Customer Reviews
A little classic - By: Brian Griffith, 01 Apr 2008 
Boyce's book is a classic studyin comparative religion. It is full of insights into the origins of Zoroastrianism, & how it strongly shaped all later religious traditions of the Western world. She shows how much of what Jews, Christians & Muslims commonly consider "fundamental" to their faith is borrowed from the Zoroastrians.
This book impressed me with its excellence - By: Kurt A. Johnson, 27 Jan 2006 This book is nothing short of a tour-de-force! In this fascinating book, Professor Emeriti of Iranian Studies (retired), Dr. Mary Boyce (b. 1920) looks at the beliefs & practices of the Zoroastrian faith, as it has evolved from its beginnings through to the late 1970s. Along the way, the reader is treated to an in-depth understanding of Persian & Iranian history, how it affected Zoroastrianism, & how Zoroastrianism affected Persian & Iranian history.
Now, after having poured out such praise on the book, I must admit to its one great weakness. The book was writtenin the late 1970s, but before the overthrow of the Shah of Iran, & the rise to power of fundamentalist Islam. As such, the book sees the greatest threat to Zoroastrianismin Iran as being an "increasein secularism," rather than the rise of Muslim oppression that it has actually been subjected to.
But, that said, this is a great book on Zoroastrianism, one that really gives you a good understanding of its history (up to the late 1970s) & beliefs & practices. If you really want to understand Zoroastrianism, then I would say that this is the best book to get. This book impressed me with its excellence, & I am quite confidant that it will impress youin the same way. I give this book my highest recommendations!
