OK Jeremy –
Happy Easter and - I’ll sing away for you. The source for what I am about to tell you is R.C. Zahener (The Religion of the Magi, and his article on Zoroastrianism from the ‘Hutchinson Encyclopaedia of living Faiths’ which he edited). Zahener was a Catholic but as an academic was the world’s leading expert in Zoroastrianism.
Zoroaster lived circa 628-551 B.C. The religion he founded underwent a great deal of change as it developed – but we can approximate what his original message was from close attention to the Gathas – the ancient liturgical hymns of the religion.
From analysis of the Gathas, Zahener concludes that Zoroaster taught a strict monotheism – rejecting the whole sacrificial system of Aryan polytheism. There is one god – Ahura Mazda – who has created the world good – and Ahura Mazda is the source of all moral goodness and excellence. (I’m nto sure the deva worshippers devloedp Zoaroaster’s escahtology - but certiainly the devas did start to reappear as sobordinate beings in the angelology and demonology of this faith)
Ahura Mazda also creates two spirits; one spirit – The Holy Spirit – chooses freely to obey the will of Ahura; the other Spirit – the evil spirit – chooses freely to disobey. The two spirits are in each human being – we can in turn choose freely to follow the good spirit and do the will of the creator, or choose to follow the bad spirit and frustrate the creator’s will. So in original Zoroastrianism we have a spiritual struggle between good and evil – but a clear belief that good will triumph in the end. As Zoroastrianism developed, one strand held on to this vision – but another unofficial strand started to speak as if the spirits of good and evil were not actually created, but coeternal principles locked in eternal combat – the holy spirit now became identified with Ahura Mazda, and the evil Spirit became Ahriman. The dualistic strand of Zorosatrianim’s later morphed into Manicheanism in which the dualism became cosmic rather than moral – Ahura Mazda now represented pure spirit while Ahriman, the evil one, represented matter.
Well that’s the background – but let’s focus on Zoroastrian eschatology. Zoroaster spoke of both resurrection and judgement. He looked forward to the resurrection of the body at the end of time (or at least hinted at this). He also believed in the judgement after death where souls will be tested with molten metal and with fire; the righteous will be rewarded with heaven, ‘the best existence’, united with the ‘Good Mind’ they will ‘Rejoice in the House of Song’; the wicked on the other hand will be afflicted with a lasting torment, ‘feeding on foul food.’ The Gathas also speak of Saoshyant – the Saviour – but this seems either to refer to Zoroaster himself or to a secular ruler who would establish righteousness on earth (like the Persian King of Kings).
However, during the Achaemenian period which begins with the rule of Cyrus the Great mainstream Zoroastrian eschatology develops somewhat. The developed doctrine is that souls are individually judged at death and sent to heaven or hell according to their deserts. But at the end of time the Saoshayant (the saviour/bringer of good fortune) will be born and finally defeat the powers of evil and the dead shall rise again. Bodies and souls will be reunited, and all will be plunged into a sea of molten metal which will purge them from all remaining stain of sin. After this final purgation the whole human race will enter paradise where they will rejoice for ever and ever. ‘ All men will become of one voice and give praise with a loud voice to the Wise Lord …and the material world will become immortal forever and ever. The evil one and his hosts will be cast into hell where they will either be annihilated or made powerless for all time.
And I just reflect that the Wise Men from the East who came to adore the Christ Child were expecting the birth of the universal Saoshyant.
Hope that’s interesting –
Dick