What is Zoroastrianism?
I have finally remade one of the earliest videos on this channel - exploring Zoroastrianism in depth in what is the longest video ever on this channel. Dive into the fascinating world of Zoroastrianism, its ancient hsitory and ethical teachings, from its origins with the prophet Zarathushtra through the Achaemenid, Parthian and Sasanian empires and all the way until today. Discover how Zoroastrianism might be one of the most important religions in history, influencing some of the most famous and popular religons and philosophies in the world.
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Music by:
Filip Holm
Sources/Recomended Reading:
Boyce, Mary (2000). "Zoroastrians: Their Their Religious Beliefs and Practices". Routledge; 2nd edition.
Dahlén, Ashk (transl.) (2023). "Zarathustra: Sånger". h:ström.
Humbach, Helmut & Pallan Ichaporia (transl.) (1994). "The Heritage of Zarathushtra: A New Translation of His Gathas. Universitatsverlag Winter.
Moazami, Mahnaz (ed.) (2016). "Zoroastrianism: A collection of Articles from the Encyclopedia Iranica". ENCYCLOPAEDIA IRANICA FOUNDATION. 2 Volumes.
Rose, Jenny (2019). "Zoroastrianism: An Introduction". I.B. Tauris Introduction to Religions. Bloomsbury Academic.
Strausberg, Michael; & Yuhan Sohrab-Dinshaw Vevaina (ed.) (2015). "The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Zoroastrianism". Wiley-Blackwell.
A second translation of the Gathas:
avesta.org/dastur/Dinshaw_J_Ir...
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:40 Why make another video?
2:47 Basic overview
5:19 Origins: Zarathusthra & The Gathas
11:05 Zarathushtra's revelation & character
14:40 The Avesta: Zoroastrian scripture
16:30 Teachings of Zoroastrianism
24:47 Eschatology
28:26 Monotheism & Amesha Spentas (Holy Immortals)
32:37 The Yazatas
36:51 Summary of teachings: 'The Avestan Worldview'
38:25 The Spread of Zarathustra's teachings
39:33 The Achaemenid Empire
49:03 The Parthian Empire
51:28 The Sasanian Empire - Canonization & Orthodoxy
1:00:58 Zoroastrians under Islamic Rule
1:07:02 Zoroastrian Practice
1:16:38 Influence on other religions?
1:20:13 Conclusions
#Zoroastrianism #Persia #religion
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The ism of all monolithic religion
Hey, will you mention Mazdakism?
As usual, you deliver the goods, Filip! You and your buddy Doc Sledge always do. This is a really, really good update to your original Zoroastrianism-vid. Tusen takk Filip!!! ☺️👍🏻
Is the "Winged Horse night trip" of Muhammad stolen from Zoroastrianism ❓
@@KnowThyself47 Yes.
Armenians, before becoming the First Nation to accept Christianity as their national religion in 301 A.D were Zoroastrian as far back as 5th century BC. We still have some Zoroastrian traditions. Ahura Mazda was Aramazd and you can still find the common name Aram in many Armenians. Thanks for this video because I’ve always been interested in learning more
Hello to Hayestan!
There are a lot of Persian/Parthian/Zoroastrian names among Armenians to this day-a reminder of your deeply intertwined relationship with Iran and Zoroastrianism. Only some of these names include: Aspen, Ariadne, Patvakan, Abgar, Alvand, Ambak, Anushavan, Arda, Arast, Aram, Aramazd, Artavan, Berdak, Byuzand, Drastamat, Gusan, Hamazasp, Jivan, Khosrov, Mher, Mihran, Parnak, Patvakan, Shahen, Shahamir, Shahnazar, Suren, Tigran, Tiran, Tiravag, Vachagan, Varsak, Vahram, Varazdat, Vashtak, Zhirak, Zohrab, Anita, Anahit, Anush. One shouldn't be surprised of the existence of so many Iranian (Persian/Parthian/Avestan) names in Armenia. We Iranians and Armenian are two brother nations and share a very deep historical and civilizational bond. May the great nation of Armenia live forever!
i think technically youre tied with san marino, with them gaining semi independence from rome in 301 ad (the romans didnt bother to reconquer the mountain), and with them being founded by a saint and acting as a refuge for christians
@@ilikecheese4518 In general, Zoroastrians were very tolerant of other religions. There were so many religions in the empire: Christianity, Buddhism, Jews, Mandaism, evem polytheists ..... Only half of the population were Zorostrians. In the Asia and middle east, Iran is famous for being the land of so many religions from ancient times: A proto-secular state and civilization.
@@ilikecheese4518 funny because I never knew San Marino was a separate country, but after doing research about what you said it states it was a place of refuge for Christian’s…. Interesting fact thanks for sharing. But if we’re going off technicalities, they weren’t recognized as a sovereign nation until 1631 by the pope and then 1815 by the congress of Vienna. Thanks for sharing interesting tidbit I love history and will look more into it, I’m assuming you’re either a history buff or from San Marino 🙌
This is the best, most nuanced, historically and scholarly balanced video on Zoroastrianism out there. Thank you!
Inb4 a more nuanced, historically and scholarly balanced video on Zoroastrianism comes out, to contend with this one's throne
well, it is the best one I have personally encountered at least.
@@catdogfishdogcatsWho is he?
Thus spoke Zarathustra: Good thoughts Good words Good deeds
Alef Lam Meem
א ל מ = אני לא מאמין
Richard Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra kzhead.info/sun/ht6dqs2va6Z_bKc/bejne.htmlsi=8aubfNZKbA6GYvr5
What is Good.
@@ramzan6949apparently not frogs lmao
I live in california and there is small zoroastrian community here. I messaged one of the centers because I wanted to learn more and everyone is so friendly and patient and excited to tell you about their religion
Well of course, no offense. If you're going to pull in people into your beliefs you have to show a welcoming community where people feel like they belong. It's what religions do.
Hello I'm in California too...where can I find the zoroastrian community?
I thought they did not accept converts.
