I’ve been reading a bit about Zoroastrianism’s inspiration of Satan, spiritual entities, and the concept of an equally dualistic battle between good and evil (some even say the concept of resurrection). I skimmed a couple of past threads on the topic, and it seems that some are comfortable with saying that other cultures may have been used by God to refine the Hebrews’ view of Him. I could see this being criticized by some as weaving around the issue, but I could also see it as being a legitimate conclusion.
Idk if any of you in here have experience in anthropology or human history, but if you do, I’m going to try and condense my ruminations on the subject down to two questions for you:
- Just how much of Jewish/Christian thought (supernatural beings, resurrection, evil forces) was influenced by Zoroastrianism? Are we more often low-balling it or overexaggerating it?
- I do find it interesting that Jesus is said to have interacted with demons—even Satan himself in the wilderness. This inquiry may open up another can of worms that I’m sure has been addressed somewhere on this website, but I’ll try to keep it on the subject: Could this be interpreted better as the authors misjudging what was happening—Jesus perhaps healing mental illness—or Jesus confirming this influence of Zoroastrian theology?
This is a tough one for me. Any thoughts are appreciated!