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Home , Ahura Mazda, Magi, Zoroaster

OPENING HYMN OF (opening words) With uplifted hands and deep humility, I beseech, 0 Mazda, first and foremost this, the abiding joy of Spenta Mainyu. Your Holy . Grant that I perform all actions in harmony With righteousness (Your Divine Law) And acquire the of the Mind So that I may bring happiness To the soul of the universe.

0 Mazda, may I reach you In fullness of Knowledge, through the Good Mind, To be graced with realization of both the selves, the physical (lower) self and the mental (higher) self Which comes from following your Divine Law, through which you lead all devotees Into the abode of light ().

Y28,1-2 SECOND HYMN OF ZOROASTER WANTS US ALL TO BE HAPPY Whoever brings untold bliss to others Will be given that bliss by Mazda Ahura,Who rules at will, So it be truth I crave from you, Desire for perfection and immortality. For the upholding of righteousness (Divine Law) Grant this unto me, 0 Divine Wisdom, The blessings of perfect illumination - The life of the good mind.

Now bestow on me the noblest of all things ‑ The realization of self. 0 most gloriously radiant spirit, Mazda, grant me enlightenment For you have given to all Through your Law of Righteousness The full measure of the Good Mind That each may enjoy unlimited bliss All the days of his long life. That man shall himself progress from good To greater good who instructs us Concerning the straight path of salvation, In this life of the body and the mind, Leading up to the worlds of reality In which the living God himself abides, And so your devotee wise and pious, 0 Mazda. Shall become one with you. Y43,1-3 MODERN About 60,000 Zoroastrians live in as a group specifically protected by Mohammed in the About 100,000 moved to Bombay, India after the Moslem invasion. About 20,000 have immigrated throughout the world, including the United States and Canada. There is a thriving community of about 450 in Houston.

Magi in the Christian birth story: We already hear the music of the season everywhere there is the slightest chance we might shop, and some of that music will be heard and sung later in the month right here. These may have been real. They certainly existed in Persia and were well known by Matthew and Luke when they wrote their Gospels. In the which is not part of the cannon, starts with this long sentence:

I hope everyone noticed the phrase : "as Zoroaster had predicted" Many interesting things can be learned by looking at early Christian art and how it changed over time. In the very earliest Christian art the visitors are clothed as Persian priests and some times there were two or four or several. Eventually they became dressed as Kings. It was the 3rd century theologian that the number was settled as three, probably to match the three gifts. The earliest art had the visitors dressed in the costume of Persian priests (Magi), after the swept the region they were clothed as wealthy Moslems, during the Middle ages, the Magi were dressed in period costumes. The Germans were fond of placing the Magi on horseback, The art from the later tradition began to show the three magi representing the three races of man. The names of the three kings were supplied by a 6th century work, the Our Carols are an eclectic lot. ZOROASTER: PROBABLY THE FIRST UNIVERSALIST

The earliest existing expression of the Universalist idea of an where God saves people can be found in the of Zoroaster, of the Magi. Truly, its universalism is one of many profound influences that Zoroaster's new had on the subsequent development of , Christianity and Islam. Known as Zoroaster by the Greeks and Zardust by the Arabs, he is properly called Zarathustra by followers of the religion that he founded. I am going to use, the Greek, Zoroaster today. It is interesting that the Greek, , is also preferred over the Hebrew, Yeshua. Based on the Holy Book of the Magi, Zoroaster was born in Eastern Iran and lived from about 660 B.C.E. to 583 B.C.E. Like , there is virtually no collaborative evidence for his life outside the religious writings. Most scholars place Zoroaster's life earlier, perhaps 1200 to 1800 B.C.E., mainly due to the ancient Eastern he used to write hymns. A comparison of some ethical doctrines of the Magi and of the is informative. Magi Christian God () God (YHWH, ,

The of Satan: The Father of Lies

"Whatsoever He in His "Thy will be done" Wisdom thinketh ought to be"

"The same at every now" "The same from everlasting to everlasting"

"Spirit Bountiful, Giver of all Things" "Giver of all good things"

"One shall not do unto "Do unto others as you would another whatever is not have them do unto you" good for its own self"

"The holy law standeth "Even as thou hast done it ever at thy door in the unto the least of these, my persons of thy brethren, thou hast done it brethren" also unto me"

"May I obtain...abiding "The peace that passeth serenity of soul" Understanding"

"Consider none without "Judge not that ye shall not hope of Heaven" Be judged"

