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Greece
A Zurvanite is a follower of Zurvanism - an extinct branch of Zoroastrianism which held the divinity Zurvan as its primordial creator deity.
In the early stages of the religion, the cosmic dualism that was canonized at the time of the Arsacid parthians and Sassanid Persians was absent. The main dichotomy seemed to have bene between Asha (righteousness and truth) and Drugh or Druj (lie).
The content of the Gathas however (being the oldest part of the Avesta and comprising the original work of Zarathushtra) remain unclear due to the difficulty of the Avestan language and its remote antiquity. Various translators have argued for dualistic, monotheistic and even patheistic tendencies. This ambiguity perhaps reflects the early stage of Zoroastrianism prior to its canonization in later times. Arguments in favor of all can certainly be made.
Most translators and scholars however agree that the earlier stages of Zoroastrianism seem more concerned with an ethical dualism represented by a personal inner struggle to overcome the negative aspects of the self. That still remains unclear however as various deities or "angels", assigned to oversee creation and lead the righteous to salvation and enlightenment are antagonized by their "opposite numbers" whose sources does not stem from Ahura Mazda and their origin remains unclear.
The cosmic dualism that was later assigned to Zoroastrianism from foreign travellers, observers and historians in ancient times ranging from Greeks, Armenians, Syrians and Romans, evolved sometime in late Achamenid times and possibly in the Seleucid period. Some believe that Babylonian religion had a deep impact on the development of the cosmic dualism that saw the universe as a battleground between forces of light and darkness, manifested at every level of creation down to the most primitive lifeforms.
Dualism however is present in the Gathas though not as pervasive as in the Younger Avesta. One is constantly reminded by Zarathushtra of the right path as opposed to the wrong one; of the bliss of paradise of house of song as opposed to abode of darkness; of the benevolent immortals and lords (Asuras) as opposed to the bad divinities (Daevas); of the good farmer as opposed to the bad nomad who plunders and wages war.
Whereas early Zoroastrianism saw Ahura Mazda as uncontested and the dichotomy being between Spenta Maynu and Angra Maynu, later centuries saw the evolution into a full scale battle between Ahura Mazda's creation and assistants and Angra Maynu's miscreations.
To resolve the issue of dualism, various sects later evolved and tried to resolve the issue of dualism by assigning to Zurvan-immortal time- the origin of both light and dark, good and evil. One sect, known as the Gayomardian saw evil as arising from Ahura Mazda or Yazdan (God)' s own self-doubt and thus again assigned to the same source the origin of light and dark.
Daena
Daena (din in modern Persian) is the eternal Law, whose order was revealed to humanity through the Mathra-Spenta ("Holy Words"). Daena has been used to mean religion, faith, law, even as a translation for the Hindu and Buddhist term Dharma, often interpreted as "duty" or social order, right conduct, or virtue. The metaphor of the 'path' of Daena is represented in Zoroastrianism by the muslin undershirt Sudra, the 'Good/Holy Path', and the 72-thread Kushti girdle, the "Pathfinder".
AshaDaena should not be confused with the fundamental principle asha (Vedic rta), the equitable law of the universe, which governed the life of the ancient Indo-Iranians. For these, asha was the course of everything observable, the motion of the planets and astral bodies, the progression of the seasons, the pattern of daily nomadic herdsman life, governed by regular metronomic events such as sunrise and sunset. All physical creation (geti) was thus determined to run according to a master plan - inherent to Ahura Mazda - and violations of the order (druj) were violations against creation, and thus violations against Ahura Mazda. This concept of asha versus the druj should not be confused with the good-versus-evil battle evident in western religions, for although both forms of opposition express moral conflict, the asha versus druj concept is more systemic and less personal, representing, for instance, chaos (that opposes order); or "uncreation", evident as natural decay (that opposes creation); or more simply "the lie" (that opposes truth, righteousness). Moreover, in his role as the one uncreated creator of all, Ahura Mazda is not the creator of druj which is "nothing", anti-creation, and thus (likewise) uncreated. Thus, in Zoroaster's revelation, Ahura Mazda was perceived to be the creator of only the good (Yasna 31.4), the "supreme benevolent providence" (Yasna 43.11), that will ultimately triumph (Yasna 48.1).In this schema of asha versus druj, mortal beings (humans and animals both) play a critical role, for they too are created. Here, in their lives, they are active participants in the conflict and it is their duty to defend order, which would decay without counteraction. Throughout the Gathas, Zoroaster emphasizes deeds and actions, and accordingly asceticism is frowned upon in Zoroastrianism. In later Zoroastrianism this was explained as fleeing from the experiences of life, which was the very purpose that the urvan (most commonly translated as the 'soul') was sent into the mortal world to collect. The avoidance of any aspect of life, which includes the avoidance of the pleasures of life, is a shirking of the responsibility and duty to oneself, one's urvan, and one's family and social obligations.
