Zoroastrianism

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Zoroastrianism
Atash Behram at the Fire Temple of Yazd in Iran
Type	Universal religion
Classification	Iranian
Scripture	Avesta
Theology	Dualistic[1][2]
Language	Avestan
Founder	Zoroaster (traditional)
Origin	c. 2nd millennium BCE Iranian Plateau
Separated from	Proto-Indo-Iranian religion
Number of followers	100,000–200,000

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Zoroastrianism (Persian: دین زرتشتی, romanized: Din-ē Zartoshti), also known as Mazdayasna and Behdin, is an Iranian religion. One of the world's oldest organized faiths, it is based on the teachings of the Iranian prophet Zarathustra—commonly known by his Greek name Zoroaster—as set forth in the Avesta. Zoroastrians exalt an uncreated and benevolent deity of wisdom, commonly referred to as Ahura Mazda (Avestan: 𐬀𐬵𐬎𐬭𐬋 𐬨𐬀𐬰𐬛𐬃), as the universe's supreme being; opposed to Ahura Mazda is Angra Mainyu (𐬀𐬢𐬭𐬀⸱𐬨𐬀𐬌𐬥𐬌𐬌𐬎), who is personified as a destructive spirit and the adversary of all things good. Zoroastrianism combines a dualistic cosmology of good and evil with an eschatology that predicts the ultimate triumph of Ahura Mazda over evil.^[1] Opinions vary among scholars as to whether the religion is monotheistic,^[1] polytheistic,^[2] henotheistic,^[3] or a combination of all three.^[4] As the first world religion founded by a prophet,^[5] Zoroastrianism embodies some of the earliest concepts of free will and ethical choice, monotheism, a celestial hierarchy of divine beings that mediate between God and humanity (yazata), judgment for each individual after death, the coming of a Messiah at the end of this creation, and an apocalypse culminating in the final triumph of good at the end of the historical cycle.^[6] These ideas influenced ancient Western philosophy and the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.^[7][8]

Emerging from Zoroaster's reforms of the ancient Iranian religion, Zoroastrianism may have originated in the Avestan period of the second millennium BCE, but enters recorded history in the mid sixth century BCE. For the next thousand years, it was the official religion of successive Iranian empires, beginning with the Achaemenid Empire, which formalized and institutionalized many of its tenets and rituals, through the Sasanian Empire, which revitalized the faith and standardized its teachings.^[9] Following the Muslim conquest of Persia in the mid seventh century CE, Zoroastrianism declined amid persecution and forced conversions by the early Muslims; many Zoroastrians fled to the Indian subcontinent, receiving refuge by various kings and becoming the progenitors of today's Parsis. Once numbering millions of adherents at its height, recent estimates place the world's current Zoroastrian population at upwards of 110,000 to 120,000, with the vast majority residing in India (50,000 to 60,000), Iran (15,000 to 25,000), and North America (21,000); the religion is thought to be declining due to restrictions on conversion, strict endogamy, and low birth rates.^[10]

The central beliefs and practices of Zoroastrianism are contained in the Avesta, a compendium of texts spanning centuries. Its oldest and most central component are the Gathas, the direct teachings of Zoroaster and his conversations with Ahura Mazda in a series of visions. These writings are part of a major section of the Avesta called the Yasna, which form the core of Zoroastrian liturgy. Zoroaster's religious philosophy divided the early Iranian gods of Proto-Indo-Iranian paganism into emanations of the natural world, known as ahuras and daevas; the former are to be revered and the latter rejected. Zoroaster proclaimed that Ahura Mazda was the supreme creator and sustaining force of the universe, working in gētīg (the visible material realm) and mēnōg (the invisible spiritual and mental realm) through seven Amesha Spentas, which variably represent aspects of the universe as well as the highest moral goods. Emanating from Ahura Mazda is Spenta Mainyu (the Holy or Bountiful Spirit), the source of life and goodness,^[11] which is opposed by Angra Mainyu (the Destructive or Opposing Spirit), who is born from Aka Manah (evil thought). Angra Mainyu was further developed by Middle Persian literature into Ahriman (𐭠𐭧𐭫𐭬𐭭𐭩), Mazda's direct adversary.

Within this cosmic dichotomy, humans have the choice between these dual opposites, represented by Asha (truth, cosmic order), the principle of righteousness or "rightness" by which all things are exactly what they should be, as promoted and embodied by Ahura Mazda, and Druj (falsehood, deceit), the essential nature of Angra Mainyu, which expresses itself as greed, wrath, and envy.^[12] Humans exercise their free will to follow the law of Asha through the basic moral principles of humata, hukhta, hvarshta—"good thoughts, good words, good deeds"—which are recited in prayers and rituals.^[7] While personal salvation is attained through making the right choice, the salvation of the world, called Frashokereti, will be achieved through a great battle between good and evil that will restore everything to its perfect state, in accordance with Asha.