Zoroastrianism

Contents: Foreword by W. J. Johnson; An Ancient Faith: Zarathushtra -- Prophet and Priest; The Gathas of the Prophet Zarathushtra; The Transmission of the Gathas; The Authorship and Integrity of the Gathas; Dating the Prophet -- the Gathic Evidence (and other suggestions); The Problem of the Prophet's Homeland; Zarathushtra's Death; Ahura Mazda, Spenta Mainyu and the Divine Heptad; Zarathushtra on Ahura Mazda and the Divine Relationship'; Spenta Mainyu and the Individual Amesha Spentas: Their functions and liturgical representations; Divine Heptad and the Individual Zoroastrian; Ahura Mazda and the Amesha Spentas in the Later Literature; Some Other Important Ahuric References; The Eschatology of the Gathas; The Eschatology of the Later Literature; The Two Existences and the Problem of Evil; Menog and Getig; The Problem of Evil Creatures in the Vendidad; Eschatological Considerations: The Stages of History and the Human Journey; Zoroastrianism in Exile; Sacred Fires, Holy Places; A Living Faith -- Zoroastrian Worship, Rituals and Other Observances; The Yasna, an Inner' Ceremony; The Afrinagan, an Outer' Ceremony; Birth and Early Infancy; Initiation -- the Navjote Ceremony; Initiation and Vocation -- the Zoroastrian Priesthood; Marriage; Death and Funerary Rites; Purification : the Barashnum i-no shab; The Instrumental and Expressive Functions of Zoroastrian Ritual; Holy Days, Holy Months and a Disputed Calendar; A Worshipping Community and Three Zoroastrian Prayers; A Living Faith -- Zoroastrian Ethics; Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds; The Five Faculties and Truth; Justice; The Unbreakable Nature of the Contract as an Ethical Paradigm; Putting it into Practice: Charity, Benevolence and the Parsi Zoroastrians; Identity, Unity and Disparity: Zoroastrianism Today; Who is a Zoroastrian?; The Europeans and the Zoroastrians: Orthodoxy and Reform, Text and Praxis; The Status of Women in Contemporary Zoroastrianism; Other Issues in Contemporary Zoroastrianism and a Glance to the Future; Appendix 1: Zoroastrianism, Judaism and Christianity; Appendix 2: The Roman Mithraic Mysteries; Chart 1: The historical relationship between Zoroastrian and Judeo-Christian Religion; Chart 2: The possible thematic relationships between Vedic, Zoroastrian and Judeo-Christian Religion; Chart 3: Ahura Mazda, Spenta Mainyu and the Amesha Spentas 164; Notes; Glossary; Bibliography; Index.