CONCRETE, UNDENIABLE EVIDENCE: Jesus’s Zoroastrian Foundation

PART 1: LINGUISTIC PROOF (Words Don’t Lie)

“PARADISE” — A Persian Word in Jesus’s Mouth

When Jesus says to the thief on the cross: “Today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43)

The Greek was derived from an Old Iranian form, ultimately from Proto-Iranian *paridayjah, which also derived Old Persian 𐬟𐬀𐬌𐬭𐬌⸱𐬛𐬀𐬉𐬰𐬀, pairi.daēza. The literal meaning of this word is ‘walled enclosure’, from *pari- ‘around’ Wikipedia

One of the words for “heaven” in the Bible is Paradise – and this word, from the ancient Iranian words pairi-daeza, “enclosed garden,” is one of the very few definite Persian loan-words in the Bible. GMU

FACT: Jesus used a Persian Zoroastrian word for heaven. Not Hebrew. Not Aramaic. Persian.

“DEVIL/DEMON” — Persian Origin

The term “devil” in English, synonymous with Satan, is believed by some scholars to have its roots in the Avestan language, an ancient Iranian language. It is thought to be borrowed from the word “div” in ancient Persian, which referred to evil spirits or demons in Zoroastrianism. GetBookOnline

FACT: The word for demons comes from Zoroastrian “daeva/div”

PART 2: THE FIRST “MESSIAH” WAS A ZOROASTRIAN

Cyrus the Great — Called “Messiah” Before Any Jew

Isaiah 45:1: “Thus says the LORD to his anointed (מָשִׁיחַ/mashiach/MESSIAH), to Cyrus…”

The Persian emperor Cyrus is the only foreigner in the Bible to be identified as the messiah or anointed one of Yahweh, the Israelite God. Bible Odyssey

The Persian emperor Cyrus is honored as the only foreigner in the Bible to be identified as the “messiah” or “anointed one” of YHWH, the Israelite God. Biblical Archaeology Society

This phrase translates the Hebrew mashiach, from which we get the familiar term messiah. Theology of Work

UNDENIABLE FACT: The FIRST person called “Messiah/Christ” in the Bible was a Zoroastrian Persian King — NOT a Jew. When Christians call Jesus “Christ,” they’re using a title first applied to a Zoroastrian.

PART 3: SATAN — A POST-PERSIAN TRANSFORMATION

Before Persian Contact (Pre-539 BCE):

A figure known as ha-satan (“the satan”) first appears in the Hebrew Bible as a heavenly prosecutor, subordinate to Yahweh (God); he prosecutes the nation of Judah in the heavenly court and tests the loyalty of Yahweh’s followers. Wikipedia

His task is to roam the earth (like a contemporaneous Persian official) seeking out acts or persons to be reported adversely (to the king); his function thus is the opposite of that of the “eyes of the Lord.” Encyclopedia Britannica

After Persian Contact:

During the intertestamental period, possibly due to influence from the Zoroastrian figure of Angra Mainyu, the satan developed into a malevolent entity with abhorrent qualities in dualistic opposition to God. Wikipedia

Satan, as a totally evil being, is nowhere to be found in the Jewish Bible. He evolved during the height of the Persian Achaemenid Empire (beginning c. 550 BCE) and was adopted by Jews living under Persian rule at the time. World History Encyclopedia

TIMELINE PROOF:

• Before 539 BCE: Satan = God’s loyal servant/accuser
• After Persian contact: Satan = Cosmic evil adversary (like Angra Mainyu/Ahriman)

PART 4: HEAVEN/HELL — Appeared ONLY After Persian Contact

Persian contact, Jews believed that the souls of the dead went to a dull, Hades-like place called “Sheol.” After the Exile, the idea of a moralized afterlife, with heavenly rewards for the good and hellish punishment for the evil, appear in Judaism. GMU

It is in Christianity that the doctrine of the Devil is almost identical to the Zoroastrian concept. The Devil, or Satan, is a being who CHOSE to be evil, through pride, just as Zarathushtra’s evil spirit chose to do evil. GMU

PART 5: THE PHARISEES — “PERSIANIZERS”

An interesting and quite plausible alternative denies that the name derives from the verb פָּרַשׁ, H7300, and finds its origin instead in the Aram. word for “Persian” (root, פרסי). This explanation, argued forcefully by T. W. Manson, is based on the strong resemblance between various doctrines of the Pharisees and doctrines of Zoroastrianism. BiblicalTraining

Finkelstein and Manson in 1929 and 1938 suggested that “Pharisee” derives from a Pahlavi rather than a Hebrew root, and thus means “Persian” or “Persian-izer.” Interfaith

According to the Talmud and the New Testament, the Pharisees believed in the resurrection of the dead… Ideas of immortality and resurrection are generally attributed to Greek or Persian origins. Encyclopedia.com

FACT: The Pharisees — whom Jesus constantly debated — held Zoroastrian beliefs (resurrection, angels, demons, afterlife) that traditional Judaism did NOT have.

PART 6: BOOK OF DANIEL — Written DURING Persian Period

The Book of Daniel contains the first clear references to resurrection, angels with names, and apocalyptic visions in the Hebrew Bible.

In favor of a late composition date it is also argued that the theology of Daniel is too advanced to have been written in the sixth century B.C.. Such emphases as angels, the resurrection, etc., which are prominent in Daniel are considered by liberal theologians to be later developments. Raptureofchurch

Because its religious ideas do not belong to the 6th century bc, numerous scholars date Daniel in the first half of the 2nd century bc. Encyclopedia Britannica

FACT: The “advanced” theology in Daniel (resurrection, named angels, apocalypse) appears ONLY after Jews lived under Persian/Zoroastrian rule.

PART 7: THE MAGI AT JESUS’S BIRTH

Matthew 2:1-2 — Zoroastrian priests (Magi) were the FIRST to recognize and honor Jesus.

Why would Zoroastrian priests:

1. Know to look for a savior?
2. Travel hundreds of miles to honor him?
3. Be welcomed in the Gospel narrative?

Because they recognized one of their own.

SUMMARY: THE UNDENIABLE PATTERN

THE WORDS THEMSELVES PROVE IT:

1. Paradise = Persian word
2. Devil/Demon = Persian origin (daeva/div)
3. Messiah = First applied to Zoroastrian Cyrus
4. Pharisee = Possibly “Persianizer”
5. Magi = Zoroastrian priests (honored Jesus)

You cannot argue with documented etymology.