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→Zarathustra and Zoroastrian Theology
An examination of the ancient sources reveals that when the Achaemenid kings began worshipping Ahuramazda, the primary Zoroastrian god, the religion they followed was far different than what it later became. The Parthians refined many of the Achaemenids’ theological ideas and then the Sasanians codified the rituals and myths, essentially turning an obscure Indo-European cult into a true revealed religion. After the Islamic conquest of Persia in the seventh century, Zoroastrianism waned, but many of its strictest followers left for India where they were allowed to worship Ahuramazda openly.
====Who was Zarathustra and Zoroastrian Theology? ====
[[File: Zorastrian_Fire.jpg|300px|thumbnail|left|A Zoroastrian Sacred Fire]]
In order to understand the development of Zoroastrianism, one has to start at the beginning with the religion’s prophet, Zarathustra. Zoroastrianism shares a commonality with the Abrahamic religions as well as Buddhism and Sikhism in that they are all revealed religions. In the case of Zoroastrianism, the prophet who received the word of god was a Persian named Zarathustra, or Zoroaster as it is sometimes spelled in the West. Zarathustra’s life is largely a mystery, as there are no non-Zoroastrian texts that offer any insight into his birthplace or even when he lived. Most modern scholars believe that Zarathustra lived between 1400 and 1200 BC, <ref> Boyce, Mary. <i>Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices.</i> (London: Routledge, 2007), p. 2</ref> although the Sasanian sources claimed that he lived much later, only 258 years before Alexander the Great, <ref> Malandra, William W, ed. and trans. <i>An Introduction to Ancient Iranian Religion: Readings form the Avesta and the Achaemenid Inscriptions.</i> (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1983), p. 17</ref> which would have been some time just before the Achaemenids created their empire around 600 BC.
Zarathustra’s background is not as important as what he believed and preached as he traveled throughout Persia. Contrary to common belief, Zoroastrianism is not nor ever has been a monotheistic religion. Zarathustra and all of his subsequent followers believed in an Iranian triad that was heavily influenced and related to the Vedic religion of ancient India. Ahuramazda is the god at the head of the triad, which included Varuna and Mithra. <ref> Clark, Peter. <i>Zoroastrianism: An Introduction to an Ancient Faith.</i> (Brighton, United Kingdom: Sussex Academic, 2001), p. 4</ref> Ahuramazda was/is the god primarily worshipped by Zoroastrians, although Mithra and numerous angels/demi-gods also play a role. Mithra would later be adopted by the Romans and become one of their more popular gods.
====What is Zoroastrian Theology?====
At the center of Zoroastrian theology is the belief in <i>asha</i>, which can best be translated as a combination of righteousness, truth, and order. Zoroastrians are mindful of asha in everything they do, ritual or otherwise, and strive to avoid its opposite concept, <i>drug</i>, or “the lie.” <ref> Clark, p. 5</ref> As Zoroastrians carry on their daily lives with the idea of asha in mind, pious believers have also carried out a number of notable rituals for centuries.
