EXPLORING THE INFLUENCE OF ZOROASTRIANISM ON JUDAISM AND CHRISTIANITY

EXPLORING THE INFLUENCE OF ZOROASTRIANISM ON JUDAISM AND CHRISTIANITY

Zoroastrianism is an ancient faith that originated in Persia, contemporary Iran and is arguably the oldest monotheistic religion. Based upon its founder Zoroaster (also Zarathustra), the supreme God, Ahura Mazda, is all-powerful and the creator of all things. Ahura Mazda is also called the Wise Lord, the source of truth. Zoroastrians also believe in an evil spirit, Angra Mainyu, that opposes Spenta Mainyu, the Holy Spirit of Ahura Mazda. Although today it is a minority religion and relatively unheard of, with the number of Zoroastrians being only around 250,000 worldwide, Zoroastrianism was once the world’s most powerful religion, mainly from 600 BCE to 650 CE when it was the official religion of the Persian Empire.[1] As such, it was an influential religion that made a significant impact on other faiths, including Judaism and Christianity. Mainly, the ideas of heaven, a coming Messiah, and many other Judaism and Christianity concepts with a Zoroastrian background, the Jewish interaction with the Persians through private dialogues and political and civic experiences at the end of the Exile, and the inter-testamental period, an era between the end of the Old Testament and before Christianity and New Testament composition that lasted from about 150 BCE to 100 CE, show the influence of Zoroastrianism.

While discussing the influence of this Persian religion on Judaism and Christianity, a good starting point would be first discussing the Jewish interaction with the Persians. Notably, significant Jewish-Persian interaction occurred after the Persians, led by the Achaemenid King Cyrus, conquered Babylon in 539 BCE, freeing the Jews from Babylonian captivity. The Cyrus Cylinder gives an account of the acts of King Cyrus, including his support for the restoration of the Jewish temples and issuing a decree that allowed the Jews to return home.[2] Even after this decree, not all Jews wanted to return to their homeland. Some had already adopted and opted to remain under the Persian Rule. Thus, the first significant contact between Jewish and Persian cultures was made during the post-exilic period.[3] The two cultures interacted in their normal daily experiences. The Judeans/Israelites had a friendly and intimate connection with local Persian authority figures, and some served as royal officials while others were servants to Persian officials.[4] Remarkably, Biblical figures like Mordecai, Ezra, and Nehemiah became part of the Persian court, and Esther even became queen to the Persian Empire king, Ahasuerus.[5] Also, some Judeans held the interpreter-scribe occupation for the Persian officials, exposing them to Persian ideologies as they were involved in the Persian administration’s functioning and all official communications.[6] Consequently, the Jews began borrowing names and words from the Persian language. Therefore, this is how the Jews interacted with the Persians through private dialogues and political and civic experiences during the post-exilic period.[7] With these close relations, it would have been surprising if some Zoroastrian beliefs did not become part of the Jewish religion.

Moreover, several concepts in Judaism and Christianity with a Zoroastrian background, such as the ideas of heaven and a coming Messiah, are notable factors that indicate the influential impact of Zoroastrianism on Judaism and Christianity. Notably, before the Babylonian captivity and being taken into Exile, the Jews perceived God as their protector, who would help them conquer their enemies and protect them from being exiled. However, during and after the Exile, this concept of God underwent revision, as they now believed a Savior would come and free them. Shapero notes that this Jewish idea of a coming Messiah is parallel to the Zoroastrian thinking of Saoshyant (a savior), a benefactor of the people.[8] Evidently, the Zoroastrian Creed showcases the Zoroastrian belief in Saoshyants (saviors)[9], further indicating that the Jewish and Christian belief in a Messiah is rooted in Zoroastrianism.

