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ZOROASTRIANISM

The religious tradition that bears the name of its prophetic founder Zoroaster (Gk. Zōroastrēs; O. Pers. Zarathustra). It survives today primarily in Iran and India. Zoroastrianism arose as a result of a dual migration of Aryans, one into Iran (“the land of the Aryans”), the other into India, some time before 1000 b.c.e. The western Aryans were polytheistic, their most important gods being the sun, moon, stars, earth, fire, water, and wind. Their chief god was Mithra, god of war, light, and loyalty. Religious rituals included lighting a fire, pouring out haoma juice as a libation, and cereal or animal sacrifice.

Zoroaster apparently revised this religion along somewhat dualistic lines. In his worldview, two basic forces struggled for control of the world: Spenta Mainyu, the good spirit, and Angra Mainyu, the evil spirit. The origin of the two spirits is not clear, but Angra Mainyu seems to have come into being only with the creation of the world. Zoroaster avoided the moral dilemma of dualism (i.e., which spirit to follow) by postulating the existence of one supreme god, Ahura Mazda, who is symbolized by fire and to whom alone worship is due. Ahura Mazda makes his will known through Spenta Mainyu.

This belief in two spirits reflects the existential perception that humans are pulled morally in two different directions. Apparently, flesh is bad and pulls one toward Angra Mainyu, while spirit is good and pulls one toward Spenta Mainyu. Hence, humans often make the wrong moral choice and commit evil. The solution to human ills is to follow prescribed works, including worship, prayer, and moral purity, though not celibacy. Rites of passage include an initiation of all children before puberty, weddings, and funerals, in which the body is wrapped in white cloth and then placed atop a Tower of Silence for disposal through exposure; it is never cremated, since dead flesh would contaminate the holy fire.

Some scholars see Zoroastrianism as the source of dualistic thinking in Judaism. Cyrus the Great presumably was a Zoroastrian, though Achaemenid texts only mention Ahura Mazda, not Zoroaster. Any direct influence on the NT is dubious.

Paul L. Redditt

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

ZOROASTRIANISM

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)