This title was first published in 2000: This volume collects articles from 30 years of John R. Hinnell's writings. The selection is intended to balance the different areas in which he has worked: the ancient tradition and its influence on Biblical imagery; Parsi history; the living religion; and diaspora communities.

A survey of Zoroastrianism's role in the development of the world's religions. Explores Zoroaster's life and work, describes the sacred writings and religious documents of the faith, and analyzes the basic Zoroastrian beliefs and their influence on Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

The Parsis are India's smallest minority community, yet they have exercised a huge influence on the country. This book, written by notable experts in the field, explores various key aspects of the Parsis, spanning the time from their arrival in India to the twenty-first century.

What is the distinctive Zoroastrian experience, and what is the common diasporic experience? The Zoroastrian Diaspora is the outcome of twenty years of research and of archival and fieldwork in eleven countries, involving approximately 250,000 miles of travel. It has also involved a survey questionnaire in eight countries, yielding over 1,840 responses. This is the first book to attempt a global comparison of Diaspora groups in six continents. Little has been written about Zoroastrian communities as far apart as China, East Africa, Europe, America, and Australia or on Parsis in Mumbai post-Independence. Each chapter is based on unused original sources ranging from nineteenth century archives to contemporary newsletters. The book also includes studies of Zoroastrians on the Internet, audio-visual resources, and the modern development of Parsi novels in English. As well as studying the Zoroastrians for their own inherent importance, this book contextualizes the Zoroastrian migrations within contemporary debates on Diaspora studies. John R. Hinnells examines what it is like to be a religious Asian in Los Angeles or London, Sydney or Hong Kong. Moreover, he explores not only how experience differs from one country to another, but also the differences between cities in the same country, for example, Chicago and Houston. The survey data is used firstly to consider the distinguishing demographic features of the Zoroastrian communities in various countries; and secondly to analyse different patterns of assimilation between different groups: men and women and according to the level and type of education. Comparisons are also drawn between people from rural and urban backgrounds; and between generations in religious beliefs and practices, including the preservation of secular culture.

The Qesse-ye Sanjān is the sole surviving account of the emigration of Zoroastrians from Iran to India to form the Parsi (‘Persian’) community. Written in Persian couplets in India in 1599 by a Zoroastrian priest, it is a work many know of, but few have actually read, let alone studied in depth. This book provides a romanised transcription from the oldest manuscripts, an elegant metrical translation, detailed commentary and, most importantly, a radical new theory of how such a text should be “read”, i.e. not as a historical chronical but as a charter of Zoroastrian identity, foundation myth and justification of the Parsi presence in India. The book fills a lacuna that has been acutely felt for a long time.

Explores the problems for studying art and religion in Eurasia arising from ancestral, colonial and post-colonial biases in historiography.

"Reclaiming the Faravahar" is the first ethnographic study of contemporary Zoroastrians in Tehran. Examining hundreds of ritual performances, Navid Fozi shows how Zoroastrians define their identity and values in an area long marked by conflict between the Shia and Sunnis. He focuses on two main concerns for Zoroastrians: continuity with the past as evidenced by their claim to be the most authentic Iranians, as well as their attempts to stand apart from the dominant Shia. Fozi also provides a look at the challenges Zoroastrians have faced over the centuries while exploring how today s members are working to remain relevant in a tumultuous regional and global context. "

This text describes the realities of modern Parsi religion through 30 interviews in which urban Parsis belonging to different social milieus and religious schools of thought discuss various aspects of their religious lives. Zoroastrianism, the faith founded by the Iranian prophet Zarathustra, originated around 1000BCE and is widely regarded as the world's first revealed religion. Although the number of its followers declined dramatically in the centuries after the 7th century Islamic conquest of Iran, Zoroastrians survive in Iran to the present day. The other major Zoroastrian community are the Parsis of India, descendants of Zoroastrians who fled Muslim dominion.

The Teachings of Zoroaster, And the Philosophy of the Parsi Religion by Shapurji Aspaniarji Kapadia, first published in 1913, is a rare manuscript, the original residing in one of the great libraries of the world. This book is a reproduction of that original, which has been scanned and cleaned by state-of-the-art publishing tools for better readability and enhanced appreciation. Restoration Editors' mission is to bring long out of print manuscripts back to life. Some smudges, annotations or unclear text may still exist, due to permanent damage to the original work. We believe the literary significance of the text justifies offering this reproduction, allowing a new generation to appreciate it.

A few years after the American declaration of independence, the first American ships set sail to India. The commercial links that American merchant mariners established with the Parsis of Bombay contributed significantly to the material and intellectual culture of the early Republic in ways that have not been explored until now. This book maps the circulation of goods, capital and ideas between Bombay Parsis and their contemporaries in the northeastern United States, uncovering a surprising range of cultural interaction. Just as goods and gifts from the Zoroastrians of India quickly became an integral part of popular culture along the eastern seaboard of the U.S., so their newly translated religious texts had a considerable impact on American thought. Using a wealth of previously unpublished primary sources, this work presents the narrative of American-Parsi encounters within the broader context of developing global trade and knowledge.