They probably accept visitors but people must be born into Zoroastrianism I'm pretty sure
@@seanmyatt-philosophy1860 Traditional Zoroastrians don't but I'm pretty sure the one in California goes only by the Gathas That Zarathusthtra wrote. Zarathushtra didn't say anything about not accepting converts. The Avesta's were written after Zarathushtra and they made up their own laws
It's interesting to contrast Mithraism, usually termed a 'mystery-religion' and Zoroastrianism, which is much more of an ethical philosophy like Buddhism. Persian history rocks! A fun fact: Zarathushti used to make a pilgrimage to Baku in modern-day Azerbaijan because the ground was so saturated with petroleum that flames would spontaneously pop up from the ground in some areas.
I think they still use religious rocks over there
@@Brett-yq7pjin Iran???
@@Brett-yq7pjNo, they don't. Never have, never will.
Even though Mithraism has only to do with Persia in name and, maybe, in some degree of inspiration.
@@Tuber-samaNo, Mithraism has everything to do with Persia. Romans got it from the Persians.
Thank you for this educational lecture about Zoroastrianism. I listened to your first one too, as l have been involved with Zoroastrianism through my husband, who studied Arabic, African languages, and Middle Eastern religions, and wrote his Thesis about Yazidism, and Zoroastrianism in 1970. At that time the Berlin Umboldt University had extensive books by German scholars about these two ancient religions, which l needed in essence to translate into my husbands language. “Yazidism is a monotheistic ethnic religion (like Zoroastrianism too) , that has its roots in a western Iranic pre-Zoroastrian religion directly derived from the Indo-Iranian tradition.” (According to Wikipedia) l could not say it better, nor shorter in English, as it’s not my first language) A Kurdish speaking Yazidi Community is living in Melbourne, Australia till date, and of course they are living in the triangle Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and in small groups in the Middle East till today too, trying to preserve their religious, cultural, language traditions, but have lost lots of it due to the mentioned countries suppressing their believes, rituals, and assimilating them, or punish them like in Turkey. Many Yazidis have been massacred, genocides committed in the Triangle borders. It is a hot topic. I wished, there would be an episode about Yazidism, and the connection between the two, the similarities, and differences. Thank you. It’s fascinating to listen to these scholarly lectures. Greetings from Melbourne
Your husband didn't bother studying Persian?
I’m assuming he didn’t study languages of the past but if the present. Just saying since he studied the 3 major languages of the same area of today. Also Persian would’ve been spoken during Zoroastrian times of the past and yazidi is an updated religion that pulled some of the Zoroastrianism beliefs and also added many additional beliefs. Yazidi is polytheistic and not monotheistic like Zoroastrianism.
I belive Philip made a video on Yazidi a couple years ago, maybe he will reamke it with more info like he did with this one.
Hello, I'd be interested in reading your husband's thesis if that is possible.
All that but u forgot to mention that yezidism was invented by the disciples of sheikh adi in the 13the century? It is not ancient
I’m Kurdish and I’m Zoroastrian ❤ I am so proud of that is my religion is Persian religion it’s not just a legion. It’s also teaching philosophy and technology. Anything anything you want to be it’s not just a religion is a peaceful religion. Is it Kurdish Persian? We are so proud of that.❤
Wow I thought all kurds followed yazidism. I thought the only zoroastrians left were the ones in India.
*_Persians are originally from Kurdistan. It has very little to do with modern iranians calling themselves Persians_*
Hello to Kurdistan, from Tehran!
@@YuruCampSupermacyI am living in Melbourne, Australia, and for the Immigration Museum met with our Kurdish Community, who all where Yizidi, which was a condemned religion in ancient times as the focus was the sun 🌞 and the peacock 🦚. About Zoroastrian religion in Iran are existing some villages, regions where Zoroastrians are living and keeping the religion/philosophy alive. I would like to recommend an humble Iranian channel Ali Aghajanzadeh, who shows his audiences around the historic places, villages, and shows especially the ones, which keep the history, traditions of the Zoroastrian culture alive including the Fire Temples. He has very interesting dear to his heart programs, or better documentaries, around 40 min each. Thank you. This episodes form this young scholarly man is interesting and educational too. Thank you. Greetings from Australia
@@nomesa7374 You ok there? In Tehran?
As an Iranian thank you for making this video, even though I'm atheist I always love learning more about Zoroastrianism and even Iranian Paganism.
Do you practice good thoughts good words hood deeds And doing the right thing because it's the right to do ? If yes You are Zoroastrian 😊
From india now only in india Zoroastrian religion flooding by aur ancient hindu kings are heartly welcomed when arabic muslim s demolished Zoroastrism killed millions of fire worshipr its so sadly hppnd in parsian history,still hve great syrus history vrrry old relatives hindu and Parisian culture
@@Sk-wm4olWrong, the city of Yazd in Iran has more Zarathustrians than there are Parsis living in India. Kindly refrain from falsely referring to monotheistic Zarathustrians as "fire worshippers". Iran is the capital of Zarathustrianism. Persian culture is Zarathustrian which makes it so ancient, unique, persistent and beautiful. "Parisian" is the adjective for the French capital city of "Paris".
No one asked. @@Sk-wm4ol
Ooh! There is Iranian paganism? So cool! I’m an atheist as well. From Poland so originally Catholic. Our Catholic religion was absolutely and strongly infused with Poland’s original pagan religion.
Awesome! A video on Zoroastrianism is exactly what the world needs. Such a significant and influential religion, interesting as well. Can’t wait!
But why do we need Magical Thinking and pretend?
A monotheistic religion sure. But to say that Jesus was a copy of the prophet in this religion is not historically reliable. Yes this religion dates to somewhere in the 1000 bc, so long before Jesus.. But manuscripts of it can be dated to the 4th century and ontop of that this specific religion was changed@humanistreformation
@@evangelicalsnever-lie9792bro, you don't need to believe in a particular religion to understand it's lore. It's like saying why we need Comic books. It's for the lore😂
@@humanistreformation The incorporation of certain motifs into the Zoroastrian tradition in the ninth century CE could indicate the conscious attempt of the priesthood to exalt their prophet in the eyes of the faithful who may have been tempted to turn to other religions. Said by a scholar, we don't really know if there was borrowing between this religion and Judaism, it's mostly an oral religion and texts can be seen very late, after Jesus Christ. About the virgin birth there's no source that says the prophet of this religion was born of a virgin, especially a virgin like Mary, oldest source (which is still after Christianity) is not really a virgin birth
The message is 1 and has always been 1 - it’s came down directly from God over 100 thousand times… and then the evil men corrupt the word to serve themselves, and they are worst of men because they know what they do!!!
