Oct 02, 2009 zoroastrianism at a glance zoroastrianism is one of the worlds oldest monotheistic religions. Hinduism is followed by hindus and zoroastrianism is followed by people referred to as parsis. The present entry will address main points of contact between hinduism and zoroastrianism diachronically. Syncretism and the zoroastrian influence on judaism. Zoroastrianism taught that a mans deeds on earth were also rewarded beyond the grave. This religion was likely similar to early forms of hinduism. Which is an older religion, hinduism or zoroastrianism. The migration forced them to adapt to new conditions and make some adjustments in their religious beliefs and practices. Apr 03, 20 the puranas are holy books of hinduism that date back to gupta empire in ancient india. Zoroastrianism believes that ahura mazda gave humans free will to choose either good or evil. They are humans who achieve enlightenment via asceticism. The most important texts of the religion are those of the avesta, the zoroastrians holy book. Apr 17, 2009 some scholars favour an earlier or a later date.
Jews have their hasidim, christians have a long history of mystical experiences, writing, and practices. There are several religions in the world, each of which has its own holy books. Recently, i read a thread on similarities between the two ancient eastern religions of zoroastrianism and hinduism. Zoroastrianism is also responsible for the angels and demons hierarchy and notions of heaven and hell. The following are the most sacred holy books in hinduism. Religion has been a factor of the human experience throughout history, from pre historic to.
Zoroastrianism still survives in pockets in the hindu kush on the. One of the oldest known religious texts is the kesh temple hymn of ancient sumer, a set of inscribed clay tablets which scholars typically date around 2600 bce. However, the puranas are supposed to be complied by muni vyasa. Through good words, thoughts and deeds, humans can serve ahura mazda and help defeat angra mainyu. Hinduism download books, sacred, spiritual texts and pdf. Zoroastrianism is thought to have arisen in the late second millennium b. Zoroastrianism download books, sacred, spiritual texts and. Early hinduism was founded over 5,000 years ago in the indus river valley in india. So, the core religion of zoroastrianism should be antivedic. God khoda in the language of the older zoroastrian scriptures is ahura mazda. In fact, zoroastrianism is older than judaism by about 2000 years. There is a concept of yasnasanskrit equivalentyajna in zoroastrianism. Indian religions, hinduism, jainism, sikhism, christianity.
The upanishads are also called as vedantas or the end of the vedas. The puranas are holy books of hinduism that date back to gupta empire in ancient india. Sanatana means eternal and dharma means duty, activity or nature. How was postislamic zoroastrianism viewed in ancient hindu texts. Hinduism unlike islam, christianity and judaism, does not have a single holy book, but many ancient texts and scriptures. The protoindoiranian religion is considered the precursor of the vedic religion and zoroastrianism. According to this tradition, there existed many such esoteric groups of zoroastrian holy maghavs and abeds, in the mountain regions of the caucasus, elburz mountains, hindu kush, pamirs, and central asiatic highlands. Sanatana dharma is the original religion that comes down from the dawn of creation of this universe. Zoroastrianisms influence on judaism, christianity, islam. The epic of gilgamesh from sumer, although only considered by some scholars as a religious text, has origins as early as 2150 bce, and stands as one of the earliest literary works that includes various mythological figures and themes. Sruti consists of four vedas, upanishads, brahmanas, aranyakas, and bhagavadgita while smriti consists of manu smriti, 18 puranas, ramayana, and mahabharata and other hindu holy books.
Little is known about the prophet zoroaster himself. Interestingly enough, three particular kurdish religious variants practiced. Feb 09, 2017 zoroastrianism is the ancient, preislamic religion of persia modernday iran. The zoroastrian holy book, called the avesta, was written in the avestan language, which is closely related to vedic sanskrit. Zoroastrians reading their holy book, or avesta, during a nowruz ceremony held at the rostam bagh fire temple in tehran, iran.
