Zoroastrianism, and its effect on Christianity Zoroastrianism is one of the world’s oldest religions, and is, in fact, the world’s oldest known monotheistic religion, generally believed to be created by Zarathustra around 1000 BCE (Bryan S. Rennie, Zoroastrianism: the Iranian roots of Christianity?, Council of Societies For the Study of Religion Bulletin 36.1, 4). Being the oldest known monotheistic religion, Zoroastrianism has, most likely, influenced, in some way or another, most modern monotheistic religions, such as Christianity. The Zoroastrian influence of the Christian religion was largely transferred from earlier Zoroastrian influences of Judaism, the predecessor of Christianity. There are numerous amounts of similarities between Christianity
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In addition, the ideas of the Shaoshyant , the trinity, and Final Judgment eschatology first appeared in Zoroastrian beliefs, and were borrowed by Jews, and subsequently Christians. The religions also hold many more similarities: symbols of light/fire, creation stories, virgin births, a “fall of man” , and prophetic trials. Due to all these striking similarities and geographical proximity, it is almost certain that Zoroastrianism significantly influenced the development of Christian ideology. Thus, Zoroastrianism, one of the world’s oldest religions, has strongly influenced Christianity through its impact on Judaism, the major predecessor of the Christian religion; some of these influences include the role of Satan and Angelology and Demonology, the development of .an intricate eschatology, including a Final Judgment and Messiahs of virgin birth, and similar religious stories and symbols. However, to first understand the impact Zoroastrianism had on Christianity one must know the …show more content…
One of the similarities shared by the two religions is the similarity between the prophet of Ahura Mazda, Zarathustra, and the Christian Messiah, Jesus. For example, the two religious icons have supernatural births (born of virgins), youthful wisdom, religious turnings at the age of thirty, early religious bents, fitness and preeminent responsiveness (Applegate, Zoroastrianism and its probable influence of Judaism and Christianity, 193). Each religion has its form of “Original Sin”. Zoroastrianism’s “Original Sin” is the Shaoshyant, Yama, thinking a bad thought and releasing the Evil spirits on to the world, which brings the end of human immortality and starts the battle between good and evil; whereas, in the Christian religion, Adam and Eve partake in the forbidden fruit and lose their immortality, home in the Garden of Eden, and have to atone for their sins (a form of good vs evil). In addition, the symbolic role of light and fire in the religions is very similar. The god of light, Ahura Mazda’s gift to man is fire and Yahweh’s shines his light on those he favors. Therefore, in both contexts light is seen as good and divine. Lastly, each religion shares relatively similar creation stories. In the beginning,
In addition, the ideas of the Shaoshyant , the trinity, and Final Judgment eschatology first appeared in Zoroastrian beliefs, and were borrowed by Jews, and subsequently Christians. The religions also hold many more similarities: symbols of light/fire, creation stories, virgin births, a “fall of man” , and prophetic trials. Due to all these striking similarities and geographical proximity, it is almost certain that Zoroastrianism significantly influenced the development of Christian ideology. Thus, Zoroastrianism, one of the world’s oldest religions, has strongly influenced Christianity through its impact on Judaism, the major predecessor of the Christian religion; some of these influences include the role of Satan and Angelology and Demonology, the development of .an intricate eschatology, including a Final Judgment and Messiahs of virgin birth, and similar religious stories and symbols. However, to first understand the impact Zoroastrianism had on Christianity one must know the …show more content…
One of the similarities shared by the two religions is the similarity between the prophet of Ahura Mazda, Zarathustra, and the Christian Messiah, Jesus. For example, the two religious icons have supernatural births (born of virgins), youthful wisdom, religious turnings at the age of thirty, early religious bents, fitness and preeminent responsiveness (Applegate, Zoroastrianism and its probable influence of Judaism and Christianity, 193). Each religion has its form of “Original Sin”. Zoroastrianism’s “Original Sin” is the Shaoshyant, Yama, thinking a bad thought and releasing the Evil spirits on to the world, which brings the end of human immortality and starts the battle between good and evil; whereas, in the Christian religion, Adam and Eve partake in the forbidden fruit and lose their immortality, home in the Garden of Eden, and have to atone for their sins (a form of good vs evil). In addition, the symbolic role of light and fire in the religions is very similar. The god of light, Ahura Mazda’s gift to man is fire and Yahweh’s shines his light on those he favors. Therefore, in both contexts light is seen as good and divine. Lastly, each religion shares relatively similar creation stories. In the beginning,