Zoroastrianism

[Jerry_Parker]

Patrick wrote: *Well, the Greco-Roman Mithras is derived from the Iranian deity (yazata) Mithra, related to the Vedic (Indo-Aryan) god Mitrá and ultimately deriving from the Indo-Iranian divinity Mitras. (I could go on about the Vedic religion but I’d stop here. )​

I did not mean to equate, reductively, Zoroastrianism with the Mithraic cults of antiquity. I used the adjective “Mithraic” as one that, culturally, is historically vivid enough to summon up a reader`s reaction, and as comparison rather than equation.

As for the Vedic lore, it makes for powerfully evocative literature , but for quite deficient religion.
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[patrick457]

I did not mean to equate, reductively, Zoroastrianism with the Mithraic cults of antiquity. I used the adjective “Mithraic” as one that, culturally, is historically vivid enough to summon up a reader`s reaction, and as comparison rather than equation.

As for the Vedic lore, it makes for powerfully evocative literature , but for quite deficient religion.
!

Actually, that’s my point: the Roman Mithras is ultimately derived from the Iranian Mithra.

And Vedic Brahmanism: part of my personal interests actually revolve around mythologies and philosophies from different cultures. Since Greco-Roman or Germanic mythology is pretty much cliche I thought I’d take a different route and look at Vedism, since it is ultimately of the same stock (Indo-European) anyway. I’ve been looking at Asian, Near Eastern or European stuff for quite some time now but I’ve yet to look at Pacific or African or American.

 

[Jerry_Parker]

Patrick wrote: *Actually, that’s my point: the Roman Mithras is ultimately derived from the Iranian Mithra.

And Vedic Brahmanism: part of my personal interests actually revolve around mythologies and philosophies from different cultures. Since Greco-Roman or Germanic mythology is pretty much cliche I thought I’d take a different route and look at Vedism, since it is ultimately of the same stock (Indo-European) anyway. I’ve been looking at Asian, Near Eastern or European stuff for quite some time now but I’ve yet to look at Pacific or African or American.*​

Granted, from the standpoint of origins, but Zoroastrianism has been more unstable and had greater difficulties in assuring the perpetuation of its scriptures, compared to some other world religions, to be able to equate totally with Mitraism. Zoroastrianism today is not what it was in the dim past, despite the obvious residual continuities, due to these changes, disasters, and developments.

 

[patrick457]

Patrick wrote: *Actually, that’s my point: the Roman Mithras is ultimately derived from the Iranian Mithra.

And Vedic Brahmanism: part of my personal interests actually revolve around mythologies and philosophies from different cultures. Since Greco-Roman or Germanic mythology is pretty much cliche I thought I’d take a different route and look at Vedism, since it is ultimately of the same stock (Indo-European) anyway. I’ve been looking at Asian, Near Eastern or European stuff for quite some time now but I’ve yet to look at Pacific or African or American.*​

Granted, from the standpoint of origins, but Zoroastrianism has been more unstable and had greater difficulties in assuring the perpetuation of its scriptures, compared to some other world religions, to be able to equate totally with Mitraism. Zoroastrianism today is not what it was in the dim past, despite the obvious residual continuities, due to these changes, disasters, and developments.

This is really where I see a contrast with how the Vedas were transmitted: the Indo-Aryans devised various elaborate systems of memorization to ensure that the hymns would be preserved with a high degree of fidelity. Even today the Vedas are still mainly taught by word of mouth, with the written word being only secondary.

 

[Jerry_Parker]

Patrick wrote: *This is really where I see a contrast with how the Vedas were transmitted: the Indo-Aryans devised various elaborate systems of memorization to ensure that the hymns would be preserved with a high degree of fidelity. Even today the Vedas are still mainly taught by word of mouth, with the written word being only secondary. *​

Spot on, dude! Fortunately there was sufficient stability, despite the usual turbulences of history, in the culture of India to assure this oral transmission, something which comes naturally to humans if they exercise it. Alas, the upsets in Central Asia just were too much to ensure the fulness of Zoroastrianism`s mythical and scriptural transmission, though the religion itself still has been able to maintain a rather ruggèd minority presence among the Parsees of India, the Persians, Kurds, and others.