Zoroastrianism

Because he came from outside the Persian royal house, it was important for Darius to establish his legitimacy (lej-JIT-uh-meh-see), or his right to rule. He left behind a remarkable document, the Behistun (beh-hi-STOON) Inscription, a stone pillar telling of his deeds as king. According to the Behistun Inscription, Darius gained victory because he “was not wicked, nor a liar” and he “ruled according to righteousness.” His power, the Behistun Inscription indicates, came by the grace of God—and that god had a name.

Unlike Cyrus, who does not seem to have held a strong religious belief, Darius—and through his influence, much of

Persia—was Zoroastrian (zohr-oh-AS-tree-un). The roots of the faith went back several centuries, but the prophet who gave it its name did not appear until the 600s b. c. His name was Zoroaster (zohr-oh-AS-tur), sometimes rendered as Zarathushtra (zahr-uh-THOO-sh'truh). Zoroaster proclaimed that the god Ahura-Mazda (ah-HOOR-uh MAHZ-duh) was supreme above all other gods. The opposite of Ahura-Mazda was Ahriman (AH-ree-mahn), who was pure evil—in other words, the Devil.

Zoroaster, engraving.

Corbis-Bettmann. Reproduced by permission.

In fact, the Christian idea of Satan (a name derived from a Persian word) came through the Zoroastrian influence on the Jews then under Persian rule. Although the Old Testament certainly discusses the nature of evil, there is little mention of a devil as such: rather, there is the Serpent who tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden, and there is Lucifer (LOO-si-fur), the leading angel, whose revolt against God is described in the Book of Isaiah. Generally, however, Judaism maintains that all things, both good and evil, come from God.

Not so with Zoroastrianism, which held that all existence was a constant struggle between the forces of light and the forces of darkness. This idea would have an enormous influence on Christianity, which likewise views the world as a battleground between God and his angels and Satan and his demons. It is interesting to note, then, that the “three kings,” or “three wise men,” who according to the New Testament followed a star to find the baby Jesus, were probably Zoroastrian priests.