Traditions of the Magi: Zoroastrianism in Greek and Latin Literature

by Albert F. De Jong

This is the first full treatment of the Greek and Latin references to Zoroastrianism since the pioneering works of Benveniste, Bidez & Cumont, and Clemen. It focuses on the possibilities offered by the classical reports on Zoroastrianism to reconstruct the history of that faith.
The book is divided into three sections. The first section deals with introductory problems concerning ancient religious ethnography and current views of the history of Zoroastrianism. The second section consists of commentaries on five selected passages. The third section offers a thematical overview of the materials and their relevance for the history of Iranian religions.
Apart from offering introductions to a wide range of debates and topics in Classics and Iranian studies, the book aims to illustrate the diversity of beliefs and practices in ancient Zoroastrianism.

Genres: Religion, History

512 pages, Leather Bound

First published October 1, 1997

Reviews

[Sense of History]

“The study of the history of Zoroastrianism is a discipline involving great efforts of speculation and imagination.” This study focuses on how Greeks and Romans looked at Zoroastrianism, but also offers an in-depth analysis of the very complex study of this religion. Even in the modern, scientific study of Zoroastrianism there are very diverging views, due to the lack of sources. De Jong offers a great introduction to them.

There's only one point most researchers agree upon: Zoroastrianism has a very long and especially very substantive evolution. But that's about it. The views all revolve around the question whether Zoroastrianism was a single, conservative tradition (stretched over some millennia) or rather several different and mutually exclusive religions, all within the Iranian area. de Jong pleads to look for the middle ground and to ascertain that there was a kind of normative Zoroastrianism, but also lots of other local (Iranian) traditions that somehow got entwined with Zoroastrianism, only adding to the diversity and complexity of this religion. Really fascinating.