Zarathushtra biography of william

However, in Yasna However, in Avestan, Ragha is simply a toponym meaning 'plain, hillside. Apart from these indications in Middle Persian sources that are open to interpretations, there are a number of other sources. The Greek and Latin sources are divided on the birthplace of Zoroaster. Coming from a reputed scholar of religions, this was a serious blow to the various regions which all claimed that Zoroaster originated from their homelands, some of which then decided that Zoroaster must then have then been buried in their regions or composed his Gathas there or preached there.

By the late 20th century, most scholars had settled on an origin in eastern Greater Iran. Gnoli proposed SistanBaluchistan though in a much wider scope than the present-day province as the homeland of Zoroastrianism; Frye voted for Bactria and Chorasmia ; [ 58 ] Khlopin suggests the Tedzen Delta in present-day Turkmenistan. The Encyclopedia Iranica article on the history of Zoroastrianism summarizes the issue with "while there is general agreement that he did not live in western Iran, attempts to locate him in specific regions of eastern Iran, including Central Asia, remain tentative".

All the names appear appropriate to the nomadic tradition. His father's name means 'possessing gray horses' with the word aspa meaning 'horse'while his mother's means 'milkmaid'. According to the tradition, he had four brothers, two older and two younger, whose names are given in much later Pahlavi work. Zoroaster's training for priesthood probably started very early around seven years of age.

Zoroaster soon became aware of the existence of two primal spirits, the second being Angra Mainyu Destructive Spiritwith opposing concepts of Asha order and Druj deception. Thus he decided to spend his life teaching people to seek Asha. Eventually, at the age of about 42, Zoroaster received the patronage of queen Hutaosa and a ruler named Vishtaspaan early adherent of Zoroastrianism possibly from Bactria according to the Shahnameh.

According to the tradition, he lived for many years after Vishtaspa's conversion, managed to establish a faithful community, [ 69 ] and married three times. The Cypress of Kashmar is a mythical cypress tree of legendary beauty and gargantuan dimensions. It is said to have sprung from a branch brought by Zoroaster from Paradise and to have stood in today's Kashmar in northeastern Iran and to have been planted by Zoroaster in honor of the conversion of King Vishtaspa to Zoroastrianism.

According to the Iranian physicist and historian Zakariya al-QazwiniKing Vishtaspa had been a patron of Zoroaster who planted the tree himself. Before, he wanted the tree to be reconstructed before his eyes.

Zarathushtra biography of william: In his essay on the Life

This was done in spite of protests by the Iranians, who offered a very great sum of money to save the tree. Al-Mutawakkil never saw the cypress, because he was murdered by a Turkic soldier possibly in the employ of his son on the night when it arrived on the banks of the Tigris. Athanasius Kircher identified Zoroaster with Ham. The orientalist Arthur Christensen in his book '' Iran During The Sassanid Era''mentioned that the sources dating back to the era of the Sasanian state in ancient Persian that refer to the Zoroastrian doctrine do not match the sources that appeared after the collapse of the state, such as the Pahlavi source and others.

The reason is that because of the fall of the Sasanian state, the Zoroastrian clerics tried to save their religion from extinction through modifying it to resemble the religion of Muslims to retain followers in the Zoroastrian religion. After the Islamic conquest of Persia and the migration of many Zoroastrians to India and after being exposed to Islamic and Christian propaganda, the Zoroastrians, especially the Parsis in India, went so far as to deny dualism and consider themselves completely monotheists.

After several transformations and developments, one of the distinctive features of the Zoroastrian religion gradually faded away and almost disappeared from modern Zoroastrianism. This provides an explanation of why a number of parallels have been drawn between Zoroastrian teachings and Islam. Such parallels include the evident similarities between Amesha Spenta and the archangel Gabrielpraying five times a day, covering one's head during prayer, and the mention of Thamud and Iram of the Pillars in the Quran.

The Sabianswho believed in free will coincident with Zoroastriansare also mentioned in the Quran Like the Greeks of classical antiquity, Islamic tradition understands Zoroaster to be the founding prophet of the Magians via Aramaic, Arabic Majuscollective Majusya. The 11th-century Cordoban Ibn Hazm Zahiri school contends that Kitabi "of the Book" cannot apply in light of the Zoroastrian assertion that their books were destroyed by Alexander.

