How did the Zoroastrian religion of Persia differ from Judaism?

Answer 1

During what is now known as the Persian Period in Judah, there were surprisingly many similarities and consistencies between the beliefs and practices of the Zoroastrians and those of the Jews. However, there were many differences as well.

Two major sects developed in Judaism, the Sadducees who resisted many of the beliefs common to Zoroastrianism, and the Pharisees, who were more accommodating. In fact, some say that the name 'Pharisee' is a corruption of Farsi, the original name of the Persian people.

Judaism and Zoroastrianism shared a belief in angels, but the Jewish view of Satan was that he was not evil, but a loyal assistant to God, tasked to test the righteousness of the faithful. To the Zoroastrians, he is wholly evil, much as Christians see him.

Judaism accepted the existence of heaven as a reward for the faithful, but once again the Zoroastrian view, with both heaven and hell, is much closer to modern Christianity. The Pharisees accepted that the saints will be resurrected, just as in Zoroastrianism, but the Sadducees did not.

Zoroastrians revere fire and earth. They maintain eternal flames in their temples. Because the body of the dead was corrupt, it could neither be burnt nor buried. The Jews did not accept the notion of sacred fire, but did come to view the body of the dead as corrupt. Even walking near a grave could cause one to be unclean. The practice arose of placing bodies in caves to decompose, then for the bones to be carefully placed in ossuaries, or bone-boxes, rather than be allowed to be buried.

Answer 2

Paganism is generally polytheistic, involving many gods, spirits, etc. Zoroastrianism is what is called a dualistic religion. It features two deities, one good (Ahura-Mazda) and one evil (Ahriman) who are considered to be equally powerful (unlike the Christian version in which, although there is a God and a devil, it is not an equal contest; God rules the universe and the devil just makes trouble, supposedly).

Answer 3

Zoroastrianism is of great antiquity, it was probably founded some time before the 6th century BCE in Persia (Iran) and it served as the national- or state religion of a significant portion of the Iranian people for many centuries before it was gradually marginalized by Islam from the 7th century onwards.

Zoroastrians believe that there is one universal and transcendental God, and it is perhaps the first faith to believe in a single disembodied god. In Zoroastrian tradition, life is a temporary state in which a mortal is expected to actively participate in the continuing battle between truth and falsehood.
it preached of the belief on one god