Religion in the Sassanian era

Religion in the Sassanian era (Persian: دین در دوران ساسانی ) refers to events related to religion during the Sasanian Empire from 224 to 651 CE.

Zoroastrianism

Gayomarthians

Gayomarthians is one of the sects of the Zoroastrian religion. Although during the Sassanid period, Zoroastrianism was the official religion, there were sects among the followers of Zoroastrianism that had other beliefs.Followers of the Gayomarthians sect believed that Ahriman was born from the doubt of Hormizd. According to this view, Ahriman is the creation of Hormizd.

Al-Shahrastani mentioned that the Amina sect believed that Keyumars was the first human being and that Ahriman was a creature.

See also: Zurvanism

Zurvanism is a fatalistic religious movement of Zoroastrianism in which the divinity Zurvan is a first principle (primordial creator deity) who engendered equal-but-opposite twins, Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu. Zurvanism is also known as "Zurvanite Zoroastrianism", and may be contrasted with Mazdaism, Zurvan was perceived as the god of infinite time and space and also known as "one" or "alone". Zurvan was portrayed as a transcendental and neutral god without passion; one for whom there was no distinction between good and evil. The name Zurvan is a normalized rendition of the word, which in Middle Persian appears as either Zurvān, Zruvān or Zarvān. The Middle Persian name derives from Avestan (Avestan: 𐬰𐬭𐬎𐬎𐬁𐬥, romanized: zruuān, lit. 'time', a grammatically neuter noun).

Unlike Mazdean Zoroastrianism, Zurvanism considered Ahura Mazda not the transcendental Creator, but one of two equal-but-opposite divinities under the supremacy of Zurvan. The central Zurvanite belief made Ahura Mazda (Middle Persian: Ohrmuzd) and Angra Mainyu (Ahriman) twin brothers that had co-existed for all time.

Disappearance

There is a puzzling question, which is: why the cult of Zurvan vanished, while Mazdaism did not, remains an issue of scholarly debate. Arthur Christensen, one of the first proponents of the theory that Zurvanism was the state religion of the Sasanians, suggested that the rejection of Zurvanism in the post-conquest epoch was a response and reaction to the new authority of Islamic monotheism that brought about a deliberate reform of Zoroastrianism that aimed to establish a stronger orthodoxy.

Robert Charles Zaehner opines that the Zurvanite priesthood had a strict orthodoxy which few could tolerate. Moreover, they interpreted the Prophet's message so dualistically that their God was made to appear very much less than all-powerful and all-wise. As reasonable as it might have appeared from a purely intellectual point of view, such an absolute dualism had neither the appeal of a real monotheism nor any mystical element with which to nourish its inner life.

Another possible explanation postulated by Boyce, is that Mazdaism and Zurvanism were divided regionally, that is, with Mazdaism being the predominant tendency in the regions to the north and east, Bactria, Margiana, and other satrapies closest to Zoroaster's homeland, while Zurvanism was prominent in regions to the south and west, closer to Babylonian and Greek influence and this is supported by Manichaean evidence that indicates that 3rd century Mazdean Zoroastrianism had its stronghold in Parthia, to the northeast. Following the fall of the Persian Empire, the south and west were relatively quickly assimilated under the banner of Islam, while the north and east remained independent for some time before these regions too were absorbed, this could also explain why Armenian-syriac observations reveal a distinctly Zurvanite Zoroastrianism, and inversely, could explain the strong Greek and Babylonian influence on Zurvanism.

Zaradust-e Khuragen

Zaradust-e Khuragen

See also: Zaradust-e Khuragen

In the Sassanid period, Zaradust-e Khuragen founded a new sect called Dar al-Din or Zoroastrianism after himself. He became acquainted with Greek philosophical books, including Plato's Republic, and was influenced by Plato's Utopia. The ideas of Zoroastrian Khuragen, which were mostly economic and social, were introduced to Persian society through his disciple Mazdak. Malalas relates that during the reign of Diocletian, two hundred years earlier, a Manichaean man named Pundus of Mazdak appeared in Rome, with new ideas and opposed to the official Manichaean religion. It is from the words of Bodis: The god of good fought the god of evil and defeated him, so here it is necessary to worship God. Zoroaster Khorgan was in fact a theorist and founder of a tradition that aimed to return to the originality and monotheism (according to his own understanding of the meaning of monotheism, which was a god of good and a god of evil), the great prophet of ancient Iran, and he encouraged the Sassanid kings to follow this tradition, because in those days when the two principles had different interpretations and explanations of the Zoroastrian religion, the people were disturbed and confused.

Mazdak

See also: Mazdak

Gold coin of Kavad I, possibly minted at Susa, in 529 or 530

Mazdak was an Iranian Zoroastrian mobad (priest) and religious reformer who gained influence during the reign of the Sasanian emperor Kavadh I. He claimed to be a prophet of Ahura Mazda and instituted social welfare programs.

According to classical sources, not long after Sukhra's execution, a mobad (priest) named Mazdak caught Kavad's attention. Mazdak was the chief representative of a religious and philosophical movement called Mazdakism. Not only did it consist of theological teachings, but it also advocated for political and social reforms that would impact the nobility and clergy.

Coin of the Sasanian king Khosrow I Anushirvan (cropped version), Veh-Andiyōk-Šābuhr (Gundeshapur) mint.

The Mazdak movement was nonviolent and called for the sharing of wealth, women and property, an archaic form of communism. According to modern historians Touraj Daryaee and Matthew Canepa, 'sharing women' was most likely an overstatement and defamation deriving from Mazdak's decree that loosened marriage laws to help the lower classes. Powerful families saw this as a tactic to weaken their lineage and advantages, which was most likely the case. Kavad used the movement as a political tool to curb the power of the nobility and clergy. Royal granaries were distributed, and land was shared among the lower classes.

The historicity of the persona of Mazdak has been questioned. He may have been a fabrication to take the blame away from Kavad. Contemporary historians, including Procopius and Joshua the Stylite make no mention of Mazdak naming Kavad as the figure behind the movement. Mention of Mazdak only emerges in later Middle Persian Zoroastrian documents, namely the Bundahishn, the Denkard, and the Zand-i Wahman yasn. Later Islamic-era sources, particularly al-Tabari, also mention Mazdak. These later writings were perhaps corrupted by Iranian oral folklore, given that blame put on Mazdak for the redistribution of aristocratic properties to the people, is a topic repeated in Iranian oral history.

Manichaeism

It appears from various accounts that the second Sassanian king, Shapur I, was tolerant of foreign religions and ideas. Mani appeared during Shapur's time and reached Shapur's presence and was allowed to spread his religion. The spread of the sect of Shi'ism in Sassanian lands, which had a long-lasting effect, was due to this spirit of tolerance, which was undoubtedly not to Kartir's advantage.

The third Sassanian king, Hormizd I, also supported Mani Nazar and protected him from the persecution of opponents in his palace in Babylon. He also showed interest in Kartir, Mani's enemy, and even gave him the hat and waistcoat that were signs of nobility, placing him in the ranks of the great men of the time.

See also

• Religion in the Achaemenid era