ZOROASTRIANISM AND MILLENARIANISM

By Lane Rogers

The term millennium refers to a religious belief formed from the first century text known as the Apocalypse of John or called the “Book of Revelation.” Millennium has its origins in the Latin word chil, referred to as Chiliasm.¹ The Apocalypse of John speaks of the 1000 year reign with Christ in which good forces overcome evil forces. After this battle, the martyrs reign with Christ in a new heaven and new earth. The reign and conquest of evil represent the climax of history culminating in the establishment of a Utopian society with an exalted savior enthroned.ⁱ

In theory, the discipline of millennialism belongs to the branch of theology called eschatology, meaning the study of the end times. In practice the millenarians' deliberate over the present events of the world with much more fervor than thoughts of the future. They look for signs and sequences of world events that mark the beginning of the new age.ⁱⁱ

Millenarian thought is not a new phenomena.ⁱⁱⁱ Among the world religions there are two distinct divisions of millenarian thought, one Zoroastrian – Jewish – Greek – Christian, the other – Hindu – Buddhist – Taoist – Confucian. Regardless of nationality or language, millenarian thought is played out through a series of earthly kingdoms for a period of a few thousand years. The clash of evil with good culminates in an earthly Sabbath know as the millennial rest. A millenarian's sense of time is neither cyclical nor linear. The millennium is the capstone of time.^iv

There are typical metaphors that are thematic throughout millenarian thought. The idea of the golden age is associated with the golden place. The Heaven on earth, The Pure land, the Blessed Isle, the Land without evil, and California, are common phrases.^v Other metaphors are the Peripatetic Buddha, the Wandering Jew, the Itinerant Jesus, and Muhammad's Hijarh, the nostalgia for the Lost Lands.^vi This group of Metaphors has the common theme of migration which takes place when evil overcomes good forcing the righteous to move or flee to a New World. Many Scholars attribute the rise of millenarian thinking to the oppression in a society. The practice of migration is also associated with oppression.^vii

If millenarianism is the religion of the oppressed, it is also the religion of the oppressor since force is often used to make others conform to the millenarian schema of utopia. The Third Reich in Germany is an example of an attempt to bring about utopia.

The Messianic millenarianism which is often practiced in the United States, (the belief that Jesus will come back and rule on earth for 1000 years) cannot be easily distinguished from secular millenarianism since both promise a New World already marked out and both are always associated with nationalism.^viii

Modern Christian post millennial theology holds that Jesus' second coming will postdate the millennium without great turmoil on earth before the establishment of the peaceful thousand year reign.

Millenarian movements in history have a pattern. “ When an empire seems to have reached its limits [such as Rome, Ming China, or Safavid Iran] millenarian movements flourish, usually several generations before the dynastic collapse.”^ix Historical research points to the Zoroastrian religions of the ancient world as the common origin for all millennial thought, with consistent typologies, allegories, and metaphors in all forms of the belief from its origin to the present time.

IN THE BEGINNING THERE WAS ZOROASTRIANISM

Persian legend tells of a prophet that appeared in Airayana – vaejo hundreds of years before Christ.^x His people called his Zarathustra: but the Greeks called him Zoroastres. He was of divine conception.

His guardian angel entered into a haoma plant and passed with its juice in the body of a priest as the latter offered a sacrifice; at the same time a ray from heaven entered into the bosom of a maid and a noble linage began. The priest espoused the maid, the imprisoned angel mingled with the ray, and Zarathustra began to be.^xi

Zarathustra had many of the same experiences as the Biblical Moses. Among these encounters was the giving of the law on a mountain by the supreme god Ahura – Mazda. This book of law is known as the Avesta, the book of knowledge and wisdom. The Avesta, is most known today for its many quotes found the the Muslim Holy Book the Qur'an. Zarathustra lived to be very old and was consumed by a flash of lightening, and ascended into heaven: but the Zoroastrian religion survived and became the national religion of the Medes and Persians between the tenth and sixth century before Christ.^xii

The astute reader not only recognizes the Avesta in the Qur'an but also in the Rig-Veda,the Bible of the Hindus. It is almost an exact copy of the ancient Avesta. Some scholars claim the same Persian influences can be found in the Book of Daniel and Ezekiel in the Christian Bible, ^xiiibut there is no evidence that any passage found in the Christian Bible came from or even resembles the text of the Avesta.

The age of Zarathustra was a Zeit – geist: Mahavira and Buddha in India, Lao-tze and Confucius in China, Jeremiah and Isaiah in Judah, the pre-Socratic philosophers in Greece, and Zarathustra in Persia. They all made appearances and espoused religious ideas during this period.

Zarathustra influenced much of the world. In early Zoroastrian theology, the world is seen in dualistic terms as a struggle between good and evil in several stages. Each stage is to last twelve thousand years as the god Ahura-Mazda establishes and earthly kingdom and reigns eternally in peace. In later Zoroastrian theology,

If man's good works outweighed his evil works he would endure only temporary punishment for twelve thousand years. The good Zoroastrians tell us:

"that the divine consummation of history has already started. (Meaning they thought of themselves living in the end times). It began with the birth of Zarathustra as the last world epoch of three thousand years. After three prophets of his seed AHURA-MAZDA will come and establish the eternal kingdom on earth and good will shall reign forever".^xiv

Under the reign of Darius I, the Zoroastrian consummation of history was seen as the spiritual expression of a nation at its height.^xv

While much modern scholarship agrees with the historical description of the Zoroastrian religion in general, there is disagreement of the interpretation of the Zoroastrian god, particularly when speaking about the consummation of history or the apocalypse. Some scholars see Zoroastrianism as Dualism in process toward monotheism.^xvi New Discoveries and linguistic work advance the idea that Ahura-Mazda may only be the name for the good god and Angra Mainya may represent the devil. Ahura- Mazda and Angra Mainya are spiritual beings. As Ahura-Mazda clashes with Angra Mainyu, each dispute is eventually won by good. As each dispute is resolved, a new epoch in time begins. In the final epoch evil ceases to exist. When Ahura-Mazda and Angra Mainyu become one, the culmination of all history occurs and good reigns forever.

In standard Zoroastrian “cosmology, Ahura- Mazda through Spenta Minyu (six augmentative spirits) brings into being six entities: 1: Vohu Manah (Good mind), 2. Asa Vhista (Truth), 3. Xsathra (Dominion), 4. Armaita (Devotion), 5. Haurvatat (Wholeness), 6. Amertat (Immortality). These have connections with a series of creations, namely, (1) cattle, (2) fire, (3) metals, (4) earth, (5) water, (6) plants.”^xvii

There is a classification of six or seven entities which correspond to the Genesis account of creation. The classifications evolve into a stage or process that has significance in each epoch of history with some historical periods having more than one transformation during during a given epoch. The eschatological scheme of Zoroastrianism is divided into three for four epochs each of three thousand years for a total of twelve thousand years. In most writings, the fourth period, or final three thousand years is dominated by Ahura Mazda in which the cosmos is rehabilitated from the damage done by evil.^xviii

The influence of Zoroastrianism on Jewish nation during the Babylonian captivity is greatly exaggerated and is conceivably non existent. A careful reading of Daniel 6, reveals that the Jewish nation rejected Zoroastrianism.^xix The Medo-Persian Empire was defeated by Alexander the Great of Macedon in 333. B.C. At the Battle of Ipsus in 301 B.C. the holdings of the former Medo-Persian culture and Zoroastrianism were assimilated into Greek culture. This explains why in later Christianity the Church in the West, under Greek influence, espoused most of the millenarian ideas while the church in the East had little sympathy for the chiliastic traditions.^xx

Before Augustine, Zoroastrian eschatology influenced the Church in the East and the West. Modern Millenarians often used the early church writings to validate their millenarian theology. A close reading of some of the early church writings reveals the source of their ideas, since Tertullian and others quote

Zoroastrian sources to explain their beliefs.^xxi The oldest Amillennialist of the Church Fathers was Barnabas. Justin Martyr, Ireneus, Montanus, and Tertullian were premillenarian, but Augustine changed from premillennialism to Amillenialism, as he was repulsed by the carnality of the premillenarian.” Millenarian eschatology all but died until the middle ages.^xxii

Joachim of Flora

Millenarian eschatology was rejected by most Protestants during the Reformation, though “ millennial hope survived in some groups, such as sects of the Anabaptist of the 16^th century.” The hope remains today in different forms among Mormons, Seventh Day Adventist, and Jehovah's Witnesses.^xxiii Since the middle of the 1960's in America, Millenarian theology has become dominant in many other groups such as the Baptist and even the Methodist.

