Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 20.djvu/935

* ZOROASTER. 797 ZOROASTRIANISM. Hutaosa, who has the same name as Atossa, tlio wile of Hystaspes, father of Darius, alUuniyli there is absolutely no liistoric ground for iden- tifying Vishtaspa and liutaosa with Hystasjjes and Atossa, as has been done on the basis of iden- tity of names. The nobles of the Court likewise adopted the religion of Zoroaster, and we may traee the history and projiaganda of the faith down to the time of the prophet's death, whieh oceurred in n.c. 583, at the age of seveuty-sevfM. if we accept and correctly interpret the tra- dilional chronology. Zoroaster's end seems to have been a violent one, and to have taken place during the invasion of Iran by Turan wlieii Arejat-aspa, or Arjasp, of the latter hostile country, waged a religious war against Vishtaspa. Firdausi (q.v.) and other later writers locate the scene where Zoroaster was slain at Baikh or Baetria (q.v.). A full account of the life and legend of Zoroaster and of all the sources of information regarding him as a historic per- sonage niaj' be found in Jackson, Zoroaster the I'l-oplirt of Ancient Iran (New York, 1890). Con- sult also Tiele, Geschichte dcr Religion ini- Alter- tnni (Gotha, 181)8) : Lehmann, Zarathustra (Copenhagen, 1899-1902). ZOROASTRIANISM. The designation gen- erall.v employed to denote the ancient religion of Persia prior to the ilohammedan conquest of Iran. Other terms are sometimes substituted, such as Mazdaism from its supreme god, Mag- ism from its ancient priests, Parsiism from its modern adherents, and again lire-wcrship or dualism from certain characteristic tenets. The historical development of the religion will be foimd brielly sketclied under the separate titles AVEST., GlIEBERS, MaGI, PaHLAVI LANGUAGE AND Literature, Parsis, Zoroaster. One of the most striking features of Zoroas- ter's faith, as taught in his metrical psalms or Gathas ( q.v. ), is a pronounced but modified dual- ism. It is pronoimced because belief in a con- stant warfare between the good and evil prin- ciples that pervade the world is everywhere pres- ent, and is markedly emphasized. Ahura Mazda or Ormazd (q.v.), 'the Lord Wisdom,' the su- preme god of Iran, created the universe and rules it; Anra Mainyu or Ahriman (q.v.), 'the spirit- ual Enemy,' or devil, invaded the world and ever disorders it. To the latter being, or rather to the evil principle whose wicked spirit he era- bodies, the name Druj, 'Deceit, Satan,' is also given. The dualism is modified because it re- gards the power of evil as limited in time. Al- though nature is divided and rent asunder by the two eonfiicting principles, nevertheless man, as a free agent, will bring about the ultimate triumph of right by choosing right and extending the power of good for the overthrow and annihi- lation of evil. This result in the end will estab- lish the 'good kingdom' (Av. vohu xkiBra) , where evil shall be banished and good shall reign supreme after the general resurrection. To accomplish this end is the aim of the proph- et's teaching; and the views which he maintains of the contending forces of right and wrong, the empires of light and darkness, are remarkable for their sharpness and logical precision. According to Zoroaster's belief the heavenly hierarchy that rules the realm of good is lieaded by the god Ormazd. Sis attendant spirits. besides lesser divine beings, join with him in ad- ministering the kingdom. These si. presiding divinities, who with Ormazd make uj) his court, are called Amesha Spentas, 'Immortal Holy Ones,' the later Persian Amshaspands. They represent personifications of virtues, good thought, right- eousness, wislied-for kingdom, harmony on earth, salvation, immortality. The allegory beneath their names and the various domains in the pliysical world — animal life, fire, metals, earth, water, plants — over which they pn'side. are easy to recognize and not dillicult to utuh'rstand. Next in rank to these, and but little if at all below them, stands a company of angels, Yazatas, 'Worshipful Ones,' who guide the force of na- ture and perform the duties incumbent upon their olhces in the divine organization. Chief among these is Mithra (see J1itiira.s), a per- sonification of tight and truth. Atar, the fire, Apo, the waters, and several idealized repre- sentations of the sun, moon, and stars, together with a variety of lesser divine creations, fulfill the heavenly decrees in the management of the universe. To ottset these, on the side of evil, is a vast host led by Aliriman and composed of a disordered rabble of a rcli fiends, fiends, demons, and evil spirits, who contend against the well- organized ranks of the good and strive to de- stroy the soul of man. Foremost among this troop is the demon Aeshma-daeva, whose name is generally considered to be reflected in the fiend AsBiodeus (q.v.), of the Apocryphal Book of Tobit. The names and number of the hosts of evil are legion; it would be idle to try to enu- merate them. The struggle between these two conflicting kingdoms forms the history of the universe whose duration lasts for a world-period of 12,000 years. The Pahlavi Bundahishn gives us a no- tion of the Zoroastrian ideas of cosmology and chronology'. Ormazd and Ahriman are co-exist- ent, though not co-eternal, in the realm of light and darkness. Space primevally separated them. Time began with their conflict. During the first three thousand years the universe existed only in a spiritual state; everything was represented by its frarasi, or heavenly prototype, in a trans- cendental form. Ahriman, not knowing this, arose from the abyss of darkness, but when he beheld the light he was dazzled and driven back, baffled by its radiancy and splendor. He at once created the infernal hosts to W'age war against the rc<ilm of light. In the second 3000 years Ormazd cre- ated the world and primitive man in a material form to fight against the powers of evil. Dur- ing the third 3000 years, wdiich is the historic period of the world known to Zoroaster, Ahriuum invades the earth, mingles evil with good, marring all till the coming of Zoroaster drives him and the demons for a time away. The last three thousand years are millennial periods. Each of these three millennia is presided over by a prophet or savior, to be born trom the seed of Zoroaster. The final one of these shall preside at the general resurrection, when the world shall be renewed and eternity shall begin. It is then that the powers of evil, united for a final struggle, shall be utterly routed by the forces of good ; wickedness shall vanish at this final crisis, and righteousness shall reign su- preme as Zoroaster foretold. See Saoshyant. The essence of Zoroaster's moral and ethical