Zoroaster and his teachings
Zoroaster, also famous as Zarathustra, was a prophet who urged people to reject evil, a reformer and founder of one of the most ancient religions, Zoroastrianism. Although the exact time of this person’s life is unknown, according to legends, he received divine revelation at the age of 30 and began to preach (Holland 2017, 2). He convinced people that the road leading to paradise is accessible to those who adopt a righteous life.
Zoroaster proclaimed one supreme God, Ahura Mazda, thereby denying polytheism and giving Zoroastrianism a monotheistic character (Corduan 2012). He was one of the first to tell people about hell and heaven, this world’s dark and light beginnings, and the Day of Judgment (Holland 2017, 3-5). Zoroaster taught people that God would not leave them, especially if they chose the path leading to mercy. Therefore, this prophet spoke about the struggle between good and evil and emphasized that each person’s way to paradise could be opened only due to good deeds.
Similarities and Differences between Zoroastrianism and Judaism
Although Zoroastrianism and Judaism are pretty different, they have several similarities since both religions were spread mainly across the Middle East. They are monotheistic: there is one eternal and omnipresent God (Corduan 2012). Moreover, these religions view all people as equal and make them strive to do good deeds, listen to God’s voice, and believe that God will judge them after death. The differences between them concern both the daily habits of the faithful and broader concepts.
While Judaism originates in the Levant and directs believers to pray three times a day in synagogues, Zoroastrianism comes from Persia, and its followers pray five times a day in fire temples. Although both religions are monotheistic, Zoroastrians consider that “the cosmos was created from the interplay of two distinct forces” and that good God has a cosmic fight with his evil counterpart (Holland 2017, 4). Jews believe that God is a True Creator of the World who has always existed. They have different Holy books and various beliefs related to the afterlife. Therefore, these ancient world religions have both similarities and differences.
Witnessing to Jews
Since I have never had the opportunity to witness Jewish people, it was interesting to familiarize myself with the traditions of Jews described in the section of the book by Winfried Corduan. Jews are not as different from Christians as people are used to thinking; they are firmly integrated into Western culture. However, their lifestyle has several peculiarities: they keep kosher and the Sabbath and are intently attached to their heritage (Corduan 2012).
Practicing kosher involves “separating milk and meat meals, eating only pure, certified food,” and avoiding contamination (Corduan 2012, 88). It is also essential to understand that Jews who keep the Sabbath do not answer the phone, use electricity, and drive cars on Saturdays. Thus, there are things that cannot be demanded from Jews.
Followers of Judaism may be suspicious of the phenomenon of evangelization. Sometimes, when Jews are told about other religions, they strive too hard to defend their faith, remembering the long years of persecution and the time when they were considered inferior (Corduan 2012). Moreover, it would be wrong to “look at Jews as deficient Christians” and “ask them to defend what may be found unacceptable in Judaism” (Corduan 2012, 89). These people cannot be responsible for all events described in the Old Testament. Therefore, although there are several essential things to take into account when dealing with Jews, it is necessary to discard the false stereotypes about followers of Judaism.
References
Corduan, Winfried. 2012. Neighboring Faith: A Christian Introduction to World Religions. 2nd ed. Illinois: IVP Academic.
Goodman, Martin. 2018. History of Judaism. New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
Holland, Daniel. 2017. “Bending Without Breaking: Zoroastrianism Through the Centuries.”DĀNESH: The OU Undergraduate Journal of Iranian Studies 2: 1-12. Web.