"The dead shall rise, life of the dead" shall return to their bodies and they shall breath again" Zoroaster's parents were likely middle class. His father was probably a trader of horses or camels, as well as a priest. He was married and had children. His major happened at about 30, after he, like Jesus, went into the wilderness to seek God. After this experience he said ; "God declared to me that silent meditation is the best for attaining spiritual enlightenment" (Y43,17) While in the wilderness Satan tempted him with a promise of a 1000 year rule. He preached for 10 years with little success. Then he converted his cousin, the rest of his family, and the King, . Convincing the King was a very big deal. Once Zoroastrianism was adopted by the kings of Persia, the religion spread throughout the Persian Empire. This process was aided by the Magi, who were priests of the older pagan religion in Western Iran. They accepted and preached the new religion of Zoroaster, Many scholars believe that Zoroaster was a Magus (the singular form of Magi) of the old religion prior to his divine revelations. His hymns to God () were first recited orally and eventually written into the holy book of the magi (). We know that he was assassinated by a rival priest at the age of 77. (So all was not smooth during his later life.) Zoroaster claimed no for himself, later tradition created miraculous stories that were regularly attached to persons held in high esteem in the ancient world. One of the fun traditions holds that at birth Zoroaster laughed instead of crying. In this religion humanity has to chose between good and , and people were required to be active participants with God in the eventual defeat of evil. The core beliefs can be summarized as: "Good thoughts, Good words, and Good deeds" Zoroaster's word for God is "Ahura Mazda" whichmeans " of Life and Wisdom" or "Wise Lord". For Zoroaster, God is wholly good; God unconditionally loves all his Creation and all humanity - always. God is not angry, jealous, or vengeful; God would never tempt humans into doing evil. We are made of the essence of God and are cherished by God, Fasting, Celibacy, and the Austere life have no place in the religion of the Magi. People are simply directed to -Do Good and oppose Evil. God is opposed by an evil force called "The Demon of the " which Zoroaster named as "that which is not and never was" - almost as if the was a vacuum. Satan is responsible for all death, destruction, decay, and darkness. Satan has no physical presence on earth but does have the ability to corrupt God's creation. However Satan is dim-witted and disorganized and can be defeated by the Good! Like Christianity, the religion of the Magi has a concept of the as being a part of God that is present with us on the Earth. God is both immanent (present) and transcendent (other). It is the Holy Spirit or Mentality of God (Spenta Mainyu) In the words of Zoroaster: Through his Holy Spirit And his Sovereign mind, Ahura Mazda will grant Self-realization and immortality To him whose words and deeds Are inspired by righteousness, Moral courage and Divine Wisdom. (Y47,1) Both the ancient Magi and the modern followers of Zoroaster see God as light, the oldest non-anthropomorphic conception of God. God is the light above us, around us, and within us. For Zoroaster, the contrast between light and darkness is always a metaphor for the conflict between . Sometimes observers of this religion from ancient to modern times have mistaken the Magi for fire worshipers because of the "eternal flame" present in all their temples. However the fire has never been worshiped; the flame of the fire represents LIGHT, their symbol for God. Concepts of the afterlife in the religion of the Magi are almost identical to those of Christianity. According to Zoroaster's vision, each human soul is required to face judgment on the "Bridge of Judgment". If there is a preponderance of good deeds, the soul is allowed to pass over a wide bridge to Heaven on which the good deeds meet him or her in the form of a beautiful 15-year-old girl. The soul of the saved asks, "Who art thou? I have never seen a young girl on Earth more beautiful than thee?" In answer the young girl replies, "I am no girl, but thy own good deeds." If the human soul contains a preponderance of evil deeds, a young girl "who has ne semblance of a young girl" comes to meet it, and the soul of the damned says, "Who art thou? I have never seen a wench on Earth more ill-favored and hideous than thee." In reply, the ill-favored wench says, "I am no wench, but I am thy deeds - hideous deeds - evil thoughts, evil words, evil deeds, and evil religion." The bridge becomes razor narrow and the soul falls into . This same razor sharp bridge imagery lives on in Shiite Islam. Unlike Dante, whose Limbo is for the righteous who are not Christian, Limbo in the religion of the Magi is for those whose good deeds and bad deeds are in equal balance. The Hell of the Magi is not eternal but only a temporary detour while you "shape up" and the evil in you is purified. Zoroastrians, like other Universalists, believe God is too good to sentence humans to Eternal Hell. For example "If you understand these laws of happiness and pain which Mazda has ordained, 0 mortal men, (there is) a long period of punishment for the wicked and reward for the pious. But thereafter eternal joy shall reign forever." (Y30,11) Some modern minimalist scholars dispute the idea that Zoroaster was a Universalist and say that universal salvation came into Zoroastrianism late. However all agree that the religion was Universalist many generations before Christianity. For example, the 4th century B.C.E. Greek, Theopompus stated that, "Zoroaster prophesies that some day there will be a resurrection of all the dead. In the end Hades shall perish and men (people) shall be happy" Both a spiritual afterlife of the soul and a physical resurrection at the end of time are concepts of Zoroaster. Humanity can fall prey to evil, but, after "purification" in Hell, All are saved at the end of time. When the victory over evil is complete, the end of time will come where nothing ever dies or decays, and there is no darkness - only LIGHT. In the spirit of Universalism, Zoroaster tells of future Saviors possibly coming from different nations: "Indeed such shall be the Saviors Of the countries who follow The call of Duty by good thoughts Because of their deeds Inspired by righteousness In accord with your command 0 Mazda, they certainly have been marked out As Smiters of wrath." (Y48,12) The God of the Magi is Universal, and Zoroaster was the first to proclaim this truth. God is supreme. "When I held you in my very eyes Then I realizes you in my mind, 0 Mazda, As the first and also the last for all , As the Father of Good thoughts, As the Creator of Righteousness And Lord over the actions of Life. (Y31,8) Even though the Persian Empire fell to (331BCE), the Magi continued to be very influential throughout the Middle East and the Western World, and the religion of the Magi continued as a primary religion in the middle east until the Moslem conquest (642 CE) The Magi were prized as teachers of great wisdom and power, and Zoroaster remained a highly respected figure. Of course, Zoroastrian ideas have been enormously Important to subsequent religious thought. Many scholars argue that Zoroaster's cursing of the Hindu caused the break between the religious approaches of the East (Hindu, ) and those of the West (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) In the Dead Sea Scrolls of the Essenes the imagery of the "Sons of Light" and "Sons of Darkness" is a direct borrowing from the religion of the Magi. 600 years after the Moslem conquest, the Sufi Mystic, Attar of Nishopur, wrote, "we are the Eternal Magi, we are not Moslems". The Minister of Wine in the of Omar Khayyam is a Magi. Omar Khayyam once said he wore the belt of a Magi because he was ashamed of his Islam. Giving Zoroaster the last word. "To All Good Thoughts, Good Words, and Good Deeds Belongs Paradise, So it is Manifest To the Pure."