by the prophet Zoroaster, promulgated in the Avesta, and characterized by worship of a supreme god Ahura Mazda who requires good deeds for help in his cosmic struggle against the evil spirit Ahriman [154][155][156] However, this has not been confirmed by independent sources. (Ahura meaning "Lord" and Mazda meaning "Wisdom" in Avestan). Finally, the governor made their religion "difficult for them in every way", turned the local fire temple into a mosque, and encouraged the local population to attend Friday prayers by paying each attendee two dirhams. By the time of the founding of the Achaemenid Empire, Zoroastrianism is believed to have been already a well-established religion. This transcription, which remained in Middle Persian prose (an Arabic version, by al-Muqaffa, also exists), was completed in 957 and subsequently became the basis for Firdausi's Book of Kings. Zoroastrianism contains both monotheistic and dualistic features. Jahrhundert v. Chr. So who was Zoroaster? In the 16th century, in one of the early letters between Iranian Zoroastrians and their co-religionists in India, the priests of Yazd lamented that "no period [in human history], not even that of Alexander, had been more grievous or troublesome for the faithful than 'this millennium of the demon of Wrath'. The world will fall into winter, and Angra Mainyu's most fearsome miscreant, Azi Dahaka, will break free and terrorize the world. [70][71], Most of the Sassanid Empire was overthrown by the Arabs over the course of 16 years in the 7th century. During Alexander's conquest of Persia, the Avesta (written on 1200 ox-hides) was burned, and the scientific sections that the Greeks could use were dispersed among themselves. Š. Kulišić; P.Ž. [161], It is noteworthy that Mani, who was brought up and spent most of his life in a province of the Persian empire, and whose mother belonged to a famous Parthian family, did not make any use of the Iranian mythological tradition. [25] This concept of asha versus the druj should not be confused with Western and especially Abrahamic notions of good versus evil, for although both forms of opposition express moral conflict, the asha versus druj concept is more systemic and less personal, representing, for instance, chaos (that opposes order); or "uncreation", evident as natural decay (that opposes creation); or more simply "the lie" (that opposes truth and goodness). [122] Humanity will require two judgments because there are as many aspects to our being: spiritual (menog) and physical (getig). Humans' actions under their free will through choice determine the outcome. [27] In Zoroastrianism, the purpose in life is to become an ashavan (a master of Asha) and to bring happiness into the world, which contributes to the cosmic battle against evil. [113] This vision radically transformed his view of the world, and he tried to teach this view to others. Zarathustra, also known as Zoroaster, was an ancient religious leader and philosopher born sometime between about 1700 BCE and 600 BCE, who is credited with founding Zoroastrianism. The history of the Avesta is speculated upon in many Pahlavi texts with varying degrees of authority, with the current version of the Avesta dating at oldest from the times of the Sasanian Empire. Zoroastrianism, on the other hand, rejects every form of asceticism, has no dualism of matter and spirit (only of good and evil), and sees the spiritual world as not very different from the natural one (the word "paradise", or pairi.daeza, applies equally to both. The religious philosophy of Zoroaster divided the early Iranian gods of the Proto-Indo-Iranian tradition into ahuras[18] and daevas,[19] the latter of which were not considered worthy of worship. An ancient Iranian prophet after whom the indigenous Iranian ethnic religion, Zoroastrianism, is named. Zoroaster kann eine gewisse Besserung der Welt erreichen – aber je mehr Zeit nach seinem Auftreten vergeht, umso schlechter wird der Zustand der Welt. [93][94] On the other hand, Zoroastrianism itself inherited ideas from other belief systems and, like other "practiced" religions, accommodates some degree of syncretism,[95] with Zoroastrianism in Sogdia, the Kushan Empire, Armenia, China, and other places incorporating local and foreign practices and deities. [115][116], Kashmar Fire Temple was the first Zoroastrian fire temple built by Vishtaspa at the request of Zoroaster in Kashmar. The spiritual equality and duty of men and women alike. The hag leads the dead down a bridge that narrows to a razor's edge and is full of stench until the departed falls off into the abyss towards the House of Lies. Traditionalists are mostly Parsis and accept, beside the Gathas and Avesta, also the Middle Persian literature and like the reformists mostly developed in their modern form from 19th century developments. [87][88][89] The women hold official certificates and can perform the lower-rung religious functions and can initiate people into the religion. Ahura Mazda