The primary prophet of millennial ideology between the period of early Christianity and the Reformation was a man by the name of Joachim of Flora. “Joachim of Flora was a native of Calabria, and except for his travels, he spent all his life in the wild desolate country.” His date of birth was approximately 1130 A.D.^xxiv He had a major influence the thought of his time. He was admired by Dante, who honored him in a few lines in the Pardiso.^xxv Though most of Sicily was Moslem, eccesiastically, Greek influence was dominant. Joachim claimed that the Prophet whose utterance, he expounded was Greek.^xxvi The synchronism of Islam and Greek provided the background for Joachim's doctrine.

Joachim lived during the time of the great plague, which is the possible basis for his religious experience. He claimed to have a vision while on a pilgrimage. Either during the vision, or shortly after, he wrote the Expositio in Apocalypism. This means the fullness of a special revelation had been given to him. Joachim wrote three principal works, each one containing a philosophy of history.^xxvii In his vision, Joachim saw “ the unfolding of a secular history, the history of salvation, and the Trinitarian nature of God” as one process.^xxviii The three overarching epochs were” the period of the Father, another of the Son, and the period of the Holy Spirit.”^xxix The first age is the age of the Father, as as the Son comes from the Father, the second age comes from the Son. Joachim believed that the second age was the age of the Church and of all Christianity. The third age was the age of the Holy Spirit and this was to be a new utopia, far surpassing any religious ideas.

Joachim believed that the age of Monasticism was only the dawning of the age of the Spirit, which implies a final age was to come as Monastic vows penetrated society.^xxx As common with other millenarian beliefs, the clash between good and evil ends with good reigning supreme in the New Age.

In Liber Concordie, Joachim has seven ages that correspond to the creation of Genesis. The Seven days of creation are interpreted three times in terms of the Father, Son, and Spirit. Each of the three status has its own sequence of seven, this intellectus represents the over-all Seven ages covering all world history.^xxxi The first day pertains to Adam, the second day to Noah, the third to Abraham, the fourth to David, the fifth to the transmigration Babylonis, the sixth day signifies the sixth etas, which began under John the Baptist and is due to be completed “in proximo,” and the seventh day corresponds to the Sabbath Age.^xxxii In later visions he harmonizes the seven ages resulting in the formation of the three ages of the Father, Son, and Spirit. Jochaim's eschatological tradition anticipated a new age ushered in by spiritual persons, thus supplying a powerful incentive to colonize the New Worlds. The Franciscans and Dominicans were followers of Joachim's philosophy and converts identified with their teachings as they worked in Latin America. Christopher Columbus was a believer in the doctrine of Joachim. Columbus thought that America was the New World Paradise^xxxiii

In 1770, Georg Wilhem Fredreich Hegel was born. He adopted a chiliastic philosophy that changed the world. Hegel's primary proponents in modern secular society include Karl Marx, Charles Darwin, and Sigmund Freud. Hegel's view of history was adopted by theologians and is commonly called a Diachronic approach. Hinckely Mitchell and Walter Eichrodt are the most prominent advocates of this view.^xxxiv

Hegel claimed that society was like organisms in constant turmoil. From the clash of opposing forces of good and evil, along with a dialectic process in history, a new utopian society was to be formed. ^xxxvHegel's view of Germany progressing to its final epoch and forming the perfect society was in part in not to a great extent the intellectual catalysis behind Germany being at the center of two World Wars. For Hegel, history was divided into three ages with different periods in each age, and the fourth and final age was Germany the utopia. The first phase begins in the East in which the unreflected consciousness and the subjective forms a basis for the faith, confidence, and obedience. The Greek world is the second stage of corresponding to the period of adolescence. The third state is the Roman world of abstract universality in which the social aim absorbs all individual aims. This is the age of manhood. The fourth and final stage is Germany, corresponding to old age. History was lead by the Spirit, and the “German spirit is the spirit of the New World.”^xxxvi

The Plymouth Brethren and other Heretics

American Evangelical Protestantism is not a homogeneous set of beliefs, but a mixture of ideas shaped to fit the American way of life. Most millenarian concepts accepted as mainstream by American Protestantism were associated with the ideas like the United States and the Redeemer Nation and other nationalistic schemes. Most historians demographically categorize millennialism as a Northern phenomenon, but after the War of Aggression (sometimes called the Civil War), there was an upsurge of post millennialism in the South. The common ancestor to most modern millenarian theology in America can be traced to J.N. Darby and the Plymouth Brethren.^xxxvii

