Preview

Zoroastrianism And Christianity Similarities

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1124 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Zoroastrianism And Christianity Similarities
Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and Christianity share so many features that it seems that there must be a connection between them. Does this connection really exist? If so, how did it happen? And how much of the similarity between these faiths is due simply to parallel evolution, rather than direct contact and influence? The simplest answer I can give you for the first question is, yes, there is a great deal of Zoroastrian influence on Judaism and Christianity, but the problem is that it is hard to document this exactly, at least in the early stages of Judaism. Nevertheless, I will dare to present these ideas, with no definite way to prove them either true or untrue.

In 586 BCE, the forces of the Babylonian Empire conquered the Jews, destroying their Temple and carrying off a proportion of the Jewish population into exile.

The captives consisted especially of educated and upper-class people as well as the royal family. This "Babylonian captivity" lasted almost fifty years.
…show more content…
It was said that Jesus was the Messiah and the son of god, who would come and aid mankind and save them from doom. There are many similarities between Christianity and Zoroastrianism which can easily be spotted, since Zoroastrianism was one of the largest influences upon Christianity. Among the many similarities between both religions one of them is, they're both dualistic. As mentioned, Zoroastrianism was considered a dualistic religion as it had to do with the fight between Ahura Mazda, truth and good will, and Angra Mainyu, wickedness and corruption (99). Zoroastrianism states that Ahura Mazda is to always fight against its creation, Angra Mainyu in order to make Earth a cloister. This is very similar to the concept of Christianity, the battle between God and the Devil, otherwise known as good and evil. The basis of the dilemma between good and evil in Christianity and Zoroastrianism can be seen as similar as

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Babylonian Captivity- referring to the seventy years the ancient Hebrews was held captive in Mesopotamian…

    • 952 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    538 BC Babylonia destroyed by Persians. Cyrus frees the Jews, they return to homeland. Old Testament first written.…

    • 298 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    o Historical connections and theological similarities with the other two religions—this section is limited to 350 to 700 words…

    • 516 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    A State of Mixture by Richard Payne investigates the entwining of Zoroastrian and Christian groups in late antique Iran. Payne claims that “Zoroastrian and Christian elites, institutions, and symbols came to commingle in a political culture that the present book calls ‘a state of mixture,’ employing a metaphor current in contemporaneous Iranian political thought.” This quote summarizes and lays out the foundation for the rest of the arguments that he covers in his book, arguably making it his thesis.…

    • 656 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Babylonia Dbq

    • 208 Words
    • 1 Page

    any of the Jewish people had been sent into exile between the years 597 to 582 B.C. In 539 B.C., Cyrus of Persia conquered Babylonia. About one year later he gave the Jewish people permission to return to their homeland of Judea. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah in the Old Testament tell about the hundred-year period that followed the time of the exile. The books of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah also come from this time. Sometime between 500 and 425 B.C. the priest named Ezra encouraged the people to return to their Jewish traditions and to obey the Law of Moses. He went so far as to force Jewish men to give up their foreign wives (Ezra 9,10).…

    • 208 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Zoroastrianism shares many similarities to today's top world religions, including but not limited to Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Such as the idea of an afterlife where you are judged by good and bad, monotheism versus polytheism, and free will versus predestined fate.…

    • 357 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    History 53 Judaism

    • 1735 Words
    • 7 Pages

    3 Id-Where and when did Zoroastrianism originate? How did it influence Judaism in terms of the figure of the devil and the idea of afterlife? List 4 ways in which it influenced all Western religions and explain why some people argue that Zoroastrianism provides the foundation for much of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.…

    • 1735 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Eschatology is a set of theological doctrines as part of many world religious traditions, concerning the final events of history, or the ultimate destiny of mankind. It involves maters such as the faith of the soul after death, resurrection, reward or punishment, as well as the ultimate destiny of the entire universe. Eschatological and apocalyptic prospects are defined either in an individual or in a collective form, embracing individual souls, or entire humanity and the whole cosmos. Individual eschatology is a set of doctrines on the journey of the soul after death, individual judgment and receiving reward or punishment based on the individuals’ merits or sins. In contrast, collective eschatology is defined as a set of doctrines on the fate of the entire world and of humanity at the end of history or the last judgment. A number of major religious traditions have embodied individual and collective eschatology as part of their teachings,…

    • 1034 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Femenism In The 1800's

    • 461 Words
    • 2 Pages

    One of the monumental blows dealt to the Jews was in 586 B.C.E. It was then that the Jews were exiled in Babylonia by the conquering King, Nebuchadnezzar II. There exile would last almost fifty years.…

    • 461 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As we read in lessons 2 and 3, in 609 B.C.E, when the Babylonian general (who then became the king), Nebuchadnezzar, defeated the Egyptian forces in Syria, they set their sights on Judah. This is where the two cultures converged in an attempt to defend themselves against the mighty Babylonians, whom by this time already had control of Mesopotamia. In 597, the deportations from Judah to Babylonia began. This is when the shift from the need to worship in a temple to worship within the home also began. The reason for this shift in practices of the Jewish people developed due to the separation of the people from their traditional house of God. In their efforts of crippling the over 400 year old Judean monarchy, the Babylonians not only figuratively wounded this small nation but literally had as well. In 587, the Judean puppet king,…

    • 1125 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Zoroastrianism

    • 864 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Zoroastrianism is recognized by most historians as the first monotheistic religion of the world. It is often referred to as the “Good religion,” because it emphasizes goodness and righteous behavior and thought. Zoroastrians believe that Ahura Mazda, whose name means “Wise Lord,” is the true god and creator of all things good. They also believe that his rival, Angra Mainyu, is the root of evil.…

    • 864 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Judaism, a monotheistic religion which derived from the Hebrews. The Hebrews believed that God was their original guardian. Judaism also has a sanctum book called the Torah. The Torah which is a godly book of laws and events in Jewish chronicle. The Jews cogitated that God gave them the Ten Commandments soundly to Moses. As for the Zoroastrianism religion, they are a rejection of the old Persian Gods. In this temple the single, sapient, attending, and almighty god, Ahura Mazda, ruled and created the universe. His assistance spirits, the Ahura, battled against the god of evil, Ahriman or Angra Mainyu and the daevas. That made the Zoroastrianism, the religion of Zoroaster. Most religious historians believe the Jewish, Christian and Muslim beliefs concerning God and Satan, the soul, heaven and hell, the virgin birth of the savior, slaughter of the innocents, resurrection, the final judgment, etc. were all derived from Zoroastrianism(://www.religioustolerance.org/zoroastr.htm).…

    • 383 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Tension between Jewish Christianity and Gentile Christianity was one big cat fight to say the least. The two groups did not get alone with each other, in fact they barely interacted with one another. The separation between the two led to misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility even though Judaism had a major influence on Christianity. Jewish Christianity and Gentile Christianity had their similarities that they didn’t come to appreciate until years later.…

    • 886 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Judaism and Christianity

    • 267 Words
    • 2 Pages

    A few similarities between Christianity and Judaism is that they both were founded in Palestine, believe in spiritual beings such as angels and demons, ultimate reality- one God, Jehovah, and the God of Abraham, and the crucifixion of Jesus.…

    • 267 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    From 198 to 142 B.C.E the Greeks in Syria controlled Israel. The rulers urged heavy taxation, political and religious groups began to develop among the Jews. After the desecration of the Temple by The Greeks, the Jews rebelled. In the year 164 B.C.E, the sacred temple was rededicated, an event still remembered and celebrated by the Jews today, with the Feast of Dedication, or Hanukkah. In 142 B.C.E the Jewish gained their independence.…

    • 392 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics