Religion

The early Persians worshipped a variety of gods, many of whom were associated with natural phenomena, such as the sun. However, around 600 BCE, a great prophet started expounding the tenets of a new religion that recognized just one god, called Ahura Mazda (Lord of

Wisdom). The prophet’s name was Zoroaster (or Zarathustra), and the religion he preached was eventually to become the official religion of the Persian Empire.

Zoroaster is believed to have lived for around 77 years. The stories told about him testify to his desire to help the poor and unfortunate. In his youth, during a period of great drought, he is said to have distributed his father’s stores of food to the poor. On another occasion, he tried to save a half-starved dog and its five pups. When he was 20, he left his parents’ house and embarked on a search for the most just and merciful person he could find. He traveled for seven years, and during that time, he began to formulate the ideas behind his new religion.

This bronze harness ring, discovered in the Luristan region of western Iran, was made between the 10th and 7th centuries BCE.

Zoroaster rejected all but one of the many gods of his day. He chose to worship Ahura Mazda as the one all-powerful god, the embodiment of good. Ahura Mazda’s adversary was Angra Mainyu, the personification of evil. The world was created, said Zoroaster, in the struggle between the two of them. Since then, the conflict between good and evil, light and dark, has been a never-ending battle.

The prophet struggled for many years to persuade people to relinquish their beliefs in the old magic cults and adhere to his new faith. Even though he was not very eloquent, he was determined to free his people from the grip of irrational superstition. “As a priest,” he is recorded as saying, “I will continue to search for the paths of righteousness and teach the way to cultivate the earth.” It seems he was persecuted for his teachings, and he writes: “To which country shall I flee? Where shall I hide?” For a moment, his faith seems to waver: “Do not desert me Ahura Mazda. Help me as a friend who helps his friends. Teach me to think well and correctly.”

Evidently, his prayers were answered. After ten years of preaching, Zoroaster made his first convert—his cousin Maidioman, who became his disciple. Two years later, a local king called Hystaspes also converted and embraced the new religion very enthusiastically. Hystaspes and Zoroaster became close friends, and the king converted his entire court to the new religion. Hystaspes also undertook military campaigns with the aim of imposing the teachings of Zoroaster on neighboring peoples.

Hystaspes was probably only a minor ruler who had to pay tribute to the nomadic Tartars who were his neighbors. Urged on by his new belief and by the prophet, Hystaspes waged two successful holy wars against the Tartars to end this humiliating situation. The triumphs of Hystaspes greatly enhanced the reputation of the faith among the Persian people.

It is believed that Zoroaster was murdered around 550 BCE by fanatic Tartars or by a hostile religious figure defending the old faith. In some legends, the prophet’s death is depicted as a supernatural event; he is said to have been carried off to heaven by a flash of lightning to save him from cruel tortures.