Zoroastrianism
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| Fast Facts | |
|---|---|
| Adherents | 200,000 |
| Main Location(s) | India, Iran |
| Date Founded | estimated between 12th and 6th century BCE |
| Place Founded | Ancient Persia |
| Founder(s) | Zoroaster |
| Beliefs | one God, Ahura Mazda, who has an evil opponent, Aura Mainyu; judgment after death; heaven and hell |
| Practices | prayers; tending the sacred fire; coming of age rituals; burial by exposure in the Tower of Silence |
| Holidays | Gahanbars (seasonal festivals), Noruz (New Year), Mehragan (festival of Mithra) |
| Texts | Zend Avesta |
| Symbols | faravahar (winged sun disk with human figure); adar (sacred fire) |
Zoroastrianism is the ancient, pre-Islamic religion of Persia (modern-day Iran). It survives there in isolated areas but primarily exists in India, where the descendants of Zoroastrian Persian immigrants are known as Parsis, or Parsees. In India the religion is called Parsiism.
Founded by the Iranian prophet and reformer Zoroaster in the 6th century BCE, Zoroastrianism contains both monotheistic and dualistic features. Although a fairly small religion today, numbering about 200,000 adherents, it shares many central concepts with the major world religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Table of Contents
Sources
- “Zoroastrianism.” BBC Religion & Ethics.
- Duchesne-Guillemin, Jacques. “Zoroastrianism.” Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. 27 Jan. 2017.
- Joshua J. Mark. “Zoroastrianism.” Ancient History Encyclopedia. 12 Dec. 2019. "Zoroastrianism is the monotheistic faith established by the Persian prophet Zoroaster... between c. 1500-1000 BCE."
Further Reading
- Boyce, Mary, “Zoroastrianism.” Hinnells, John R. (ed.), The Penguin Handbook of the World's Living Religions (Penguin Books).
- “Zoroastrian.” Adherents.com.
- “Zoroastrianism.” Wikipedia.
- “Zoroastrianism.” Hinnells, John R. (ed.), Penguin Dictionary of Religions (London: : Penguin Books).
- “The Battle Between Good and Evil [Zoroastrianism].” The Religions Book (DK).
Article Info
| Title | Zoroastrianism |
|---|---|
| Published | December 20, 2005 |
| Last Updated | February 25, 2021 |
| URL | religionfacts.com/ |
| Short URL | rlft.co/694 |
| MLA Citation | “Zoroastrianism.” ReligionFacts.com. 25 Feb. 2021. Web. Accessed 4 Mar. 2021. <religionfacts.com/zoroastrianism> |