Two things you may have forgotten to mention and I feel is relevant is 1) Cyrus the great--a practicing Persian Zoroastrian--liberated the jews from Babylon and is consider a genuine MESSIAH in the Hebrew Bible and Christain old testament. 2) The 3 Magi that visited the infant Jesus were Zoroastrian. Magi is the formal name used for practicing Zoroastrian priests and the term is still used in parts of Iran.
He mentioned both hahaha
They knew
1. He literally mentioned both. 2. Cyrus didn't go to babylon to free the Jews, rather the babylonian people.
Cyrus = Koresh in Hebrew
@@theemperor1379 And not even actually that, Cyrus used that as a reason to the people/thats what the people viewed him as, in reality Cyrus just saw lands that were disunited and weak and he was hungry for land
I still find it incredibly cool that we can translate and read prayers, stories and other messages that are thousands of years old.
I hope that this will be a series about zoroastrianism
Only if you promise to help him. 😅
I'd love to hear more about the early Iranian religion that Zarathustra was rebelling against. A comparative religion survey of Indo European religion itself would be a major project too.
That sounds fascinating, though from what I understand there wasn’t much rebelling. Since a lot from the old ways are still existing in Zoroastrianism. More of an upgrading , or adding on too.
@@Nozarks1 Reform is more accurate but he was against the war mongering and greed of the priests that had developed in his region and perhaps some other practices. I'm still learning about it myself. Overall it seems like if one understands the Hindu cosmology of Brahman and then applies that to the Greek understanding of all life manifesting from "the void" or the similar concept in Norse religion then it seems like there was a general pantheism among the Indo Europeans that developed into more anthropomorphic deities over time. There are shared themes, characters and stories across the spectrum of these people, a criminally under covered topic. Zarathustra essentially took all of this pantheistic deism and tried to identify the source in a more personal way. Zoroastrianism monotheism is essentially the same concept as "the holy trinity." If I had the time and money I would work on this myself. I am writing a historical novel, in part, about Zarathustra and learning more as I go. I assume his tribe's previous religion was closer to the Scythians religion. Survive the Jive has a video on that.
As I understand it, there existed a diverse number of gods (or pantheons) in the form of an Indo-Iranian paganism. As it was mentioned in the video, Zarathushtra seemingly juxtaposed the ideas and behaviors of these deities and their followers, and deemed some worthy of reverence, like Vohu Manah. Yazatas like Anahita, Verethragna, Mithra and others were adopted as Yazatas over time as the religion evolved with its new followers and they were also worshipped in other parts of the ancient world, as they did in the Cult of Mithras in the Roman Empire.
@@parsapourkaveh7492Yeah, the Romans borrowed Mithra after being in contact with the Persians.
Anahita Pot will send you way out there !
I'm 62 years young and have during my life studied, followed a religion, experienced religion, believed in aspects of religion etc and in doing so understand many of the descriptive as explained and the links it has due to the topics history, in this most excellent and unbiased educational masterpiece of a video. It has really provoked me to dig deeper into the great jigsaw of life and it's many associations. Thanks so much for sharing it.
I feel the same
I got chills when you mentioned Artarvakhsha 'Guardians of the Fire' because I'm Potawatomi, which means 'Keepers of the Sacred Fire', and it's really central to the culture!
"And we pray to you Mehr, Lord of the vast plains, that give peace, quite and happiness to Iranian land." Thank you for covering this.
quiet ≠ quite
@@draxthemsklonst 😂😂😂yeah, saarri.
@@draxthemsklonstYou're quite right
@setare1369 no peace will come til Iran cuts out the cancerous death cult that has brought turmoil to those plains and restores Zoastrianism back as the state religion of Iran.
I bumped into Zoroastrianism today when I bought a Persian carpet with the cypress tree being an important symbol to this ancient religion. Had to go look up for more. Thanks for putting together this educational video 👍👍
cypress tree was important, due to the fact it's and evergreen, they assumed it wouldn't die, like other trees in winter, a lot of ancient cultures worshiped (evergreen) trees, and still around today.....the Christmas tree BTW imma try that instapot cheesecake
I never tire of this beautiful subject.
Thank you. “Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds” - Zarathustra
That sounds like Buddhism
I have spent many hours in front of the holy fire at the Zoroastrian Fire Temple in Yazd, before the Revolution, and was able to visit again after. I also had many Zoroastrian friends when I lived in California.
becuz its a fake religion they can say very little about and have to do very little to be apart of
Iran and California ? We have something in common . Although I’ve never gone to Yazd , soon hopefully . Where in California did you live where there were so many Zoroastrians ?
Lots of Indian parsis live in Cali@@arshanmostafavi9621
@@arshanmostafavi9621 I was an American Peace Corps teacher in Taft, Iran from 1972 to 1974. I am originally from Iowa, but grew up in Chicago. I went to college in Lamoni, Iowa, where I live now. I spent one year in Germany as an exchange student. I had had a room mate from Micronesia, and that is what decided me to join the Peace Corps. When I came back from Iran, I brought students with me to Graceland. I met my wife, and we moved to Japan where we lived for three years. When we came back to the US, we lived in NM and AZ, and I traveled all over the world as an quality control and environmental tech. In 2000, we moved to the SF Bay area. We lived on a boat, and I worked for a thermal tech company for many years. We moved back to Iowa around 2021. In 2002, I took a group of returned Peace Corps Volunteers back to Iran, on behalf of the Carter Center, where we visited the Fire Temple in Yazd again.
@@arshanmostafavi9621Not the op but California has 3 major temples in Sacramento, San Jose, and Los Angeles. I've been to the Sacramento temple and it was an amazing experience.
As a believer in Christ and trying to do my part helping my house, family, all people in general, I really appreciated the part when Darius was quoted saying he’s a friend to ALL who do not harm others. Whether strong towards weak, or weak towards strong. ❤you all my friends who love to love and hate to hate. Wishing you a prosperous journey. We’re not perfect yet but may almighty bless and guide us through! Stay true family- peace ✌🏿 ❤️🔥🤩
Very nice...
thats funny because if he really followed that he would lose is empire and his head in 5 seconds and someone less gay would occupy his place
You’re not Christian. You’ve just said you’re okay with a man who is attracted to children “but it’s ok cause he pinkie promised not to follow through on his desires” He didn’t harm anyone, yet. You’re okay with someone who’s okay with that, purely on the basis he hasn’t harmed? You can answer to Christ.
@@Hrossey What are you talking about?
I think the real number of Zoroastrians in Iran in much higher: between Isfahan and Shiraz in 2018, I came across dozens of practitioners. Based on what I saw, I would even claim that the number in Iran would go into hundreds of thousands. Even in petrol stations, shops etc they had open fires going and they had these unique posters on the walls which set them clearly apart. I was happy to see that at least they could be open about their traditions, despite the regime. I also stayed in a Zoroastrian hotel which mainly catered for the hundreds of Indian pilgrims. This video has been the first comprehensive account about the religion, and I'm happy to understand my own experiences there a little better (the fire temple did have an introduction, but it didn't help much...). Thank you!
Your stuff is so high quality and on a topic I deeply care about! I love it!😁
Oohhh Wow!! I am a student of religion and history and I'm really impressed by this presentation. The scholarship and quality of material in this video are superb. I'm glad I came across your channel as I see there are videos about so many different religions of the world. A lot of research goes into creating this kind of content. Great work.
Finally a good long video on Zoroastrianism. I have Always been so curious about this but never found a decent video essay on it Thank you!
Random association- I was at a choir concert yesterday heard your excerpted theme music, at 1:37. It must be from the Sanctus from Rheinberger’s mass in Eb major- what a glorious piece and very fitting for your channel! Thank you for all you do and for highlighting the importance of music in the world’s religious and spiritual traditions. 🎉❤
I think I remember watching your first Zoroastrian video, but I'm glad you updated and extended it. It is an important and fascinating topic.
I'm about 2/3rds in, and already I can say that this is indeed way deeper and more comprehensive than the first one. Fascinating, especially when viewed through the lens that with Zoroastrianism, we have the formalizing of ideas that would be subsequently adopted by the major western religions and well as Islam. Especially in the early periods (1500-500BC) you get a sense that the foundational philosophical and religious ideas of modern western civilization are being developed and tested out by the Persians. Also, I love it that Filip has learned so much about the music of this area of the world and composes his own music for some these videos. Bravo!
Islam fundamental argument is GOD send Prophets to every nations which taught monotheism But when Prophet Died people corrupt the religion for their own greed , Power and wealth , desires etc Islam is the last message , If you found a similarity of monotheism in Hindu books or Zoroastrian we said that these figures like Ram , Krishna or prophet zoran etc might be the Prophets send by GOD and later after their death their nation changes their teachings like Christens and jews also changes their bibles
@@rajababy2009Yes, these are words. Instead of claiming corruption of texts by others (which I think happened in some cases), how about the obvious corruptions and contradictions in the Koran or the Islamic religion? An almighty god doesn't write books, let alone badly written ones. By insisting on an obviously false claim, you are cementing your own position and making it impossible to get nearer to the truth and try to find out what really happened and what the message was. Every book was written by humans. Why would you not use what god gave you, your brain, but replace it with something humans made, a book? (God here is meant as a being or force that possesses supernatural powers (up to being almighty?), is possibly eternal and is either the source of life, truth and good or at least unable to act unjustly or dishonestly or in an evil way. Worshipping an unjust, deceitful and unreliable god wouldn't make much sense and the rules given by such a god cannot be relied upon to guide people or to save one's soul.
Yes I think that orally passed on histories and stories may be more reliable than books written before printing as narrative seems to be our best way to understand ideas on a deeper level. Scribes and their overseers may easily carry out their own agendas instead of passing on the words and emotional content as the stories are familiar to the hearers in detail from generation to generation! Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us.
@@christophgriener9852 this is false. There are no contradictions or errors in the bible and it is completely preserved word to word along with the meanings of the word and its grammar. It's not comparable to any other religion. The reason Arabic is still today largely unchanged as a language is due to the Quran
this was one of the best videos i've ever seen, i love how you articulate every idea and point so well but don't cut out every part where you hesitate between words or correct yourself to be more accurate. this felt like a fascinating class, thank you for that video and all of your other ones. i learned so much!!
Perhaps videos on how Zoroastrianism influenced the three abrahamic faiths would be great. One on Judaism, one on Christianity, one on Islam.
It hasn’t significantly, except perhaps in the case of Islam, however the groups perhaps most similar and influenced were Gnostic sects. Islam is influenced by Gnosticism so there you go. However Christianity and Judaism lack any significant dualism, there is no God equal with YHWH. Manicheism is a sort of offshoot of Zoroastrianism if you’ve heard of it.
@@justchilling704how does Islam have any cosmic dualism that Christianity and Islam don’t have? No one is equal to God in Islam either. This is a completely ignorant comment. Also, there’s more to Zoroastrianism than just cosmic dualism.
@@justchilling704there are very few rebellious demons in pre-exilic Jewish literature. It explodes after the encounter with Zoroastrianism, and the name of the demon Ashmedai (Asmodeus in the book of Tobit) is of Avestan origin. So it’s pretty demonstrable that there was some Zoroastrian influence on Judaism.
@@reginaldodonoghue9253 I didn’t say Islam has two gods, I’m not sure how you got that? I just said Judaism and Christianity lacked dualism, that wasn’t to say Islam has two gods tho.
@@reginaldodonoghue9253 Hebrew scripture already featured gods or spiritual powers that rebelled against YHWH, this was before any contact with Zoroastrianism. Just to clarify btw, I never reduced Zoroastrianism to dualism.
