The Portland daily press., 1884-11-26
ZOROAsTER AND THE RELIGION
OF PERSIA.
Rev. MIR. Bianchard's Lecture Last Eve
ming.

Rev. Henry Blanchard delivered the fourth
lecture in his course on ''The Great Religions
of the World" last evening, in the vestry Of
the Congress square church.
The lecturer began BY saying that he was to
speak OF one of the most shadowy of historical
personages and one Of the very great religions
So eminent historian as Niebuhr believed
there never was a Zoroaster, but the speaker
could not believe that the scriptures of a great
religion pointed back to a non-existent being
to nobody The religion is great because it's
keynote is-there is an eternal distinction be-
tween right and wrong, and every man ought
to fight for the right against the wrong. The
religion OF Zoroaster is summons to mans
moral nature; it calls him to manly battle
against evil.
Mr.. Blanchard said he would treat the SUBJ
ject under four divisions-Pe Persia Zoroaster-
the elements OF his religion-its influence upon
Judaism end Christianity. He then described
Persia and recited some of the main events of
its history. He spoke of Cyrus the great king
who captured Babylon and permitted the cap
tive Jews to return to Palestine; of Darius, de-
feated at Marathon; of Xsrxes, driven back
from Salamis; of the invasion of Persia by
Alexander the Great, and of the Mohammedan
snhjuqation.
or Zoroaster but little is or can be known
His date is probably about 1900 B.O. He
must have been a mighty soul-an observer
OF the universe and mana hater of evil
Legends, of course, abound, but history is
scant. In the Avests, the sacred scriptures of
Persia, he is spoken of as of supernatural be.
ing. In legends he is said to have laughed on
the day of his birth, and that his brain palpi.
tated so violently as to hesve up the hand that
was placed on his head; that he retired into
the desert at the age of ten, and lived there for
twenty years on cheese and was thus preserv-
ed from feeling old age; that in this seclusion,
In a cave, he received from Ahuramazda and
his attendant spirits the revelations which he
recorded in the Avesta.
The legends bear witness TO the greatness of
the prophet. However unhistoricai, they show
the profound impression which Zoroaster made
on mems minds
The religion is dualism. 1t recognizes
power of goodness, Ormuzd, and a power of
evil, AhrlmaD. These are in perpetual con-
fiict. But both have come from the Eternal
H~ernana,Akerana. ~ Scholars say this term
means thine without Bounds" Some say it
means The Uncreated Whoe"-"The Indi-
visible One 1--WE may remember in this conuec
ton the Absolute Existence" of Brahmanism.
1t is the God above gods.
OrmuZd created glorious world Ahriman
filled 1t with impurity and gloom. he fell up
on the earth in the shape of a serpent, and cav
cred it with serponte, scorpions and all kinds of
vermin. Que of hls glsnces produced SO 999
diseases. Ormnzd created good angels to assist
him. Ahriman created evil angels to hello
him in wicked work This was Zor, aster's
solution of the problem of evil. Man, he
taught, is ever attended by good and by an
evil spirit. The one tries to make him good,
the other essays to make him evil. Ali the
while We must hear the key note nging;
there is an eternal distinction beGween right
and wrong, and every man ought to fight for |
the right against the wrong Zorosster taught |
future life and the fnal victlry of OImuzd |
over Abriman-of good over evil. At death |
the soal must pass over the bridge-Chirevad |
1t must meet there the Angel OF Justice. III |
its good deeds outweigh the evil, a |
dazzling figure approaches and says, ~ am |
thy good angel; was pure at the first, but thy |
good deeds have made me purer." If the evil |