Salek Atesh
Active Member
Hello!! I was at a Christian church recently, where they were talking about (of course, given the time of year) the birth of Jesus, which got me thinking.
How to Christians view Zoroastrianism??
The first prominent Zoroastrian found in the bible is Cyrus II, or Cyrus the Great. Cyrus was the Persian King who conquered Babylon, freed the Jews from their captivity, and permitted the reconstruction of Jerusalem and the Temple of Solomon. Isaiah 45:1 gives Cyrus the title of "Messiah", or "Anointed One".
Other prominent Zoroastrians in the biblical narrative are the magi who herald Jesus' birth. "Magi" in Greek, could mean several things, but based on the fact that early Christian art portrays them as Persians, it seems likely they were Zoroastrian priests, one meaning of "magi".
These Zoroastrians belonged to a monotheistic (although the devil figure (Angra Mainyu) in Zoroastrianism is often incorrectly stated by non-Zoroastrians to be an equal in strength to their God) religion that promises a "saoshyant", a future savior figure who will triumph over druj(evil/falsehood). These Zoroastrian priests, according to the book of Matthew, predicted that the "King of the Jews" would be born, and followed a star they believed would lead them to that King, ending up at Jesus, and presenting Christ with three gifts (three being a number sacred to Zoroastrians, symbolic of Right Thought, Right Speech, and Right Action).
I belong to a faith that teaches both the validity of Jesus Christ and the prophethood of Zoroaster, but I wondered what the Christian interpretation on this was. Do you think Zoroaster was a prophet of God?? If so, why?? If not, also why, and in that case how do you think the Zoroastrian priests were able to predict the birth of Christ??
How to Christians view Zoroastrianism??
The first prominent Zoroastrian found in the bible is Cyrus II, or Cyrus the Great. Cyrus was the Persian King who conquered Babylon, freed the Jews from their captivity, and permitted the reconstruction of Jerusalem and the Temple of Solomon. Isaiah 45:1 gives Cyrus the title of "Messiah", or "Anointed One".
Other prominent Zoroastrians in the biblical narrative are the magi who herald Jesus' birth. "Magi" in Greek, could mean several things, but based on the fact that early Christian art portrays them as Persians, it seems likely they were Zoroastrian priests, one meaning of "magi".
These Zoroastrians belonged to a monotheistic (although the devil figure (Angra Mainyu) in Zoroastrianism is often incorrectly stated by non-Zoroastrians to be an equal in strength to their God) religion that promises a "saoshyant", a future savior figure who will triumph over druj(evil/falsehood). These Zoroastrian priests, according to the book of Matthew, predicted that the "King of the Jews" would be born, and followed a star they believed would lead them to that King, ending up at Jesus, and presenting Christ with three gifts (three being a number sacred to Zoroastrians, symbolic of Right Thought, Right Speech, and Right Action).
I belong to a faith that teaches both the validity of Jesus Christ and the prophethood of Zoroaster, but I wondered what the Christian interpretation on this was. Do you think Zoroaster was a prophet of God?? If so, why?? If not, also why, and in that case how do you think the Zoroastrian priests were able to predict the birth of Christ??
