas are gods who are worshipped
  by non-Zoroastrians and do not have the quality
  of asha
• Later texts depict the daevas as evil beings who
  follow Angra Mainyu
• Zoroastrian mythology lists six arch-daevas which
  oppose the Amesha Spentas
• Two of these are Indar and Sarva

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The End Times

• Those who live according to asha will enter into
  the Kingdom of Light
• A temporary hell exists for evildoers
• At the end of history, the Saoshyant (saviour)
  will lead an army of yazatas against Angra
  Mainyus daevas
• Good will triumph over evil and bring about the
  renovation or refreshment of the world, in
  which the dead will come back to life, and druj,
  old age, and death will disappear

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Rituals

• Zoroastrians wrap a sacred cord, called a kusti,
  around their midsections five times per day and
  recite prayers to Ahura Mazda
• Water is used for purification
• Zoroastrian worship often takes place in a fire
  temple, which houses a sacred flame and also has
  access to a source of water
• When a Zoroastrian dies, his or her body is
  traditionally taken to a Tower of Silence, where
  it is left in the open to be devoured by vultures
• The only Tower of Silence that exists today is
  located in Mumbai, India