Agreed that this is almost certainly true. Also note that the earliest recorded references to the religion (~600 BC) tend to coincide with the time of Daniel's captivity and the later liberation of the Jewish people by Cyrus the Great of Persia. History says Cyrus the Great was a Zoroastrian. The Bible calls him the anointed servant of God.
It is interesting that when secular scholars speak of the "three Abrahamic faiths" that they include Islam and ignore Zoroastrianism, when the later has much more of a historical link to Judaism than the former. It is also disappointing to see the animosity between modern Persia and Israel, considering that the Jewish people might not even exist today if not for the Persians who freed them.
Persia was once the center of culture of the world and tolerant of other religions. Not anymore thanks to Islam.
“It is also disappointing to see the animosity between modern Persia and Israel, considering that the Jewish people might not even exist today if not for the Persians who freed them.”
Well, the Persians also conquered and enslaved Israel in the first place, and if my Purim over-consuptions didn’t cloud my memory too much, it wasn’t that great of a time while there.