Before Jesus, before Muhammad… Zarathustra had already foretold it all! History Documentary

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Zarathustra, also known as Zoroaster in Greek, stands as one of the most fascinating and mysterious figures in the history of religion and philosophy. He was the prophet of ancient Persia and the founder of Zoroastrianism, one of the world’s first monotheistic faiths. His teachings transformed spiritual thought, shaped empires, and left an enduring mark on Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Although his life is shrouded in uncertainty, the message he proclaimed more than two thousand years ago continues to resonate as a vision of good and evil, order and chaos, light and darkness. Historians debate when exactly Zarathustra lived. Some scholars place him around 1200 BCE, while others argue he lived closer to 600 BCE. Regardless of the date, he emerged in a world dominated by polytheism, where countless gods represented natural forces, fertility, and war. Zarathustra broke radically with this tradition, teaching that the universe was guided by one supreme deity, Ahura Mazda, the Wise Lord. This divine being was the source of truth, order, and goodness. Against Ahura Mazda stood Angra Mainyu, the destructive spirit, embodiment of chaos and deceit. Life, Zarathustra taught, was a cosmic struggle between these two forces, and every human being had a role to play in choosing which side to support. This ethical dualism made Zoroastrianism unique among ancient religions. Instead of endless cycles of fate and mythology, Zarathustra emphasized moral responsibility and free will. People were called to align themselves with asha (truth, righteousness, harmony) and resist druj (falsehood, disorder, evil). The destiny of the soul, he proclaimed, depended on the choices made in life. After death, each soul would cross the Chinvat Bridge, where its deeds would be weighed. Those who lived in accordance with truth would pass safely into paradise, while the wicked would fall into torment. The vision of a final judgment, heaven, and hell, ideas familiar in later religions, appears first with Zarathustra’s teachings. His message spread through ancient Persia and became the spiritual foundation of the great Achaemenid Empire, which stretched from the Mediterranean to India. Kings such as Cyrus the Great and Darius I ruled under the protection of Ahura Mazda, invoking the god in monumental inscriptions. Zoroastrian priests, known as Magi, preserved and transmitted the sacred hymns called the Gathas, believed to have been composed by Zarathustra himself. The fire temples of Persia, where flames symbolized purity and divine presence, became central places of worship, emphasizing light as the eternal symbol of truth. The influence of Zarathustra extended far beyond the borders of Persia. When the Jews were exiled in Babylon and later encountered Persian rule, they absorbed elements of Zoroastrian belief, including the concepts of angels, demons, a messianic savior, and the resurrection of the dead. These ideas entered Jewish theology and, through it, shaped the foundations of Christianity and Islam. In this way, Zarathustra’s vision indirectly molded much of Western religious thought. He can be seen not only as a prophet of ancient Persia but also as a hidden architect of later monotheistic traditions. The later history of Zoroastrianism is one of resilience and survival. The religion remained dominant under the Parthian and Sassanian empires, developing elaborate rituals and sacred texts collected in the Avesta. When Islam spread into Persia in the seventh century, Zoroastrianism declined, though it never disappeared. Communities of Zoroastrians fled eastward to India, where they became known as Parsis. To this day, Parsis preserve Zarathustra’s ancient teachings, celebrating festivals such as Nowruz, the Persian New Year, and maintaining the sacred fires that symbolize the eternal presence of Ahura Mazda. Zarathustra also fascinated philosophers and writers in later centuries. In Europe, he became known through Greek accounts and Enlightenment studies. Friedrich Nietzsche famously used his name in the philosophical work Thus Spoke Zarathustra, though he reimagined the prophet in a very different context. For scholars, Zarathustra remains both an enigma and a pivotal figure. His hymns are poetic, mysterious, and often difficult to interpret, yet they reveal a man deeply concerned with truth, justice, and the destiny of the human soul. What makes Zarathustra remarkable is not only his role as a religious founder but also his vision of ethical responsibility. He did not present life as determined by the whims of gods but as a battlefield where every choice mattered. To side with truth was to advance the cause of cosmic order; to fall into lies was to strengthen chaos. This moral clarity gave people purpose and dignity, and it laid the groundwork for later concepts of salvation and universal judgment.