Citing the authority of the 8th-century al-Kalbithe 9th- and 10th-century Sunni historian al-Tabari I, [ citation needed ] reports that Zaradusht bin Isfiman an Arabic adaptation of "Zarathushtra Spitama" was an inhabitant of Israel and a servant of one of the disciples of the prophet Jeremiah. Elisha 's servant Gehazi in Jewish scripture.

Zoroaster later moved to a place of modern-day Azerbaijan which ruled by Bashtaasib Vishtaspagovernor of Nebuchadnezzar, and spread his teaching of Zoroastrianism there. Bashtaasib then followed his teaching, forces the inhabitants of Persia to convert to Zoroastrianism and killed those who refused. Ibn Kathir has quoted the zarathushtra biography of william narrative was borrowed from Tabari's record of the "History of Jerusalem".

He also mentioned that Zoroastrian was synonymous with Majus. Sibt ibn al-Jawzi instead stated that some older narration said that Zoroaster was a former disciple of Uzair. Upon their arrival, Zaradusht translated the sage's Hebrew teachings for the king and so convinced him to convert Tabari also notes that they had previously been Sabis to the Magian religion.

The 12th-century heresiographer al-Shahrastani describes the Majusiya into three sects, the Kayumarthiya an otherwise undocumented sect that — per Sharastani — seems to have had a stronger doctrine of Ahriman's "non-reality"the Zurwaniya and the Zaradushtiyaamong which Al-Shahrastani asserts that only the last of the three were properly followers of Zoroaster.

As regards the recognition of a prophet, Zoroaster has said: "They ask you as to how should they recognize a prophet and believe him to be true in what he says; tell them what he knows the others do not, and he shall tell you even what lies hidden in your nature; he shall be able to tell you whatever you ask him and he shall perform such things which others cannot perform.

The Ahmadiyya Community views Zoroaster as a Prophet and describe the expressions of the all-good Ahura Mazda and evil Ahriman as merely referring to the coexistence of forces of good and evil enabling humans to exercise free will. Manichaeism considered Zoroaster to be a figure in a line of prophets of which Mani — was the culmination. Elements of Zoroastrian philosophy entered the West through their influence on Judaism and Platonism and have been identified as one of the key early events in the development of philosophy.

Inthe Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy ranked Zoroaster as first in the chronology of philosophers. The encyclopedia Natural History Pliny claims that Zoroastrians later educated the Greeks who, starting with Pythagorasused a similar term, philosophy, or "love of wisdom" to describe the search for ultimate truth. Zoroaster emphasized the freedom of the individual to choose zarathushtra biography of william or wrong and individual responsibility for one's deeds.

For Zoroaster, by thinking good thoughts, saying good words, and doing good deeds e. Thus, mankind are not the slaves or servants of Ahura Mazdabut can make a personal choice to be co-workers, thereby perfecting the world as saoshyants "world-perfecters" and eventually achieving the status of an Ashavan "master of Asha ". Although a few recent depictions of Zoroaster show him performing some deed of legend, in general the portrayals merely present him in white vestments which are also worn by present-day Zoroastrian priests.

He often is seen holding a collection of unbound rods or twigs, known as a baresman Avestan; Middle Persian barsomwhich is generally considered to be another symbol of priesthood, or with a book in hand, which may be interpreted to be the Avesta. Alternatively, he appears with a mace, the varza —usually stylized as a steel rod crowned by a bull's head—that priests carry in their installation ceremony.

In other depictions he appears with a raised hand and thoughtfully lifted finger, as if to make a point. Alternatively, this could be an Islamic influence, drawing parallels between both religions' conception of the oneness of God. Zoroaster is rarely depicted as looking directly at the viewer; instead, he appears to be looking slightly upwards, as if beseeching.

Zoroaster is almost always depicted with a beard along with other factors bearing similarities to 19th-century portraits of Jesus. Many modern depictions of Zoroaster derive from a Sassanid-era rock-face carving at Taq-e Bostan. In this depiction, a figure is seen to preside over the coronation of either Ardashir I or II. The figure is standing on a lotus, with a baresman in hand and with a gloriole around his head.

Zarathushtra had to overcome the opposition of the wicked priests and their secular overlords of the religion s he meant to replace and was, initially, not very successful in doing this. After a series of philosophical debates, an episode of treachery leading to his arrest and incarceration, and Zarathushtra's success in curing the king's favorite horse, he finally found an audience willing to listen to his words.

