Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices

As a passionate amateur of the Shahnameh which led me to the history of ancient Persia, to the Avesta and to the zoroastrianism, I am so glad I found many answers in Mary Boyce book. I choosed this one because she is a reknowned scholar on the subject and I am looking for objectivity. I wish other scholars had done this attempt to address to amateur by writing so serious a book.

This book is a detailed history of Zoroastrianism from its begining 3700 hundred years ago to 1970s. I found the narrative interesting and informative and Ms. Boyce's treatment of this great relegion objective and unprejudiced. She informs on the strength and weakneses of the theology and the practitioners of the relegion. I highly recommend the book for learning about Zoroasterianism.

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 and 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 and Iranian history, how it affected Zoroastrianism, and how Zoroastrianism affected Persian and Iranian history. Now, after having poured out such praise on the book, I must admit to its one great weakness. The book was written in the late 1970s, but before the overthrow of the Shah of Iran, and the rise to power of fundamentalist Islam. As such, the book sees the greatest threat to Zoroastrianism in Iran as being an "increase in 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) and beliefs and 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, and I am quite confidant that it will impress you in the same way. I give this book my highest recommendations!

Goldilocks would like this book. It is perfect for the average reader as far as length, depth, and width of coverage of this topic. Not too deep and not too shallow but just right! In addition to general features of Zoroastianism it also has a large amount of information on ancient Persia as well as particularly strong emphasis on the usually neglected Parthian and Sasanian cultures. The coverage of the Parsis in the Indian subcontinent is also very well done. Highly recommended for the general reader who wants an accessible overall view of Zoroastrianism.

This is an increcdible book about the history and development of the Zoroastrian religion from ancient times to the present. However, it is not simply an explanation of Beliefs and Practices. If you are unfamiliar with Zoroastrianism I suggest you read Nigosian's book THe Zoroastrian Faith first and then read this one. Boyce's book is the clearest and most well researched work on Zoroastrian religion and is a must for all interested in the relative subject matter.