The idea of heaven is another key indicator of the influence of Zoroastrianism on Judaism and Christianity. Seemingly, the pre-exilic Israelites, or at least their literature, show no detailed descriptions of their perception of death, dying, and the afterlife.[10] The Hebrew Bible lacks detailed descriptions of the underworld (Sheol) or descent to or ascent from the underworld. In fact, the Old Testament does not use the word Sheol in connection to dying after a happy, fulfilled life. As such, the pre-exilic Israelites seemingly understood Sheol as a place for the wicked, showing the lack of a concept of the afterlife for the righteous.[11] Nonetheless, new eschatology ideas became part of the Jewish religion after their exposure to the Zoroastrian religion. Concerning eschatology, Zoroastrians believe that the righteous will go to heaven or paradise after they die, while the wicked will be sent to the underworld, a place of misery, horror, and suffering. They also believe that the dead will resurrect, and there will be a final judgment. A similar belief emerges in later Old Testament literature, such as in the book of Daniel, which talks about the dead awakening and a final judgment.[12] The Zoroastrian eschatological belief is also much similar to what most Christians believe, proving that Zoroastrianism had an influence on the Jews’ and Christians’ concept of eschatology.

Further, a look at the inter-testamental period, an era between the end of the Old Testament and before Christianity and New Testament composition that lasted from about 150 BCE to 100 CE, reveals the influence of Zoroastrianism. The changes or differences between the pre-exilic and post-exilic literature and the emergence of new ideas in the New Testament are what indicate the influence on Judaism and Christianity. As already mentioned, the Old Testament does not show a concept of the afterlife for the righteous; not until the post-exilic period when the Jews came into contact with the Zoroastrian religion of the Persians. Another account is the Biblical story about The Wise Men from the East (magoi apo Anatolian) narrated in Matthew Chapter 2.[13] The story is about wise men (magi) who visited Bethlehem to honor the birth of Jesus by gifting myrrh, frankincense, and gold. The word “magic” was originally used to mean Persian religious practices, and “magoi” or “magi” stood for Persian philosophers.[14] Therefore, the magi who visited Jesus with gifts in Bethlehem were likely Zoroastrian priests or followers of the Zoroastrian religion. This Biblical story about the magi is thus the most explicit reference to the connection between Christianity and the Persian religion.

The Revelation of John also portrays a direct interaction between Zoroastrianism and Christianity. Chapters 4 and 5 imagine God as a cosmic ruler, and the imagery of the throne suggests a Persian-oriental emperor, not a Roman one.[15] The book also talks about a place of demonic forces, just like those in the Iranian apocalyptic traditions. In addition, the book’s description of a satanic serpent defeated by barbarian armies, the frogs symbolizing evil, and some parts of the imaginary Revelation world match the Zoroastrian mythology of an arch‐enemy called the dragon Aži Dahāka.[16] Conclusively, all these accounts point to the direct interaction with Zoroastrian ideologies in the New Testament literature.

In conclusion, although Zoroastrianism is relatively unheard of today and may receive no detailed interest from Western Christians, it was once the most powerful religion. As the Persian Empire’s official religion from 600 BCE to 650 CE, it significantly influenced Judaism, particularly after the Persians defeated the Babylonians and freed the Jews. The Persians had a friendly and intimate connection with the Jews; therefore, Zoroastrianism becoming part of the mainstream Jewish faith was inevitable. Since Christianity was founded on Judaism, Zoroastrianism also impacted the mindset among Christians. The key elements in Judaism and Christianity that indicate a Zoroastrian influence include the emergence of new doctrines like a coming Messiah and the idea of heaven and the accounts of the New Testament, like the story about The Wise Men from the East.

Bibliography

Cheek, Jennifer. “The Influence of Zoroastrianism on Christian Eschatology.” Undergraduate Issue 52, no. 1 (2009): 10–16. https://alphachihonor.org/headquarters/files/Website%20Files/Undergraduate%20Recorders/2009-Recorder-Vol-52-1.pdf#page=11.

Frenschkowski, Marco. “Christianity.” The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Zoroastrianism, 2015, 457–75. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118785539.ch29.

