What describes a similarity between Judaism and Zoroastrianism?

Answer 1

It is not an easy task to find similarities between two faiths that are quite different, and almost polar opposites of each other.

Judaism does not recognize any duality within God, except for God's aspects of justice and mercy. (There is no evil god within Judaism, and the character of Satan has no magic powers whatsoever. He is merely a sounding board in some biblical narratives).

Another answer:
There are many similarities between Judaism and Zoroastrianism: they are both monotheistic, believe in angels, and so on. They also have different scriptures and different histories. Judaism accepts Satan to be the loyal assistant of God with the role of testing the righteousness of people, while Zoroastrianism says that Angra Mainyu is an evil adversary. Judaism looks forward to the arrival of the messiah (who is a mortal man with nothing supernatural about him), but Zoroastrianism teaches that the coming savior, the Saoshyant, will be born of a virgin and lead humanity in the last battle against evil.
There are many striking similarities and many differences between Judaism and Zoroastrianism. Of course, the key differences are that Judaism is the religion of the Jews and their deity is God, while Zoroastrianism is the old religion of the Iranian people (most notably Persians and Medes) and their deity is Ahura Mazda ("Wise Lord"). Traditionally, Zoroastrians could neither burn nor bury the dead, because the soil and fire are both sacred; instead, they exposed the bodies of the dead, so that vultures could dispose of them without defiling the elements. The Jews went through a phase when the dead were exposed, but this was only to allow the flesh to rot, after which the bones were stored in an ossuary.

• Answer:

Judaism has always been monotheistic. Even at the height of the unfortunate spread of idolatry among the less-loyal Ten Tribes, there were thousands who remained loyal to God (1 Kings 19:18).

The Zoroastrians, however, believed in two gods, not one. The Jewish Sages who collated the Talmud in the early centuries of the Common Era lived in Babylonia, witnessed the practices of the Zoroastrians, and recorded this fact (Talmud, Sanhedrin 39a). In addition, Zoroastrianism is unlike Judaism in that:

• its deity is not immanent
• it believes in worship through intermediaries, who are themselves "worthy of worship"
• evil has its own creator, Angra Mainyu or Ahriman, which had always existed
• some of its adherents believe in a self-creating universe
• some modern scholars see it as a form of pantheism
• it has "fire-temples," with worship in the presence of flame
• its adherents are not required to marry within their faith
• some Zoroastrians dispose of their dead through ritual exposure to the open sky, while some others cremate the dead
• dogs are considered sacred
• such creatures as snakes, ants and flies were "not created by the creator of good"
• it includes a virgin birth, in which its messiah will be conceived without sexual penetration.

Answer 2

Some scholars have concluded that Zoroastrianism was monotheistic and that this may have influenced Judaism.

However, the Jewish King Josiah was destroying the idols of wayward Jews several decades before any Jews were exiled to Babylonia. And these wayward Jews who experimented in polytheism were sinners, not representative of normative Judaism even then. Judaism, according to tradition, had always been monotheistic. Many of the kings before Josiah had been praised by the prophetic writers as having done "what was right in God's eyes": Asa (1 Kings 15:11), Yehoshaphat (1 Kings 22:43), Yehoash (2 Kings 12:3), Amatziah (2 Kings 14:3), Azariah (2 Kings 15:3), Yotam (2 Kings 15:34), and Hizkiah (2 Kings 18:3). Even at the height of the unfortunate spread of idolatry among the less-loyal Ten Tribes, there were thousands who remained loyal to God (1 Kings 19:18).

Moreover, the Jewish Sages who redacted the Talmud in the early centuries of the Common Era lived in Babylonia and witnessed the practices of the Zoroastrians. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 39a) states that Zoroastrianism believed in two gods, not one. In any case, Zoroastrianism is unlike Judaism in that:

• its deity is not immanent
• it believes in worship through intermediaries, who are themselves worthy of worship
• evil has its own creator, Angra Mainyu or Ahriman, which had always existed
• some of its adherents believe in a self-creating universe
• some modern scholars see it as a form of pantheism
• it has "fire-temples," with worship in the presence of flame
• its adherents are not required to marry within their faith
• some Zoroastrians dispose of their dead through ritual exposure to the open sky, while some others cremate the dead body
• dogs are considered sacred
• such creatures as snakes, ants and flies were not created by the creator of good
• it includes a virgin birth, in which its messiah will be conceived without sexual penetration

Note also that the borrowing of different traditions does not make one religion derivative of the other. To be a derivative religion, your religion must be primarily based on another religion and then proceed to alter several components to make the religion distinct. A good example of a derivative religion would be Druze from Ismaili Shiite Islam. By adding an additional prophet, making some small changes to doctrine, and solidifying mystical elements, the Druze became distinct from the Ismailis and can be seen as a derivative religion. Judaism and Zoroastrianism were contemporary religions that influenced each other, but are fundamentally distinct. Probably the clearest distinction is that Judaism is a monotheistic religion whereas Zoroastrianism is a monolatrous henotheistic faith. Angra Mainyu, also called Ahriman, is the Zoroastrian equivalent to the Devil and has enough power to create (usually used for evil) and to challenge (although not defeat) the primary god Ahura Mazda, also called Ormuzd. In Judaism, however, the Satan is an angel who is commanded to serve as God's loyal opposition and lacks any serious creative or punitive powers without God's permission.

