What are some of the ways that scholars think Zoroastrianism has influenced other religions? How sound...

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What are some of the ways that scholars think Zoroastrianism hasinfluenced other religions? How sound do you think these argumentsare? What is the Zoroastrian view on death? How do the tower ofsilences relate to this view? What is the scriptural structure ofZoroastrianism, and what religious and historical significance doesthis have? What is the Zoroastrian view on death? How do the towerof silences relate to this view? How is this similar to, and howdoes it differ from, those of other religions?

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Part I Zoroastrianism is thought to have greatly influenced Judaism specifically through the prophet Daniels close association with the Achaeamenid kings Cambyses I Cyrus the Great Cambyses II and Darius the Great Two locations claim Daniels tomb One in Kirkuk is venerated by the Iraqi Kurds who see Daniel as a great man who both served and influenced their Zoroastrian ancestors The other is in Susa the former king seat of Darius the Great in southwestern Iran a place where Daniel is known to have lived when he was in Darius service as an adviser to his court It is interesting to note that Iranians still lay flowers on Daniels tomb They do the same with the tomb of Esther the Jewish wife of Xerxes the Great They are aware that the founder of Iran Cyrus the Great returned the tribe of Judah from their enslavement in Babylon to the city of Jerusalem along with the funds to rebuild their temple and a promise of protection a promise which he and his predecessors kept until their overthrow by Alexander the Great two centuries later It is also interesting that Irans major holidays are almost all Zoroastrian events The influence of Zoroastrianism on Islam and the Iranian culture is profound Many aspects of Zoroastrianism are in turn present in the culture and mythologies of the peoples of the Greater Iran not least because Zoroastrianism for a thousand years was a dominant influence on the people of the cultural continent Even after the rise of Islam and the loss of direct influence Zoroastrianism remained part of the cultural heritage of the Iranian languagespeaking world in part as festivals and customs but also because Ferdowsi incorporated a number of the figures and stories from the Avesta in his epic Shhnme which in turn is pivotal to Iranian identity In addition Zoroastrianism is thought to have influenced eastern Dharmic religions such as Hinduism Buddhism Sikhism and Jainism This is expressed through the Vedic texts of Dharma a Sanskrit word that means both fixed decree law duty and natural law reality Like the historical Vedic religion which is the historical predecessor of Hinduism Zoroastrianism also derives from the religious principles of IndoIranian times As such and although Zoroastrianism is not considered a Dharmic religion it is not surprising to find fundamental concepts similar to dharma and rta in the earlier Gathas as well Much of the western understanding of Zoroastrianism comes from the early Greek writers most specifically See Answer

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