Zoroastrianism
An ancient Iranian religion derived from the teachings of Zoroaster, centred on worship of Ahura Mazda and the cosmic struggle of good and evil; the state religion of pre-Islamic Iran.
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- Founder
- Zarathustra (Zoroaster)
- Central deity
- Ahura Mazda
- Scripture
- Avesta
- Ethical principle
- Good thoughts, good words, good deeds
Detail
Zoroastrianism is one of the world's oldest monotheistic religions, founded on the teachings of the Iranian prophet Zarathustra (Zoroaster), probably between the second and early first millennium BCE. It places at its center a single wise creator god, Ahura Mazda, and views the cosmos as an arena of struggle between good/truth (asha) and the lie/evil (druj, Angra Mainyu/Ahriman). Its ethical triad — good thoughts, good words, good deeds (humata, hukhta, huvarshta) — forms the basis of religious conduct, and fire is venerated as a symbol of purity and divine light. Zoroastrianism was the state religion of the Achaemenid, Parthian, and Sasanian empires, declining after the Muslim conquest of Iran. Its adherents today — including the Parsis of India and Iranian Zoroastrians — form a small but ancient minority.
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Sources
- Encyclopaedia Iranica — 'Zoroastrianism'
- Britannica — 'Zoroastrianism'
- M. Boyce, 'Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices'