Touraj Daryaee on Zoroastrianism in the Seventh Century and Beyond
As discussed in Episode 206, with the rise and spread of the Believers’ movement, it is no longer possible to consider western esotericism as a whole without considering Mazdaism/Zoroastrianism, the ancient religion of Iran.
Primary Sources
The Book of Arda Viraf
This 19th-century scholarly edition uncovers a foundational text of Zoroastrian eschatology. Arda Viraf travels through the Endless Light of heaven and the stinking pits of hell to witness the fate of the soul after death. The text introduces the Daena, a personification of a person's deeds that gre
Zend-Avesta
James Darmesteter provides a rigorous translation of the Yasts and Sîrôzahs, drawing on Pahlavi and Persian traditions to decode the Zoroastrian spiritual world. The text presents a universe defined by a binary struggle between Ahura Mazda and the forces of evil. It maps a sacred geography where mou
The Zend-Avesta, Part 1: The Vendidad
The Zend-Avesta, Part 1: The Vendidad offers a profound window into Mazdeism, a religion that once commanded the Persian Empire and left an indelible mark on the world's great monotheistic faiths. Through James Darmesteter’s rigorous 19th-century scholarship, readers explore the 'anti-demonic' law—a
Pahlavi Texts: Bundahishn (Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 5)
E. W. West presents the Bundahishn, a primary document of Pahlavi literature that maps the origin of the universe and the structure of the human soul. The text captures the desperate efforts of a priesthood to archive their heritage after the Muslim conquest of Iran. By analyzing linguistic anomalie
The Zend-Avesta, Part 1: Vendidad
This volume is not just a translation; it is an investigation into the machinery of an ancient faith. Darmesteter forces the reader to confront the reality of the Avesta as both a religious document and a political instrument of the Sassanian state. He argues that Mazdeism was a religion of the prie
The Zend-Avesta, Part 3 (SBE Vol. 31)
L. H. Mills presents a rigorous translation of the Gathas that prioritizes historical accuracy over later religious legends. He argues that the earliest Zoroastrian faith emerged from a practical struggle between settled farmers and nomadic raiders. The text posits that the origin of evil is a philo
Pahlavi Texts, Part 4 (SBE Vol. 37)
This volume serves as a primary repository for the Dînkard, a monumental collection that codifies the core doctrines of the Mazda-worshipping religion. E. W. West navigates the struggle between the creator Aûharmazd and the evil spirit Aharman, detailing how these concepts dictate daily life, jurisp