Great video, glad to have found it live, paused it multiple times and finished it off a couple of hours later. Legendary
Awesome video! I am a long time viewer, and I have been really fascinated by Zoroastrianism for a long time so it’s great to see an informative video like this.
If there is one thing i wish western countries will adopt from my culture is Nowrooz Having the new year at the start of spring is the best time After years of living in europe i still can't adapt to new year mood in the middle of F winter
Well Easter is the main solemnity of the Christian calendar...and i agree having the new year in such a cold time as in January isnt pleasant at all 😂
The Gregorian calendar used to start in the month spring occurs, March! But, due to stupid political and religious reasons which are no longer relevant to modern society, it was changed to January - that's why a number-based month name like "October" ("oct-" meaning 8) is the 10th month, because it was changed!
@@etcwhatever The Iranian calendar is just factually an improvement over Gregorian, we just haven't changed to it out of laziness, Christianity, and xenophobia.
@Persun_McPersonson all the months are named after non Christian deities. Pagans are the real ones that created the way we operate. Christmas and Easter are not holydays/holidays that any of the Jewish people kept.
The Romans last spit in the fase of Zoroastrains, pur calendar lmao
I shared the last version you did on this topic when you did it! I shared this one as well. Good work thank you.
I’ve been waiting FOREVER for this one!!!!!!!!!🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 finally!!! Thank you so much for always doing such a great job and for always giving us the absolute best content that exists in the KZhead space!!!!
I've been reading into Zoroastrianism lately, getting through Skjaervo's 'Introduction to Zoroastrianism', and this video is very good, and about as comprehensive an overview as is possible in it's runtime. Props!
how interesting to see how so many different religions are distantly related or have been drawn from the other. rly makes you reconsider the divisions we have today. loved the video, i learned so much 💜
Great video, been waiting for more Zoroastrian content from you for a while :) i love that you did a "summary" in there aswell to go and look back to, you should include this more often! I hope you will make videos on Zurvanism and Mazdakism too like you said, and the Parsis, and hopefully other less "popular" religions and traditions too! Like you said in the beginning, the quality of the channel has increased greatly and i love it.
I must admit that you did your research thoroughly on the subject. I have seen many documentaries on Zoroastrianism but your follow up video topped all of them.
As usual, you deliver the goods, Filip! You and your buddy Doc Sledge always do. This is a really, really good update to your original Zoroastrianism-vid. Tusen takk Filip!!! ☺️👍🏻
The original What Is Zoroastrianism video is actually the first video of yours I watched and Ive been subscribed ever since
It is a blessing to be able to watch your videos at no charge. Thanks for making them available to us all and sharing your knowledge freely. This is a video I have wanted to see for ages!
Filip. glad you've updated this and it is a long one! DEFINITELY A DOWNLOAD! Thank Goodness!
thank you. This covered so much that I never ever would have put together myself just from reading. This channel is a valuable source.
You're my favorite religionist nerd
who others do you watch
@@nadil2631religion for breakfast is also great. If you're interested also in the occult and magic, try Esoterica
@@nadil2631 Joseph Campbell
I'm so excited for this! Glad I have the day off ❤
Great video! As an Iranian American who grew up before the revolution and in a very secular Iran, we always honored the Zoroastrian traditions, which spoke to the real roots of Iranians/Persians and why Islam never really became (even with this regime in place) part of society's DNA like it did in Turkey for instance. We had our own religion. Would love to see a video on Mithraism and Mazdakism, and know the difference, if you are up for it. 🙏
I didnt know but Im seek the truth
typical delusional Iranian diaspora
Fr iran was never secular how even the revolution happened if it was secular 😂@@MyClip456
I feel like you're leaving out the fact that we commodified it as part of our nationalism and that many members of our Zoroastrian community were fairly bitter about it during that period. In fact you're engaging in that now.
Bro quit acting like your opinions are objective facts
A joy to watch and such a fascinating topic. Also the accompanying music was inspiring!
Some say that Mithra is not a god of light who wages war against darkness(personified by Angra-Mainyu, The Evil(Angry) Spirit), but the yazata of trust, credibility and contracts. The God, Eternal Source of Light, Truth and Good, is Ahura Mazda(can be translated as "The Master of Wisdom", or as "The God who named Wisdom"), or Spenta-Mainyu("Holy Spirit). Mithra is a guardian of all contract, as it is said in Mehr-yasht: "Don't break the contract with a person that is good and with the one that bad." In Zoroastrian religion there is a belief in hierarchy of yazatas(which influenced judeo-christian belief in angels a lot), who are the personifications of good personality traits, with God Himself on the top. Yazatas, and Ameshaspentas, the most important of yazatas, are emanations of Ahura Mazda, like candles, clamped from one fire. And for every yazata there is a symbolical association in physical world, for example, Kshatra Vairya, the Ameshaspenta of masculinity and will to order things, is associated with metals. And Mithra is associated with the Sun. But then look at the Rig Veda. Mitra (that is how it is spelled) is a divinity in Vedic religion. Mitra is seen as the god of light in the Rig Veda. Interestingly, the Gathas (as well as the Yasnas and Yashts) can be interpreted using Vedic Sanskrit, the language of the Vedas, as the Rig Veda is composed in a closely related language. Many words bear a close resemblance. Both religions refer to a sacred utterance or hymn as a Mantra (Rig Veda) or Matra (Avesta) and to a ritual drink as Soma (Rig Veda) or Haoma (Avesta). Both texts use almost the exact same terms for a member of a religious sodality (Aryaman in the Rig Veda and Airyaman in the Gathas), for sacrifice or worship (yajna in the Rig Veda and yasna in the Gathas), and for a fire priest (Atharvan in the Rig Veda and Athaurvan in the Gathas), fire being a sacred symbol in both religions. Fire - personified in the Avesta as Atar and in the Vedas as Agni - was greatly revered as a central object of ritual in both traditions. The Athaurvan or Athravan is highly important