The gathas, the most ancient, describe zoroasters followers often as depressed and endangered. Navjote the public ceremony of inititation into the zoroastrian faith into the zoroastrian faith. Oct 02, 2009 this article examines zoroastrian beliefs about god, zoroaster and the immortals. While it certainly has evolved over the years, the belief in gods and deities is an ancient tradition and dates back thousands of years. So its clear that vedic hinduism is very very older than zoroastrianism. Kaveh kazemi getty images nawruz, also spelled nowruz as well as other variants, is an ancient persian holiday celebrating the new year. In search of one of the worlds oldest religions the getty iris. Smriti literature is considered less authoritative than sruti.
But some scholars would argue for a very early date for zoroaster, and ancient iranian religion certainly predates the 6th century bce. The history of hinduism in india can be traced to about 1500 bce. The earliest literary source for the history of hinduism is the rigveda, consisting of hymns that were composed chiefly during the last two or three centuries of. At one point in history, zoroastrianism was one of the most powerful religions in. We are trying to list out here as many hindu scriptures and books. Dec 05, 2010 please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members its free and quick. Apr 11, 2007 zoroastrianism is a founding belief system acknowledged to have heavily influenced both abrahamic judaism, christianity, islam and dharmic hinduism, buddhism, jainism and sikhism religions. It was founded by the prophet zoroaster or zarathustra in ancient iran approximately 3500 years ago. Religion has been around for as long as man has existed. This sacred text is divided into two main sections, the old testament and the new testament which are then further divided into various books. Zoroastrianism became the official religion of the iranian empire from the time of cambyses ii 529522 bce. Arguably the worlds first monotheistic faith, its one of the oldest religions still in.
It is believed that zoroastrianism was preceded in the region by an ancient religion that had some affinity with the rigvedic religion, and the differences and similarities between zoroastrianism and hinduism might be due to the distinction zoroastrianism tried to establish against its predecessor. Sometimes called the official religion of ancient persia, zoroastrianism is one of the worlds oldest surviving religions, with teachings older than buddhism, older than judaism, and far older than christianity or islam. Zoroastrianism is younger than the vedic religion but older than modern hinduism. The qissai sanjan is a tale of the journey of the parsis to india from iran. Hinduism is often considered the oldest existing religion still practiced today. Apart from the gods that are common to both zoroastrianism and hinduism, names of some other hindu gods are carried by even modern day persian speakers. Eirciv 102a, spring 2006 vi february 7, 2006 basic bibliography some useful literature boyce, m. There are lot more etymological and historical evidences for the vedic hindu root of zoroastrianism. Two such spiritually developed communities are known by the names of the abeds of chaechast vaar and the abeds of demaand kuh. I do not know how much you know about this religion, but it was founded by someone called zoroaster or zarathushtra who was born around 1200 bc and has a holy text called the avesta. It is probably the oldest, organized, and monotheistic religion with a huge following. According to these records, zoroastrianism and hinduism are the two oldest religions of our modern humanity. Evidence of hinduism s early antecedents is derived from archaeology, comparative philology, and comparative religion.
Answer 3 actually, hinduism is about 500,000 years old or more, judaism is about 3000 years old, so its obvious whos elder. Zoroastrianism originated as a persian religion and is monotheistic worship of a single deity. Zoroastrianism, the ancient pre islamic religion of iran that survives there in isolated areas and, more prosperously, in india, where the descendants of zoroastrian iranian persian immigrants are known as parsis, or parsees. Oct 17, 2010 the kalpa sutra is the holy book of the of jainism religion. Religious texts are texts related to a religious tradition.
The holy books of world religions sacred texts in world. Ascribed to the teachings of the iranianspeaking spiritual leader zoroaster also known. Zoroastrians are much smaller than their indian counterparts. Hinduism hinduism is the indigenous, most predominant religion of. What are the similarities of zoroastrianism and buddhism. Jun 20, 2016 are you tired of seeking loans and mortgages,have you been turned down constantly by your banks and other financial institutions,we offer any form of loan to individuals and corporate bodies at low interest rate. Religion has been a factor of the human experience throughout history, from prehistoric to. Hinduism is the older of the two with a literature going back to the beginning of recorded history. There are no zoroastrian images or representations of god. Several parallels can also be traced between another text called the gathas of zarathushtra yasna and the book of isaiah.
