Parallels Between Judaism and Zoroastrianism

docphin5

Well-known member
There are parallels between Zoroastrianism and Judaism which suggests the latter developed from the former.

Preface: Logically, original Judaism (600 BC) likely developed from Zoroastrianism and subsequently branched off into Talmudic Judaism (200 BC) which essentially literalized the mythical stories in the Pentateuch, whereas, the Essenes maintained the original esoteric meaning through divine hokhmah. By the first century CE the Essenes developed into Jewish-Christians gnostics (Paul, et al) until christian proto-orthodox (150 CE) literalized the Hebrew myths (just as the Pharisees did) and Esoteric Gospel stories, then subsequently suppressed, destroyed gnostic christians in the fourth century CE by the power of Rome—Caesar (just as the Pharisees did to the Essenes in 63 BC by power of Rome—General Pompey). I say this to counter rabbinical Judaism‘s assumption (like Christian orthodoxy) that their form of religion is unique and supernaturally derived. It was not. In reality, history, and comparative theology demonstrates a natural development of religion from one civilization to the next: Persian Zoroastrianism >> Judaism >> Christianity

Basic info on Zoroastrianism from Wikipedia
Zoroastrianism (600 BC - 600 CE)
“It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheistic ontology and an eschatology which predicts the ultimate conquest of evil by good.[3]…Historically, the unique features of Zoroastrianism, such as its monotheism, messianism, belief in free-will and judgment after death, conception of heaven, hell, angels, and demons, among other concepts, may have influenced other religious and philosophical systems, including the Abrahamic religions and Gnosticism, Northern Buddhism, and Greek philosophy.”

Keep in mind that the Persian Empire and its religion, eg., Zoroastrianism, was at its peak in the seventh century BC. All subsequent nations were influenced by the Persian Empire. In fact, there would be no Jewish nation without Cyrus, a Messianic figure, per Isaiah (Isaiah 45:1).


Parallels Between Zoroastrianism and Judaism
Ahura Mazda, (Wise Lord), supreme being, uncreated, benevolent, all-good, transcendent

“(Ahura meaning "Lord" and Mazda meaning "Wisdom" in Avestan). Zoroaster keeps the two attributes separate as two different concepts… “ (Wikipedia)
2) Wisdom
3) Lord

Wisdom and Lord immanent within a supreme being is a divine triad.
The Most high God, “the El”, supreme being from whom two powers are produced,
2) holy spirit (Ruach Elohim), wisdom, light, and
3) power of life/death or being, substance, existence itself (YHWH Elohim)

Wisdom and Power are immanent within the Supreme Being. In this is the divine triad. (Dead Sea Scrolls)
Seven Creative Powers in Nature

“Ahura Mazda is noted as working through emanations known as the Amesha Spenta,…a class of seven divine entities emanating from Ahura Mazda…In Zoroastrian tradition, these are the first seven emanations of the uncreated creator, through whom all subsequent creation was accomplished.”
Seven creative powers in nature identified in Jewish Wisdom literature

“Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn her seven pillars.” (Proverbs 9:1)

“and from the seven spirits who are before his throne,” (Rev 1:5)
Savior

“In Middle-Persian literature, the prominent belief was that at the end of time a savior-figure known as the Saoshvant, an eschatological saviour figure who brings about Frashokereti, the final renovation of the world in which evil is finally destroyed.”
Savior

The Essenes expected a final eschatological, apocalyptic savior to usher in the new heaven and new earth. (Dead Sea Scrolls)

 
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There are parallels between Zoroastrianism and Judaism which suggests the latter developed from the former.
Sorry, but Zoroastrianism was started by Zoroaster aka Zarathustra, who lived around 600 BCE. That's well after the beginnings of Judaism.
 
Sorry, but Zoroastrianism was started by Zoroaster aka Zarathustra, who lived around 600 BCE. That's well after the beginnings of Judaism.
Zoroastrianism arguably goes back to 2,000 BC or more but was well established by 600 BC. when Persian influence spread to Asia, Africa, and Europe.

Moreover, some scholars think most of the Pentateuch was written while in Babylonian captivity (sixth century BC). If true, then it explains the parallels of Jewish scripture with Zoroastrianism because it was the dominant religion in the most powerful empire in the world at that time. No other civilization compared to it.

I also suspect that the success of Homer’s Odyssey and Iliad to inspire Greek culture, to include, religion, was an example for the author of Hebrew scripture who wanted to do the same for his own people. So he composed a dramatic, epic, mythical narrative of humans, gods, and magic, involving the chosen people. And likely written to parallel religious concepts of the dominant religion he was living in: monotheism, judgment, heaven, hell, angels, demons, etc.

