Zoroastrianism: History, Religion, and Belief
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Course overview
- Provider
- Futurelearn
- Course type
- Free trial availiable
- Deadline
- Flexible
- Duration
- 4 hours
- Course author
- Sarah Stewart
Description
Zoroastrianism has had a profound influence on major world religions. Its history tells the story of imperial culture, persecution, migration and the establishment of diasporic communities.
Utilising a rich visual repository of artifacts, paintings, and texts, this four-week course will take you through the story of Zoroastrian religion, history, and culture.
The course draws inspiration from an exhibition titled ‘The Everlasting Flame: Zoroastrianism in History and Imagination’, as well as the book of the same name.
Discover the fire at the centre of this ancient religionYou’ll start by looking at the teachings of the Zoroastrian faith to understand where it sits in the context of world religions. You’ll then explore the religion’s history, from antiquity to present day.
Fire is a supreme symbol of Zoroastrianism and is central to the religion’s doctrine, ritual, and observance. You’ll learn how to link this idea to everyday devotional life and care for the planet.
Explore the challenges facing Zoroastrian communitiesToday, this ancient religion is in retreat, with numbers diminishing and the language becoming endangered.
On this course, you’ll examine the challenges the community faces and connect them to historical events to build a larger picture of the religion.
Finally, you’ll look at the religion’s ancient language, Avestan, which is key to understanding Zoroastrian texts, myths, and legends.
Learn from the experts at SOAS University of LondonSOAS has a long history of teaching and research on the subject of Zoroastrianism, together with the languages, both ancient and modern, that support it.
As the only institution to have two endowed posts in Zoroastrianism, SOAS is uniquely positioned to guide you through the history and challenges of this ancient religion.
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