Zarathushtra.doux: The Gathic Monotheist and the True Origins of Heaven, Hell, and Judgment
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This study presents a critical examination of the original teachings of Zarathushtra (Zoroaster) of Balkh, as preserved in the Gathas—the oldest and most authentic stratum of the Avesta. It demonstrates that the Gathic doctrine was fundamentally monotheistic, centered on the worship of a single supreme deity, Mazda Ahura (the Wise Lord), and that later dualistic elements (Ahura Mazda vs. Angra Mainyu), as well as juridical innovations such as marriage with next-of-kin, were later additions introduced by the Sasanian priesthood and Western Persian magi. Furthermore, this paper establishes that the core eschatological framework of Zoroastrianism—including the concepts of Heaven, Hell, the Chinvat Bridge, individual judgment, resurrection, and the final renovation of the world—predates and directly influenced the development of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. The paper also highlights the historical tragedy of the burning of the Avesta by Alexander the Great (330 BCE) and the later distortion of Zarathushtra's legacy by state-sponsored clerical interests, which replaced the Eastern (Bactrian) tradition with a Western Persian narrative.
Author: bilal, Cohistani
Language: English
Subfield: Religious studies
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7204707925