Lloyd Jones - Ancient Aliens TV - Martin Palmer - Decoding the Past TV - Robert Winston - Avesta Yasna & Avesta: Khorda Avesta - Mahzarin Banaji - Samira Ahmed: Art of Persia TV -
Zoroastrianism is the great forgotten world faith. And it’s a great shame because Zoroastrianism has embedded in it very basic principles of good thoughts, good words, good deeds, under the head of one supreme God – Ahura Mazda. Professor Lloyd Jones, Cardiff University, interview Samira Ahmed, Art of Persia II, BBC 2020
Zoroastrianism: Ahura Mazda saves mankind from an environmental disaster, much like the story of Noah. Ancient Aliens: Underground Aliens s2e4, History 2010
According to the ancient Zoroastrian texts Ahura Mazda soared through the skies in a divine chariot. ibid.
In Zoroastrianism the belief is that God is wounded. God has actually lost the battle. And that this physical world is now in the power of a higher mind, the evil one, the force of evil. Martin Palmer
It can be argued that Zoroaster articulated an end-of-time scenario that’s similar to what later appeared in the Bible as the final duel between good and evil. The supernatural end-of-time battle is the central core of the drama of the Anti-Christ. Some scholars think Zoroastrianism influenced Judaism and therefore Christianity. Decoding the Past: The Antichrist
In Iran a prophet named Zoroaster proclaimed that there is only one God ... Mankind had to choose between Him and the forces of darkness. Professor Robert Winston, The Story of God, BBC 2005
I praise good words, good thoughts and good actions. Avesta Yasna
We worship Mithra of wide pastures, possessing a thousand ears, possessing ten thousand eyes, the divinity worshipped with spoken name. Avesta: Khorda Avesta
Never break a covenant, whether you make it with a false man or a just man of good conscience. The covenant holds for both, the false and the just. ibid.
Truly there are two primal Spirits, twins renowned to be in conflict. In thought and word, in act they are two: the better and the bad. And those who act well have chosen rightly between these two, not so the evildoers. ibid. Gathas Yasna 30:3
He who upholds Truth with all the might of his power,
He who upholds Truth the utmost in his word and deed,
He, indeed, is Thy most valued helper, O Mazda Ahura! ibid. Ahunuvaiti Gatha; Yasna 31:22
He who abhors and shuns the light of the Sun,
He who refuses to behold with respect the living creation of God,
He who leads the good to wickedness,
He who makes the meadows waterless and the pastures desolate,
He who lets fly his weapon against the innocent,
An enemy of my faith, a destroyer of Thy principles is he, O Lord!
ibid. Ahunuvaiti Gatha; Yasna 32:10
I am Zarathustra, Were I able, I should be a true foe to the Deceiver, but a strong support to the Just One. ibid. 43:8
But the wicked, of bad power, bad act, bad word, bad Inner Self, bad purpose ... they shall be rightful guests in the House of the Life. ibid. 49:11
As for the Master, so is the Judge to be chosen in accord with truth. Establish the power of acts arising from a life lived with good purpose, for Mazda and for the lord whome they made pastor the poor. ibid. Gathas Abuna Vairyo
He [the Evil Spirit] defiled the whole creation ... So the things of the material world appeared in duality, turning, opposites, fights, up and down, and mixture. ibid. Greater Bundahishn ch4
I was born into a Zoroastrian family; I stopped believing roughly around the age of eight. Another 50 Renowned Academics Speaking About God, Professor Mahzarin Banaji, 2011
[Statue in cave] Shapur I is making a statement: he is setting out his Sasanian dynasty to rule … Shapur I ruled for over 30 years; he built many cities during his reign … Under the Sasanians, Zoroastrianism became Iran’s official religion. Samira Ahmed, Art of Persia I, BBC 2020
Back to when the Arabs conquered Persia: a conquest that was more than a confrontation between two mighty armies … Iran isn’t Arab, and how it has proudly held on to its Persian identity and language to this day. Samira Ahmed, Art of Persia II, BBC 2020
The spirit of the Zoroastrian religion runs right through Persia’s pre-Islamic history because of the special powers of the god Ahura Mazda bestowed on her kings. This place is called Naqsh-e Rostam: it’s home to a series of extraordinary rock carvings. ibid.
In 750 A.D., a century after the Arab invasion, a dynasty called the Abbasids rose to power. ibid.
From calligraphy to coins to ceramics, in the battle between two cultures the Persians were making an extraordinary comeback. ibid.