Followers of Zoroaster share faith of 3 wise men

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 12/26/04 | Don Litton

[freedom44]

Almost everyone knows about the magi, the "wise men from the East" who herald the birth of Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

But few realize that these three kings of Orient are not Christians or Jews, but Zoroastrians -- members of an ancient faith that not only survives to this day, but holds its national convention next week -- Tuesday to Saturday -- in San Jose.

Who were these pagan astrologers, following yonder star into the Gospel according to Matthew and onto the set of countless Christmas cards and nativity scenes?

And what do they have to do with Zoroastrianism, an ancient Persian faith that heavily influenced the development of Judaism and Christianity?

Zoroastrians are followers of the Prophet Zoroaster, a monotheistic philosopher whose teachings became the state religion of the Persian Empire in the seventh century B.C.

Cyrus the Great, the Persian king, released the Jews from their captivity in Babylon and allowed them to return to Jerusalem to rebuild their temple.

[highlander_UW]

The liberals will take any opportunity to attempt to shift the focus from the central part of the story...Jesus, and shift it to something else...in this case Zororanstrianism.

[Jaded]

You're right, it's just new spin because Jesse Jackson's line about Jesus being homeless didn't catch on.

[LA Conservative]

Za Roaster? Oui. It is za wood that makes it good.

[gdc61]

"Zoroastrianism", not to be confused with "Zoroeqestrianism", the practice of riding ones' horse while wearing a Black mask, and too white tights

[whee0071]

*Obviously* Christians need to understand that "religion" is a mere human construct - that it evolved through natural selection and continues to progress as a helpful supplement to humanity until personhood can be understood at the crossroads where science and spirituality ultimately intersect. Or, to put it in Biblical terms, embracing all those things in scripture that are attributed to man's sinful nature and the lie of Satan.

Does it nor occur to the anything-but-Jesus apologists that perhaps the Zoroastrian faith is a corruption of God's original plan as a result of a messed-up, post-Babel world in which MANY false and distorted religions popped following widespread popular disobedience?

[Between the Lines]

In the second chapter of the Book of Matthew, the "wise men from the East" are a translation of the Greek word magoi, a tribe of Zoroastrian priests.

This does not prove that the "wise men" were Zoroasterian. The Greek word magoi is used in only one other instance in the Bible, where it is not translated as "wise man" but as "sorcerer". See Acts 13:6-8. This sorcerer in Acts is also called a false prophet and a Jew. His names are Barjesus (son of Jesus) and Elymas which translates as "wise man".

By this example from the Bible, it is entirely possible that the "wise men" could have been Jews.

[Squawk 8888]

"Man is entrusted with free will and must choose the right path in every act. With each choice, man defines and redefines himself. He must take full responsibility for every action and is judged in the hereafter by the sum of his deeds on earth."

Doesn't sound either pagan or corrupt to me. And there is nothing in the article than denigrates Christianity- on the contrary, many Zoroastrians also believe that Jesus (the real one, not the Islamic fantasy) was the Messiah.

[svxdave]

Zoroastrians have suffered greatly over the years. Many were originally from Iraq but because of Muslim persecution, have moved to India. Early Muslims honed their skills of murder and abuse, skills they now around the world in the guise of "religion of peace", on Zoroastrians