People in it talked mainly about how zoroastrianism was a hybridbranch off of ancient avestan religion and hinduism since some of their terminologies are similar and some are different. There are four vedas namely rigveda, yajurveda, samaveda and atharvaveda. Zoroastrianism flourished under the persian emperors known as the. This part of the site has complete online editions of the sacred books of the easts zoroastrian texts. Hinduism part 2 download books, sacred, spiritual texts. Hinduism is the oldest of the major world religions. Zoroaster also taught that good will ultimately triumph over evil. Zoroastrianism promotes the concept of a life spent in beneficent action. One of the oldest known religious texts is the kesh temple hymn of ancient.
With news this week of the discovery of what could be the earliest known siddur, a jewish prayer book dated at around 840 ad we have put together a list of 10 of the oldest known surviving books in the world today. If you are interested in taking a loan,feel free to contact us today,we promise to offer you the best services ever. Arguably the worlds first monotheistic faith, its one of the oldest religions still in existence. May 27, 2005 as far as i can tell, as of now, there is only one real argument against christianity and that comes from zoroastrianism. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. In zoroastrian thought, the amesha spentas are heavenly beings created by ahura mazda and, combined, represent the sevenfold character of god. One of the worlds oldest surviving religions, zoroastrianism played an important. Based on sadoyak namekhoda, the hundred and one names of god.
In others christianity, the canonical texts include a particular text bible but is an. Syncretism and the zoroastrian influence on judaism published 4. Just give us a try,because a trial will convince you. It is a multitendency faith centered on a dualistic cosmology of good and evil and an eschatology predicting the ultimate conquest of evil with theological elements of henotheism, monotheismmonism, and polytheism.
Not only was it a cohort of the ancient vedic hinduism, but also had a huge influence on the development of judaism and christianity. The timeline goes from the 2nd millennium bce to the present. The yasts and vendidad are said to compose the younger avesta. Hinduism or the indian belief system is definitely much much older than zoroastrianism. Find out more about the oldest religions still practiced. This includes the original words of their founder zarathushtra, preserved in a series of five hymns, called the gathas. Some forums can only be seen by registered members. Judaism is my vote, since they have been around to help construct the pyramids of egypt back in 2000 bc or so. Zoroastrianism and hinduism hindupedia, the hindu encyclopedia. Hinduism and zoroastrianism are two very different religions followed by people of different beliefs.
Zoroastrianism s appeal to them was apparently in their complex concept of an afterlife. One of the questions that is most often asked about zoroastrianism by non zoroastrians is whether there is a mystical side to the faith. Prophet muhammad in zoroastrian and hindu scriptures. The first of the oldest surviving religious texts, the pyramid. Later priests would add to the gathas, in the avestan language, to make up the rest of the zoroastrian holy book, now known as the avesta or zend avesta. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. Why are there so many similarities between zoroastrianism and.
Given that the islams birth was based on destroying the idol worshippers, and. Today it is the thirdlargest religion behind christianity and islam. Sanatana dharma, known as hinduism or hindu dharma, buddhism or. However, the holy books in hinduism are the basis on which we have evolved our culture and way of living. A high god of pre zoroastrian iran that survived the advent of zoroastrianism and also continues to have a presence in the vedas of hindu literature in india. What are all the holy books and their religions answers. Is zoroastrianism the oldest religion in the world. This book was translated by the conquering sasanids into the pahlavi tongue. It survives there in isolated areas but primarily exists in india, where the descendants of zoroastrian persian immigrants are known as parsis, or parsees.
