The Zend-Avesta, however, soon went one step far- ther. In the old nature-worship there had been no at- tempt to subordinate one power to another. But when the deities were regarded as persons, the question soon arose, How did these various beings combine to act together V was there among them any order of agree- ment? or any superiority of one over another? Now here it is the especial glory of Zoroastrianism that it conceived of the existence of one supreme God. Or- muzd is the highest object of adoration, " the true Crea- tor, Preserver, and Governor of the universe." Mr. Rawlinson {Ancient Monarchies, u,Z2'^) spells the name Ahuro-Mazddo, and gives several explanations of it, the most probable being that of Haug, " the living wise." He is set forth " as the source of all good, and the proper object of the highest worship. He is the creator of life, both the earthly and the spiritual. He made the celestial bodies, all earthly substances, all good creatures, and all things good and true." " He is himself good, holy, pure, true, the holy God, the holiest of all, the essence of truth, the father of all truth, the best being of all, the master of purity." Moreover '• he is supremely happy, and possesses every blessing, health, wealth, virtue, wisdom, immortality." From him comes all good to man. On the pious and the righteous he bestows not only earthly advantages, but precious spiritual gifts, truth, devotion, " a good mind," and everlasting happiness; and as he rewards the good, so he punishes the bad, though this is an as- pect in which he is but seldom represented.
In this description of Ormuzd, gathered by Mr. Raw- linson from the Ya^na, or Book of Sacrifice, a part of the Zend-Avesta, we are moving among thoughts grand as those of the Old Testament, though, as this writer remarks, the conception of Ormuzd is less spiritual and less awful than that of Jehovah. The ascription to him of health, and also of the physical (jualities of brightness and luciditv, shows that they did not regard "VII.— F F
him as purely spiritual ; while his being so predominant- ly the author only of good things in a great measure deprives him of Jehovah's most sublime attribute of justice.
But Zoroastrianism did not stop here. The con- templation of the evil that is in the world led in time to a highly developed dualism, in which Ahriman stands opposed to Ormuzd as a being possessed of al- most equal power, but using it only for the worst pur- poses. Though we do not find this doctrine, as was said above, in the most ancient sections of the Zend-Avesta, yet even there the distinctions between good and evil, truth and falsehood, right and wrong, are described in strong colors; and the name Ahriman (in ancient Per- sian, Ajigro-Mainyits, the dark spirit) occurs but in a highly poetical passage, not as a real personage, but as a figure of speech. But in course of time this "dark spirit" came to be regarded as a living power; and as men noticed how in the struggle of life evil seemed as mighty as good, he was invested with attributes as great as those of Ormuzd himself. As, too, it was in- conceivable that the good deity would have allowed such a being to come into existence, it was concluded that evil must be co-eternal with good. But as man's heart dictates to him that good is better than evil, and must finally prevail, and as the thought was unendur- able that the struggle could go on forever, and this world be eternally miserable, the conclusion was ar- rived at that at some distant period Ormuzd would gain the victory, and evil depart out of the world for- ever.
Meanwhile a fierce war is carried on, in which every act of Ormuzd is watched by his enemy, and immedi- ately spoiled. The good deity spends his time in de- vising schemes of benevolence for the happiness of his people, and Ahriman is equally active, and even more successful in inventing pests and annoyances, which turn every creation of Ormuzd into a place of trial and misery. The imagination, too, soon called into exist- ence numerous personages to be the allies and ministers of these dread powers in the conflict, and each especial- ly had his council of six, by whose instrumentality the conflict was maintained. On the side of Ormuzd the council is more completely defined than on that of Ahriman. It is composed of six Amshashpands, or im- mortal saints, of whom the first, Bahman, " the good mind," originalh^ a mere attribute of Ormuzd, has for his office the maintenance of life in animals and of goodness in man. .4 rdibesht, the second, means " the clearest truth." He was regarded as the light of the universe, and his business was to maintain the splendor of the various luminaries, and enable them to dispense heat and light. The third, Shahravar; was the dis- penser of riclies. The fourth, Isfand-A rmat, represent- ed the earth. As the Iranians were a purely agricultu- ral people, the earth always held a high place in their esteem, and Armaiti, the earth-goddess, was also god- dess of piety. Under her charge was all growth and fertility, and she was the giver of abundant harvests. The last two were Khoi-dud, "health," and Amerddt, " immortality." The vegetable world was especially intrusted to their charge. Besides these, the armies of Ormuzd are commanded by the angel Serosh, de- scribed as " the sincere, the beautiful, the victorious, the true, the master of truth." Under his command they wage perpetual war with the Devas, whom sometimes he even stays, and guard the whole world, and es- pecially the Iranian territory, from their attacks. Ahri- man's council of six consists of A ko-mano, " the bad mind;" Indra, the Vedic god of storms and war, but simply a destructive being in the Zoroastrian mythol- ogy; (^aurva, who may be Siva; Naonhaitya, Taric, and Zaric, the two latter being "darkness" and "poi- son ;" but this council is not elaborated with so much care as that of Ormuzd, and several of its members are very shadowy persons.