in the Zoroastrian religion as fire priests who attend to fire rites. The Athravan of the Avesta is said to be evolved from ‘Atar’, fire. Athravan means fire-guardian; the attendant of the sacred fire in Persian temples; the proper word for a priest in the Avesta. Indeed, speakers of both language subgroups used the same word to refer to themselves as a people: Vedic Sanskrit arya and Avestan/Old Persian ariya. Both words “a-ve-sta” (from the Old Persian abasta, meaning “the law”) and “ve-da” (insight, wisdom) are derived from the same root: “Vid” to know, to gain knowledge. This word “Vae-da” also appears at Yasna 28.10 and 31.2 as knowledge. Similarly the term “Avesta” is called “Upastha” in Vedic Sanskrit, meaning collection of mantras, or sacred utterances. The chief difference between the two lies in certain well-defined phonetic shifts rather than in basic grammar. It is, therefore, quite possible, by simple phonetic substitutions, to transliterate verses from the Gathas into intelligible Vedic Sanskrit. Both the Rig Veda and the Gathas make references to divine spirits/‘demons’. However, two very different interpretations can be given on the appearance of the terms asura in the Rig Veda and ahura in the Avesta and Gathas on the one hand and devas in the Rig Veda and daevas in the Avesta and Gathas. It is known as the Demons and Gods Riddle. In the Rig Veda the devas are worshipped as gods and the asuras are the demons, while in Zoroastrianism ahuras are the gods and daevas are the demons. The treatment of these deities is reversed. That is, whereas in Zoroastrianism the role of the ahuras was exalted in the personage of Ahura Mazda while the daevas were made into forces of evil, in Hinduism it is the asuras who would ultimately become doers of evil and foes of the gods/deities - the devas. The argument is that the root div, ‘to shine’, (from which came the word deva, ‘bright’ in Sanskrit) was lost in Zend, and the etymology was unable to preserve this meaning of div and instead assigned the word daeva to it, thus the meaning of div followed a degradation and the primitive meaning of div had been forgotten. The word deva/daeva was therefore given a new meaning by Zarathustra, i.e. ‘demon’ or personifications of vices, wrongs, and evils. The Iranians declared the Indian deities, Indra, Sarva/Sauru, and Nasatya/Naunghaithya, as well as Zauri and Tauru as the chief demons or daevas to be banished, along with the Nasu and Angra Mainyu himself (Vendidad 10.9-10, 19.43). Mithras was identified with the Greek sun god Helios when the Mithraic cult was introduced in the mid 1st century BCE by Antiochus I, who practiced astrology, of the Kingdom of Commagene. Mithra, the ancient spirit of light, became the god of truth and justice in Zoroastrianism and retained that character in the Hellenistic world and Roman Empire. Mithra had a character similar to Apollo, but while Hellenism, with a finer appreciation of beauty, developed the aesthetic qualities in Apollo, the Persians cared more for matters of conscience, emphasizing the moral character in Mithra, as a gaurantor of faith and protector of oaths and contracts. Now, the rapid spread of Mithraism occurred parallel with the century of crisis in Rome (3rd century CE). It is likely that the spread of Mithraism was commensurate with a need for discipline, loyalty, fidelity, obedience, devotion, and respect for authority from the Roman army and a need for administration of a vast empire by a sovereign. More likely, however, is that this century introduced a world of trouble and turmoil and Mithraism offered a consolation to people in a time when the Roman Empire seemed to be disintegrating. Nevertheless, Mithra, for the Persians, exalted absolute fidelity to one’s oath and was a cardinal virtue in the religion of a soldier, whose first act upon enlistment was to pledge obedience and devotion to the sovereign. For the Persians, Mithra embodied these qualities. Perhaps the Roman emperors accepted the spread of this cult among the Roman army in order to inspire a similar character and feeling in their soldiers. As different as the Persian and Roman ways of life were, both realized the necessity of discipline in the administration of a vast empire.
I appreciate the update to Zoroastrianism on your channel, but for what it’s worth, your first video was also excellent. I enjoy all your videos.
I like the idea of remaking old videos with more info. Also Zoroastrianism is fascinating, cheers!
One of the most interesting religions, miraculously still alive today, the natural culture of Persia. Thanks for making this video!
Also many of Iranians, on paper are born moslems, but are Zoroasterians in their heart
I’m sure Muslims are salty that they couldn’t erase this religion, good. They’re ignorant people who can’t except the fact that there are multiple religions on earth!
True@@mmn8488
I hope that one day the cancer of Islam recedes and Zoroasteranism returns in full force.
@@Thenoobestgirl Cancer only recedes when the body's immune system attacks it. The world's immune system seems to have HIV.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR WONDERFUL LOOK INSIDE ZOROASTRIANISM. THE EASE WITH WHICH YOU TEACH IS A JOY FOR ME TO SIT AND LISTEN. I'LL BE CHECKING INTO YOUR EARLIER DISCOURSE. I LOOK FORWARD TO MORE DISCUSSIONS FROM YOU. THANKS AGAIN.
I’ve been waiting for a video like this for so long!
Can you do a program to introduce the more ancient Confucianism in detail? Confucianism was once the most important religion in East Asian countries and the state religion of China. It also influenced Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Ryukyu, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Confucianism is still one of the six official religions in Indonesia.
Love the old video so im very excited for this one!
bro I have really enjoyed and learned from the way this channel has developed, you are a champ man, I have learned and been provoked to consider so many things I'd have ordinarily needed a student loan to be exposed to and I am grateful. This is Farrokh Bulsaras' familys religion huh? Fascinating, thanks man, good thoughts, good words and good deeds, indeed!
Fascinating! I want to watch the whole thing again. Beautiful produced as well.
Always well spoken, deeply invested in what you present, and easy to understand! Thank you for all your time in your efforts to illuminate our existence as human beings. Excellent as ever....
This is among the best channels on all of KZhead
The wide range of your videos is great, it led me to become a Perennialist. Would you consider doing a video covering “new age spirituality?” Or Sri Ramakrishna
I think that's a good idea for new age spirituality - cover 1 or 2 individual branches of that tree per episode, because there is such variation.
