Some European philologists and theologians from England, Germany and France started attempts at critiquing Zoroastrians in the early 18th century. They questioned the fact that several centuries before the advent of Christianity a lofty religion could emerge in ancient Persia, parallel in antiquity to Hinduism, and be a fountainhead of pure wisdom and the highest ethics, rooted in liberalism. Their understanding was that man’s mental loftiness evolved with scientific progress and, therefore, dismissed the ancient wisdom of Zoroastrianism.
I find the views of these savants as unscholarly. They wanted to downgrade Zoroastrianism. I find some of their translations unacceptable. We Zarathushtis must believe in the scientific, liberal, self-sufficient and universal religion renewed by Zarathushtra. B. T. DASTUR
dasturbehram@gmail.com
...