Religions of salvation in classical persiqan society

What did zoroastrianism influence the belifs and valuies of?

judiasm, chrstianity, islam, and manicheaism

What did the empires of Persia, CHina, and Rome that rose during this period to that allowed trade to flourish?

create relative political stability

How did large empires during the classical age facilitate long-distance trade?

issuign standarized ocins, building and meainting new road anda ports, and by supporting large markets and urban areas

What did the existance of trade networks lay the foundation for?

the spread of religoins and epidimic disease far away from thei rpoints of oirigin

What did the diffusion of luxury items help to delineate?

sociail boundries

What did the earliest persian religoins center on?

cults that celebreated outstanding natural elements and gerogrpahic features such as the sun, moon, water, and especially fire

What did persian preistsmake ceremonial use of?

haoma, a hullicongenic agent (similar to the aryan’s soma”

Whose teachigns resulted in zoroastrianism?

zARATHUSTRA

Is much known about Zarathustra?

No; it’s not clear when he lived but he came frmo an aristrocratic family

who do we think zarathustra probably was?

a preist who became disenchanted with the traditonal religon and itws concentration on bloody sacrificies and mechinical rituals

What did Zarathustra expierence?

a series of visions

What did zarathustra bcfome convied that?

the supreme god had chosen himt o servve as his prophet and spread his word

Ahura Mazda (the “wise lord)

the god who chose zarathustra

Magi

zrostorian preists

Why has zarathustra’s doctrine proven to be somehwat elusive for modenr alaystis?

many of the earlit teachings have perished; magi first transamitted htem orally

Only during which dyansty did magi bgin to preserve religous texts in writing?

seleudcid

What was the Avesta?

The holy book in which magi under Sasanids ccompiled their scriptures

What were the Gathas?

Hymns created by Zarathustra that he composed in honor of the various deities that he recotgnized

Apart from the Gathas, what does ancient Zoroastiran literature consist of?

hymns, liturgical works, and treaties on moral and theological themes

What resulted in most off he Avesta and laer zoroastrian works?

the arrival of islam and the subsequent declient of zroastrianism

Who was Ahura Mazda?

the spiritual diety in wchih zarahtustra and his followers beliieved to be an eternal beneficent spirit and the creator of all good things

What did Zarahtustra believe ahura Mazda engaged in?

`cosmic conflict with Angra Mainyu

Who was Angra Mainyu (Ahriman/the “destructive spirit”/”hostile spiri”t)?

an indepdent adversary, an evil and malign spirit

What did zarahtustra belive would prevail?

the forces of good would prevail and the angra mainyu and the principle of evil woudl dissappear

What would DIOD ZARATHUSTRA BELIVE human souls undergo ONE ANGRA MAINYU WOUDL DISSAPEAR?

JUDGMENET AND WORLD EXPIEREINCE REWARDS OR PUNISHMENTS ACCORDING OT EH HOLINESS OF THEIR THOUGHTS, WORDS, AND DEEDS

What did zarahtustra believe would happen to honest and moral individuals?

they woudl entre into aheavenly wpareadise

What did zarahtustra believe would happen to evil individuals?

demons wouuld fling them into a hellish realm of pain and suffeering

What did zarathustra NOT call for?

the ascentic reuion of the world in favor of a futureheavenly existance?

What did zarahtusra cosnider to be a blessing the refelcted the benevolent nature of ahura mazda?

the material world

What did zathurstra’s moral blessings allow human beings to od?

enjoy the world and its fruits, including wealth, sex, and soical prestiege as long as it was in moderation and honest

Who did Zarathustra’s teachings attract?

persian aristocrafts and ruling elites

Beginning with which ruler did the Acahemenid emporrs associate themselves with Ahura Mazda and claim divine sanction for their rule?

Dariuis

What deity did Darius reguard superior to all others?

ahura mazda

Where was Zoroastrianims most popular?

Iran, but attracted follwoings in mesopotamia, anatolia, and other parts of the empire

The arrival of which ruler inaugurated a difficult erae for the zoroastrian community?

Alexander of Macedon

What did Alexander’s forces do to temples and magi?

burned temples and killed magi

Why did alexander’s rampage against the zoroastiran communinty cause untold numbers of hymns and holy verses to dssapear?

magi still transmitted zoroastiran doctrines orally

Did parthians support zoroastiranims?

they observed it but didn’t support it as much

During what dynasty did zoroastrianims expiernce a revivial?

the sasnid dydasty

What did the sasanids o to other faith sif they seemed like to to become popualr enough to challenge the supremecy of zoroastiranims?

persecute other faiths

How did the sasnids follow the achamenids in regards to zoroastiranims?

They identified closely with it and supported it zealously

Did most people understand the theolgoigans reflects on morality and tehology?

No, but they flocked either way

How did the Islamic conqueres cauase truoble for the zoroastrian faith?

they placed political and finaincal pressure on the magi and zoroastrian temples.

Who are the Parsis (“Persians”) (Not the kind we’ve been talking about)

zoroastirans who fled their home and found refuge in India’s descendents who observe zoroastiran traditons ot this day

What happened ot most zoroastirans?

they remained in Iran and eventually converted ot Islam

What teachings did Judaism, Christianity, and Islam adapt from zoroastiranims?

• an omnipotent and beneficent deity was re-sponsible for all creation,

• a purely evil being worked against the creator god

• the conviction that the forces of good will ultimately prevail over the power of evil after a climactic struggle

• the belief that human beings must strive to observe the highest moral standards

• ndividuals will undergo judgment, after which the morally

  upright will experience rewards in paradise while evildoers

  will suffer punishments in hell.