Such a fantastic overview, awesome as always
Epic lecture sir. Your delivery of so much detailed information , seemingly in real time, is commendable. I feel well nourished. Lovely graphics as usual. Thank you.
My regards to my fellow Kurdish Zoroastrians watching this
Probably less than a thousand 😂
@@Servantofkhuzestanfinding humor in something like that, way to broadcast how foolish you must be…
Kurds are division -
There are more Zoroastrians in Kurdistan than Arabs in Khuzestan, that is certain@@Servantofkhuzestan
@@ServantofkhuzestanIt prob is.
Great job. 👍🏼. Such high-quality work. Beautiful pictures and scenes and great information with details. I think understanding Zoroastrianism can reveal a deeper understanding of the history of many religions. Its connections with both Indo-European and semetic religious cultures are very clear.
It influenced them.
Enjoyed every second of this entire video, and appreciated it deeply. Thank you for another video!
I love that Filip makes his own music. Keeps it relevant to the region. Love this channel.
Awesome to see this group get something resembling the treatment they deserve, and I'm definitely looking forward to videos on the Zurvanites, Mazdakites and Parsis.
I wish we knew more about the Mazdakites. They sound like such an interesting religious movement.
My late Grandfather from Shiraz Iran was Zoroastrian ♥️🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
What about you are you not Zoroastrian?
I remember asking you to make a video on Zoroastrian/Vedic comparisons in one of your earliest videos, and this satisfies me. You're literally the best youtuber for religion and I'm so glad I've been following you since this was a new channel. I'll stick for the ride, and I hope you do a full in dept video like this on Sikkhism one day. Cheers and thank you again. ❤
This is one of my preferred topics. Please, do as many videos about it as you feel like. ❤❤❤
"Give me that old time religion ... we'll pray with Zarathustra, we'll pray just like we used to, I'm a Zarathustra boosta...and that's good enough for me..."
It’s ironic that Christian Hymn leads us to an older religion that Christianity largely borrowed from lol
@@phasematerialsresearch9319 It's from a satire of the old hymn by Pete Seeger but yeah, the really traditional people aren't Christians.
Zorastrians practised Incest: Brother-sister marriages which led to poor genetics and diseases causing dwindling Zorastrian populations all over the world.
@@phasematerialsresearch9319 Clearly, religions evolve around the adaptability of its leaders. It is the willingness to bend as other ideologies compete to gain influence, and finance. The keeper of the long flowing robe of authority is, and has always been a very Human goal of personal desire. To lead, has always required the skills of a politician, backed by the fullest of purses. That alone doesn't make it evil, but it does make "God" into an elected position. I would never want to be King
@phasematerialsresearch9319 Christina's didn't borrow from any religion. It comes from Judaism, and the only difference between Christians and Jews is Jesus.
I’ve been looking forward to this. I need to find a good audio recitation of the Gathas, preferably in both Avestan and English. Your channel is the reason I read the Qur’an, which has reignited my belief in God. Thank you for all that you do ❤
Thank you for this. My inlaws from Iran have relatives that practice this religion, which is why I was interested in learning about it. My inlaws only practice "Persian" holidays like the Persian New Year. They have no religious affiliations, which made it rather easy for my sister in law to agree to raising the children Catholic as required. Her family is wonderful and, in many ways, resembles the Italian side of our family - family-oriented, loud and passionate, loves to over feed everyone, opinuated yet accepting, etc.
I really like how this video is more of you having a conversation and not just reading straight from a script. As I can see you add sentences and phrases as your speaking, because you hear that the addition is needed.
The fall of the Sassanis was probably the singular biggest tragedy in human history. Never did the fall of one empire change the fate of multiple civilisations to such an extent. Iran wouldve probably been an unrecognizable country today.
It truly is something to cry over.
The beauty of Iran is that its essence can never be defeated ❤
Iran was as free as any country until the 50's or 60's when the US overthrew the leader
Can't wait to smoke a joint, grab a coffee, and watch this one. My deep interest in the Vedas, and comparative mythology, makes this one extremely appealing. Cheers, Filly!
Thank you so much ,extremely well organized and thoughtful presentation 😊
Thank you for posting this. Religion is something that covers philisophy, theology, metaphysics, ethics, spirituality and the relationship between the Divine and humanity. My mentor and Professor of Religious Studies, Dr. Robert William Smith, was a world expert on Zoroastrianism and wrote the Encylcopedia Britannica's entries on Zoroastrianism, in the 1970s and early 1980s. He studied early texts, beliefs and practices of the religion. He saw it as the earliest montheistic religion, and that it shares much with the Vedic religion, as you have mentioned. Thank you again for posting.
It would be really interesting to learn more about the religion which existed before Zoroastrianism and the Vedas, and how the seeming split between worship and demonization of Deva and Azurah happened. There definitely seems to be a connection to the Proto-Indo-European cultural group with the importance of cattle among other things.
Impossible to praise this work enough. Consider me much further informed and inspired to research further. Mission accomplished. Those with means, please support this man, a gift to the human religious conversation.
Thank you so much for doing all this heavy lifting for me.
Good to see a longer video on your channel, I'm keen to see some more longform content here
A fascinating dive into Zoroastrianism! This video takes us on a deep journey through the history, core beliefs, and the undeniable influence Zoroastrianism has had on the world's major religions. It's intriguing to see how concepts like the battle between good and evil, the final judgment, and the savior figure have woven their way into other religions, showing just how interconnected our spiritual narratives truly are. The evolution of Zoroastrianism, from its glory days in the Persian empires to its current global diaspora, testifies to the enduring nature of faith. The migration of Zoroastrians to India, in particular, forming the Parsi community, is not just proof of the resilience and adaptability of this ancient faith but also of India's long-standing tradition of religious tolerance and pluralism. It is almost as if the shared Indo-Iranian heritage established a fundamental bond that has evolved, yet remained unbroken through the millennia. This video doesn't just teach us about Zoroastrianism; it invites us to ponder the connections and shared quests that unite different religious traditions. A brilliant reminder of how complex the mosaic of human belief and spirituality is!
Are you from India?
