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Zoroastrianism: History, Religion, and Belief

Explore the ancient religion of Zoroastrianism, its languages, and the challenges faced by Zoroastrian communities today with this online course from SOAS University of London.

Duration

4 weeks

Weekly study

3 hours

100% online

How it works

Unlimited subscription

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Delve into the rich visual history of the Zoroastrian religion

Zoroastrianism has had a profound influence on major world religions. Its history tells the story of imperial culture, persecution, migration and the establishment of diasporic communities.

Utilising a rich visual repository of artifacts, paintings, and texts, this four-week course will take you through the story of Zoroastrian religion, history, and culture.

The course draws inspiration from an exhibition titled ‘The Everlasting Flame: Zoroastrianism in History and Imagination’, as well as the book of the same name.

Discover the fire at the centre of this ancient religion

You’ll start by looking at the teachings of the Zoroastrian faith to understand where it sits in the context of world religions. You’ll then explore the religion’s history, from antiquity to present day.

Fire is a supreme symbol of Zoroastrianism and is central to the religion’s doctrine, ritual, and observance. You’ll learn how to link this idea to everyday devotional life and care for the planet.

Explore the challenges facing Zoroastrian communities

Today, this ancient religion is in retreat, with numbers diminishing and the language becoming endangered.

On this course, you’ll examine the challenges the community faces and connect them to historical events to build a larger picture of the religion.

Finally, you’ll look at the religion’s ancient language, Avestan, which is key to understanding Zoroastrian texts, myths, and legends.

Learn from the experts at SOAS University of London

SOAS has a long history of teaching and research on the subject of Zoroastrianism, together with the languages, both ancient and modern, that support it.

As the only institution to have two endowed posts in Zoroastrianism, SOAS is uniquely positioned to guide you through the history and challenges of this ancient religion.

Week 1
Who was Zarathushtra and what did he teach?
- Welcome to the course
  Welcome to the course and overview of the topics it will cover. In this activity you will meet the educators and tell us why you are interested in learning about Zoroastrianism.
- Introducing Zarathushtra
  Introducing Zarathushtra – who was he? When did he live? Where did he live? What were his key teachings and who were his followers?
- Teachings, the Gathas
  Key elements of Zarathushtra’s message. [Image: Ilustrated Videvdad Sadeh. British Library RSPA 230. © 2013 SOAS, University of London - The Everlasting Flame: Zoroastrianism in History and Imagination catalogue.
- Teachings: Creation and the doctrine of the Amesha Spentas
  The story of Creation and the doctrine of the Amesha Spentas, divine immortals
Week 2
Historical Perspectives: Iran
- The central act of priestly worship: Yasna
  A ceremony central to Zoroastrianism: the Yasna. It will remind you of the doctrine of the Amesha Spentas, the centrality of fire in worship, and introduce you to the role of priestly ritual in the religion. [photo: Noshir Gobhai]
- The Ancient World and the Achaemenid Empire
  This activity deals with three points: an introduction to the ancient world into which Zarathushtra was born, the first great Persian empire of the Achaemenids, and finally on whether or not we think this religion is ‘Zoroastrian’
- The Parthian and Sasanian Empires
  We trace the rise of the Parthians in north-eastern Iran and go on to explore the consolidation of church and state under the Sasanians. [Image: Sasanian ox-headed mace. Probably Iran, 3rd-7th century. British Museum 129396]
- After the Arab conquest of Iran
  We begin this week with priestly ritual, then start our historical journey drawing on different textual sources: religious and epic. [Image: Ilkhanid tile, Iran, Takht-e Suleyman, 15th century. Mrs Fatema Soudavar Farmanfarmaian]
Week 3
Historical Perspectives: India
- Influence of Zoroastrian religious thought on world religions
  Here we will explore the possible influence of Zoroastrianism on the major world religions. [Image: School of Athens from the Stanza della Segnatura, Raphel (Raffaello Sanzio of Urbino) (1483-1520) Vatican City, 1510-1511 fresco]
- Journey from Iran and early settlement in India
  We will continue our historical overview from the Post-Islamic period in week 2 and the departure of Zoroastrians from Iran. [Image: The Island of Diu (Dib), courtesy of A Zoroastrian Tapesty: Art, Religion and Culture]
- Devotional life and rites of passage
  We look at Zoroastrianism as it is practiced in India today and go on to consider what life is like for Zoroastrians in contemporary Iran. Finally, you will be invited to take a poll. [Image: silver filigree ses/tray]
- Challenges facing Zoroastrians today
  We examine some of the challenges faced by Zoroastrians in Iran, India and the diaspora today. [Image: map of Zoroastrian population, FEZANA Journal, 2012].
Week 4
Language week - Avestan
- Introduction
  Welcome to the fourth and final week of this course.
- Let's start with letters!
  In this activity we will look at the Avestan alphabet, and learn how it has been created.
- An Avestan text: the victory of Zaraϑuštra over the demons
  In this activity a famous Avestan text telling how Zaraϑuštra overcame the demons will allow us to discover some specificities of the Avestan language.
- Review
  This activity contains two parts: a review of the grammatical points followed by a small quiz, and the English translation of Vidēvdād 19. [photo: Noshir Gobhai]
- An Avestan stanza explained
  In this final activity we will have a look at a longer Avestan stanza as a taster of what can be achieved after a few weeks of learning.