By the seventeenth century, the primary advocates of Chiliasm in Europe seemed to be the Mennonite Church. “Daniel de Breen, confounder of the Amsterdam Collegium and foreteller of the Parousia that would restore the true church of Christ on earth, received much of his chiliastic expectations from Strasbourg connections with the Anabaptist.^xxxviii Many of the Mennonite doctrines seem to emerge after the 1830s in the Plymouth Brethren, including pacifism and a fanatical interest in millennial prophecy that was to usher in a New Age.^xxxix

“During the nineteenth century the Brethren were for their relatively small size, a most influential evangelical group.”^xl The Brethren movement began in Great Britain in 1828 and spread throughout the world before the century was over. They have been grouped with the fundamentalist nonconformist in a trend which Horton Davis calls “religious primitivism.”^xli There were several groups of American nonconformist. “The most obvious were those like Robert Ingersoll, Henry George, Edward Bellamy, Francis E. Abbot, and Clarence Darrow,:who left the church and became strong outspoken advocates of agnosticism, socialism, free religion, or some other form of disestablishment. Some groups tried to adapt the Christian faith to a more modern use, while others, like the Mormons, Christian Scientist, Mennonites and Unitarians, resisted wholesale assimilation into contemporary culture by making an effort to remain separated.^xlii

Charles Taez Russell (1852-1916) was convinced that the Millennial Dawn had come, the second Advent had already occurred, and the end of all things was slated for 1914.^xliii Later, his successor, Joseph F. Rutherford established the Russellites into what is known today as the Jehovah's Witnesses. Their eschatological beliefs are often labeled “Radical Adventism,” but the first person to make a radical separation of the present 'age of the church” from the coming “Kingdom” had its effective teachings in John Nelson Darby (1800-1882)^xliv Much of modern Evangelicalism has absorbed aspects of Darby's distinctive teachings, especially in the area of eschatology.^xlv

John Nelson Darby was a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin (1819), and later became a lawyer in Ireland. He became disenchanted with the Anglican Church because of doubts about their scriptural authority. He left the Anglican church and joined a group of people called the “Plymouth Brethren.”^xlvi

Darby had an extremely low opinion of education. He believed the Bible could not be understood without proper spiritual gifts and the divine leading of the Holy Spirit. He thought the Holy Spirit chose preachers and teachers regardless of education.(Actually a view adopted by most modern Church of Christ Congregations). “To him, contemporary emphasis on education for ministry reflected a loss of faith in the work of the Holy Spirit.”^xlvii

Darby's particular concept of Chilisam is known as dispensationalism. Dispensationalism is of recent origin and can boast of a history of but little more than a hundred years.^xlviii To the dispensationalist, the battle between good and evil is being won by evil and the cosmos is regressing as opposed to progressing. The categories of thought follow the same pattern as most millenarian views except in reverse. Instead of three or four distinct ages followed by six or seven c categories, the dispensationalist has six or seven categories, followed by three or four stages.

Cyrus Ingerson Scofield was a follower and admirer of John Darby. Like Darby before him, he was a lawyer and a clergyman.^xlix Scofield exalted an uneducated ministry and considered scholarship taboo. “A careful reading of Scofields's notes and comments, however leaves one quite unimpressed as to the genuine quality and depth of his scholarship.”^l

Scofield based his chronology of history on Ussher's accepting it without question. From Ussher's history, Scofield divided time into seven Dispensations. The Dispensation of : (1) Innocency (2) Conscience (3) Human and Government (4) Promise (5) Law (6) Grace (7) Fullness of times. Along with seven dispensations there are eight covenants, although Scofield had not idea what the term 'covenant' meant. In Scofield's teaching there are four keys to the meaning of prophecy: (1) the two advents of the Messiah (2) the Remnant (3) the day of the Lord ( 4) and the Kingdom.^li

Scofield published a version of the Bible that included his notes. In answering questions according to his notes a correspondence school developed. This correspondence school later became known as 'Dallas Theological Seminary' in Texas. In modern times. DTS is the major purveyor of the dispensational doctrines.

Millenarian thought throughout the ages has not been monolithic, but there are certain common beliefs. One concept is a cosmology of three or four ages combined with six or seven stages. Another is that they flourish before a dynastic collapse. Generally, there is violence associated with chiliasim since they seek to impose their categories on others. Last but not least, whether secular or religious, they all share a common philosophy of a utopian society, heaven on earth.