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And if you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc. The obscure religion that shaped the West. Share using Email. By Joobin Bekhrad 6th April It has influenced Star Wars and Game of Thrones — and characters as diverse as Voltaire, Nietzsche and Freddie Mercury have cited it as an inspiration.
So what is Zoroastrianism? Joobin Bekhrad finds out. Even the idea of Satan is a fundamentally Zoroastrian one. Could Dante have been influenced by Zoroastrianism? Freddie Mercury was intensely proud of his Persian Zoroastrian heritage. Around the BBC. Some even questioned whether they were monotheists at all because Ahriman was referred to as an evil "god".
But all the Abrahamic religions have also struggled to explain "evil" in the world which is why they gave Satan an important role. The first encounter between the ancient peoples who developed historical Judaism and the Persian religious ideas of Zoroastrianism seems to have come either during or shortly after the captivity in Babylon. It was the Persian king of kings, Cyrus, who liberated the Hebrews from Babylon and one of his successors, Darius, who organised and funded the return of some of the captives probably along with many Persians to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.
Nehemiah and Ezra also reorganised the traditional religion of the Judaeans and Israelites. What emerged was a stricter monotheistic version which was consistent with basic beliefs of the Persian imperial religion — Zoroastrianism. Those who might doubt how Persian imperial policy so decisively shaped what we know as Judaism should reflect on the remarkable and first ever declaration of belief in one, universal God by the biblical writer known as " Second Isaiah " during this period.
Interestingly there is evidence that the Persian imperial policy towards the religion of their subject peoples — to allow the traditional name of their gods to be retained but to revise the religions themselves in the image of Zoroastrianism — was also applied in Babylon and Egypt as well as Palestine.
Some claim that a belief in monotheism in Judea developed a little before the Babylonian conquest and exile. Jacob's 12 sons became the 12 tribes of israel. Of these, 10 were lost during Assyrian Exile. Equal to men in eyes of God and in the Law Halakha. Woman traditionally have been granted more equal rights than most other world cultures.
Today, traditions among the Orthodox and the Reform movements differ greatly. By accepting the covenant, they choose to follow God's commandments. A unique ethnicity. Early monotheists. Jews accept others can have different religions. Jews must obey the law of the land, if ethical. Angels serve God as messengers. World is full of beings existing that we cannot see or understand.
Kabbalah includes mystical studies of this. Belief in one God and teachings of the tradition, prophets and rabbis. Around Million, debated. Population varies due to conversion although some types are not recognized by the state of Israel and "marrying out" of the faith.
Hebrew has always been the central language of prayer. Local languages and different extinct and living Jewish languages like Carfati, Yiddish, Ladino, Judesmo. Traditions: Sephard, Spain, Arab countries, Turkey. Ashkenazi: Europe, Russia. MIzrachi: Iraq, Persia, India. Simply not mentioned. Considered authentic part of Christianity. Holidays given by God or historical events, Israeli holidays. Holocaust remembrance. God is one and the only holiness. God is the creator.
He is beyond human understanding, he is omnipotent. The earliest Jewish holidays correspond to agricultural seasons. Jews uniquely developed monotheism as a God of All. They were surrounded by pagen tribes who believed in gods based on their location, or nature.
Religion formed over several centuries; was codified during the Babylonian exile. Literacy is encouraged to read Bible. Differing beliefs accepted.
Very little discussion on afterlife.
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