Portal:Ancient Near East/Selected article/6
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zoroastrianism is an ancient Persian religion and philosophy based on the teachings ascribed to the prophet Zoroaster (Zarathustra, Zartosht). The Zoroastrian Magi were an important priestly class in the Medean and Achaemenid empires, the creed becoming the dominant religion in the Achaemenid Empire. Zoroastrianism is uniquely important in the history of religion because of its possible formative links to both Western and Eastern religious traditions. As "the oldest of the revealed credal religions", Zoroastrianism "probably had more influence on mankind directly or indirectly than any other faith" (Mary Boyce, 1979).
The Avesta is the collection of the sacred texts of Zoroastrianism; the most ancient are written in an old or Gathic Avestan language, and the majority of the texts are probably from the Achaemenid era (648–330 BC).
