When studying the origins of angelology, sooner or later one encounters the ancient religion of Iran, founded according to tradition by the prophet Zarathustra, whom the Greeks called Zoroaster. In it we find a host of spiritual beings arranged around a supreme God, a struggle between good and evil, and figures that accompany humanity. Many scholars have seen in this tradition a possible partner in dialogue for Jewish angelology, and later for Christian and Islamic angelology.
Ahura Mazda and his court
At the centre of the Zoroastrian religion is Ahura Mazda, the «Wise Lord», creator of all that is good. Around him work spiritual entities representing his aspects and powers. The most important are the Amesha Spenta, a term that can be translated as «Bounteous Immortals» or «Holy Immortals».
In the Gathas, the hymns attributed to Zarathustra himself, these names often appear as abstract qualities of God and of the righteous person. In later tradition they take on an increasingly personal character, until they become true heavenly beings.
The six Bounteous Immortals
Tradition lists six principal Amesha Spenta, each linked to a virtue and to an element of creation.
| Name | Meaning | Associated element |
|---|---|---|
| Vohu Manah | Good Thought | animals, especially cattle |
| Asha Vahishta | Best Truth, right order | fire |
| Khshathra Vairya | Desirable Dominion | metals and the sky |
| Spenta Armaiti | Holy Devotion | the earth |
| Haurvatat | Wholeness, completeness | the waters |
| Ameretat | Immortality | plants |
To these six is sometimes added Spenta Mainyu, the «Bounteous Spirit», linked to humanity, or Ahura Mazda himself, so as to form a group of seven.
One feature stands out at once: each entity is both a moral virtue and a guardian of the physical world. Cultivating Good Thought and caring for animals are, in this vision, two aspects of the same faithfulness.
The yazatas
Alongside the Amesha Spenta there is a wider category of beings worthy of worship, the yazatas. Among them are figures of great importance:
- Mithra, linked to the covenant, to light and to keeping one's word;
- Sraosha, «Hearing» or «Obedience», who watches over souls and protects them after death;
- Anahita, linked to the waters and to fertility.
Sraosha's role is especially interesting for students of angels: guardian of the soul in its passage beyond death, he has often been compared to the archangel Michael.
The fravashis
Another Zoroastrian figure closely recalls the guardian angel. The fravashis are the guardian spirits of the righteous, conceived as existing before the individual's birth and bound to him throughout life. They are invoked for the protection of families and honoured on the days dedicated to the dead. One of the months of the Zoroastrian calendar bears their name.
The reverse side: the daevas
Opposed to the host of good is that of Angra Mainyu, the «Evil Spirit», with his demons called daevas. It is curious to note that in India the related term deva refers instead to the gods, while the asuras over time become hostile beings. In Iran the opposite happens: ahura is the title of the supreme God, while the daevas become demons. Two related peoples thus reversed their respective values.
Among the daevas is Aeshma, demon of wrath. Many scholars have proposed linking him with Asmodeus, the demon of the book of Tobit, whose story is set precisely in the Persian world.
The debate on influences
After the Babylonian exile the Jews lived for a long time under Persian rule. In this period Jewish angelology grows richer in names, ranks and functions, and the figure of the adversary takes on sharper features. Hence the hypothesis of Zoroastrian influence.
Scholars' positions vary:
- some see direct influence, especially in the number seven and in the dualism of good and evil;
- others speak of parallel developments arising from similar needs;
- others still stress the differences, such as the absence in Judaism of a principle of evil equal to God.
The question remains open, and it is wise not to turn similarities into certain derivations.
A symbolic reading
From the perspective of the Studio Esoterico Cornelio, the Amesha Spenta offer a precious image: inner virtues and care for the world are not separate. Whoever cultivates truth symbolically guards the fire; whoever lives devotion honours the earth. Some points for reflection:
- associate each virtue with a concrete gesture towards the natural world;
- consider thought as the first form of action, following the primacy of Good Thought;
- remember that keeping one's word is, for the tradition of Mithra, a sacred act.
In short
- Zoroastrianism places Ahura Mazda at the centre, surrounded by the Amesha Spenta, the «Bounteous Immortals».
- The six Amesha Spenta join a moral virtue to an element of creation.
- The yazatas, such as Mithra and Sraosha, and the fravashis, guardian spirits of the righteous, complete the picture.
- The daevas are the demons, in a curious reversal of the Indian devas.
- Zoroastrian influence on Jewish angelology is plausible but still debated.