Thus, central to Zoroastrianism is the emphasis on moral choice, to choose between the responsibility and duty for which one is in the mortal world, or to give up this duty and so facilitate the work of druj. Similarly, predestination is rejected in Zoroastrian teaching. Humans bear responsibility for all situations they are in, and in the way they act to one another. Reward, punishment, happiness and grief all depend on how individuals live their life.
In Zoroastrianism, good transpires for those who do righteous deeds. Those who do evil have themselves to blame for their ruin. Zoroastrian morality is then to be summed up in the simple phrase, "good thoughts, good words, good deeds" (Humata, Hukhta, Hvarshta in Avestan), for it is through these that asha is maintained and druj is kept in check.
Through accumulation several other beliefs were introduced to the religion that in some instances supersede those expressed in the Gathas. In the late 19th century the moral and immoral forces came to be represented by Spenta Mainyu and its Satanic antithesis Angra Mainyu, the 'good spirit' and 'evil spirit' emanations of Ahura Mazda respectively. Although the names are old, this opposition is a modern western-influenced development popularized by Martin Haug in the 1880s, and was in effect a realignment of the precepts of Zurvanism (Zurvanite Zoroastrianism), which had invented a third deity, Zurvan, in order to explain a mention of twinship (Yasna 30.3) between the moral and immoral. Although Zurvanism had died out by the 10th century the critical question of the "twin brothers" mentioned in Yasna 30.3 remained, and Haug's explanation provided a convenient defence against Christian missionaries who disparaged the Parsis (Indian Zoroastrians) for their 'dualism'. Haug's concept was subsequently disseminated as a Parsi interpretation, thus corroborating Haug's theory and the idea became so popular that it is now almost universally accepted as doctrine.
Achaemenid EraAchaemenid era (648-330 BCE) Zoroastrianism developed the abstract concepts of heaven, hell, personal and final judgment, all of which are only alluded to in the Gathas. Yasna 19 (which has only survived in a Sassanid era (226-650 CE) Zend commentary on the Ahuna Vairya invocation), prescribes a Path to Judgement known as the Chinvat Peretum or Chinvat bridge(cf: As-SirÄt in Islam), which all souls had to cross, and judgment (over thoughts, words, deeds performed during a lifetime) was passed as they were doing so. However, the Zoroastrian personal judgment is not final. At the end of time, when evil is finally defeated, all souls will be ultimately reunited with their Fravashi. Thus, Zoroastrianism can be said to be a universalist religion with respect to salvation.In addition, and strongly influenced by Babylonian and Akkadian practices, the Achaemenids popularized shrines and temples, hitherto alien forms of worship. In the wake of Achaemenid expansion shrines were constructed throughout the empire and particularly influenced the role of Mithra, Aredvi Sura Anahita, Verethregna and Tishtrya, all of which, in addition to their original (proto-)Indo-Iranian functions, now also received Perso-Babylonian functions.
Although the worship of images would eventually fall out of favour (and be replaced by the iconoclastic fire temples), the lasting legacy of the Achaemenids was a vast, complex hierarchy of Yazatas (modern Zoroastrianism's Angels) that were now not just evident in the religion, but firmly established, not least because the divinities received dedications in the Zoroastrian calendar, thus ensuring that they were frequently invoked. Additionally, the Amesha Spenta, the six originally abstract terms that were regarded as direct emanations or aspects or "divine sparks" of Ahura Mazda, came to be personified as an archangel retinue.
ALL THERE IS AND ALL THAT COULD BE.
