Table Of ContentZOROASTRIAN AND PARSI STUDIES
4 John Hinnells is the world authority on the Zoroastrians and the Parsis. A selection of
his important essays are here brought together. Not only is Zoroastrianism vital for its
influence on the monotheistic religions of the West, but it represents a living presence
in India and the world. He also illuminates various themes, such as Parsi philanthropy,
philosophy and medicine. It is altogether a significant achievement.’
-Ninian Smart, University of California Santa Barbara, USA
‘John Hinnells is recognized in the academy and in Zoroastrian circles as an outstanding
scholar of Zoroastrian/Parsi history and thought. This collection of Hinnells’ scholarly
analyses of Zoroastrian influence on the Bible, Parsi history and philosophy, and the
Parsi diaspora constitutes an important resource for contemporary research on a
significant transnational religious community, reaching from its primary locations in
Iran and India to establish new centers in Great Britain, Canada, and the United States. ’
-Raymond B. Williams, Wabash College, USA
‘This is an exciting and timely collection of articles by John Hinnells, one of the most
distinguished scholars of Zoroastrianism and undoubtedly the one best acquainted
with the Parsi communities around the globe. This volume includes some of Hinnells’
crucial contributions on the influence of Zoroastrianism on Judaism and Christianity
as well as a wide range of his ground-breaking work on Parsi history, religion and
diaspora. Conveniently brought together here, his Zoroastrian and Parsi Studies are
bound to be of great interest for both the general reader and the researcher.’
-Almut Hintze, Zarthoshty Lecturer in Zoroastrianism, SOAS, London
Zoroastrianism is perhaps the oldest of the prophetic religions. It was the official religion
of Iran for over a thousand years (6* century BCE to 7th century CE). During this period
it stood astride the trade routes between East and West and thereby exercised considerable
influence on other religions, notably Judaism and Christianity. When Zoroastrian emigres
settled in India, they and their religion flourished. Known as the Parsis, they became a
pivotal group in educational, social, political and economic developments in British
India. From this base they travelled and traded in 19th century China, East Africa, Sind
and Britain. In the 20th century they migrated to the New World - Canada, the US and
Australia. Zoroastrian and Parsi Studies includes chapters on these various subjects.
This selection will not only be of interest to Zoroastrian scholars, but also to scholars
of other religious traditions, biblical scholars, and those in immigration, diaspora or
South Asian studies.
John Hinnells is Research Professor, University of Derby; Honorary Professor,
University of Stirling; Visiting Professor at SOAS; Senior/Life member of Robinson
College and Clare Hall Cambridge, UK.
I wish to dedicate the thirty years work
represented by the articles in this volume
to my dearly loved granddaughter
EMMA GRACE
for she is the future.
Zoroastrian and Parsi Studies
Selected works of John R. Hinnells
JOHN R. HINNELLS
Research Professor in Comparative Religion
University of Derby
First published 2000 by Ashgate Publishing
Reissued 2018 by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
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Copyright © John R. Hinnells 2000
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Notice:
Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and
are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
Publisher's Note
The publisher has gone to great lengths to ensure the quality of this re-
print but points out that some imperfections in the original copies may
be apparent.
Disclaimer
The publisher has made every effort to trace copyright holders and wel-
comes correspondence from those they have been unable to contact.
