The book is very well written -the translations are very literal as well as understandable. the author should be requested to do the translation of three remaining Gathas. I recommened this book highly for scholars as well as lay people and general public

Dr. Jenny Rose has very successfully performed her "dissertation-into-book" task of potraying the "image of Zarathushtra" through "European eyes" down the ages. It is a splendid topic for a doctoral dissertation and like Nora Kathleen Firby has searched and evaluated every European source to potray how Europeans "saw" and interpreted the teachings of the "Prophet of Ancient Iran". Every chapter in the book is followed by exhaustive notes and bibliographical references, which display the breadth and depth of erudition of the author. Every Zarathushtrian and readers of Zarathushtrianism would do themselves a great favour to give this book their undivided attention. It should be a standard reference book on it's subject matter for many years to come. Congratulations Dr. Rose on a job so well done.!!

My highest compliments to the author... this is a balanced and very informative little book!! In "The Magi" Mr. Vincent does an excellent job of dispelling many of the myths that have grown up over the years concerning the nature of the Magi, replacing often popular misconceptions with a more accurate representation of who the Magi really were. At the same time he also provides a very good (but basic) introduction to Zoroastrianism, the religion of the Magi that appears to have significantly influenced Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

While merely a quick introduction to the subject, this short book contains a reasonable amount of information and it is written in such a way that it can be easily absorbed by the average reader. The book appears to be written from a Christian perspective, but the author reverentially and fairly describes the Zoroastrian faith. And also to his (and the book's) credit, Mr. Vincent does not hesitate to point out how important and significant the contributions made by Zoroastrianism were to the development of the monotheistic faiths that are most predominant today. All in all, nicely done and a book well worth buying!!!

Ken Vincent is a professor of religion and psychology as well as a lay Unitarian Universalist minister. His new book, THE MAGI, is a recent addition to the long history of literature which compares the teachings of Zoroastrianism, the monotheistic religion of ancient Persia, to those of Judaism and Christianity, and which traces the influences of the Persian religion on later monotheistic faiths. I am pleased to say that this new entry is well worth reading and a fine addition to this literary lineage.

This book is written especially for Christians, and that is its focus. It is not overly technical or academic; it is directed toward thoughtful lay people. Vincent gives us a brief overview of Zoroastrianism, which concentrates on the central message and teachings of the religion as revealed in the Gatha hymns of Prophet Zarathushtra (who is also known as "Zoroaster" )which are the original Scriptures of the religion. He then shows how some parts of the Bible and the Zoroastrian Scriptures are similar, suggesting that the ancient Jews, and later, the Christians, learned much wisdom from the Persian Zoroastrians when they encountered them in the ancient Middle East.

Vincent carefully explains the features of the "Three Magi" which show up in Christian legends, such as their portrayal as kings, the frankincense, myrrh, and gold, the Christmas Star, and the Magi's belief that they were searching for a Savior.

Other good things about Ken Vincent's book are a "gallery" of historical artworks about the Three Magi (or Kings), and in the back of the book, a very good modern translation of the Gatha hymns of Prophet Zarathushtra, so you can read for yourself the inspiring words of one of the first monotheists of all time.

Similar to other dictionaries on the Classical World, From Aristotle to Zoroaster has some points which make it stand out from many of the others.

First its accessible. This dictionary is NOT directed at the classical scholar, or even a classics major in College (although both of them would appreciate this work). Its target is the lay reader and assumes only that you have a passing familiarity with ancient history.

Second, it casts a broad net. Most works of this time center themselves around the Mediterranean, but Cotterell has entries for points as far as China and India. His reasoning for including these (ie. none of these civilizations, including the Greek were in isolation from each other) is a good one, and I found myself interested in "what the Indians were doing" at the same time as the more familiar events in Greece, Rome and the Mediterranean region.

The book's maps and tables are well done, and give great overviews of the period . The illustrations, which are numerous, are well done, too. Although some of the entries seem a bit idiosyncratic (like "INVENTIONS"), by and large, this is an excellent work, and highly recommended to anyone with an interest in the period.

It?s all been done before is a familiar refrain of comics and radio DJ's. Every bit, every joke has been done to death, there are few if any real "new" jokes or ideas. The same could be said for a lot of religious attitudes that still exist today. An amazing amount of similarities and comparisons can be made between the religious customs of the modern world and the ancient and relatively unknown religions of the past. I always found some of the Egyptian and Babylonian relations to Mosaic Judaism and early Christianity fascinating, but I never gave much thought to the mysterious religion of Zoroastrianism and its prophet, Zarathustra. The duelist ideas espoused by this scarcely known man has had much more range and impact than I originally thought.

