Long before the first Hebrew temple, before the birth of Christ or the mission of Muhammad, there lived in Persia a prophet to whom we owe the ideas of a single god, the cosmic struggle between good and evil, and the Apocalypse. His name was Zarathustra, and his teachings eventually held sway from the Indus to the Nile and spread as far as Britain. Following Zarathustra's elusive trail back through time and across the Islamic, Christian, and Jewish worlds, Paul Kriwaczek uncovers his legacy at a wedding ceremony in present-day Central Asia, in the Cathar heresy of medieval France, and among the mystery cults of the Roman empire. He explores pre-Muslim Iran and Central Asia, ultimately bringing us face to face with the prophet himself, a teacher whose radical humility shocked and challenged his age, and whose teachings have had an enduring effect on Western thought. The result is a tour de force of travel and historical inquiry by an adventurer in the classic tradition.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
A Forgotten Spiritual Ancestor:
With the eyes of the news media focused on Iran and its undeniable influence in the Middle East, few have questioned the essential differences between Shiah and Sunni Islam and the history that has led the Shiites to consider Iraq holy ground and Iran the center of a new Islamic civilization. When questions are finally asked, one answer rings clearly: Mesopotamia and Persia are the very cradles of western dynastic civilization, Islamic or otherwise. Few human memories or legends are as old as these places.... more info
From Nietzsche to Zarathustra:
The ancient Persian prophet Zoroaster taught that the world was caught in a struggle between good and evil. He believed in one God, called Ahura Mazda, in a struggle with the forces of darkness. He was a theological monist and an ethical dualist. Human beings had the responsibility of working to bring about the good and eliminate the evil. The good would triumph in the end. Zoroaster was one of the first religious teachers to preach the afterlife. He founded a religion called Zoroastrianism which remains... more info
Lot of information, but a little all over the place:
This book will probably make more sense to somebody who is already a student of history, particularly Central Asian, & therefore somebody who can, because of her already existent knowledge on the subject, decipher more meaning from the helter skelter approach that Kriwaczek seems to take. This book is not a travelogue; it isn't all history, it is not about Zarathustra & his teaching. It primarily is about how the teachings of the prophet have influenced other religions, perspectives &... more info
A Good Intro?:
Maybe. I've shied away from the subject cause I feared getting mired in academic prose, which is not an issue with this book. Trouble is I am sometimes uneasy with this guy's historical conclusions. In this book the author goes galumphing back through time to try and find the prophet Zarathustra, so in a way it is travelogue of history as well as the areas where historical events occurred. Iran, Afganistan, the former Soviet Republics above them, Provence, and the Balkans are some of the places we... more info
