STAUSBERG Michael.
Zarathustra and his religion.
Beautiful Letters
Regular price
€19,00
| N° d'inventaire | 25260 |
| Format | 13 x 20 |
| Détails | 159 p., paperback. |
| Publication | Paris, 2022 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9782251452654 |
For most people, the name Zarathustra evokes little more than the title of a book by Nietzsche, and Zoroastrianism at best a dualism opposing the two principles of Good and Evil. Sources on the historical figure of Zarathustra, on the great principles of the religion of which he was the prophet, on the practices of Zoroastrian communities established throughout the world, are so difficult to access that their reading and interpretation are generally reserved only for specialists. In this short work, Michael Stausberg, professor of religious studies and specialist in Zoroastrianism, demonstrates that it is possible to draw up a clear and accessible synthesis of these questions.
Did Zarathustra exist, when and where did he live? What are the texts on which his religion is based and what do they say? What are the main concepts and figures that make up the Zoroastrian pantheon? What are the important rituals - funeral ceremonies or initiation rites - and the festivals that punctuate the Zoroastrian calendar? Finally, who are the Zoroastrians, today and in history?
The French works dealing with the subject are old (J. Varenne, Zarathusthra, 1966, P. du Breuil, Le Zoroastrisme, 1982) and are based on an Indo-European comparatist, deducing the essential part of their conclusions on Zoroastrianism from Vedism. They ignore the important work of editing and translating Avestan and Middle Persian texts carried out since then, as well as the more ethnographic studies among the communities, which allow us to know Zoroastrianism from the inside.
Did Zarathustra exist, when and where did he live? What are the texts on which his religion is based and what do they say? What are the main concepts and figures that make up the Zoroastrian pantheon? What are the important rituals - funeral ceremonies or initiation rites - and the festivals that punctuate the Zoroastrian calendar? Finally, who are the Zoroastrians, today and in history?
The French works dealing with the subject are old (J. Varenne, Zarathusthra, 1966, P. du Breuil, Le Zoroastrisme, 1982) and are based on an Indo-European comparatist, deducing the essential part of their conclusions on Zoroastrianism from Vedism. They ignore the important work of editing and translating Avestan and Middle Persian texts carried out since then, as well as the more ethnographic studies among the communities, which allow us to know Zoroastrianism from the inside.
Did Zarathustra exist, when and where did he live? What are the texts on which his religion is based and what do they say? What are the main concepts and figures that make up the Zoroastrian pantheon? What are the important rituals - funeral ceremonies or initiation rites - and the festivals that punctuate the Zoroastrian calendar? Finally, who are the Zoroastrians, today and in history?
The French works dealing with the subject are old (J. Varenne, Zarathusthra, 1966, P. du Breuil, Le Zoroastrisme, 1982) and are based on an Indo-European comparatist, deducing the essential part of their conclusions on Zoroastrianism from Vedism. They ignore the important work of editing and translating Avestan and Middle Persian texts carried out since then, as well as the more ethnographic studies among the communities, which allow us to know Zoroastrianism from the inside.