Zarathustranism is the very essence of Persian culture.
@@newestflameneverdies 😂😂. Nice cope! Celebrating Nawruz excluding the elements associated with Zoroastrianism is it's essence of Iranian Culture. 🙏
@@chiragk7399Yet another obsessed Hindu 😂 Cope some more.
@@chiragk7399Cope some more and learn how to properly phrase a sentence in English. 😂
One of the things I really like about your presentation of religion in general is that you bring a boundless sense of "it's this fascinating!" to it all. I am not a believer myself, so I can't speak from that perspective, but you always seem to treat your subjects with respect and enjoyment. As to this video itself, I have long been fascinated by Zoroastrianism and it was great to have a long-form dive into some of its features and history. With respect to that, you mentioned the influence of Zoroastrianism on the Abrahamic religions, which is often discussed, but rightly mention the other direction as well. Do you have any good material that discusses that? It would be fascinating to follow up on.
Abrahamic religions can’t have any influence on Zoroastrianism because they came centuries later.
This is a master-class! I will come back to this after just listening to absorb the information to take actual notes! Bravo, sir!
One of my favorite subjects. Excellent!
I think you already covered this but I'm down to re-watch.
It's a remake of the original since he didn't cover nearly as much as he could have.
Excellent video. Clear information, well presented and nice music man! x
as Zoroastrian practicing up to today, I do really appreciate you providing such precise and accurate it was incredibly on point.
Congratulations on this outstanding video about an intrinsically philosophical perspective from deep antiquity. Bravo! Yet, might I add a couple of observations? 1) Some authors seem to suggest that Ahura Mazda actually created evil itself so that humanity would have the choice of "the truth" versus "the lie." 2) Others have also advocated the view that, at the ultimate end of existence, even those who have fallen to darkness would ultimately be reunited with those enjoying the "so-called light" in the perfect universe of truth and brightness... Despite my radical atheism, I am fascinated by the myriad of mythological philosophies that have been dominating humanity since the rise of civilization.
I just know the answer of your first question , in persian mytholigy Ahura mazda and ahriman are twin brothers , came into life by their mother/father figure called "Zorvan"(زروان /زمان) who is basically an intersex(hermaphrodite) god/godess of Time in persian mythology , zorvan had its own followers in different parts of Iran and is considered as a religion itself ,so basically ahura and ahriman are 2 faces of the same truth and its human beings who can decide to follow ahuramazda and do goods in life or be a follower of Ahriman and do devilish things , these 2 brothers gonna have a big fight at the end of time and then the apocalypse happen
@@nmomayezan Thanks for your fascinating elucidation. What I have learned about Zoroastrianism was derived from the book titled "CREATION" by Gore Vidal, which is a fiction based on their alleged prophet Zaratrusta's grandson, who attended the Achaemenid Persian Empire's court during Darius and Xerxes reign.
The orthodox view is and has likely always been that-unlike the God of Abrahamians-Ahura Mazda is only responsible for the creation of the Good in the world, and whatever Evil exists in the world was created (or corrupted) by Ahriman, who was NOT created by Ahura Mazda and who is a force rivaling Ahura Mazda's own (unlike Satan who was created by God himself and can be destroyed by him anytime he wills).
@@Amadeu.MacedoTry reading the Avesta and Shahnameh. Persian mythology and philosophical thought will become much clearer. If you're advanced, you'll find references to Zarathustra all over the Divan of Hafez and Persian literature in general.
So one common misconception in Zoroastrianism is that there is a duality of Angra Mainyu against Ahura Mazda, however Angra Mainyu is not a presence rather an absence like the way someones shadow falls on a wall, angra mainyu/ahriman are not evil per say but rather the absence of good and the absence of knowledge (ignorance). There is only one god and that is Ahura Mazda, the amesha spentas are the 7 timeless emanations of Ahura Mazda and yazatas are divinities worthy of worship such as Mithra. In reference to the Achaemenid's being Zoroastrianism is conflicted and depends on which monarch from the Achaemenid, for example Cyrus The Great was NOT a Zoroastrian and this is evident from his horse sacrifice ritual which has a parallel in vedic religion called ashvamedha. The yasna ritual never contained animal sacrifice as this was one of the main reasons Zarathurshtra decided he needed to propagate an ethical faith. Also the yasna ritual has a parallel with the yajna ritual in the vedic religion. If you have any questions about Zoroastrianism I'd be more than happy to discuss with you, I love your content sir!
As always thank you for your very careful and articulate treatment of this subject. beautifully illustrated.
Thank you so much. You have just opened another chapter in my life.
My son talked about Zoastrian beliefs when he was a toddler, specifically “flying over the world “ before he was born 🤷🏻♀️
Wow. That's interesting.
I mean, toddlers say a lot of weird stuff. Not that strange if one says something that matches an already existing belief.
Sounds like a dream
I’ve had dreams when I was 3-4 about flying
How interesting. Was he familiar with the word Zoroastrian, or did that come to him?
Zarathustra is such a cool name
Most Iranian (without their Greek corruption) and Assyrian names are super cool. I'd love to name my future son Tiglath Pleiser or Ashurbenipal
Yep. Though I like Zoroaster even more. Zarathustra has a ring of calm wisdom to it, and Zoroaster has more of a raw power ring (to me personally, of course).
@@Yarblocosifilitico Maybe it's because I'm from an English/Hispanic background but Zoroaster sounds much more masculine and Zaratustra sounds more feminine. Perhaps these things could be related to your thoughts about these names?
@@AntiquatedApe Indeed, I'm from Spain so it's probably that, too.
@@AntiquatedApethe “-a” ending is Masculine in Punjabi and “-i” is used as the feminine ending in Punjabi. It’s just because of your cultural background that “-a” seems feminine to you.
Awesome Detailing in the video...Thank you for providing such detail knowledge
Always enjoy watching your videos. Great work. Thanks!
Outstanding video as always, Filip. Do you think thinking of Druj as a deprivation of Asha, rather than an essential force in itself, a reasonable interpretation? If so, this would create lots of parallels with things like Neoplatonism and Vedanta and other Monist philosophies.