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Hello now have I seen him with my own eyes knowing him in truth to be the wise Lord of the good mind and of good deeds and words

Thus spake the real Zellathustra the prophet and founder of the ancient religion of Zerastrianism

It has claims though these are contentious in some people's eyes to be the world's first ethical monotheistic creed and perhaps as long ago as

1200 bcs. Our thruster also said I point out the way it is the truth. It is for all living

Truth is a central tenet of a religion which holds that people must above all do good things here good things and see good things

How was the religion so powerfully established in the influential civilizations of ancient Persia?

How was it established there? What is its body of beliefs and how they've been developed and disseminated?

We need to discuss the history and philosophy of Zerastrianism is Farok

Is Farok Vajifta fellow of the Royal Azeatic Society and a lifelong student of Zerastrianism

Alan Williams seen a lecture in comparative religion at the University of Manchester and Vesta Sarkoche Curtis curator of ancient Iranian coins at the British Museum

Vesta Sarkoche Curtis how much do you know about Zellathustra himself?

We know that he lived probably around 1200 to 1000 bc

Although not everybody agrees on this state certain people certain scholars date him much later

But I think that he probably lived around 3000 years ago

And we know that he came from a priestly background

He lived probably somewhere in the north of central Asia sort of to the northeast of the Caspian Sea

His father's name was Purash and his mother's name was Doug Dove

We know that for example when he was conceived by his mother

There was enormous light shining around his mother a sign of divine glory

And we know that when he was for example through later text and he was born

...