Zoroaster, also known as Zarathushtra (Avestan Avestan is an East Iranian language known only from its use as the language of Zoroastrian scripture, i.e. the Avesta, from which it derives its name. The Yaz culture has been regarded as a likely archaeological reflection of early East Iranian culture as described in the Avesta. Its status as a sacred language has ensured its continuing use for: Zaraθuštra IPA The International Phonetic Alphabet [note 1] is a system of phonetic notation based primarily on the Latin alphabet, devised by the International Phonetic Association as a standardized representation of the sounds of spoken language. The IPA is used by foreign language students and teachers, linguists, speech pathologists and therapists, singers,: [ˈzaːˌraˈθuːʃˌtrʌ], b. 18th↔10th century BCE Common Era, abbreviated as CE, is one of the designations for the world's most commonly used year-numbering system. The numbering of years using Common Era notation is identical to the numbering used with Anno Domini notation, 2010 being the current year in both notations and neither using a year zero. Common Era is also known as Christian Era and[1]), was an ancient Iranian Ancient Iranian peoples who settled Greater Iran in the 2nd millennium BC first appear in Assyrian records in the 9th century BC. They remain dominant throughout Classical Antiquity in Scythia and Persia prophet In religion, a prophet is an individual who believes they have been contacted by, or has encountered, the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other humans. The message that the prophet conveys is called a prophecy and philosopher Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. It is distinguished from other ways of addressing fundamental questions by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational argument. The word "philosophy" comes from the, and the founder of the Zoroastrian religion Zoroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of prophet Zoroaster . It was probably founded some time before the 6th century BCE in Persia (Iran). The term Zoroastrianism is, in general usage, essentially synonymous with Mazdaism (the worship of Ahura Mazda, exalted by Zoroaster as the supreme divine authority). The form Zoroaster ([ˌzoroˈæsˌtɘr]) is of a Greek Greek , an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, is the language of the Greeks. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. In its ancient form, it is the language of classical ancient Greek literature and the New Testament of and Latin Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. With the Roman conquest, Latin was spread to countries around the Mediterranean, including a large part of Europe. Romance languages such as Aragonese, Corsican, Catalan, French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Sardinian, Spanish and others, are descended from Latin, while derivation from the Avestan (cf. name). The alternative, less common English-language form "Zarathushtra" is a modern rendering of the Avestan pronunciation.[2] In the Middle Persian and Modern Persian language (8th century–present) he is called Zartosht (Persian Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is widely spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and to some extent in Iraq, Bahrain, and Oman. New Persian, which usually is called also by the names of Farsi, Parsi, Dari or Parsi-ye-Dari (Dari Persian), can be classified linguistically: زرتشت [ˈzɑːrˌtoʃt]).
It is generally thought that Zoroaster lived about the 10th or 11th century BCE, though some scholars believe that he lived sometime between 1750 and 1500 BC or between 1400 and 1200 BC. The traditional Parsi Parsi or Parsee refers to a member of the larger of the two Zoroastrian communities of from the Indian subcontinent, the other being the Irani community people of Pakistan and India place the Prophet as older than 6000 BC.[3] The hymns A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word hymn derives from Greek ὕμνος , which means "a song of praise." Collections of hymns are known as hymnals or hymnbooks attributed to him—the Gathas The 17 hymns of the Gathas consist of 238 verses, of about 1300 lines or 6000 words in total. They were later incorporated into the 72-chapter Yasna , which in turn is the primary liturgical collection of texts within the greater compendium of the Avesta. The 17 hymns are identified by their chapter numbers in the Yasna, and are divided into five—are at the liturgical core of Zoroastrianism Zoroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of prophet Zoroaster . It was probably founded some time before the 6th century BCE in Persia (Iran). The term Zoroastrianism is, in general usage, essentially synonymous with Mazdaism (the worship of Ahura Mazda, exalted by Zoroaster as the supreme divine authority).
Contents |
Etymology
"Zoroaster"
His name in his native Avestan Avestan is an Iranian language known only from its use as the language of Zoroastrian scripture, i.e. the Avesta, from which it derives its name. The language must also at some time have been a natural language, but how long ago that was is unknown. Its status as a sacred language ensured its continuing use for new compositions long after the was Zarathustra (Zaraθuštra). The Western-English names "Zoroaster" and "Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of prophet Zoroaster . It was probably founded some time before the 6th century BCE in Persia (Iran). The term Zoroastrianism is, in general usage, essentially synonymous with Mazdaism (the worship of Ahura Mazda, exalted by Zoroaster as the supreme divine authority)" (i.e. Mazdayasna) derive from a later (5th-century BCE) Greek Greek , an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, is the language of the Greeks. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. In its ancient form, it is the language of classical ancient Greek literature and the New Testament of translation of Zōroástrēs.[4], as attested in the Lydiaka of Xanthus (frag. 32) and in Pseudo-Plato’s Alcibiades Maior (122a1). The Greek Zōroástrēs appears to be based in 1) a phonetic transliteration or semantic substitution of the Avestan Avestan is an East Iranian language known only from its use as the language of Zoroastrian scripture, i.e. the Avesta, from which it derives its name. The Yaz culture has been regarded as a likely archaeological reflection of early East Iranian culture as described in the Avesta. Its status as a sacred language has ensured its continuing use for zarat- to the Greek zōrós, the latter meaning "undiluted," and 2) from an association of ástra "stars A star is a massive, luminous ball of plasma held together by gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth. Other stars are visible in the night sky, when they are not outshone by the Sun. Historically, the most prominent stars on the celestial sphere were grouped together into constellations" in place of the Avestan "-uštra," the Avestan word being widely accepted to mean or relate to "light" (see below). This form appears subsequently in the Latin Zoroastres and, in later Greek orthographies, as Zōroástris.
"Zarathushtra"
In Avestan Avestan is an East Iranian language known only from its use as the language of Zoroastrian scripture, i.e. the Avesta, from which it derives its name. The Yaz culture has been regarded as a likely archaeological reflection of early East Iranian culture as described in the Avesta. Its status as a sacred language has ensured its continuing use for, Zaraθuštra is generally accepted to derive from an Old Iranian *zarat-uštra-. While the first half of the name "zarat-" is strongly referenced to mean "golden," (cf. meanings) from the old Eastern-Iranian (and Modern Persian) zar- -زر, meaning "gold,"[5] it does not itself appear in Avestan Avestan is an East Iranian language known only from its use as the language of Zoroastrian scripture, i.e. the Avesta, from which it derives its name. The Yaz culture has been regarded as a likely archaeological reflection of early East Iranian culture as described in the Avesta. Its status as a sacred language has ensured its continuing use for.[citation needed] The second half of the name—i.e. -uštra-—is universally accepted to mean ‘camel’.[2][a] These factors combined open the door for reconstructing the name's etymology, and there have been other alternative meanings proposed for "zarat-" such as "moving," "old," and "longing for."
Reconstructions from later Iranian languages—in particular from the Middle Persian Middle Persian, indigenously known as "Pârsig" sometimes referred to as Pahlavi or Pehlevi, is the Middle Iranian language/ethnolect of Southwestern Iran that during Sassanid times became a prestige dialect and so came to be spoken in other regions as well. Middle Persian is classified as Western Iranian language. It descends from Old (300 BCE-) Zartosht, which is the form the name has in the 9th to 12th-century Zoroastrian A Zoroastrian is an adherent to Zoroastrianism, is one of the first monotheistic religions, that is based on the teachings and philosophies of Zoroaster texts—suggest that *zarat-uštra- might be a zero-grade In linguistics, the term ablaut designates a system of vowel gradation in Proto-Indo-European (PIE) and its far-reaching consequences in all of the modern Indo-European languages. (For the general phenomenon, see Apophony.) An example of ablaut in English is the strong verb sing, sang, sung and its related noun song form of *zarant-uštra-.[2]
Proposed interpretations
Subject then to whether Zaraθuštra derives from *zarant-uštra- or from *zarat-uštra-, several interpretations have been proposed:[b]
Following *zarat-uštra- are
- "owner of the golden camel" or "golden camel" which is derived from old Eastern-Iranian word zar for gold and shtra for camel, further corresponding to an Eastern-Iranian origin (the Old-Persian word dar as a Western-Iranian dialect would be the equal term of Eastern-Iranian zar; Modern Persian uses the Eastern-Iranian word for gold).
- "moving camels" or "driving camels," and related to Avestan zarš- "to drag."[6]
- Mayrhofer (1977) proposed an etymology of "desiring camels" or "longing for camels" and related to Vedic Vedic Sanskrit is an Old Indic language. It is the language of the Vedas, the oldest shruti texts of Hinduism, compiled over the period of 2nd to mid 1st millennium BCE. It is an archaic form of Sanskrit, an early descendant of Proto-Indo-Iranian. It is closely related to Avestan, the oldest preserved Iranian language. Vedic Sanskrit is the oldest har- "to like" and perhaps (though ambiguous) also to Avestan zara-.[7]
Following *zarant-uštra- are
- "with yellow camels" with a parallel to Younger Avestan zairi-.[8]
- "with angry camels," from Avestan *zarant- "angry, furious."[7]
- "with old/aging camels," related to Avestic Avestan is an Iranian language known only from its use as the language of Zoroastrian scripture, i.e. the Avesta, from which it derives its name. The language must also at some time have been a natural language, but how long ago that was is unknown. Its status as a sacred language ensured its continuing use for new compositions long after the járant-.[4] (cf. Pashto Pashto , also known as Afghani, and Pathani, is an Indo-European language spoken primarily in Afghanistan and western Pakistan. Pashto belongs to the Eastern Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian language family. The number of Pashto speakers is estimated to be about 40 million.[citation needed] The Constitution of Afghanistan declares that Pashto is zorr and Ossetic Ossetian , also sometimes called Ossete, is an East Iranian language spoken in Ossetia, a region on the slopes of the Caucasus Mountains zœrond, "old"; Persian Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is widely spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and to some extent in Iraq, Bahrain, and Oman. New Persian, which usually is called also by the names of Farsi, Parsi, Dari or Parsi-ye-Dari (Dari Persian), can be classified linguistically zāl, "old")[9]
Folk etymologies
- Another etymology of the name is from zaratha (golden) and the ushtra (light) from the root ush, 'to shine'. Thus this designation of the Prophet would mean 'He of the Golden Light'. In yet another etymological variation, Zarathushtra is split into two words: Zara (gold, shine, or light) Thushtra ("lover" or "friend") to mean "He who loves the light" while a Greek interpretation is consistent with "Golden Star" where the second part of his name is a variant of "aster" or akhtar ("star").
Several more etymologies have been proposed, some quite fanciful, but none is scientifically based.[2]
"t" or "th" (θ)
The interpretation of the -θ- in Avestan zaraθuštra was for a time itself subject to heated debate because the -θ- is an irregular development: As a rule, *zarat- (a first element that ends in a dental consonant In linguistics, a dental consonant or dental is a consonant that is articulated with the tongue against the upper teeth, such as /t/, /d/, /n/, and /l/ in some languages. Dentals are primarily distinguished from sounds in which contact is made with the tongue and the gum ridge, as in English , due to the acoustic similarity of the sounds and the) should have Avestan zarat- or zarat̰- as a development from it. Why this is not so for zaraθuštra has not yet been determined. Notwithstanding the phonetic irregularity, that Avestan zaraθuštra "with its -θ- was linguistically an actual form, [which is] shown by later attestations reflecting the same basis."[2] All present-day Iranian language variants of his name derive from the Middle Iranian variants of Zarθošt, which in turn all reflect Avestan’s fricative -θ-.
Date
The date of Zoroaster, i.e., the date of composition of the Old Avestan gathas, is unknown. Dates proposed by reputable scholars diverge widely, between the 18th and 10th centuries BCE.[10]
Until the late 17th century, Zoroaster was generally dated to about the 6th century BCE, which coincided with both the "Traditional date" (see details below) and historiographic accounts (Ammianus Marcellinus Ammianus Marcellinus was a fourth-century Roman historian. His is the second-to-last major historical account written during Antiquity (the last was written by Procopius). His work chronicled in Latin the history of Rome from 96 to 378, although only the sections covering the period 353 - 378 are extant xxiii.6.32, 4th century CE). However, already at the time (late 19th century), the issue was far from settled, with James Darmesteter pleading for a later date (c. 100 BCE). Some ancient authors also give a mythological "date" corresponding to about 6000 BCE.[e]
The "Traditional date" originates in the period immediately following Alexander’s Alexander III of Macedon , popularly known as Alexander the Great (Greek: Μέγας Ἀλέξανδρος, Mégas Aléxandros), was a Greeki[›] king (basileus) of Macedon. He is the most celebrated member of the Argead Dynasty and created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Born in Pella in 356 BC, Alexander received a classical conquest of the Achaemenid Empire The Achaemenid Empire , also known as the Persian Empire, was the successor state of the Median Empire, ruling over significant portions of what would become Greater Iran. The Persian and the Median Empire taken together are also known as the Medo-Persian Empire, which encompassed the combined territories of several earlier empires in 330 BCE. The Seleucid kings who gained power following Alexander’s death instituted an "Age of Alexander" as the new calendrical epoch. This did not appeal to the Zoroastrian priesthood who then attempted to establish an "Age of Zoroaster." To do so, they needed to establish when Zoroaster had lived, which they accomplished by counting back the length of successive generations[11] until they concluded that Zoroaster must have lived "258 years before Alexander." This estimate then re-appeared in the 9th- to 12th-century texts of Zoroastrian tradition,[c] which in turn gave the date doctrinal legitimacy. In the early part of the 20th century, this remained the accepted date (subject to the uncertainties of the 'Age of Alexander'[d]) for a number of reputable scholars, among them Hasan Taqizadeh, a recognized authority on the various Iranian calendars, and hence became the date cited by Henning and others.
By the late 19th century, scholars such as Bartholomea and Christensen noted problems with the "Traditional date," namely in the linguistic difficulties that it presented. The Old Avestan language Avestan is an Iranian language known only from its use as the language of Zoroastrian scripture, i.e. the Avesta, from which it derives its name. The language must also at some time have been a natural language, but how long ago that was is unknown. Its status as a sacred language ensured its continuing use for new compositions long after the of the Gathas (which are attributed to the prophet himself) is still very close to the Sanskrit Vedic Sanskrit is an Old Indic language. It is the language of the Vedas, the oldest shruti texts of Hinduism, compiled over the period of 2nd to mid 1st millennium BCE. It is an archaic form of Sanskrit, an early descendant of Proto-Indo-Iranian. It is closely related to Avestan, the oldest preserved Iranian language. Vedic Sanskrit is the oldest of the Rigveda The Rigveda is an ancient Indian sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns. It is counted among the four canonical sacred texts (śruti) of Hinduism known as the Vedas. Some of its verses are still recited as Hindu prayers, at religious functions and other occasions, putting these among the world's oldest religious texts in continued use. Therefore, it seemed implausible that the Gathas and Rigveda could be more than a few centuries apart, suggesting a date for the oldest surviving portions of the Avesta The Avesta is the primary collection of sacred texts of Zoroastrianism, composed in the Avestan language of roughly the 11th to 10th century BCE.
This 11th/10th century BCE date is now widely accepted among Iranists, who in recent decades found that the social customs described in the Gathas roughly coincides with what is known of other pre-historical peoples of that period. Supported by this historical evidence, the "Traditional date" can be conclusively ruled out, and the discreditation can to some extent be supported by the texts themselves: The Gathas describe a society of bipartite (priests and herdsmen/farmers) nomadic pastoralists Pastoralism or pastoral farming is the branch of agriculture concerned with the raising of livestock. It is animal husbandry: the care, tending and use of animals such as camels, goats, cattle, yaks, llamas, sheep, and so forth. It may have a mobile aspect, moving the herds in search of fresh pasture and water with tribal structures organized at most as small kingdoms. This contrasts sharply with the view of Zoroaster having lived in an empire, at which time society is attested to have had a tripartite structure (nobility/soldiers, priests, and farmers).
Although a slightly earlier date (by a century or two) has been proposed on the grounds that the texts do not reflect the migration onto the Iranian Plateau The Iranian plateau, also known as the Persian plateau is a geological formation in Southwest Asia. It is the part of the Eurasian Plate wedged between the Arabian and Indian plates, situated between the Zagros mountains to the west, the Caspian Sea and the Kopet Dag to the north, the Hormuz Strait and Arabian Sea to the south and Indus River to, it is also possible that Zoroaster lived in one of the rural societies that remained where they were.
The Parsi Zoroastrian communities of Pakistan and India place their Prophet at a much older date of 6000 BC.[3]
Sat, 31 Jul 2010 11:37:24 GMT+00:00
Times of India This force of evil, wrote the poet, appeared as an accomplished cook before the young king Zahak who, as a follower of Zoroaster , was a vegetarian fond only ...
Sun, 09 Aug 2009 15:47:54 PDT
Zoroaster doing "Lamen of the Master Therion" (from their 2009 album "Voice of Saturn") live at O'Brien's Pub in ... youtube.com.
(georgia.g)
Fri, 30 Jul 2010 03:30:14 GM
georgia.g posted a photo: sunset above . zoroaster. granite and vishnu-schist. The pink and black rock along the riverbed is about 1.7 billion years old and is the oldest rock found in the Grand Canyon.
