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Jesus Christ stood as a figure of divine truth, challenging the religious authorities of his time, particularly the Pharisees, for their corruption and suppression of genuine monotheism. His words, recorded in the Gospels, expose their appropriation of earlier traditions—including Zoroastrian teachings—while distorting them for their own gain. This article will examine Jesus’ warnings, the reasons the Pharisees sought to silence him, and how his execution was a direct consequence of his resistance to their theological manipulation.
Jesus vs. The Pharisees: A Battle for Truth
Matthew 23:27-28 – Hypocrisy and False Piety
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”
- Jesus exposes the Pharisees for prioritizing outward religious appearances while corrupting divine truth.
- Their authority rested on legalistic traditions, heavily influenced by foreign ideas but branded as uniquely Jewish.
John 8:44 – The Pharisees as Servants of Falsehood
“You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
- Jesus identifies the Pharisees as agents of deception, aligning them with Angra Mainyu (Ahriman), the Zoroastrian figure of falsehood and destruction.
- Their doctrines had been influenced by external sources, yet they rejected their roots and weaponized these ideas for control.
Mark 7:6-9 – The Prioritization of Human Traditions Over Divine Law
“Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”
- The Pharisees developed Oral Torah (later codified in the Talmud), introducing laws beyond what was originally given to Moses.
- Much of their angelology, eschatology, and afterlife doctrines were borrowed from Zoroastrian thought but later twisted into a rigid system of laws.
Why the Pharisees Killed Jesus
He Threatened Their Authority
- Jesus’ teachings undermined the rabbinic control over Jewish theology, exposing their corrupt reinterpretations.
- He pointed out their false righteousness and manipulation of religious law for power and financial gain (Matthew 21:12-13).
He Restored True Monotheism
- Jesus reinforced the original oneness of God, rejecting the added layers of angelic intermediaries and ritualistic legalism derived from Pharisaic doctrines.
- His belief in a direct relationship with the Divine mirrored earlier Zoroastrian ethical monotheism, which Pharisaic Judaism had obscured.
He Refused to Be Silenced
- Despite their attempts to entrap him (Matthew 22:15-22), Jesus openly challenged their doctrine and prophesied the destruction of their system (Matthew 24:1-2).
- The Pharisees could not risk losing their control, leading them to conspire with the Roman authorities to have him executed (Matthew 26:3-4).
Jesus’ Legacy: Exposing the Falsehoods
Matthew 24:24 – The Warning Against Deceptive Leaders
“For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”
- Jesus foretold that false teachers would continue to corrupt divine teachings, a phenomenon seen in later Talmudic and Kabbalistic expansions.
- Rabbinic Judaism would continue to claim exclusive authority over divine law, distancing itself from its Zoroastrian and Persian influences.
Revelation 3:9 – The Condemnation of Religious Deception
“I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.”
- The Pharisees’ successors would continue to enforce a corrupted version of faith, one rooted in their own traditions rather than divine revelation.
- Their rejection of Jesus paralleled their earlier rejection of Zoroastrian wisdom, the very tradition from which they had secretly drawn.
The Struggle for Religious Truth
Jesus’ mission was not only about spiritual salvation but also about restoring religious truth by challenging those who had corrupted it. The Pharisees’ rejection of his message was a continuation of their historical pattern: adopting foreign theological ideas while silencing those who pointed out their origins.
Coming Soon: Part 3 – The Full Picture and the Call for Recognition
The final part of this series will tie together all the historical evidence, theological corruption, and the need to recognize Zoroastrianism’s rightful place in the development of monotheistic thought.
For further discussions on Zoroastrianism’s impact on world religions, visit eFireTemple.com.