The Zoroastrians (Part 1): Who are the Zoroastrians?!?!

One of the first questions I was asked when I walked into the Zoroastrian's building was, "How did you find out about us?"  It was a fair question.  At one time, Zoroastrianism was the largest organized religion in the world.  Today, the ancient religion has less than 200,000 adherents.  Not surprisingly, most people have never heard of the Zoroastrians.

Except that they have.  Almost everyone in the world, regardless of whether or not they are Christian, is familiar with the birth narrative of Jesus.  Most of us have heard of the three wise men.  These men, called Magi in literal translations of the Bible, came from the East, which here means Persia.  So, what is a Magi?  Magi were Zoroastrian clergy.  Zoroastrianism was the religion of the Persian Empire.

The Three Magi (Wise Men) depicted on their way to visit Jesus

Like the Jews, the Zoroastrians were monotheists who believed in a Savior to be born of a virgin.  This seems to be why Matthew took the time to tell this story.  If that's correct, Matthew seems to think that the birth of Jesus fulfills a prophesy shared by both religions.  He doesn't say this explicitly.

Zoroastrians show up elsewhere in the Christian scriptures too.  People who have read their Old Testament will recall that after the Persians conquered Babylon, they not only freed the Jews from oppression.  They helped Jews resettle in Judea and even gave money to rebuild the Temple.  It wasn't uncommon for the Persians to treat their subjects kindly, but they may have been especially kind to the Jews on account of their shared monotheism.  The Jews, in turn, seemed to have a positive view of Persia, especially when compared with their view of the Greeks and Romans.

The bird icon above the door is the Zoroastrian symbol for God's Holy Spirit.

For at least the last century, there has been an ongoing debate among scholars concerning the degree to which Zoroastrianism influenced second temple Judaism and Christianity.  Like Christians, Zoroastrians believe that God has a Holy Spirit who at times takes the shape of a bird.  They believe in an afterlife, in angels and demons and so much more.

I learned about the Zoroastrians during a Western Civilization class I took at Rochester College.  At the time, I was disturbed to learn that the Persians were also monotheists and that shared many views with Christians that aren't found in the Torah.  It raised a serious question for me.  Was religion simply an artifact of history or does God work through history.  The facts forced me to believe the either one or the other was true.

In any case, understanding Zoroastrianism is important for understanding the history of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.  The four religions have directly influenced each other in a variety of ways.  Now you know a little bit about who the Zoroastrians are.  I'll post about my visit with them in a few days.