Though zoroastrianism was never, even in the thinking of its founder, as insistently monotheistic as, for instance, judaism or islam, it does represent an original attempt at unifying under the worship of one supreme god a polytheistic religion comparable to those of the ancient greeks, latins, indians, and other early peoples. Zarathustra an his teachings, a manual for young students. Encyclopaedia iranica columbia university academia. It also seems to have had a deep impact on neighboring religions, notably on judaism, and through it on christianity and islam, as well as on manicheism. Dia iranica foundation distributed by eisenbrauns zoroastrianism a collection of articles from the encyclop. The urvan is the human soul, which in pre zoroastrian times was believed after death to pass a shadowy existence in the underworld, from where it returned once a year to its former. History to the arab conquest encyclopaedia iranica. In zoroastrianism this distinction between early prophecy and later apocalyptic does not apply. The earth will be purified by a torrent of fiery metal. The word can be derived from avesta ap water with adverbial prefix paiti against airwb, cols. Encyclopaedia iranica, columbia university, ehsan yarshater center for iranian studies, department member.
Zoroastrian theology, cosmology and cosmogony, history of the faith, its rituals and ceremonies, avestan and middle persian texts, festivals such as nowruz, mehregan, and sada, and a host of other topics, hitherto dispersed amidst other entries in their alphabetical sequence in the encyclop. Boyce, mary, a history of zoroastrianism ii download 7. In zoroastrianism there were essentially two types of marriage zanih. Gherardo gnoli, in the encyclopaedia of religion, says that we can assert. Padyab, a sacred ablution requiring washing by water, a necessary prelude to the basic zoroastrian purificatory ritual. Eirciv 102a, spring 2006 vi february 7, 2006 basic bibliography some useful literature boyce, m. Its other salient feature, namely dualism, was never understood in. Zoroastrianism or mazdayasna is one of the worlds oldest continuously practiced religions. In other cities of safavid iran, they also served as a manual workforce. Kurdistan reclaims its ancient zoroastrian faith pdf.