This is called critical thinking, actually considering the evidence versus accepting myth and superstitions as historical events. I don’t think of the mythical stories as fiction but as spiritual truths passed down through oral stories and finally synthesized, written for instruction. It is what the Essenes were doing, that is, revealing the meaning of the Law, before the Pharisees made them historical events. If I remember correctly, even Philo equated the patriarchs and their wives to heavenly virtues, thus, allegorizing the scriptures for instruction versus making them historical. Scholars have noted the names of the characters in the stories directly correlate with the events in the stories which can be no mere coincidence. IOW, there is an allegorical purpose to it, —not historical events.
 
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Zoroastrianism arguably goes back to 2,000 BC or more but was well established by 600 BC. when Persian influence spread to Asia, Africa, and Europe.
No, it doesn't. It goes back to about 600 BCE when it was started by Zoroaster.
 
No, it doesn't. It goes back to about 600 BCE when it was started by Zoroaster.
”Zoroastrianism or Mazdayasna is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, …with possible roots dating back to the 2nd millenniumBCE,“ (Wikipedia)

Historical evidence and critical thinking support the truth of reality not belief in myths and superstitions.

Facts
6th century BC

1) zoroastrianism: oldest organized faith
2) persian empire: most powerful empire at the time
3) nonexistent Jewish nation, whose people scattered all over Asia, and servants of Persia
4) Persian decree establishes Jewish client state
5) (scholarly theory): Hebrew sage in Babylonian empire composes epic story (like Homer did for the Greeks) for his people synthesizing Persian doctrines into Hebrew scripture

2nd century BC
6) Hebrew scriptures contains key concepts paralleling Persian religion wrapped in mythical stories, to include, Noah’s flood, plagerising the Chaldean epic of Gilgamesh
7) Independence of Palestine from Syria

1st century BC
8) Pharisees make Hebrew scriptures historical events and persecute those (Essenes) who say otherwise.
9) Pharisees become client of Rome who helped them in national civil war

1st century BC
10) Pharisees continue persecuting Essenes, to include, the “light to the nations”, namely, Paul
11) Rome destroys Jerusalem

2022
12) Pharisees continue promoting myths as historical events
13) Dead Sea Scrolls discovered and analyzed to reveal the Qumran community interpreting the Law for its hidden message about the coming Messiahs
14) Pharisee response: bury head in sand, don’t study your history, read the talmud for truth
15) Christian orthodoxy response: What? Did you say the Quizno community? I love their sandwiches.
 
”Zoroastrianism or Mazdayasna is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, …with possible roots dating back to the 2nd millenniumBCE,“ (Wikipedia)
I'm uninterested in chatting about zoroastrianism. My one and only point is that it originated around 600 CE with Zoroaster. You can paste all you wand and I am still not going to budge on that point.
 
I'm uninterested in chatting about zoroastrianism. My one and only point is that it originated around 600 CE with Zoroaster. You can paste all you wand and I am still not going to budge on that point.
The evidence suggests Hebrew scriptures were synthesized from the previous Chaldean and Persian beliefs. For example, the Biblical flood is a variation of the Chaldean epic of Gilgamesh written up to 2100 BC.

I just present the evidence. People choose what they want to believe.
 
Herodotus does allude to Zoroastrianism without naming Zoroaster or Ahura Mazda.

Herodotus 1.131
As to the customs of the Persians, I know them to be these. It is not their custom to make and set up statues and temples and altars

Tacitus 2.78
Between Judaea and Syria is Mount Carmel; this is the name both of the mountain and the Deity. They have no image of the god nor any temple; the tradition of antiquity recognises only an altar and its sacred association.

Herodotus 7.40
the chariot of Zeus

In Herodotus the Persian God is called ἅρμα Διὸς "chariot of Zeus", rather then Ahura Mazda, which is reflected in its iconography.

2 Samuel 22:11
And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: and he was seen upon the wings of the wind.

Zoroaster sounds suspiciously Phoenician, cf. Zerubbabel. Compare with Tyrian King named listed in Josephus, Abdastartus, Astartus, Deleastartus.
 
The evidence suggests Hebrew scriptures were synthesized from the previous Chaldean and Persian beliefs. For example, the Biblical flood is a variation of the Chaldean epic of Gilgamesh written up to 2100 BC.

I just present the evidence. People choose what they want to believe.
Two of the stories of the Hebrew sacred texts have earlier renditions from Sumer, basically the Garden of Eden and the Flood. But that's it. That's a long long long ways from saying that all the stories have earlier renditions.

I reject what you are saying about Persia. Sorry, but the Torah and prophets predate that period.
 
They are lots of similarities Gilgamesh and Biblical flood, but the Biblical authors didn't copy Gilgamesh directly, but from an intermediary between Gilgamesh and the Biblical Flood, most likely Berosus.

