1st Edition

Living Zoroastrianism Urban Parsis Speak about their Religion

By Philip G. Kreyenbroek Copyright 2001
    364 Pages
    by Routledge

    364 Pages
    by Routledge

    This text describes the realities of modern Parsi religion through 30 interviews in which urban Parsis belonging to different social milieus and religious schools of thought discuss various aspects of their religious lives.

    Zoroastrianism, the faith founded by the Iranian prophet Zarathustra, originated around 1000BCE and is widely regarded as the world's first revealed religion. Although the number of its followers declined dramatically in the centuries after the 7th century Islamic conquest of Iran, Zoroastrians survive in Iran to the present day. The other major Zoroastrian community are the Parsis of India, descendants of Zoroastrians who fled Muslim dominion.

    Part 1 The Background; Chapter 1 Classical Zoroastrianism; Chapter 2 Common Parsi Observances, SHEHNAZ N.MUNSHI; Chapter 3 The Parsis in India; Part 2 The Inlerviews; Chapter 4 Traditionalists; Chapter 5 Neo-Traditionalists; Chapter 6 Modernist Views; Chapter 7 Eclecticism in Religious Views; Chapter 8 Esoteric Beliefs; Chapter 9 Religion as Cultural Heritage; Part 3 Conclusions; Chapter 10 Parsi Religion in the Light of the Interviews;

    Biography

    Adrian Areyenbroek, Shehnaz Neville Munshi

    'He has produced a vibrant and fascinating portrait of present-day Zoroastrianism.' - The Expository Times

    'All South Asianists with an interest in the impact of the West on the faith communities of the subcontinent will gain new insights from this book. For those with a specific interest in Parsi culture and Zoroastrianism, the book is of course most invaluable.' - Contemporary South Asia