A Library of Congress record exists under LC control number: 00134432
ISBN 13: 978-1-138-73865-2 (hbk)
ISBN 13: 978-1-138-73863-8 (pbk)
Contents
General Introduction 1
Section A. Theory and Method in Zoroastrian Studies 5
Ch. 1 Postmodernism and the Study of Zoroastrianism
Originally published in The Future of Religion:
Postmodern Perspectives, Essays in Honour of Ninian
Smart, Lamb, C. & Cohn-Sherbok, D. (eds.), Middlesex
University Press: London, 1999, pp. 156-171. 7
Section B. Zoroastrian Influence on Biblical Imagery 27
Ch. 2 Introduction 29
Ch. 3 Zoroastrian Saviour Imagery and its Influence on the
New Testament
Originally published in NVMEN, International Review for
the History of Religions, issued by the International
Association for the History of Religions, vol XVI, Fasc.3,
1969, pp. 161-185. 45
Ch. 4 Zoroastrian Influence on Judaism and Christianity:
Some Further Reflections
Originally published in Studi Storico-Religiosi In Onore
Di Ugo Bianchi, Stameni-Gasparro, G. (ed.), L’Erma di
Bretschneider, Rome, 1994, pp. 305-322. 73
Section C. Parsi History 93
Ch. 5 Introduction 95
Ch. 6 Anglo-Parsi Commercial Relations in Bombay Prior
to 1847
Originally published in Journal of the K.R. Cama Oriental
Institute, Bombay, 1978, No 46, pp. 5-19. 101
v
vi ZOROASTRIAN AND PARSI STUDIES
Ch. 7 British Accounts of Parsi Religion, 1619-1843
Originally published in Journal of the K.R. Cama Oriental
Institute, Bombay, 1978, No 46, pp. 20-41. 117
Ch. 8 Parsis and British Education, 1820-1880
Originally published in Journal of the K.R. Cama Oriental
Institute, Bombay, 1978, No 46, pp. 42-64. 141
Ch. 9 Social Change and Religious Transformation Among
Bombay Parsis in the Early 20th Century
Originally published in Traditions in Contact and Change,
Selected proceedings of the XIVth Congress of the
International Association for the History of Religions,
Slater, P. & Wiebe, D. (eds.), Wilfrid Laurier University
Press: Canada, 1983, pp. 105-125. 175
Section D. Zoroastrianism and the Parsis 201
Ch. 10 Introduction 203
Ch. 11 The Flowering of Zoroastrian Benevolence: Parsi
Charities in the 19th and 20th Centuries
Originally published in Papers in Honour of Professor
Mary Boyce, Bivar, A.D.H., Hinnells, J.R. (eds.), 1985,
E.J. Brill: Leiden, pp. 261-326. 209
Ch. 12 Contemporary Zoroastrian Philosophy
Originally published in Companion Encyclopedia of Asian
Philosophy, Carr, B. & Mahalingam, I. (eds.), Routledge:
London and New York, 1996, pp. 64-92. 241
Ch. 13 War and Medicine in Zoroastrianism
(The Dastur Kutar Memorial Lecture, School of Oriental
and African Studies, London 1999) (Hitherto unpublished.) 277
Section E. The Parsi Diaspora 301
Ch. 14 Introduction 303
Ch. 15 Muncherji Bhownagree: Politician and Zoroastrian
Originally published in Journal of the K.R. Cama Oriental
Institute, Mumbai, 63, 1999, pp. 60-93. 307
CONTENTS Vll
Ch. 16 The Modem Zoroastrian Diaspora
Originally published in Migration: The Asian Experience,
Brown, J.M. & Foot, R. (eds.), Macmillans St Antony’s
Series, Oxford, 1994, pp. 56-82. 335
Ch. 17 South Asian Diaspora Communities and Their Religion:
A Comparative Study of Parsi Experiences
Originally published in South Asia Research, Vol. 14,
No. 1 Spring 1994, pp.62-108. 367
Ch. 18 The Zoroastrian Diaspora: A Comparative Study of
Communities in Britain, Canada and the USA
Originally published in The South Asian Religious Diaspora
in Britain, Canada and the United States, Coward, H.,
Williams, R.B. & Hinnells, J.R. (eds.), State University of New
York Press, New York, 2000, pp. 35-54. 411
General Introduction
I am deeply grateful to Ashgate Publishing for producing this volume
collecting some of my articles. Because some have appeared in places where
the relevant scholars have not had ready access to them, they have not become
as well known as any author would wish their work to be.
Looking back over thirty years of writing, it was difficult to judge what to
include, and what to leave out. In part, the selection tries to balance the
different areas in which I have worked: the ancient tradition and its influence
on Biblical imagery; Parsi history; the living religion and diaspora
communities. Most of the chapters were invited chapters, commonly research
workshops, festschriften and so on. Because relatively few scholars outside
the field know much of Zoroastrianism it is virtually always necessary to
introduce the religion or the community. I contemplated omitting some of the
introductions to avoid repetition, but decided that in practice this would
unbalance the article because the introductions do focus the reader’s attention
on the appropriate aspects of Zoroastrianism or the Parsis.
Publishing articles in different places inevitably results in some
inconsistencies of spellings, diacritics, footnoting and bibliographical
formating. I hope that each article is internally consistent. Occasionally (e.g.
ch. 12 on Modem Zoroastrian philosophy) reference is made to other chapters
in that original publication. My earlier publications were produced at a time
when vocabulary was used which I, like many others, no longer find
acceptable, for example the use of the Christian notation of A D and B C ;
also the very gendered language of ‘man’ for person. It was tempting to
remove them, but this is a collected works, not a newly written book so hardly
any editorial work has been undertaken.
The publishers suggested that I introduce each of the sections of the book with
a new introduction, commenting on how the subject has changed, what the
subsequent studies have been and some reflections on how I view my own
work. Inevitably I have changed my opinion on some subjects. I was tempted
to include some of my studies on Mithraism because they occupied a large
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