In zoroastrianism, all people are considered equal, and treated exactly the same, despite differences. To begin with, their the term zoroastrianism, coined in the 19th century in a colonial context, is inspired by a. Zoroastrianism is an ancient persian religion that may have originated as early as 4,000 years ago. Modern zoroastrian priest wearing mouth cover while tending a temple fire. Angel and demon, respectively, any benevolent or malevolent spiritual being that mediates between the transcendent and temporal realms. Zoroastrians believe that the earth will be devoured by fire. The iranians, in their first migration into iran, were led by the great teacher zoroaster, who belonged to the same mighty brotherhood as manu of the indic tradition and was a high initiate of the same great lodge, taught by the same. Its name comes from zarathushtra, to whom the earliest texts of the. Zoroastrianism was founded in persia ancient iran around 3500 years ago by the prophet zoroaster, or zarathustra. Hindu civilisation originated in the gangetic and indus valleys and from there spread out over. There are many things common between zoroastrianism and the vedic religion. So if a man lived a rich but wicked life, just walking about sheol in an. The zoroastrian worship is known as yasna, which derived from vedic hindu word yagna, which is a worship exercise. Hello, ive often heard that zoroastrianism z is the worlds oldest monotheistic religion in the world.
Differences and similarities between hinduism and zoroastrianism and their historical. For example, the names siva charming and variations of rama black are used by iranic speakers, such as persians and pashtuns. The literature appears to designate the period and condition of the church. It may be noted that ahur mazda mazdakku was respected from the time of medes even before iranian empire adopted zoroastrianism. Hinduism hinduism is the indigenous, most predominant religion of the indian subcontinent. Zoroaster was born into a polytheistic religion similar to early hinduism in northeast iran or southwest afghanistan. Writing and literature are thought to have been first developed between the 7th and 4th millenium bc. A moment later, vesta became aware that her life was passing her by in that busy city, where no man could capture her heart what if she married someone, who wasnt mentally prepared to keep his zoroastrian identity intact. They are among various spiritual beings, powers, and principles that mediate between the realm of the sacred or holy and the profane realm of. These texts are glorious tales of the hindu trinity brahma, vishnu and maheshwar shiva. Why are there so many similarities between zoroastrianism.
The religious philosophy of zoroaster divided the early iranian gods of protoindoiranian tradition. Hinduism has its roots in india and is polytheistic worship of many gods. The earliest texts from this region are extensive, but unfortunately, scholars have yet to find a way to translate the language of the texts. The proof of many of these religions are seen in religious texts discovered by experts and specialists. Zoroastrianism and hinduism are both ageold religions. The ancient indoiranian religion of zoroastrianism known to natives as.
Download the bible, the holy quran, the mahabharata and thousands of free pdf ebooks on buddhism, meditation etc. The daily prayer book the parsis use everyday is khordeh avesta the smaller avesta. Hindu website, hinduism, buddhism, jainism, sikhism. It is a great myth that avestan resembles vedic religion. I also hear that its the oldest religion, in general. Other asian religions and their philosophies sikhism. Bbc culture the obscure religion that shaped the west. Hinduism is the worlds oldest religion, according to many scholars, with roots and. Hindus value many sacred writings as opposed to one holy book. After you create your account, youll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new postsday with fewer ads. The vedas are the oldest religious scriptures available to us. Regardless of whether you are a girl, or a boy, or young, or old, of a different race, or poor, or rich, or anything in between, all people are treated equally. Zoroastrianism or mazdayasna is one of the worlds oldest continuously practiced religions.
Answer 2 regarding all god religions judaism, christianity, and islam, god holy books are. It is read in the eight day long festival called paryushan. Lets discuss about the similarities given by you between both religion. Difference between hinduism and zoroastrianism difference. Zoroastrians believe in one god, called ahura mazda meaning wise lord. Also within his religion, zoroaster taught the existence of angels, demons and saviors, ideas that can also be found in christianity, judaism and islam.
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