Zoroastrian and Parsi Studies

Zoroastrianism is perhaps the oldest of the prophetic religions. The official religion of Iran for over a thousand years, it stood astride the trade routes between East and West and exercised considerable influence on other religions, notably Judaism and Christianity. When Zoroastrian emigres settled in India, becoming known as the Parsis, they became a pivotal group in educational, social, political and economic developments in British India. This book presents the leading work of...
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Zoroastrianism is perhaps the oldest of the prophetic religions. The official religion of Iran for over a thousand years, it stood astride the trade routes between East and West and exercised considerable influence on other religions, notably Judaism and Christianity. When Zoroastrian emigres settled in India, becoming known as the Parsis, they became a pivotal group in educational, social, political and economic developments in British India. This book presents the leading work of John Hinnells, exploring Zoroastrianism in the ancient and modern worlds, in Asia, Europe and the New World. Examining the ancient influence of the religion, the history of the community, and the religious developments in British India, this selection also explores Parsi acquisition of wealth, power in nineteenth-century Inida, and the importance of overseas communities, and concludes with a section exploring the impact of western culture on the Zoroastrians in Britain, Canada and the USA. This book will not only be of interest to Zoroastrian scholars, but also to scholars of other religious traditions, biblical scholars, and those in immigration, diaspora or South Asian studies.