He recited the revelation for the king and his family, and they were the first to convert outside his own family. According to late traditions, Zarathushtra lived to be an old man but was eventually murdered and received into heaven. A part of Zarathushtra remained, however: his semen is kept in a lake, where it will rest until the period of the separation of good and evil begins.

When this time arrives, a virgin will bathe in the lake and become pregnant, giving birth to Zarathushtra's son sthe Savior swho will lead humankind in bringing about the Renovation of the world. Thus Zarathushtra is represented, in Zoroastrian traditions, in all periods of world history, from the beginning of creation up to the desired end.

Many elements from these Zarathushtra legends can be found already in the Avesta. Although Zarathushtra played a role in the Zoroastrian version of the history of the world that is almost incommensurate with human capacities, there is no evidence that he was ever seen as something other than human. In contemporary Zoroastrianism, pictures of Zara-thushtra are omnipresent in houses as well as fire-temples and sanctuaries.

It is not certain how old this custom is, but the iconography used in the Iranian and Parsi communities cannot be traced to a period before the late eighteenth century. Small devotional rituals can be performed in the presence of these pictures: lighting a candle or an oil lamp or decorating the picture with a garland of flowers. In ancient and medieval non-Zoroastrian sources, Zarathushtra is often mentioned.

Usually he is presented as the founder of the Persian priesthood the magi and the founder of the religion of the Persians. From an early period, Zoroaster was also annexed in Western traditions. Among Greeks and Romans, he came to be known as an early sage, who invented magic and astrology. The Western traditions on Zoroaster owe little to Zoroastrian ideas.

This is true for antiquity but also for the remarkable zarathushtra biography of william of Zoroaster in western European traditions from the Renaissance up to the late eighteenth century. The traditional biography of Zarathushtra is of course a myth. This myth is of great importance for a proper understanding of Zoroastrianism, but it yields little information on the historical Zarathushtra.

Modern scholars and indeed most modern Zoroastrians do not accept the entire Avesta as the work of Zarathushtra, not to mention the vast body of exegetical literature in the Zand. When the Avesta and other Zoroastrian texts reached Europe in the late eighteenth century, the study of these texts remained under the influence of traditional Zoroastrian understanding only for a short while.

The academic study of Zarathushtra and his message had to disengage itself more and more from the tradition that grew out of it. In the middle of the nineteenth century the German Orientalist Martin Haug demonstrated that a small part of the Yasna sacrificethe text of the daily high ritual, was written in a different language than the rest of the Avesta; that this language was more archaic; and that the texts in this more archaic language were the only texts that could be accepted as Zarathushtra's own words.

These texts have now been recognized as the only possible source of information for the earliest period of Zoroastrianism. They are attributed to Zarathushtra himself by many scholars, but others have voiced doubts about the historicity of Zarathushtra or about the possibility of gaining accurate knowledge about him from these texts. The corpus of relevant texts is thus small and unfortunately difficult.

Although earlier scholars thought of these texts as "verse sermons" or solemn declarations of new religious insights, it is now generally assumed that the poems are to be interpreted as visionary poetry composed in a ritual setting. The Old Avestan prose text, by contrast, is much less opaque. Since the texts do not refer to historical or geographical settings known from other sources, the possibility of contextualizing these texts is slim.

Even though there is no shortage of speculation on this matter, it seems impossible to date the texts with precision or to situate them in a geographical environment. The texts mention the names of several persons, all known from the later Zoroastrian tradition, but it is a moot point whether that tradition has preserved knowledge of these persons or has invented a narrative in which these persons could fit.

Zarathushtra biography of william: His life is traditionally dated to

In order to confront these difficulties, most scholars use two different sets of comparative materials. The first of these are the later Zoroastrian traditions, which reflect the religion that grew out of these early texts. There are certain dangers in using either approach to the exclusion of the other. Both sets of comparanda are, in a sense, quite far removed from the Old Avestan texts.

Using both sets of data in combination seems to be the best option to guard against anachronisms by reading later developments into the early texts and against reading into these texts Vedic ideas that may never have been present in them. Since contexts are unavailable, only rough indications of dating and localization, based on the content of the texts and the archaisms of their language, can be given.

There seems to be a broad agreement that the texts and therefore Zarathushtra himself should be dated around the beginning of the first millennium bce in an eastern part of the Iranian world, perhaps the area known as Bactria-Margiana present-day Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. Following an established poetic pattern, the singer of the hymns declares that he is going to proclaim certain truths about the gods, the world and reality.

