Zoroastrianism Armenia

PREFACE
From the time of the conquest of Assyria and Urartu by the Medes
to the fall of the Sasanian Empire to the Muslim Arabs some thirteen
centuries later, Armenian culture developed under the linguistic, political,
and religious influence of successive Iranian empires. For most
of this period the dominant religion of the Iranians was Zoroastrianism,
and there exists abundant evidence that this religion was practised also
by Armenians from the time of the Achaemenians.
The religion waned in
Armenia after the conversion of the Arm. Arsacid court to Christianity
early in the fourth century, and most information on the old religion
must be culled from hostile Christian texts of the fifth century and
later.
Classical writers such as Xenophon, Strabo, and Tacitus stress
Armenia's ties to Iran, however, including common religious beliefs and
practices.
There is some evidence also in pre-Islamic Iranian texts.
Some features of Zoroastrian practice in Armenia can be reconstructed
from archaeological remains, and the ethnographic material of recent
times testifies to the survival of Zoroastrian beliefs.
Like their co-religionists in Iran, ancient Arm. Zoroastrians believed
in a supreme God, Ahura Mazda (Aramazd), the Creator of all that
is good, who is helped by the supernatural beings of His own creation,
by righteous men, and by other good creations against the hostile,
separate, uncreated Destructive Spirit, Angra Mainyu (Haramani), whose
demonic hosts, destructive assaults, sins and diseases have polluted
this world. Through an active, ethical life of piety, charity, truth,
cultivation of the earth and veneration for the holy creations, particularly
fire, whose light and warmth embody Divine righteousness, man
•* .
struggles towards the great renovation of the world, Fraso.kereti
(Hrasakert), when evil will be defeated and obliterated.
There was probably some local diversity in Armenian religion,
though attempts by the Artaxiads to impose political unity involved
religious centralisation as well. The Zoroastrian cult drew from the
Armenian heritage of Indo-European, Asianic, and Semitic religion; Arm.
Zoroastrianism was, perhaps, distinctive, but it was not a mere
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