Mithraic Beliefs in Zoroastrian Eschatology

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Department of Ancient Iranian Culture and Languages, Faculty of Literature and Humanities

Abstract

World history in Iranian mythology has the three main stages which are Bundahišn, Gumēzišn, Wizārišn. The first is beginning of the creation in which the two principal, Good and Evil, are set apart from each other yet. The second is the stage of mixture and fight of the two, and the last is the stage of separation of them through thorough failure of Evil forces. Anyone of the main events of these three could not and should not be studied without pay attention to the other two, because they are the three main parts of the same thing. This matter is more obvious in connection with the first and third. Renovation is consisted of the happenings that they will be done in Wizārišn stage. Now, we have investigated renovation with consideration to and connection with the events about Bundahišn mentioned in some Middle Persian texts, seeing west Mithraism documents, and we have reached to this result that Zoroastrian eschatology has been identified with and on the basis of Mithraic beliefs. Ancient Iranians believed to Mithraism before Zoroaster coming; many of teachings and beliefs of that religion have been preserved in Avesta and Middle Persian texts and in west Mithraism too.
We have gathered data from related books and articles, and we have used to comparative-analytical method for data analysis.

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