Answer 3

Some scholars have concluded that Zoroastrianism was monotheistic and that this may have influenced Judaism.

However, the Jewish King Josiah was destroying the idols of wayward Jews several decades before any Jews were exiled to Babylonia. And these wayward Jews who experimented in polytheism were sinners, not representative of normative Judaism even then. Judaism, according to tradition, had always been monotheistic. Many of the kings before Josiah had been praised by the prophetic writers as having done "what was right in God's eyes": Asa (1 Kings 15:11), Yehoshaphat (1 Kings 22:43), Yehoash (2 Kings 12:3), Amatziah (2 Kings 14:3), Azariah (2 Kings 15:3), Yotam (2 Kings 15:34), and Hizkiah (2 Kings 18:3). Even at the height of the unfortunate spread of idolatry among the less-loyal Ten Tribes, there were thousands who remained loyal to God (1 Kings 19:18).

Moreover, the Jewish Sages who redacted the Talmud in the early centuries of the Common Era lived in Babylonia and witnessed the practices of the Zoroastrians. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 39a) states that Zoroastrianism believed in two gods, not one. In any case, Zoroastrianism is unlike Judaism in that:

• its deity is not immanent
• it believes in worship through intermediaries, who are themselves worthy of worship
• evil has its own creator, Angra Mainyu or Ahriman, which had always existed
• some of its adherents believe in a self-creating universe
• some modern scholars see it as a form of pantheism
• it has "fire-temples," with worship in the presence of flame
• its adherents are not required to marry within their faith
• some Zoroastrians dispose of their dead through ritual exposure to the open sky, while some others cremate the dead body
• dogs are considered sacred
• such creatures as snakes, ants and flies were not created by the creator of good
• it includes a virgin birth, in which its messiah will be conceived without sexual penetration

Note also that the borrowing of different traditions does not make one religion derivative of the other. To be a derivative religion, your religion must be primarily based on another religion and then proceed to alter several components to make the religion distinct. A good example of a derivative religion would be Druze from Ismaili Shiite Islam. By adding an additional prophet, making some small changes to doctrine, and solidifying mystical elements, the Druze became distinct from the Ismailis and can be seen as a derivative religion. Judaism and Zoroastrianism were contemporary religions that influenced each other, but are fundamentally distinct. Probably the clearest distinction is that Judaism is a monotheistic religion whereas Zoroastrianism is a monolatrous henotheistic faith. Angra Mainyu, also called Ahriman, is the Zoroastrian equivalent to the Devil and has enough power to create (usually used for evil) and to challenge (although not defeat) the primary god Ahura Mazda, also called Ormuzd. In Judaism, however, the Satan is an angel who is commanded to serve as God's loyal opposition and lacks any serious creative or punitive powers without God's permission.

Answer 4

Since the two groups lived side by side in Babylonia, there may have been some borrowing in language or other minor matters. But in terms of beliefs, the two are quite different.Judaism, according to tradition, has always been monotheistic. Even at the height of the unfortunate spread of idolatry among the less-loyal Ten Tribes, there were thousands who remained loyal to God (1 Kings 19:18).

Link: Judaism and monotheism

The Zoroastrians, however, believed in two gods, not one. The Jewish Sages who redacted the Talmud in the early centuries of the Common Era lived in Babylonia, witnessed the practices of the Zoroastrians, and recorded this fact (Talmud, Sanhedrin 39a). In addition, Zoroastrianism is unlike Judaism in that:

• its deity is not immanent
• it believes in worship through intermediaries, who are themselves "worthy of worship"
• evil has its own creator, Angra Mainyu or Ahriman, which had always existed
• some of its adherents believe in a self-creating universe
• some modern scholars see it as a form of pantheism
• it has "fire-temples," with worship in the presence of flame
• its adherents are not required to marry within their faith
• some Zoroastrians dispose of their dead through ritual exposure to the open sky, while some others cremate the dead
• dogs are considered sacred
• such creatures as snakes, ants and flies were "not created by the creator of good"
• it includes a virgin birth, in which its messiah will be conceived without sexual penetration.

