|
Zoroastrianism or Mazdaism is one of the world's oldest religions, "combining a cosmogonic dualism and eschatological monotheism in a manner unique... among the major religions of the world."〔.〕 Ascribed to the teachings of the prophet Zoroaster, its Supreme Being is Ahura Mazda. Leading characteristics, such as messianism, the Golden Rule, heaven and hell, and free will influenced other religious systems, including Second Temple Judaism, Gnosticism, Christianity, and Islam. For a thousand years, forms of Zoroastrianism (including a Mithraic Median prototype and Zurvanist Sassanid successor) were the world's most powerful religion, serving as the state religion of the pre-Islamic Iranian empires from around 600 BCE to 650 CE. Zoroastrianism was suppressed from the 7th century onwards following the Muslim conquest of Persia.〔Hourani, p. 87.〕 Recent estimates place the current number of Zoroastrians at around 2.6 million, with most living in India and Iran.〔(Major Religions of the World Ranked by Number of Adherents ) retrieved 14 April 2013〕 Besides the Zoroastrian diaspora, older Mithraic faith like Yazdanism is still practised amongst the Kurds. The religious philosophy of Zoroaster divided the early Iranian gods.〔.〕 The most important texts of the religion are those of the Avesta.〔A significant portion of the Avesta has been lost, known of only through references and brief quotations in the later works, primarily from the 9th to 11th centuries, and mostly only the liturgies of which have survived.〕 In Zoroastrianism, the creator Ahura Mazda, through the Spenta Mainyu (Good Spirit, "Bounteous Immortals")〔http://www.avesta.org/dhalla/dhalla1.htm#chap6 Spenta Mainyu is the self-revealing activity of Ahura Mazda... Spenta Mainyu or the Holy Spirit is sometimes spoken () of as the Good Spirit,19 or the Best Spirit, or the Most Holy Spirit. This superlative title, the Most Holy Spirit, is sometimes applied to Ahura Mazda himself. It is also used for Spenta Mainyu as apart from Ahura Mazda. For example, Zoroaster tells Ahura Mazda that he chooses his Most Holy Spirit for himself. The Most Holy Spirit, the one who stands in opposition to his evil twin brother, dons the massive heavens for his garment.〕 is an all-good "father" of ''Asha'' (Truth, “order, justice,")〔http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/asa-means-truth-in-avestan It is generally accepted that the original meaning of *ṛtā- (Vedic ṛtā-, Av. aṧa-) is “truth.” That is confirmed by the fact that aṧa- is opposed Av. drug- “lie.”... Y. 47.2 ptā aṧahiia mazdǡ “(Lord) Wisdom (is) the father of truth:”"〕〔http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/ahura-mazda “We establish Thee as the god possessing good supernatural power (maya-), zealous, accompanied by aša,”... creator and upholder of aša, Ahura Mazdā is the guardian of justice...〕 in opposition to Druj (“falsehood, deceit”)〔http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/druj In view of the opposition of the two words, if the meaning of aṧa- is “truth,” then that of druj- must be “lie,” but, if the meaning of the former is “order, justice,” then druj- must mean “error, deceit.” Christian Bartholomae prudently gave both meanings: “falsehood, deceit” (AirWb., cols. 778-82)... The defeat of Druj is hoped for or sought (31.4, 48.1), and victory over her will either make her the prisoner of Aṧa (30.8, 44.14) or detach her from the side of the enemy (44.13).〕〔http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/ahura-mazda Zoroastrian tradition (e.g., Bundahišn 1.3) states plainly what is adumbrated in the Gāthās, that Ahura Mazdā became the Creator (Av. Dadvah, Dātār, Pahl. Dādār)—this being his constant appellation—to destroy Angra Mainyu, and so to achieve a universe that was wholly good.〕 and no evil originates from "him".〔http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/ahura-mazda Zoroaster gave a wholly new dimension to his worship, however, by hailing him as the one uncreated God (Y. 30.3, 45.2), wholly wise, benevolent and good, Creator as well as upholder of aša (Y. 31.8).〕 "He" and his works are evident to humanity through the six primary Amesha Spentas〔http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/amesa-spenta-beneficent-AMƎŠA SPƎNTA, an Avestan term for beneficent divinity, meaning literally “Holy/Bounteous Immortal”... Among Zoroastrian priests today the term is frequently applied to the “calendrical” divinities, that is, to all those who have received dedications of the days of the month, together with extra three, Burz Yazad, Hōm, and Dahmān Āfrīn... The term is, however, more often used in a restricted sense for the greatest of the spənta beings, that is, for the great Heptad who belong especially to Zoroaster’s own revelation, namely Ahura Mazdā himself (sometimes together with, or represented by, his Holy Spirit, Spənta Mainyu) and the six whom he first evoked among the yazatas〕 and the host of other Yazatas, through whom worship of Mazda is ultimately directed. Spenta Mainyu adjoined unto "truth"〔http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/asa-means-truth-in-avestan "Since the Aməṧa Spəṇtas represent the totality of good moral qualities, it is easy to understand why, by analogy with the inherited opposition between *ṛtá- “truth” and *drugh- “lie,” the other Aməṧa Spəṇtas were similarly assigned their evil counterparts."