ngs and other
notable men of ancient times.

BIBLE AND DOCTRINES.

The bible of the Parsees is called Avesta, which means the revelation.
The language is Zend from which the Persian language is derived. The
founder of this religion taught as pure monotheism as was taught by
Mohammed. Zerdush taught the existence of but one deity, who was called
Maz-daw or as it is pronounced now in Persia, Hurmizd. To this god was
attributed the creation of all good fortune, government, long life,
honor, health, beauty, truth, joy and happiness. But later this
doctrine of monotheism became dualism, _i.e._, the supposition of
two primal causes of the real and intellectual world, the Vahu Mano;
the good mind or reality and Akem Mano or the naught mind or naught
reality. Ah-ra-man, the god of darkness has created devils, he causes
evil thoughts, evil deeds, wars, misfortune, sorrow, death, and hell.
Zerdush taught there are two lives, one mental and the other physical.
He believed in the immortality of the soul; that there are two abodes
for the departed, heaven, the house of angels and hell the
dwelling-place of the devil and his angels. Between the two there is a
bridge of judgment over which only the followers of Zerdush will be
able to cross safely. Before the general resurrection the Sosiosh, the
son of Zerdush, will be spiritually begotten. He will come as a
messenger from Ahuramazdoo and will foretell the time of the
resurrection and judgment. The world at that time will be utterly
steeped in wretchedness and darkness and sin; will then be renewed,
death, the arch fiend of creation, will be slain and life will be
everlastingly holy; and righteousness will dwell in the renewed world.
This Zoroastrian creed flourished until the time of Alexander the Great
throughout ancient Ironiona including Cabuliston, Bakhria, Media and
Persia, and then declined. But again under Ardashir, who has been
called Bobegon, and who claimed to be the descendant of Zerdush, the
religion of his ancestors was renewed, and the lost parts of the holy
book, Avesta, were found and put together. He chose a magician the
ablest of 40,000 magician priests, to translate the book into
vernacular language, thus renewing the religion. Unfortunately the
Avesta was utterly destroyed in A.D. 640 by the followers of Mohammed.

Now we have in Persia only 15,000 Zoroastrians. The Mohammedans called
them gabrees, _i.e._, ungodly. Most of them live in Kerman Yezd on
the so