Eschatology in the Indo-Iranian Traditions: The Genesis and Transformation of a DoctrineEschatology in the Indo-Iranian Traditions traces the roots of the belief in life after death from the earliest religious beliefs of the Indo-European people, through its first textual emergence among the Indo-Iranians. Tracing the Indo-Iranian concepts of the nature and constitution of man, with special reference to the doctrine of the Soul and its transmigration, the book demonstrates the profound nature of the physical, ethical, spiritual, and psychological ideals embodied in these thought systems as preserved in the Indian and Iranian scriptures. The central issue was death and the journey to the afterlife. Exploring the characteristic features of Indo-Iranian religions provides a better understanding of the development of eschatological beliefs in later religions in the same way that the Zoroastrian apocalyptic beliefs point to genetic historical relations among Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam. This comparative study enriches our understanding of the antecedents of afterlife beliefs and creates enthusiasm for further in-depth research into the Indo-Iranian religion as a system, acknowledging its genetic historical connections with both earlier and subsequent traditions. Eschatology in the Indo-Iranian Traditions has wide-ranging appeal to upper undergraduate and graduate courses in comparative religion, Asian studies, philosophy, and Indian and Iranian studies. |
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Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Death and Afterlife among | 13 |
Theoretical Perspectives | 41 |
Emergence of IndoIranians | 55 |
Vedic Religion | 83 |
Cosmogony and Eschatology | 97 |
Vedic Ethical World | 115 |
World Beyond | 133 |
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Common terms and phrases
2nd millennium BCE afterlife Agni Ahura Mazda ancestors ancient Andronovo Angra Mainyu animals anrta archeological Aryans asat asuras Avestan beliefs Bodewitz body Boyce Bundahisn burial Central Asia century chaos concept cosmic cosmogony cosmos creation cultures Daena daevas darkness dead death deities demons described devas divine doctrine dogs dualism earth eschatology ethical evil existence fire fravasis Gdthas Gimbutas goddess gods haoma heaven heavenly hell holy human hymns Ibid ideologies immortality Indian Indo Indo-Aryan Indo-European Indo-Iranian religion Indra Iran Iranian Kuiper Kurgan languages later linguistic living Mallory millennium BCE Mitanni Mitra myth mythology netherworld Old Europe Old European original Pahl Pahlavi Persian priests primordial punishment referred religious resurrection Rg Veda Rgvedic ritual sacred sacrifice savior similar sinners social Soma soul spirit steppe symbols texts thought Trans truth Varuna Vedic religion Viraf Vrtra warrior waters worship Yama Yasna Yast Yima Zoroaster Zoroastrian
Bibliographic information
| Title | Eschatology in the Indo-Iranian Traditions: The Genesis and Transformation of a Doctrine Volume 275 of American University Studies Volume 275 of American university studies: Theology and religion, ISSN 0740-0446 |
| Author | Mitra Ara |
| Publisher | Peter Lang, 2008 |
| ISBN | 1433102501, 9781433102509 |
| Length | 258 pages |
| Subjects | › Religion / Philosophy |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |