Zoroastrianism: The Oldest Monotheistic Religion

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Zoroastrianism is considered one of the oldest monotheistic religions in the world dating back to the 6th century B.C. The ancient religion is mainly founded on the teachings of Zoroaster also known as Zarathustra, an Iranian speaking prophet. The prophet’s name means shining light. Followers of the religion acknowledge that Zarathustra introduced the concept of one Supreme Being. The prophet gained insight on the existence of the supreme god after undergoing through a series of significant spiritual experiences during which the supreme god, Ahura Mazda, appeared to him and blessed him with the highest knowledge. Religious accounts indicate that when the prophet was thirty years of age and while he was drawing water from a well, a shining angel …show more content…
A review of the existing literature reveals contradictory information regarding the period in which he lived. Ardent followers of the religion posit that he lived around 6000 B.C. Moreover, scholars tend to offer different dates of birth. According to Greek sources, the prophet was born around 6000 years before the death of Plato and consequently around 6350 B.C. Archeological remains and artifacts found in Turfan, China indicate that the prophet was born approximately 2715 after the great storm, thus making his date of birth to be around 1767 B.C. Persian writings serve as some of the latest manuscripts that indicate his date of birth to be around 258 years before Alexander the Great, which is around 600 years B.C. A significant number of scholars place his date of birth between the years 1500 and 1200 B.C. It is quite probable that the prophet lived before the Mahavira and Budha, hence making it logical to assume that he lived around the 12th century B.C. as opposed to the 6th century, which is also the same period the Vedic community was establishing itself as a religious group in the Indian region. There is also significant controversy regarding his place of origin. One of the most popular historical accounts indicates that he came from a family of noblemen residing at Ragha or

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