This is the first ever comprehensive English-language survey of Zoroastrianism, one of the oldest living religions* Evenly divided into five thematic sections beginning with an introduction to Zoroaster/Zarathustra and concluding with the intersections of Zoroastrianism and other religions* Reflects the global nature of Zoroastrian studies with contributions from 34 international authorities from 10 countries* Presents Zoroastrianism as a cluster of dynamic historical and contextualized phenomena, reflecting the current trend to move away from textual essentialism in the study of religion

Notes on Contributors ixAcknowledgments xiAims and Scope xiiiA Note on Transcriptions xixAbbreviations xxiiiIntroduction: Scholarship on Zoroastrianism 1Michael Stausberg and Yuhan Sohrab-Dinshaw VevainaPart I Zarathustra Revisited 191 Zarathustra's Time and Homeland: Geographical Perspectives 21Frantz Grenet2 Zarathustra's Time and Homeland: Linguistic Perspectives 31Almut Hintze3 Interpretations of Zarathustra and the Gat¯ ha¯s 39 a The Gat¯ has¯ 39Helmut Humbachb The Ga¯tha¯s, Said to Be of Zarathustra 44Jean Kellensc Dimensions of the Ga¯tha¯s as Poetry 51Martin Schwartzd The Ga¯tha¯s as Myth and Ritual 59Prods Oktor Skjærvø4 Zarathustra: Post-Gathic Trajectories 69Michael StausbergPart II Periods, Regions, and Contexts 835 Religion and Politics in Pre-Islamic Iran 85Albert de Jong6 Zoroastrianism under Islamic Rule 103Touraj Daryaee7 Armenian and Georgian Zoroastrianism 119Albert de Jong8 Zoroastrianism in Central Asia 129Frantz Grenet9 Zoroastrianism in the Far East 147Takeshi Aoki10 The Parsis 157John R. Hinnells11 Zoroastrians in Modern Iran 173Michael Stausberg12 The Zoroastrian Diaspora 191John R. HinnellsPart III Structures, Discourses, and Dimensions 20913 Theologies and Hermeneutics 211Yuhan Sohrab-Dinshaw Vevaina14 Cosmologies and Astrology 235Antonio Panaino15 Myths, Legends, Eschatologies 259Carlo G. Cereti16 Gender 273Jenny Rose17 Law in Pre-Modern Zoroastrianism 289Maria Macuch18 Law and Modern Zoroastrians 299Mitra SharafiPart IV Practices and Sites 31319 Ethics 315Alberto Cantera20 Prayer 333Firoze M. Kotwal and Philip G. Kreyenbroek21 Purity and Pollution / The Body 345Alan V. Williams22 Rituals 363Michael Stausberg and Ramiyar P. Karanjia23 Festivals and the Calendar 379Jenny Rose24 Religious Sites and Physical Structures 393Jamsheed K. ChoksyPart V Intersections 40725 Early India and Iran 409Prods Oktor Skjærvø26 Judaism 423Yaakov Elman and Shai Secunda27 The Classical World 437Martin L. West28 From Mithetara to Roman Mithras 451Richard L. Gordon29 Christianity 457Marco Frenschkowski30 Manichaeism in Iran 477Manfred Hutter31 Islam 491Shaul Shaked32 The Yezidi and Yarsan Traditions 499Philip G. Kreyenbroek33 The Baha¯'i ¯ Faith 505Moojan MomenPart VI Primary Sources 51734 Primary Sources: Avestan and Pahlavi 519Miguel Ángel Andrés-Toledo35 Primary Sources: New Persian 529Daniel J. Sheffield36 Primary Sources: Gujarati 543Daniel J. SheffieldBibliography 555Index of People, Places, and Topics 629Index Locorum 655