Abba
Abonsam
Absolute
Ada
Adelphia
Adonai
Afra
Aglibol
Agni
Ahriman
Ahura Mazda
Ahuramazd
Akongo
Aksobhya
Ala
Alatangana
Alfalfa
All Light All Darkness
All Soul
Allah
Allmighty
Alochem
Alpha and the Omega
Amaterasu
Amaterasu-Ohmikami
Amerissis
Amitabha
Amma
Amoghasiddhi
Amon
Amora
Anat
Ananta
Ancient of Days
Anubis
Anuket
Aondo
Apap
Aphrodite
Arebati
Aries
Arion
Asase Yaa
Ash
Asherah
Ashtoreth
Aslan
Astarte
Astrea
Ataa Naa Nyongmo
Atete
Athena
Atum
Augusto
Augustus
AUM-EN-RA
Babaji
Balaji
Balaramaji
Bast
Beautiful Great One
Bes
Bhaga
Bithala
Bob White
Brahma
Brahmi
Brother
Bumba
Cagu
Cghene
Cha Ara
Chi
Coach
Conflict
Conquering Lion of Tribe of Judah
Cosmic Consciousness
Creation
Creator
Creator of The Universe
Dad
Death
Deidad
Demeter
Deprivation
Desire
Despotas
Déu
Deus
Deva
Devi
Dios
Discipline
Discord
Divine
Durba
Durga
Duty
Edeke
Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh
Ekanetra
EKNATH
El
El Hai
Eloah
Elohim
Elohim El Elyon
Elohim El Olam
Elohim El Roi
Elohim El Shaddai
Energy
Enki
Enlil
Enoch
Enundu
Eos
Epimetheus
Eurynome
Eve
Everlasting God
Everyone
Father
Father of Lights
Father of my Father
Fidi Mukullu
Fire
Freya
Ganesha
Gaunab
Gauri Matta
Gautama
Gayatri
Geb
Gibini
God
God Almighty
God Most High
God Over Troubled Water
God Sees
Gott
Grand-father
Grand-mother
Great Mother
Great Spirit
Gurudeva
Ha Shem
HaShem
Hadad
Hades
Hanuman
Hao
Hari
Harmony
Ha'shem
Hathor
Hatred
He Who Has No Name
Health
Heh
Hehet
Hemantadevi
Hiranyagarbha
Holy Trinity
Hu
Huang Ti
I am
Imana
Inanna
Infinite
Infinity
Io mataaho
Io matangaro
Io matanui
Io matua
Io matua te kore
Io nui
Io roa
Io take take
Io te pukenga
Io te toi o nga rangi
Io te wananga
Io te whiwhia
Ishi
Ishtar
Ishwara
Isis
Itonde
Jah
Jahmanjah
Jave
Jehovah
Jesus Christ
Jove
Joy
Jupiter
Justina
Ka Tyeleo
Kali
Kalisia
Kalunga
Kalyopee
Kartikeya
Kek
Keket
Kesava
Khnum
King of All Kings
King of Heaven
Kotisri
Krishna
Kronos
Kuan Yin
Kuladevata
Kurios
Kwoth
Kyumbe
Lakshmi
Lao-Tzu
Legba
Lesa
Libanza
Life
Light of the World
Light of Light
Logos
The Listener to the space between words
Loki
Lord
Lord God
Lord of Hosts
Lord of the Universe
Lord our Master
Love
Lover
Ma Kiela
Maat
Mahaveera
Maiterya
Manjushri
Masri
Mbomba
Mbongo
Mbotumbo
Meresger
Michael
Minerva
Mizu-Ha-No-Me
Money
Most High
Mother
Mother of God
Mukulumncandi
Mungu
My Creator
Na Ngutu
Nana
N'nami
Natural Order
Nature
Naunet
Ndaula
Necessity
Neith
Nekhbet
Nephthys
Ngai
Niamye
Nut, Mother of rebirth
Nyame
Nzambi
