Inaug.-Diss.--Königsberg. / Vita. Bibliography: p. [3]-4.

This thesis has traced the influence of Zoroastrianism on Christianity. The major contention was that a dualistic theme in the form of good versus evil, heaven and hell, and God opposing Satan originated with Zoroaster, continued through Judaism, influenced Plato, and was finally crystallized in the works of Saint Augustine. This study indicated the change of Judaism after the "Babylonian Captivity" and also the dualism reflected in Plato's Republic and Saint Augustine's Confessions and The City of God. There is also reference to the development of Platonism and Manichaeism in the third century A.D.In other works there have been allusions to the role that Zoroastrianism has played in the growth of the Judeo-Christian religion. The originality of this thesis is the attempt to tie together in a chronological manner Zoroaster's influence in the expansion of the dualistic theme.

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / The primary purpose of this thesis is to utilize the major scholarly works available in French and English to establish that Judaism and Christianity have been influenced by the ethical religion of Zoroaster. In the first section the early date of Zoroaster (660 B.C.), is initially suggested as a factor in the developmental precedence of Zoroastrianism. The influence of Zoroaster is extended through literature, ethics and the munificence of the Persian court in Babylon. The Jews are suggested to have been, "a discouraged, disorganized and bitter lot", when taken to Babylon. The Jew's high monotheistic concept of God developed in and after the Exile. During the Exile and the period after, the Jews had a prolonged exposure to spphisticated Zoroastrianism. On the Persian side, the religion began to deteriorate soon after the Prophet's death. The degree of that deterioration and the level influencing the Jews is crucial to the issue. The first section is summed up in pointing out the possible beneficial and detrimental influences of Zoroastrianism upon Judaism. The second section concerns the impact of Zoroastrianism directly and indirectly upon Christianity. The problem of tracing what similarities are definitely traceable to Zoroastrianism is stated and then the similarities are listed. The further possible influence through Mithraism and Manichaeism is treated in detail. There is a short summary. / 2031-01-01

This study examines the history of the Parsi community from their arrival in India until the middle of the nineteenth century, giving special emphasis to the impact that other religious and social systems existing in India had on the formation of Parsi identity and also to the continuing influence of communication with co-religionists remaining in Iran. This study argues that Indian Zoroastrians, in attempting to formulate their identity in terms of the religious communities which surrounded them, have completely transformed those things that have generally been regarded as their religion's distinguishing features. The impact of modernity continued the transformations already in process. Hinduism primarily affected Parsi practices and social systems. Like Hindu castes, Parsis refused to interdine or intermarry with those outside their community and prohibited the conversion of outsiders. But caste never defined the Parsis' choice of vocation as it did those of other Indians. This versatility allowed Parsis to involve themselves in all phases of production and distribution and gave them an edge over other merchant groups. The impact of Islam was felt primarily in the area of theology. Parsis utilized Islamic terminologies and came to share Muslim monotheistic presuppositions. Zoroastrians down-played their veneration of the elements and even came to regard Ahriman, once seen as the malignant twin to God Himself, as a lesser being wholly dependent on God's sovereignty. Periods of economic prosperity created conflicts in which laymen sought to undermine priestly authority by appealing to Zoroastrian priests residing in Iran. When Iranian Zoroastrians proved unable to mediate these disputes any longer, the community began to turn towards other outsiders as final authorities, at first Islamic, and later European ones. Zoroastrianism's confrontation with Christianity, which coincided with the introduction of the printing press, brought further changes in Parsi beliefs. Parsis embraced Enlightenment thought, utilizing it to defend themselves against missionary attacks. Although rejecting Christian theology, they eventually adopted the methodologies of higher criticism by which Europeans studied Zoroastrianism and largely accepted their findings.

This thesis presents a comparative study between two reforming movements emanating from the Aryan (Indo-Iranian) tradition: Early Zarathushtrianism and Early Buddhism. Although this thesis establishes the common origin of Zarathushtrianism and Buddhism, the principal purpose of this research is to demonstrate the social commitment of the two movements. / Zarathyshtra and the Buddha are discerned in this discussion as reformers struggling against the religious institutions (worshipped gods and observed rites) and the social system of their time as the latter represented exclusively the aspirations of the dominating knightly or priestly classes. / This treatise is primarily interested in the social message conveyed by Zarathushtra's and the Buddha's "religious" discourses. It aims to establish their statements as one supporting the emancipation of the classes who secured the economic prosperity of their society. / Finally, as regards the outline of this thesis, the first two sections are preliminary chapters dedicated to separate studies of Zarathushtrianism and Buddhism. They pave the way for the comparative study between the two Aryan movements recorded in the last chapter.

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Thesis (MPhil (Ancient Studies))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / This thesis seeks to investigate the possible influence of Iranian apocalyptic on the Judaean apocalyptic literature, which was widely disseminated in the Near East during the Hellenistic and Roman phases of the Second Temple Period (c. 539 BCE- 70 CE). The similarities between Zoroastrianism and Judaism have been the object of scholarly study for more than a century. Iranologists such as Zaehner, Widengren and Boyce were particularly partial to the notion that Zoroastrianism influenced Judaism. They felt such influences were an inevitable consequence of the Judaeans living under Achaemenian rule for almost two centuries, and in close proximity of Persian communities for some centuries after the demise of the Achaemenid Empire. They based their conclusions on literary parallels between some key biblical passages and Persian literature, linguistic evidence and the obviously dualistic nature of both religions. Recently, however, this point of view has come in for criticism from biblical scholars like Barr and Hanson, who have pointed out that many seemingly Iranian concepts could as easily have emanated from other Near Eastern influences or evolved from within the Judaean tradition. The similarities between the Iranian and Judaean world-view are particularly apparent when considering the apocalyptic traditions from Zoroastrianism and Judaism: Both traditions view the course of history as a pre-determined, linear process in which good and evil are in constant conflict on both a physical and metaphysical level, until a great eschatological battle, introduced by a “messiah” figure, will rid all creation of evil. A judgment of all humanity and resurrection are envisaged in both traditions, as well as an utopian eternal life free of evil. However, it is very difficult to prove that these two apocalyptic traditions are in any way related, as most of the apocalyptic works from Iran are dated considerably later than the Judaean apocalypses, which mostly originated during the Hellenistic period. The apocalyptic phenomena within the two traditions are also not always entirely similar, raising the possibility that they are indeed not the result of cultural interaction between the Iranians and Judaeans. Furthermore, one must also consider that many phenomena constituting apocalyptic occurred widely during the Second Temple Period in the Ancient Near East, on account of the general state of powerlessness and disillusionment brought about by the Macedonian conquest of the Achaemenid Empire and the resulting political unrest. This study investigates the relations between Judaeans and Iranians under Achaemenian rule, the political and religious background and apocalyptic traditions of both these peoples in an attempt to ascertain whether Iranian beliefs did indeed influence Judaean apocalypticism. These investigations will show that, given the cultural milieu of the Ancient Near East in the Second Temple period, contemporary Greek evidence of Zoroastrian beliefs and the interpretative bent of Judaean scribal and priestly classes, there is a strong likelihood that seemingly Iranian concepts in Judaean apocalypticism were indeed of Iranian origin.

Thèse--Université de Paris. / "Bibliographie et abréviations": p. [309]-320.

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