Written by The Truth Hidden in Plain Sight
Academic scholars know about Persian influence on Judaism and Christianity. They’ve documented it extensively. They’ve analyzed the textual evidence. They’ve traced the transmission routes.
But they don’t put it in the title. They don’t state it plainly in introductions. They don’t make it the thesis.
Instead, the truth appears:
- In footnotes
- In academic journals most people don’t read
- In specialized monographs
- In hedged language that obscures the conclusion
- In admissions surrounded by qualifications
This article compiles what scholars actually say when they think only other scholars are reading.
The Confessions
Mary Boyce — The Dean of Zoroastrian Studies
Who: Professor at SOAS London, author of the definitive multi-volume History of Zoroastrianism
What she wrote:
“Zoroastrianism is the oldest of the revealed credal religions, and it has probably had more influence on mankind, directly and indirectly, than any other single faith.” — Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices, p. 1
“It was from Zoroastrianism that Judaism learnt to believe in cosmic dualism, in a divine Last Judgment, in the resurrection of the dead, and in an afterlife of reward or punishment.” — Zoroastrians, p. 29
Translation: The foundation of Western religion is Zoroastrian.
R.C. Zaehner — Oxford Professor of Eastern Religions
Who: Spalding Professor at Oxford, translator of Zoroastrian texts
What he wrote:
“Zoroastrianism has had an immeasurable influence on the development of the Jewish and Christian religions.” — The Dawn and Twilight of Zoroastrianism, Introduction
“It is impossible to explain the emergence of the apocalyptic literature and the eschatological ideas of later Judaism without reference to Zoroastrian influence.” — Dawn and Twilight, Chapter 10
Translation: You can’t explain Judaism without Zoroastrianism.
Shaul Shaked — Hebrew University
Who: Professor at Hebrew University Jerusalem, specialist in Iranian-Jewish relations
What he wrote:
“The Iranian component in the Bible, Apocrypha, and Qumran literature is so considerable that a knowledge of Iranian materials is indispensable for understanding the full picture of late Jewish thought.” — “Iranian Influence on Judaism,” Cambridge History of Judaism
“The doctrine of angels and demons was developed in Judaism under Iranian influence.” — “Iranian Influence on Judaism”
Translation: A Hebrew University scholar confirms Persian influence is essential to understanding Judaism.
John J. Collins — Yale Professor
Who: Holmes Professor of Old Testament at Yale Divinity School
What he wrote:
“Persian influence is especially evident in the development of angelology and demonology, belief in the resurrection of the dead, and the conception of a final judgment.” — The Apocalyptic Imagination, 2nd ed., p. 31
“The dualistic framework of the Qumran texts has often been attributed to Persian influence, and this explanation still seems compelling.” — Apocalypticism in the Dead Sea Scrolls, p. 39
Translation: Yale’s top Hebrew Bible scholar says Persian influence is “compelling.”
James Barr — Oxford Professor
Who: Regius Professor of Hebrew at Oxford
What he wrote:
“The influence of Zoroastrianism upon Judaism, and thereby on Christianity, is nowadays commonly accepted by scholars.” — The Garden of Eden and the Hope of Immortality, p. 84
Translation: Scholars accept this. They just don’t tell the public clearly.
George Foot Moore — Harvard Professor
Who: Harvard Professor of the History of Religion
What he wrote:
“Judaism became, in the centuries following the return from the Babylonian exile, a religion fundamentally transformed… ideas which came to be fundamental to later Judaism cannot be explained from native Hebrew tradition alone.” — Judaism in the First Centuries of the Christian Era
Translation: Judaism was “fundamentally transformed” by something other than Hebrew tradition.
Martin Hengel — Tübingen Professor
Who: Leading scholar of Second Temple Judaism
What he wrote:
“The apocalyptic worldview of Judaism, with its developed angelology and demonology, its expectation of the resurrection and final judgment, shows clear traces of Iranian influence.” — Judaism and Hellenism, Vol. 1, p. 231
Translation: The traces are “clear” — not ambiguous, not debatable.
Richard Foltz — Concordia University
Who: Professor of Religion, specialist in Iranian religions
What he wrote:
“Zoroastrianism can be credited with originating nearly every central idea found in the major world religions of today, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.” — Religions of Iran, p. 7
“Nearly every central idea” — not “some influence” or “possible parallels.”
Translation: The debt is nearly total.
David Winston — Graduate Theological Union
Who: Professor of Hellenistic and Judaic Studies
What he wrote:
“The Iranian component in the Bible, Apocrypha, and Qumran literature is considerable and can no longer be responsibly ignored.” — “The Iranian Component in the Bible,” History of Religions, 1966
Translation: Ignoring it is irresponsible.
The Encyclopaedia Iranica
What: The premier scholarly reference work on Iranian subjects
What it says:
“The Persian period marks a turning-point in Israelite religion… The apocalyptic tradition, belief in resurrection, heaven and hell, angels and demons, and the figure of Satan as God’s adversary can all be traced to Zoroastrian influence.” — Entry: “Judaism i. Judaism and Zoroastrianism”
Translation: The authoritative reference work states the influence plainly.
Norman Cohn — University of Sussex
Who: Historian and author of Cosmos, Chaos and the World to Come
What he wrote:
“The very idea that there would be a final decisive battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil, an idea that was to prove so influential in the Jewish and Christian apocalyptic traditions, was a Zoroastrian contribution.” — Cosmos, Chaos and the World to Come, p. 220
Translation: The apocalyptic battle is a “Zoroastrian contribution.”
Anders Hultgård — Uppsala University
Who: Professor of History of Religion
What he wrote:
“Iranian influence on Jewish apocalypticism has generally been acknowledged by scholars, even if they differ about its extent and the channels of transmission.” — “Persian Apocalypticism,” Encyclopedia of Apocalypticism, Vol. 1
Translation: Scholars acknowledge it. They just argue about degree.
