The Argument for Acceptance in Zoroastrianism
Accepting converts, and even the children of women marrying outside the community, has become a subject of bitter controversy for well over a century among the Parsi Zoroastrians in India. In this greatly expanded edition of his 1985 book on the subject, Dr. Antia reexamines this issue, which is crucial to the continued survival of one of the most ancient religions, the Zoroastrian religion. He addresses responses which vehemently denounced his views in his original publication, in the hope it will enable the readers to find the truth for themselves, and hopefully ensure the survival of Zoroastrianism in the world, by heeding the precepts of the prophet. Also included is an appendix on the status of women in Zoroastrianism.
Zoroastrianism Ancient and Modern
The Daēva Cult in the Gāthās
Addressing the question of the origins of the Zoroastrian religion, this book argues that the intransigent opposition to the cult of the daēvas, the ancient Indo-Iranian gods, is the root of the development of the two central doctrines of Zoroastrianism: cosmic dualism and eschatology (fate of the soul after death and its passage to the other world). The daēva cult as it appears in the Gāthās, the oldest part of the Zoroastrian sacred text, the Avesta, had eschatological pretentions. The poet of the Gāthās condemns these as deception. The book critically examines various theories put forward since the 19th century to account for the condemnation of the daēvas. It then turns to the relevant Gāthic passages and analyzes them in detail in order to give a picture of the cult and the reasons for its repudiation. Finally, it examines materials from other sources, especially the Greek accounts of Iranian ritual lore (mainly) in the context of the mystery cults. Classical Greek writers consistently associate the nocturnal ceremony of the magi with the mysteries as belonging to the same religious-cultural category. This shows that Iranian religious lore included a nocturnal rite that aimed at ensuring the soul’s journey to the beyond and a desirable afterlife. Challenging the prevalent scholarship of the Greek interpretation of Iranian religious lore and proposing a new analysis of the formation of the Hellenistic concept of ‘magic,’ this book is an important resource for students and scholars of History, Religion and Iranian Studies.
The Jews of Islam
Probing the Muslims' attitude toward Judaism as a special case of their view of other religious minorities in Islamic countries, Bernard Lewis demolishes two competing stereotypes: the fanatical warrior, sword in one hand and Qur' an in the other, and the Muslim designer of an interfaith utopia. Available for the first time in paperback, his portrayal of the Judaeo-Islamic tradition is set against a vivid background of Jewish and Islamic history.