History of the Parsis : including their manners, customs, religion and present position : with coloured and other illustrations : in two volumes

CHAPTER III.

ZOROASTER.

The Parsi faith—Its most flourishing period—The reformer Ardeshir—Date of Zoroaster—Account of his life—The earliest possible date—The Avesta and Cuneiform languages—Origin of name of Zoroaster—His miraculous birth—Attempt to destroy him—Appears at court—The sacred fire—A mighty gathering—His first address—His first disciples—His sons and daughters—The Avesta language—Two dialects—Sanscrit and AvestaThe ancient books —The twenty-one volumes—Their meaning and significance.

Tue faith professed by the Parsis in India is one of

the most ancient in the world. It was once the

religion of a famous empire. It has had its day of greatness. Like everything human, it has known that of decline. During a period of over thirty centuries it has undergone more than the usual fluctuations and vicissitudes. Its most flourishing period was for the space of a thousand years from the reion of Gushtasp until the conquest of Persia by

Alexander the Great.

For five hundred and fifty-six years after the subversion of the Persian dynasty by the Macedonian conqueror, the religion of Zoroaster seems to have declined, until revived by Ardeshir Babekan im 4.D.