Halsall, Paul. “Medieval Sourcebook: The Zoroastrian Creed.” Internet history sourcebooks: Medieval sourcebook, 1996. https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/zorocreed.asp.

Shapero, Hannah M.G. Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and Christianity, 1997. https://olli.gmu.edu/docstore/600docs/1403-651-3-Zoroastrianism,%20Judaism,%20and%20Christianity.pdf.

Silverman, Jason M. “The Iranian-Judean Interaction in the Achaemenid Period.” In Text, Theology, and Trowel: New Investigations in the Biblical World, edited by Lidia D. Matassa and Jason M. Silverman, 133–139. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2011.

The Trustees of the British Museum. “The Cyrus Cylinder.” The British Museum. Accessed July 18, 2023. https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1880-0617-1941.

[1] Jennifer Cheek, “The Influence of Zoroastrianism on Christian Eschatology,” Undergraduate Issue 52, no. 1 (2009): 10, https://alphachihonor.org/headquarters/files/Website%20Files/Undergraduate%20Recorders/2009-Recorder-Vol-52-1.pdf#page=11.

[2] The Trustees of the British Museum, “The Cyrus Cylinder,” The British Museum, https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1880-0617-1941.

[3] Hannah M.G. Shapero, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and Christianity, 1997, https://olli.gmu.edu/docstore/600docs/1403-651-3-Zoroastrianism,%20Judaism,%20and%20Christianity.pdf.

[4] Jason M. Silverman, “The Iranian-Judean Interaction in the Achaemenid Period,” in Text, Theology, and Trowel: New Investigations in the Biblical World, ed. Lidia D. Matassa and Jason M. Silverman (Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2011), 138.

[5] Cheek, “The Influence of Zoroastrianism,” 14.

[6] Silverman, “The Iranian-Judean Interaction,” 139.

[7] Shapero, “Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and Christianity.”

[8] Shapero.

[9] Paul Halsall, “Medieval Sourcebook: The Zoroastrian Creed,” Internet history sourcebooks: Medieval sourcebook, 1996, https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/zorocreed.asp.

[10] Cheek, 12.

[11] Cheek, 13.

[12] Cheek, 14.

[13] Marco Frenschkowski, “Christianity,” The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Zoroastrianism, 2015, 457, https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118785539.ch29.

[14] Frenschkowski, 457.

[15] Frenschkowski, 459.

[16] Frenschkowski, 459

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Prepare a 1,000-1,500 word essay exploring your narrowed topic and thesis as well as utilizing the primary and secondary sources from your annotated bibliography.
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Provide in-text, endnote-style citations according to the Chicago Manual of Style. For example, place the number of the citation in parenthesis at the end of the sentence, as shown below:
In 1814, Andrew Jackson defeated the British in the decisive Battle of New Orleans. Later, Jackson assaulted the people of New Orleans, too. By the time he left, most New Orleanians despised the man (1). Jackson’s degradations did not end with New Orleans, though. Later in life, following the end of his presidency, the one-time hero and long-time conspiracy theorist fell into bankruptcy and faced the prospect of losing his home, the Hermitage, to foreclosure. Jackson managed to save his house by bribing members of the Tennessee legislature to pass an act allocating taxpayer funds to pay off his mountainous debts in exchange for the Hermitage’s deed. True to his low character, however, Jackson demanded and won the right to live there, rent-free, for the remainder of his life, making Andrew Jackson the only former U.S. president to end up living in government-subsidized housing (2).
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1. John Q. Smith, The Intolerable Life of a Man Named John Q. Smith (New York: Smith Publishing, 2010), 78.
2. Ibid., 80; Ima Writer, “Andrew Jackson: Redneck Jerk,” The Journal of Southern History 45 (Spring 1963), 208-13; Major Irony, “Andrew Jackson’s Face on the Twenty Dollar Federal Reserve Note,” Journal of Profoundly Stupid Economic Policy 2 (November 2012), 3.