Flavius Josephus, Against Apion 1.128
He (Berosus) gives us an account of that ark wherein Noah, the origin of our race, was preserved


Berosus was active at the beginning of the 3rd century BCE, after which the Greek flood account (Deucalion) came into being.
 
the true Faith goes back a bit more than 5,900 years
Judu and Zoro are New Jack religions in the grand scheme of things
The names of a supreme god and/or intermediary gods and outward forms may change depending upon language and customs but there appears to be a common, ethical thread running through all true religions. Which actually makes sense if there is a Supreme God over all peoples (1). Whether Egyptians call him Amun, or Hindus call him Brahma, or Essenes/Jewish-Christians called him “the Most High”, or Buddhists describe the ineffable using negative theology, namely, Nirvana (a state free from suffering), or Greek natural, moral philosophers call him “the Good One”; —the essence remains the same, a Source of all things, and/or true, eternal reality, whose Providence rules all, to which we owe our fidelity through piety and virtuous living.

1) “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,” (eph 3:14).
 
Two of the stories of the Hebrew sacred texts have earlier renditions from Sumer, basically the Garden of Eden and the Flood. But that's it. That's a long long long ways from saying that all the stories have earlier renditions.

I reject what you are saying about Persia. Sorry, but the Torah and prophets predate that period.
You have been deceived to think the Jewish myths are historical. It seems to be a sickness of orthodoxy (people who don’t know the meaning so they take it literally by default) because Christian orthodoxy does the same thing. Sorry to burst your bubble. Or you can keep pretending its historical and the dark veil of error remains over your mind.

As to the alleged inspiration of Genesis, it is evident that, though re-written by Ezra or some other Jew, the early part of same—i.e., the all-important commencement of the Bible story—is Babylonian in origin. From the story of the Creation to that of the Tower of Babel the Bible is not Israelitish, nor Jewish, but Babylonian.

To commence with, it is well known to those acquainted with the remains of the Assyrian and Babylonian civilisations, that the stories of
the Creation,
the Temptation,
the Fall,
the Deluge, and
the Confusion of Tongues,
were the common property of the Babylonians centuries before the date of the alleged Exodus under Moses.

At least one representation of the man, the woman, the tree, the fruit, and the serpent, has come to light; and in this the hands of the woman are depicted as stretched out towards the forbidden fruit. The fragments which have survived the ages also contain references to a wicked serpent of night and darkness who brought about the fall of Man; and at one and the same time show that ages before Moses the Accadians were in possession of the stories he is alleged to have been inspired to write, and also that those stories were in some cases, if not in every instance, more or less astronomical in origin and of an allegorical character.”

”As to Eden, this is found by students of the ancient cuneiform inscriptions to have been the name of the field or plain of Babylonia where, according to the old legends inherited by the Babylonians from a bygone age, the living creatures were created. The Jewish adapters have slightly altered the course of the four rivers or canals of the story, but these are still traceable in the names; for Pishon is the Babylonian name for canal, and Gihon only a slightly corrupted version of the Accadian name of the river by the side of which Babylon was built; and that the Euphrates and Tigris were Babylonian rivers does not need demonstration. As to the Tower of Babel, the Babylonian origin of this particular Bible story is too obvious to need pointing out.”

(Our Sun-God or Christianity before Christ, a demonstration that, as the fathers admitted, our religion existed before our era, and even in prehistoric times by Jon Parsons)
 
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Even the “Sabbath” is borrowed from Babylonia.

There is little to nothing original in the Hebrew myths except new terms and names for previously conceived religious ideas or conceptions. They borrowed everything from the Babylonians. Therefore, Judaism cannot claim to be unique, which ultimately means Christianity is borrowed from the Babylonians. The archaic Wisdom rewritten for different civilizations, races, nations.

The nation where we find (aside from the Hebrews) most clear evidence, not only of a week, but also of a Sabbath, is the Babylonian….

Furthermore, upon the Babylonian monuments recently discovered mention is made of a week of seven days ending with a seventh day on which no work was to be done or sacrifice offered. This seventh day was a day of rest and abstinence from the usual employments. This is shown by the register tablet of the intercalary month of Elul.…

Whence did the Babylonian week and Sabbath arise? If we can answer this question, we shall then perhaps be able to get nearer the origin of the Hebrew Sabbath. An examination of the Elul Calendar mentioned above shows that the word used for unlawful day, “dies nefastus”, is Accadian. The occurrence of this and many other expressions and technical phrases shows that this calendar was of Accadian origin. In the words of Sayce,

" It was borrowed by the Semites along with the rest of the old Turanian theology and science. The original text must have been inscribed at some time before the 17th century B. C., when the Accadian language seems to have become extinct."

If this is true, we have traced the Sabbath to its source among the nations of South-Western Asia. From the Accadians it was passed on to their successors, the Babylonians, and was carried also from Accadia by Nahor and his descendants into Palestine.


(The origin of the Hebrew Sabbath, JT Nichols, 1891)
 
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