Behram Dastur states in "Comparative theology” (Readers’ Forum, Parsiana, May 7-20, 2022) that European theologians "downgrade Zoroastrianism.” On the contrary, academic research by western scholars has produced a much better understanding of the fundamentals of Zoroastrianism.
In Zarathustra: The Man and the Message which I reviewed ("Precepts vs priestcraft,” Books, Parsiana, November 21-December 6, 2021), Meheryar Rivetna writes, "Zoroastrians skeptical of western scholars must realize that many of the Parsi scholars of the Zoroastrian religion, a majority of them priests, have either studied under, worked with, or were influenced by western scholars of Zarathushtra’s religious doctrines. Notable among them: Dastur Maneckji Dhalla, Ervad (Dr) Jivanji Modi, Ervad Kavasji Edalji Kanga, Dr Irach Taraporewalla, Dastur (Dr) Firoze Kotwal and Khurshedji Cama.”
To paraphrase the 19th century theologian Kanga, we owe a tremendous gratitude to the work of the western scholar. But for him we would be ignorant about our history and an understanding of the profound messages Zarathushtra left for mankind.
In the 20th century we gained a better understanding of Zoroastrianism from the works of the late Prof Mary Boyce. From her obituary we note, "She was the first western scholar to experience Zoroastrian religious life as an ‘insider,’ and this experience proved formative for her interpretation of the religion. She was the first to write a unified history of the religion from its prehistoric origins to the present day, filling in gaps in earlier treatments, such as the 500-year Parthian period or the initial 1,000 years after the coming of Islam.”
We should be grateful that research at several western universities has helped reconstruct the history of Zoroastrianism after the destruction of the library of Pasargadae by Alexander, the Greek invader. There is therefore no basis for a blanket statement that western scholars "downgrade Zoroastrianism.”
The message of Zarathushtra is universal. It behooves us to make it accessible to the broader human family of which we are a part. We need to resist efforts to withdraw into a hermetically sealed chamber of our own ignorance.
YEZDIAR S. KAOOSJI
Fresno, California, USA
yezdyk@gmail.com