Ch. 10 - Zoroastrianism

which empire did zoroastrianism come from

persian empire

ancient religion characteristics

• polytheistic

• animal sacrifice for atonement

nomad (travelers) characteristics in zoroastrianism 

• indra - the god of war

• daevas - the evil deities

• daevas also plays the role of demons

• drujvants - followers of disorder and chaos

settlers characteristics in zoroastrianism 

• varuna - the god of order

• ahuras - the good gods

• yazatas - heavenly angels, protectors of earth

• ashavans - followers of the way of peace, order, and stability

current year in perisan calendar

3763

founder of zoroastrianism 

zarathustra

• greek name: zoroaster 

zoroaster

• founder of zoroastrianism 

• greek for “the pure star”

• lived in persia

• at 20, became a mystical seeker 

• at 30, has a vision of vohu manah

• tried to convert other to the “right” and was persecuted

• converted king vishtapa by healing his horse

• zoroastrianism became the state religion

• was assassinated while praying at the fire temple 

theistic view of zoroastrianism 

• devotionally monotheistic 

• doctrinally duotheistic

deities of zoroastrianism 

• ahura mazda - “wise land”

• angra mainyu - “the liar” 

  • both uncreated, eternal powerful gods 

  • can’t defeat each other 

zoroaster’s innovations

• divided all gods into two categories: good and evil

• angra mainyu (aka aeshma, ahriman) is the embodiment of evil and deceitfulness 

• ahura mazda - the embodiment of good

scripture of zoroastrianism 

gathas

religious problem of zoroastrianism 

deception

religious goal of zoroastrianism 

menog (heaven, paradise)

zoroastrianism beliefs

• life is a battleground between good and evil

• humans must choose between good and evil

• in the end, good will untimately triumph

  • the earth will be remade as a paradise

• the time of refreshing will purify those in hell

paira-daezo

“pure garden”

duzakh

hell

the universe of zoroastrianism 

two world:

• menog (heaven) - the perfect, absolute, divine world which is beyond defilement

• getig - the temporal world we live in, corrupted by the undesirable choices of man 

what type of religion is zoroastrianism 

• duotheistic 

• pluralistic 

zoroastrianism ethics

• good thoughts, good words, good deeds (religious solution) 

• do no harm

• no hypocrisy → form of deception

• equality for all people

• first declaration of human rights 

• purity code: protect the earth, water, and fire from pollution/contamination

• rejected asceticism

religious solution of zoroastrianism 

good thoughts, good words, good deeds