(August 1, 2016 at 3:48 pm)Banjo Wrote: Er, there was monotheism in Egypt long before Zarathustra.Oh, you mean that Akhenaten stuff? Pretty sure Zarathustia is earlier than 1300BC. Quoting Mary Bryce's book "Zoroastrians: They beliefs And Practices" (which I own and is also referred on Zarathustra's English Wikipedia article:
Just sayin'.
"Scholars generally place Zarathushtra as having lived in north-east Iran or northern Afghanistan some time between 1700 and 1300 BCE"
The point is more the similarities between Zarathustra and Muhammad. I'll list a few I can remember quickly:
1. Seven days of creation
2. Man is the last living thing to be created
3. Evil spirit refuses to praise man (like how Iblis did not bow to Adam)
4. Woman is created after man.
5. Zarathustra was in his thirties when he was first visited by an angel of god.
6. The angel gave Zarathustra his revelation gradually, like Gabriel to Muhammad
7. Chinvat Bridge basically the same as As-Sirāt
8. Heaven and hell are concepts Zarathustra taught.
9. Strict monotheism too.
10. Zarathustra moved from his birthplace, where people had grown to hate him, to a new area, where he managed to convert a local tribe, kind of like the Hijra.
11. Zarathustrians pray five times each day - this the same as Salat.
12. They wash themselves before each pray - like Wudu.
I'm sure there are more similarities.
Also put my post in spoiler tags; it's way too long to be quoted like that.