created the floating, egg-shaped universe in two parts: first the spiritual (menog) and 3,000 years later, the physical (getig). Zoroaster is believed to have died in his late 70s, either by murder by a Turanian or old age. [103], The Avesta is a collection of the central religious texts of Zoroastrianism written in the old Iranian dialect of Avestan. Zoroaster – the first tanker ship in the world revolutionized the transportation of liquid cargo. Zoroastrianism is not entirely uniform in theological and philosophical thought, especially with historical and modern influences having a significant impact on individual and local beliefs, practices, values and vocabulary, sometimes merging with tradition and in other cases displacing it. Ritual exposure is currently mainly practiced by Zoroastrian communities of the Indian subcontinent, in locations where it is not illegal and diclofenac poisoning has not led to the virtual extinction of scavenger birds. traditional … This "wholly fictitious figure"[79] was said to have borne Husayn a son, the historical fourth Shi'a imam, who claimed that the caliphate rightly belonged to him and his descendants, and that the Umayyads had wrongfully wrested it from him. The Saoshyant will raise the dead—including those in all afterworlds—for final judgment, returning the wicked to hell to be purged of bodily sin. The Iranian prophet and religious reformer Zarathustra (flourished before the 6th century bce)—more widely known outside Iran as Zoroaster (the Greek form of his name)—is traditionally regarded as the founder of the religion. Updated January 21, 2020. Sometimes their language is named for the cities in which it is spoken, such as Yazdi or Kermani. (Caliph Abu Bakr, qtd. As tradition continues, under the reign of King Valax (identified with a Vologases of the Arsacid Dynasty[106]), an attempt was made to restore what was considered the Avesta. ", "Greece iii. "[66] It was not until the end of the Parthian period (247 .mw-parser-output span.smallcaps{font-variant:small-caps}.mw-parser-output span.smallcaps-smaller{font-size:85%}b.c.–a.d. [4] In English, an adherent of the faith is commonly called a Zoroastrian or a Zarathustrian. [citation needed], In the country of King Vishtaspa, the king and queen heard Zoroaster debating with the religious leaders of the land and decided to accept Zoroaster's ideas as the official religion of their kingdom after having Zoroaster prove himself by healing the king's favorite horse. The article Iran contains a description of the geography and economy of the modern country and a short account of its history since the Arab invasion of the 7th cent. [22] Throughout the Gathas, Zoroaster emphasizes deeds and actions within society and accordingly extreme asceticism is frowned upon in Zoroastrianism but moderate forms are allowed within. In Zoroastrianism, good transpires for those who do righteous deeds for its own sake, not for the search of reward. Here, in their lives, they are active participants in the conflict, and it is their spiritual duty to defend Asha, which is under constant assault and would decay in strength without counteraction. The year of arrival on the subcontinent cannot be precisely established, and Parsi legend and tradition assigns various dates to the event. Zoroastrian high priests, have historically opined there is no reason to not allow conversion which is also supported the Revayats and other scripture though later priests have condemned these judgements. From the bull's seed grew all beneficial plants and animals of the world and from the man's seed grew a plant whose leaves became the first human couple. His English name, "Zoroaster", derives from a later (5th century BC) Greek transcription, Zōroastrēs (Ζωροάστρης), as used in Xanthus's Lydiaca (Fragment 32) and in Plato's First Alcibiades(122a1). : a Persian religion founded in the sixth century b.c. They have existed independently of each other for all time, and manifest contrary substances. [79], With Iranian support, the Abbasids overthrew the Umayyads in 750, and in the subsequent caliphate government—that nominally lasted until 1258—Muslim Iranians received marked favor in the new government, both in Iran and at the capital in Baghdad. After this, Vohu Manah took him to the other six Amesha Spentas, where he received the completion of his vision. Atlas » Learn more about the world with our collection of regional and country maps. in the Middle East. [citation needed], Among migrations were those to cities in (or on the margins of) the great salt deserts, in particular to Yazd and Kerman, which remain centers of Iranian Zoroastrianism to this day. ( cf Gayomard, the ruins of the world, and he tried to teach this view others... Religion to varying degrees Zoroastrians, though usually only if the father is a mythical tree... It is spoken, such as Yazdi or Kermani miracle-worker in post-Classical Western culture Persian.! 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