Link: What do Jews believe God is like?

Answer 5

Zoroastrianism was the religion of the Persians, whom the Jews first met when the Persians defeated the Babylonian empire and permitted the Jews to return to their homeland. The Book of Isaiah demonstrates how grateful the Jews were, giving rise to the possibility that any similarities in the two religions, acquired by the Jews at around this time, could have reflected this gratitude.

Most importantly, Zoroastrianism and Judaism are both monotheistic religions, although Judaism has become more strongly monotheistic than Zoroastrianism, or for that matter Christianity and Islam. The strong consensus of scholars is that Judaism was already monotheistic before the Babylonian Exile, so this can be regarded as coincidental.

Before the Babylonian Exile, the Jewish concept of death was Sheol, a dark and dismal place with no memory of God. There is no clear mention of any hope of immortality before parts of Second Isaiah that are obviously late. In the oldest Zoroastrian writings, the Gathas, dating to about 1000 BCE, paradise was already a reward for righteous living. After the Persian conquest the concepts of heaven emerged in Judaism and the Jews had a doctrine of resurrection and judgement for all.

Zoroastrians believed that dead bodies defiled the natural elements, and so placed them on rooftops, to be eaten by vultures, so that neither the earth nor fire would be defiled. Perhaps coincidently, the Jews would not burn their dead, and Jewish priests could not even approach a grave and had to be buried in the front row of a cemetery so that their relatives did not have to pass other graves to visit those of their family. By the first century, Jews were placing the dead in caves to decompose, then placing the bones in ossuaries ("bone boxes"), thus avoiding contact with the earth. Even today, Cohenim are not supposed to enter a cemetery for the burial of anyone other than a direct relative and are supposed to wash after leaving the cemetery. Levim are supposed to wash after being in a cemetery.

The distinction between clean and unclean animals in Leviticus and Ezekiel matches that in the Vendidad, which explains it. The Vendidad purification rituals are identical in the Pentateuch. Ezra also introduced the new Festival of Booths in the seventh month, the Zoroastrian holiday of Ayathrem. The Festival of Booths and Ayathrem are both harvest related, although the Jewish festival also commemorates the Exodus.

Zoroastrianism has many lesser spirits just as Judaism has its angels, a concept that was developed during or shortly after the Exile. Zoroastrianism has seven chief spirits, comparable to the seven archangels in ancient Judaism, although modern Judaism does not accept them as a distinct group of angels. The Zoroastrian Mithras shares characteristics with the archangel Michael.

One type of angel in Judaism are sahtanim, which share features with the Zoroastrianism Angra Mainyu (Ahriman), with one important difference. To the Zoroastrians, Angra Mainyu was wholly evil and completely autonomous, just like the later Christian Satan, but this is incompatible with the Jewish concept of strong monotheism. So the Jewish sahtanim are loyal creations of God, tasked to place stumbling blocks before individuals to give them opportunity to choose to do good over bad thereby becoming closer to God, rather than an evil adversary trying to remove the faithful from God's grace.

Christianity and Islam do have more in common with Zoroastrianism than does Judaism, whether by coincidence or otherwise.

Answer 6

Since the two groups lived side by side in Babylonia, there may have been some borrowing in language or other minor matters. But in terms of beliefs, the two are quite different.Judaism, according to tradition, has always been monotheistic. Even at the height of the unfortunate spread of idolatry among the less-loyal Ten Tribes, there were thousands who remained loyal to God (1 Kings 19:18).

The Zoroastrians, however, believed in two gods, not one. The Jewish Sages who redacted the Talmud in the early centuries of the Common Era lived in Babylonia, witnessed the practices of the Zoroastrians, and recorded this fact (Talmud, Sanhedrin 39a). In addition, Zoroastrianism is unlike Judaism in that:

• its deity is not immanent
• it believes in worship through intermediaries, who are themselves "worthy of worship"
• evil has its own creator, Angra Mainyu or Ahriman, which had always existed
• some of its adherents believe in a self-creating universe
• some modern scholars see it as a form of pantheism
• it has "fire-temples," with worship in the presence of flame
• its adherents are not required to marry within their faith
• some Zoroastrians dispose of their dead through ritual exposure to the open sky, while some others cremate the dead
• dogs are considered sacred
• such creatures as snakes, ants and flies were "not created by the creator of good"
• it includes a virgin birth, in which its messiah will be conceived without sexual penetration.

Compare: What do Jews believe God is like?

Answer 7

Both the religions have no relationship. Islam is a Monotheist religion.

Answer 8

Other than many of the former Zoroastrian lands now being Islamic there is little relation between the two religions. Their theologies, beliefs and central tenets are completely different.

Answer 9

Both are monotheistic.