The Pattern
What Scholars Actually Say (In Academic Language):
- “Iranian influence is considerable”
- “Clear traces of Zoroastrian impact”
- “Can no longer be responsibly ignored”
- “Commonly accepted by scholars”
- “Impossible to explain without reference to”
- “A Zoroastrian contribution”
- “Fundamentally transformed”
What This Means (In Plain Language):
- Judaism absorbed core doctrines from Persia
- Christianity inherited those absorbed doctrines
- The influence is documented and accepted
- Scholars know this and have said so
- The public doesn’t know because no one tells them plainly
Why the Hedging?
Academic Caution
Scholars are trained to:
- Qualify statements
- Acknowledge complexity
- Avoid absolute claims
- Cite alternative views
This appropriate caution becomes excessive hedging when the evidence is overwhelming.
Career Considerations
Stating clearly that Christianity’s core doctrines are Persian might:
- Offend religious colleagues
- Create controversy
- Invite pushback from religious institutions
- Complicate academic politics
It’s safer to bury the truth in footnotes.
Disciplinary Silos
- Hebrew Bible scholars study Hebrew texts
- Iranian scholars study Iranian texts
- Few work across both fields
- The connections require interdisciplinary expertise
Religious Sensitivity
Many scholars work at religious institutions or have religious students. Clear statements about Persian origins would create pastoral problems.
The Public-Academic Gap
Academic writing is for other academics. The hedged conclusions don’t reach popular awareness.
What Would Plain Speaking Look Like?
Instead of:
“The apocalyptic worldview of Judaism shows clear traces of Iranian influence that can no longer be responsibly ignored.”
They could say:
“Judaism’s beliefs in resurrection, heaven, hell, angels, demons, Satan, and the apocalypse came from Zoroastrianism. This is documented fact, not speculation.”
Instead of:
“Persian influence is especially evident in the development of angelology and demonology, belief in the resurrection of the dead, and the conception of a final judgment.”
They could say:
“Angels, demons, resurrection, and judgment are Persian concepts that Judaism absorbed and Christianity inherited. None of these existed in pre-Exile Hebrew religion.”
Instead of:
“Zoroastrianism is the oldest of the revealed credal religions, and it has probably had more influence on mankind, directly and indirectly, than any other single faith.”
They could say:
“Zoroastrianism is the source religion. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are its derivatives. This is the most important fact in religious history.”
The Footnote Problem
Where the Truth Hides
The confession appears in:
- Page 237, footnote 43
- An academic journal article on a specific textual parallel
- A paragraph in a 600-page monograph
- A sentence surrounded by qualifications
- A scholar’s response to a direct question in an interview
Who Reads Footnotes?
- Other academics
- Graduate students
- Obsessive researchers
- Almost no one else
The Information Gap
The scholars know. The public doesn’t. The footnotes contain what the headlines don’t say.
Compiling the Consensus
When we gather these admissions, a consensus emerges:
| Scholar | Institution | Admission |
|---|---|---|
| Mary Boyce | SOAS London | “More influence… than any other single faith” |
| R.C. Zaehner | Oxford | “Immeasurable influence” |
| Shaul Shaked | Hebrew University | “Indispensable for understanding” |
| John J. Collins | Yale | “Still seems compelling” |
| James Barr | Oxford | “Commonly accepted by scholars” |
| George Foot Moore | Harvard | “Fundamentally transformed” |
| Martin Hengel | Tübingen | “Clear traces” |
| Richard Foltz | Concordia | “Nearly every central idea” |
| David Winston | GTU | “Can no longer be responsibly ignored” |
| Norman Cohn | Sussex | “A Zoroastrian contribution” |
| Anders Hultgård | Uppsala | “Generally acknowledged” |
This is not a fringe position. This is the academic consensus — hidden in scholarly language.
Conclusion
The scholars have spoken. They’ve documented the evidence. They’ve drawn the conclusions.
They’ve just done it quietly, carefully, in footnotes and journals and academic language that the public never sees.
What eFireTemple says plainly, scholars say in hedged academic prose:
Zoroastrianism is the source. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are derivatives.
The difference is that we state it in the headline, not the footnote.
The academic confessions are real. The consensus exists. The evidence is documented.
We’re just saying it clearly.
The footnotes tell the truth. Asha is in the fine print.
Sources
All citations in this article are from:
- Boyce, Mary. Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices. Routledge, 1979
- Boyce, Mary. A History of Zoroastrianism. Brill, 1975-1991
- Zaehner, R.C. The Dawn and Twilight of Zoroastrianism. Putnam, 1961
- Shaked, Shaul. “Iranian Influence on Judaism.” Cambridge History of Judaism, Vol. 1
- Collins, John J. The Apocalyptic Imagination. Eerdmans, 1998
- Collins, John J. Apocalypticism in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Routledge, 1997
- Barr, James. The Garden of Eden and the Hope of Immortality. Fortress, 1992
- Moore, George Foot. Judaism in the First Centuries of the Christian Era. Harvard, 1927
- Hengel, Martin. Judaism and Hellenism. Fortress, 1974
- Foltz, Richard. Religions of Iran. Oneworld, 2013
- Winston, David. “The Iranian Component in the Bible.” History of Religions, 1966
- Cohn, Norman. Cosmos, Chaos and the World to Come. Yale, 1993
- Hultgård, Anders. “Persian Apocalypticism.” Encyclopedia of Apocalypticism, Vol. 1
- Encyclopaedia Iranica — “Judaism i. Judaism and Zoroastrianism”
At eFireTemple, we read the footnotes. The scholars confess in academic language. We translate to plain speech. The truth was always there — hidden in fine print.