[Persian] The traditional founder and prophet of Zoroastrianism, the dualistic religion of ancient Persia based upon the struggles between the good and evil principles represented by Ahura Mazda and Ahriman. Likely, Zarathustra was a religious leader who reorganized and reconstituted an older faith. The Zend-Avesta, the sacred writings of the Zoroastrian religion, is purposed to be a collection of his writings. He is also referred to as Zoroaster, which is Greek rendering of his name.
Zoroaster,
Zarathustra,
Zarathushtra (Avestan)
Zaradusht, Zartosht (Persian) [from Avestan
zarat yellow or old cf Sanskrit
jarat old +
ushtra he who bears light, the intellect in the act of cognition from the verbal root
ujsh light] He who bears the ancient light; the great teacher and lawgiver of ancient Persia in the Avesta, founder of the Mazdean religion, preserved by the modern Parsis.
"Founder of the religion variously called Mazdaism, Magism, Parseeism, Fire-Worship, and Zoroastrianism. The age of the last Zoroaster (for it is a generic name) is not known, and perhaps for that very reason. Zanthus of Lydia, the earliest Greek writer who mentions this great lawgiver and religious reformer, places him about six hundred years before the Trojan War. But where is the historian who can now tell when the latter took place? Aristotle and also Eudoxus assign him a date of no less than 6,000 years before the days of Plato, and Aristotle was not one to make a statement without a good reason for it. Berosus makes him a king of Babylon some 2,200 years B.C.; but then, how can one tell what were the original figures of Berosus, before his MSS. passed through the hands of Eusebius, whose fingers were so deft at altering figures, whether in Egyptian synchronistic tables or in Chaldean chronology? Haug refers Zoroaster to at least 1,000 years B.C.; and Bunsen . . .
to be continue "
Zoroaster2"