Author Paul Kriwaczek takes us on a tour of Zarathustra's impact, a tour which takes the reader to places he or she would have never suspected. As an amateur student of religion, I never really expected this book to "shock" me, but it really did with some of the theories Kriwaczek proposes. One of the more fascinating was the connection between the dualist teachings of Zarathustra and the Cathar heresy in medieval France. As I thought more about it, the more and more connections I could identify. This great heresy was identified by the Catholic Church as having spread from regions east, where Kriwaczek identifies clear examples of Zoroastrian thought and ideas. Other examples include the basis of Islam in Iran. That was a great chapter, as we often think of fundamentalist Iran as a impenetrable wall of religion fundamentalism, but a much deeper uncertainty exists beneath the religious Shiite control. The ideas and intellectual development of Nietzsche are also looked into, as his famous Thus Spoke Zarathustra introduced this eastern god to many in the west.

The book is written in a clear, travel log type of way, interspersed with some serious research and scholarship. I felt the book failed in a small way, as the actual concrete mechanisms of transmission are a bit shaky, although Kriwaczek is definitely convinced of his thesis. At any rate, he does pose some challenging enigmas of world religious thought, as the multitude of dualist systems along the lines of that taught by Zarathustra is too striking to be coincidental. This book is by no means a great study of the religion and its origins, as I think Kriwaczek would admit, but it does provide a very readable and enjoyable look at a fascinating religion, the ideas he spawned, and their far-reaching impact.

The ancient Persian prophet Zoroaster taught that the world was caught in a struggle between good and evil. He believed in one God, called Ahura Mazda, in a struggle with the forces of darkness. He was a theological monist and an ethical dualist. Human beings had the responsibility of working to bring about the good and eliminate the evil. The good would triumph in the end. Zoroaster was one of the first religious teachers to preach the afterlife. He founded a religion called Zoroastrianism which remains one of the fundamental religions of man and, although it has relatively few adherents, it survives today.

Paul Kriwaczek has written a fine book which is travelog, political commentary, history, and study of Zoroastrianism all rolled into one. Mr. Kriwaczek was trained as a dentist but subsequently joined BBC as a specialist in Central and South Asian affairs. It is good to see a nonspecialist who can write on Zoroaster with enthusiasm and knowledge and convey something of both to his readers.

The book is written in the form of a reverse chronology beginning with the present-day and progressing through successive chapters to the hazy early days (perhaps 1800 B.C.) of Zarathustra himself. We see many interesting figures along the way, and Kriwaczek is full of entertaining stories and digressions. This mostly makes the book a pleasure to read, but there are moments when the organization becomes confusing and the story gets a bit off track.

Kriwaczek spends a great deal of time on Frederich Nietzsche and his famous work "Thus Spake Zarathustra." He explains well the sources of Nietzsche's fascination with the ancient Persian prophet and he discusses the advances in scholarship contemporary with Nietzsche that helped make Zoroaster accessible.

The book continues with a mixture of travel, history, and philosophy through a discussion of the Albegensians, the religion of Mani, Mithraism, Cyrus the Great, and the Jews during the period of the Babylonian Exile and the Second Temple.
There are outstanding color photograhps illustrating the places and sites discussed in the book. Kriwazeck's treatments make no pretense of being scholarly or complete. But they are, on the whole, eloquent and thought-provoking. I enjoyed particularly the discussion of Mani, a reformer of Zorastrianims who gave his name to Manicheanism. Kriwazeck's account is based in part upon a recent novel, "The Gardens of Light" by the Lebanese author, Amin Maalouf.

Kriwazeck concludes that Zoroaster continues to have a great deal to teach. He sees Zoroaster has a predecessor of the "American religion" or "universal religion" (pp. 227-228) which emphasizes ecumenisism and toleration in a large society composed of individuals from diverse backrounds. Kriwazeck writes (p.228) that the Universal religion:

"comprises a belief in good and evil, angels, the devil, heaven and hell, the coming of a Messiah, and an eventual end of the world. These are beliefs with which Jews, Christians and Muslims can all agree-- as well as that majority who do not claim to believe in any particular religion. Every one of these ideas first appeared in Zarathustra's teaching long before the start of recorded history, a message as influential today as it ever was."