Oak
Odin
Oduduwa
Ogiuwu
Oi
Omichle
One
Onuris
Ophion
Orunmila
Osanobua
Osho
Ostara
Our Father
Oversoul
Padma Sambhava
Padmanabha
Pain
Pallas Athena
Paramatama
Parvati
Patar
Pavan-Suta
Pemba
Pestilence
Phyi-sGrub
Poseidon
Powers That Be
Prime Mover
Prince of Peace
Prometheus
Providence
Ptah
Purusottama
Queen of Heaven
Quetsalquatl
Quintessence
Ra
Radha-Krishna
Rain
Raluvimbha
Rama
Ramakrishna
Rastafari
Ratnasamhava
Ratri
Reason
Rubanga
Sa
Sarasvati
Sati
Saule Donna
Satyanarayana
Sekhmet
Self
Sesanag
Shaddai
Shankpana
SHEKINAH
Shiva
Shiva Baba
Shri Rama
Shu
Sia
Sister
Sky
Son of Air
Sovereign Lord
State
Success
Suchinito
Suffering
Suku
Sun-Teleia
Supreme Being
Surrender
The Supreme Fascist
Takkiraja
Tar
Tara
Te Kore
Tefenet
Theos
Thor
Thunor
Thy Maker
Toro
Torout
Truth
Tsunigoab
Tzevaot
Umvelinkwangi
Universal Mind
Unkulunkulu
Un-nameable One
Unumbote
Vairochana
Vaivasvata Manu
Vajrasattva
Vamana
Vayu
Venilateshwer
Venkatachalapath
Venkateshwara
Vighneshwer
Vinayail
Virat
Vishnu
Vishwa
Waka
Wakan Tanka
War
Water
Weri Kumbamba
Wind
Woden
Ya 'Aahad
Ya 'Aakhir
Ya 'Aazalee
Ya 'Aallah
Ya 'Aawwal
Ya 'Aadil
Ya 'Azeez
Ya 'Azeem
Ya 'Alim
Ya 'Ali
Ya Ba'eeth
Ya Baaqiy
Ya Baari
Ya Barr
Ya Baseet
Ya Basir
Ya Batin
Ya Fatih
Ya Ghaffaar
Ya Ghanee
Ya Ha'iy
Ya Hadi
Ya Hafiz
Ya Hakim
Ya Hakim-al-Mutlaq
Ya Halim
Ya Hameed
Ya Haqq
Ya Hasib
Ya Hatim
Ya Jaami
Ya Jabbar
Ya Jaleel
Ya Jameel
Ya Kareem
Ya Khabeer
Ya Khafeez
Ya Khalaaq
Ya Lateef
Ya Majid
Ya Malik
Ya Malik-al-Mulk
Ya Manee'
Ya Mannaan
Ya Mateen
Ya Mu'akhherr
Ya Mu'idd
Ya Mubdee
Ya Mughnee
Ya Muhayim
Ya Mujeeb
Ya Mukeed
Ya Mukhbeer
Ya Mumeed
Ya Mumeen
Ya Muntaqim
Ya Muqaddeem
Ya Muqsit
Ya Muqtadir
Ya Musawwir
Ya Muta'alee
Ya Nafi'
Ya Noor
Ya Qadeer
Ya Quddos
Ya Ra'oof
Ya Rabb
Ya Raffee
Ya Raheem
Ya Rahmaan
Ya Raqeeb
Ya Rasheed
Ya Razzaaq
Ya Saboor
Ya Salaam
Ya Samee'
Ya Sammad
Ya Shaakir
Ya Shahid
Ya Shakoor
Ya Tawwab
Ya Waahid
Ya Waarith
Ya Wadood
Ya Wajeed
Ya Kabeer
Ya Muhyee
Ya Mutakabbeer
Ya Qawee
Ya Qayyoom
Ya Quahhar
Ya Wahhab
Ya Wakeel
Ya Walee
Ya Walee al-Ahsan
Ya Waliy
Ya Wasi'
Yah
Yahweh
Yahweh Adonai
Yahweh Elohim
Yahweh Elohim Israel
Yahweh God of Israel
Yahweh Jireh
Yahweh Maccaddeshcem
Yahweh Nissi
Yahweh Our Banner
Yahweh Our Commander
Yahweh Our Healer
Yahweh Our Peace
Yahweh Our Provider
Yahweh Our Righteousness
Yahweh Our Shepherd
Yahweh Roi
Yahweh Ropheka
Yahweh Sabbaoth
Yahweh Shalom
Yahweh Shammah
Yahweh Tsidkenu
Yaro
Yemekonji
Yezdan
Yogananda
Zarathustra
Zeus
Zurvan
