W W m ‘ m m m THE ERA OF ZARATHUSHTRA w m 6‘ 31 In the Li ht o f Bab lo n ian Researches g y m mw m wm m m m m m m m m m XQ w ‘ a a w fl f m m b‘ é m / Q w S JQ ‘g m i X fi é ’e b X é m Q S m fi m L ' w I — K ka MA . ’ é te Mr Mehe r l bhaiN. u By The La . j , m m , E m S P blished b u y m T H E IRAN LE AGU E BOMBAY , m m 19 58 AC . m - t ( R e p r i nt f rom the I ran Leagu e Quar erl y ) m ( 1 - 7 -1 9 58 ) m ’ ] w E ‘ WWefi m m m m m m m m E G m wm w m wm w m Mr . M . N. KUKA , M A . 2 0 . A Brie f Life Sketc h o f an Iran ian Sch o l ar . IX “ T h r eh r ih i ir i - e l ate M . M e j b a Nosh wan JKuka w as a sel f effa cin g, sh y . unassum in g m an wh o has l eft b ehind him a t reasu re of r i ch enlighten i n g Avest an and Pe r si an l ite r ature . On e such work th at f his genius l e t f or poste r it y i s the booklet on th e E ra of Zoroaster , whi ch is n ow republ ished . uk M . A . T h e lat e M r. M eh erJibh aiN . K a, — - B 1 - 2 - 6 6 8 1 9 34 . orn : 0 1 1 8 5 . A C D ied : , , A te an P arsi scholar ve r , H IS ST U DIES ’ M eher Jibhais f ath er E r v ad Noshir wan Ji SorabjiKuk a was th e Pan th aki (head ' p r iest) of th e fi re- templ e at M how in C entra l M eh b a r D 10 1865 . H e India . er jih i was bo n in Mhow on ecem ber , had hi s earl y sch oolin g in Mhow an d later at Indo re . H e passed th e Matri cul ation E xamination of the Calcutta Univ er sity at th e t en der d P r 4 h . age of 1 , a r ema rkabl e achie ve m ent in t ose ay s incipal WIT U MO ND N O E 7» , H UR A F A C Y F P RSIA Ku M. A . By M . N ka , This book i s b r imful of the native Wit and h om our of the Irani ans h r 32 t at the e is n o dull moment th r oughout its 5 pa ges . r 3 r E] Ideal fo r presentati on P ic e R s . / (postage ext a) C an be had fr om T H E IR A N LEAG U E NavsariBuildin g H o rnby R oad BOMBAY (Ind ia) 1 , , (2 THE ERA OF ZOROA STER. In the Li ht f B n R es ar h g o abylo nia e c es . B Y : T H E AT E M R EH E R BH AI O H RWA N I U KA . L M n S E J A . N K , M , A DISTANT AT D E . In t he dim ha z e of f ar off ant iq uity t h e fi gu re that is just r e er n d isce nibl tow i g abo ve all , an d abs orbi n g ou r att ention by its i r r r un que p e sonalit y is that of Z or oaste , th e f ounde r of th e eligion ‘ en r T of anci t I an . he age t o whi ch he b e l on gs i s s o very remo t e that the e ye i s oft en deceived by an i lluso r y image of the f ar off scen e — th e f o rms loomin g in the distan ce s e em to assum e a protean and - ~ f antastic f eatu res , like obj e cts seen in the gl oamin g and it is not th erefo r e st ran ge that th e per sonality of the P r oph e t of I r an has b een e r b ff r ni vi wed and depict ed d ive se l y y men of di e ent ages an d cli cs . In the anci ent c lassi ca l lit e r ature w e see him r ep r esented as a m r r e y sti c , a philosophe , a magician v e se d in all th e occul t sci n ces, t h e r r r whil e in A abi c lit e atu e he fi gures me re l y as a h e resia r ch , once r r h r a di scipl e of ce tain H eb r ew p op et s . T o some people h e app ea s a h e Me a r r C al d an , to some a dian , and oth ers B ac t i an . In the late A vesta an d i n the Pahlavi books t hough we fi n d him del ineated with e r h gr eater faithfuln ss , the e i s at t e same time such a halo of my th su rr oundin g hi m as to make of him m o r e a d e mi god th an a human b ein g — a ci r cu m stance whic h at on e time in d uc ed some E u r o n r e n e o e p ea savants to d oubt his ve y xiste c . B ut n o n who has tho — roughl y st udied the Gathas t he most ancient s c r ip tures of Ma z daism can ha v e any doubt that Zo roaste r i s the r ei n a stron g li vin g p ersona i - a r r id ea l ty p r oph e t, p r i est an d ef o r me imbu e d wit h the l ofty of , I his m ission an d st r i vin g t o incul cate pu re m onothe ism upon t h e mi nd of his age. T H E A G E O F Z OR OAST ER . ’ T h e q uestion of Zo roast er s actual exist en c e is no lon ger a z e t r of m oote d on e . But the subj ect that has puz led the b s sch ol a s r A r e ou day , a s no oth er point of nci ent H ist o y has d on , i s t h e ra r . W r that of e in whi ch he flou ished hil e som e schola s e r 2 3 er d et ermine thi s p iod t o be so o ld as 00 B . oth s fix . r it at 700 B . C . on l y T u r nin g to anci ent lit e atu re, we find ’ 1 . B u nsen fi x es the era r aster at a t 8 500 B C . E t s a e in U n ersal of Zo o bou . ( gyp Pl c iv ist or v Vol. 58s . H III , p ) ‘ 3 THE ERA or Z ORO AST E R t he Gree k w rite rs assi gnin g t o him th e age of (5000 y ear s bef or e 30 C e th e P r — th e r 65 . Pl at o , o about B , whil ahlavi w it e rs m — s elv es th e followers of Zoroast e r giv c the ver y l at e d ate of 300 y ea r s r 30 n l . r s 6 b 6 . p r evious to Alexande , i . a out B . C o y T hese I anian , r n one of whom w r ote ea rlie r than th e Sa ssanian pe r iod , we re so f a r r r emo ved f r om the age in which Zo oast e l iv e d , that they had a f r r s an d er ver y ha z y not io n o the int e venin g c entu ie , besid e s they w e i r w r r sadly wanti ng n histo ical k no led ge . It is a em a kable f act n n r n t hat both t h e I dia s and th e I a i an s, while th ey culti vated o th e r r h f l r T h s ci enc e s , st rangel y negl ected this b anc o i te ature .