Kriwaczek has written a fine popular study of Zoroaster. It may awake interest in the fundamentals of Zoroaster's teaching and move the mind and heart of the reader.

What a trip! What a fascinating and wonderful journey. Since they are already discussed by other reviewers, I am not going to discuss the details of this book. Suffice it to say, that this is a record of a magical travel through time and space, never staying in one place or time too long, never tedious, never boring, always enlightening, and with a very cool ending. The historical facts can be found in more detail in more scholarly works, but it is the author's imaginative and thoughtful interpretations of these facts, and their implications which make this book so precious. If you have the slightest interest in religion, history, sociology, cultural anthropology, etc., I would strongly recommend this book to you. Furthermore, in my opinion, this is a must-reading for all Iranians and Iranian-Americans. Thank you Mr. Kriwaczek for your great work.

A friend recommended me to read Zoroaster a while back since I had become curious with many religions, cultures, and mythologies of the world. I chose this one to read (my friend did not give me any information on any specific book or author), but I was happy with this one. It is written as a tale of Zoroaster's life and some of the work he did in Persia. Whether it is historically accurate or not, I don't know, but I was happy with the tale and it is inspiring. It is also interesting to see how Zoroastrian thought has influenced the development of Judeo-Christian ideas. This book is written so that it is a fairly easy read (not too complex).

This is a very beautiful story. It seems to be a very spiritual narrative with less emphasis on historical specifics. The book depicts Zoroaster from his youth to adulthood in a quite simple and yet human way. While reading it, one almost feels as though one was there. All of Persia (Iran) is united under the influence of Zoroaster, strengthened, then unified into what is to become the classical Persian empire. This is a good writing for one to read if he or she enjoys motivation and inspiration. It is also a support if a person enjoys spiritual reflections and aspirations. And it seems to touch upon some truths that many other books don't.

I really don't know about intellectual Zoroastrianism, but my heart tells me that this is one of the best books that I have ever read.

The term "Parsi" originates from "Pars". Pars means Persia. Therefore "Parsi" means "Persian", and is applicable to a native and to the language. There is no "P" or "pay" sound in Arabic. It is replaced by "F" or "Fay". So when the Arabs over-ran Pars, the area came to be known as "Fars", and the language came to be known as "Frasi" and the inhabitants were called "Farsis" or "Pharasees" as in the old testament. Therefore, Parsism is not a religion, or a creed. Zoroastrians from India like to call themselves "Parsis", without understanding its true meaning and to differentiate themselves from the "locals". In fact there is no movement known as Parsism. The closest one can come to that term is when die-hard Zoroastrians from India have tried to form their own version of this simple religion, and to add insult to injury have called it "orthodox". If that's the case, then yes, Parsism is a different form of the true Zoroastrian faith practiced in Iran today.

This is a nice little introduction to one of the world's forgotten religions. There's nothing complex about this little volume of spiritual texts. Basic precepts of Zoroastrian belief are explained and numerous quotations and prayers are given. There are hints of the influence of Zoroastrian belief upon Jewish and Christian thought. Leaving one to wonder what the world would be like if the Parsian faith were more widespread. My only complaint is that I wish it were more indepth, but have to remember it was written in 1908 and was probably a rare volume in its day.

great book if you are interested in the spiritual side and also the folklore ( not accurate but best definition I could come up with) of Zorastianism and not the historical perspective ( which is hard to validate). In addition, the book is written like a story which makes it easier to read.

Most likely, the story told and the life of zoraster may not be accurate since detailed information is not available.

The only drawback is lack of details on Avesta and the Gathas.

This book is the worst book I ever read. Please throw it out. Pl author do not write further, you are no good,as a writer and your scholarship is next to nothing

rubbish.... rubbish.... Need I say mor

Only for its cover, to start with, I would recommend this unique book. It depicts information that due to certain particular interests have been hidden and unknown for too long. The author makes important contributions to make the truth prevail. He is making efforts to provide evidences as big as the mountains regarding the participation of one of the greatest man in the history of mankind: ZOROASTER. Mr. Afnan, I do not know who you are,if you are still alive,or where you are, but please continue with the promotion of a great legacy of wisdom left to humanity by Zarathushtra also known as Zoroaster. Few people in the Western Civilizations and in the entire world have had the opportunity of acquiring the truth about the positive influence of the philosophy of Zoroaster on the greek civilization. This is a fact that the time has come to spread it. More books on this topic should be written and in many different languages without restrictions on this TRUTH. In summary, the book is a gem of literature.
Dr. José Abreu, from South America.