〕 oppose the Spirit's opposite,〔http://www.avesta.org/dhalla/dhalla1.htm#chap6 "The better one of the two spirits told the evil one that they were by nature opposed to each other in their thoughts and teachings, understandings and beliefs, words, and deeds, selves and souls -- in nothing could they twain ever meet."〕〔http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/ahriman In the Gathas Angra Mainyu is the direct opposite of Spənta Mainyu〕 Angra Mainyu and its forces born of Akəm Manah (“evil thinking”).〔http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/ahriman "The daēvas are said (Y. 32.3) to be the offspring, not of Angra Mainyu, but of Akəm Manah (“evil thinking”). But in Y. 30.6 it is the “deceiver,” dəbaaman, most probably Angra Mainyu, who induces them to choose acištəm manah (“The worst thinking”)." The name Angra Mainyu appears only once (Y. 45.2), when the “more bounteous of the spirits twain” declares his absolute antithesis to the “evil” one in all things. "At the beginning of creation, the recital of the Ahuna Vairya prayer by Ahura Mazdā put Angra Mainyu to flight (Y. 19. 15). Angra Mainyu created Aži Dahāka (Y. 9.8); but he recoiled in fear from Mithra’s mace (Yt. 10.97 and 134). He broke into Aša’s creation (Yt. 13.77) but had to flee from the face of the earth (Yt. 17.19) when Zoroaster was born."〕 Zoroastrianism has no major theological divisions, though it is not uniform, modern-era influences having a significant impact on individual and local beliefs, practices, values and vocabulary, sometimes merging with tradition and in other cases displacing it.〔 Liberality is emphasized in the scripture, and—like the Roman religion—the religion was generally inclusive, with Cyrus the Great annexing Babylonia in the name of its God Marduk.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=ACHAEMENID RELIGION )〕 In Zoroastrianism, the purpose in life is to "be among those who renew the world...to make the world progress towards perfection". Its basic maxims include: * Humata, Hukhta, Huvarshta, which mean: Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds. * There is only one path and that is the path of Truth. * Do the right thing because it is the right thing to do, and then all beneficial rewards will come to you also. The most important texts of the religion are those of the Avesta, which includes the writings of Zoroaster known as the Gathas, enigmatic poems that define the religion's precepts, and the Yasna, the scripture. The full name by which Zoroaster addressed the deity is: Ahura, The Lord Creator, and Mazda, Supremely Wise. He proclaimed that there is only one God, the singularly creative and sustaining force of the Universe. He also stated that human beings are given a right of choice, and because of cause and effect are also responsible for the consequences of their choices. Zoroaster's teachings focused on responsibility, and did not introduce a devil, per se. The contesting force to Ahura Mazda was called Angra Mainyu, or angry spirit. Post-Zoroastrian scripture introduced the concept of Ahriman, the Devil, which was effectively a personification of Angra Mainyu.〔''(Zarathushtra’s Philosophy - Basic Overview )''〕 ==Terminology== The name ''Zoroaster'' is a Greek rendering of the name ''Zarathustra''. He is known as ''Zartosht'' and ''Zardosht'' in Persian and ''Zaratosht'' in Gujarati. The Zoroastrian name of the religion is ''Mazdayasna'', which combines ''Mazda-'' with the Avestan language word ''yasna'', meaning "worship, devotion". In English, an adherent of the faith is commonly called a Zoroastrian or a Zarathustrian. An older expression still used today is ''Behdin'', meaning "follower of ''Daena''", for which "Good Religion" is one translation. In Zoroastrian liturgy the term is used as a title for an individual who has been formally inducted into the religion in a ''Navjote'' ceremony. The term ''Mazdaism'' is a typical 19th century construct, taking ''Mazda-'' from the name Ahura Mazda and adding the suffix ''-ism'' to suggest a belief system. The March 2001 draft edition of the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' also records an alternate form, ''Mazdeism'', perhaps derived from the French ''Mazdéisme'', which first appeared in 1871. In older English sources, the terms ''Gheber'' and ''Gueber'' (both deriving from Persian for ''infidel'', compare ''giaour'') were used to refer to Zoroastrians; however, these terms are considered offensive and have fallen out of use. Zoroastrian philosophy is identified as having been known to Italian Renaissance Europe through an image of Zoroaster in Raphael's "School of Athens" by Giorgio Vasari in 1550. The first surviving reference to Zoroaster in English scholarship is attributed to Thomas Browne (1605–1682), who briefly refers to the prophet in his 1643 ''Religio Medici'',〔Browne, T. (1643) "Religio Medici"〕 followed by the ''Oxford English Dictionary's'' record of the 1743 (Warburton, ''Pope's Essay''). The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' records use of the term ''Zoroastrianism'' in 1874 in Archibald Sayce's ''Principles of Comparative Philology''. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Zoroastrianism」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|