But he is not alone: there are his children and his spiritual creations, personifying mental attitudes and human virtues, who aid him in the struggle against evil, which is taking place in front of one's own eyes. For there are evil beings in this world and in the spiritual world; although they are worshipped by those of little intellect, they should not be worshipped, for they cause nothing but harm to humankind and to the world at large.

In several passages, two spirits are referred to who are each other's total opposites and between which humans must choose. If one makes the wrong choice, this has consequences for his or her afterlife. Indeed many passages have a marked focus on the implications of human choices for their fate in the other world. The marked polarity between good and evil in these texts, focusing chiefly on the options for "righteousness" or "deceit," also splits human society.

In these passages, various individuals and groups of enemies are mentioned, together with examples of their hostilities. This may reflect an actual struggle between competing groups of religious specialists, divided over matters of ritual and ideas about the gods and reality. Those who oppose truth will certainly be held accountable for their wrong choice through an ordeal and a judgment of their souls.

A blessed existence is promised the zarathushtra biography of william ones and a life of woe the wicked. In a number of passages, all rather cryptic, there are allusions to the most influential of all Zoroastrian ideas: that the world as humans know it will come to an end in a decisive, collective transformation according to the wish of its creator.

The most important passage is Y. Although other suggestions have been made, it is most likely that these verses indeed refer to the notion that the battle between good and evil, and therefore the world and "history," will eventually come to an end. This is certainly how it has always been understood in the tradition. There are no indications whatsoever that these were ideas that had grown slowly among the Iranians.

Zarathushtra biography of william: Zarathustra, also known as Zoroaster, was

One can question the suitability of the concept of "originality" in the writing of history but not doubt the possibility of real innovations. All the evidence suggests that the oldest Zoroastrian texts, which were preserved in a different language among a much larger body of ritual literature, offered a new vision of reality, using traditional words and concepts for the successful propagation of an innovative message.

Amesha Spentas ; Avesta ; Saoshyant ; Zoroastrianism. The literature on the subject is enormous and shows a wide variety of approaches and interpretations. The selection given here assembles some fundamental works and examples of the various methods scholars have used to make sense of the data. There are many translations of the Old Avestan texts, ranging from intensely personal interpretations with an almost mystical message to elaborate philological studies.

The most recent of these certainly show great improvements over earlier attempts. Heidelberg, Germany, Insler, Stanley. Leiden, Kellens, Jean, and Eric Pirart. Les textes vieil-avestiques. Wiesbaden, Germany, — These include discussions of his historicity and, where accepted, his most likely dates and place. Little wonder there is a Khshnuman dedicatory formula in his honour.

His paternal grandfather was Peteraspwhile his maternal grandfather was Framirava. His lineage goes back to Shah Faridoon - a saintly King of Peshdadian Iran and one who brought the evil Zohak under control. Greek sources place him as far back as 6, to 7, B. Oral tradition among Parsis places him between 4, to 5, B. The Governor of Rae the zarathushtra biography of william where Asho Zarathushtra is believed to have been born was the evil Durasrun.

Asho Zarathushtra is said to have laughed, instead of cried at birth. It was a sign of His Divinity and the fact that at birth, he was neither confused nor scared. As many as seven attempts were made on the life of this Divine child by the evil Durasrun. The evil Durasrun first tried to stab the Holy Child. Butinstead, his arm got twisted backward.

When the baby Zarathushtra was thrown to the flames, the hot coals turned into a bed of roses. When put in the path of a herd of cattle and horses, respectively, a cow and a mare, respectively, stood over the Holy Child to protect him from harm. When thrown into a den of hungry wolves, the animals found their jaws sealed. Attempts to poison him and throw an evil spell also failed miserably.

Asho Zarathushtra remained engrossed in prayers from the age of 15 to 30 years. In the Gathas, Zarathushtra advises his daughter as well as all brides and grooms-to-be, but does not name the bridegroom. However, later tradition says that she marries Jamaspa. Zarathushtra lived a healthy life to old age. According to later tradition, Zarathushtra passes away at the age of 77, of natural causes.

Zarathushtra biography of william: Zoroaster, or Zarathustra, (born

They vary from a liberal to an orthodox perspective. Listing these links here is just to outline a broad perspective of history, and is not intended as an academic exercise. Please use your own Good Mind as to which version or combinations thereof you would like to adopt as your understanding.