ZOROASTER. By Zoroafter was denoted both the deity, and alfo his prieft. It was a name conferred upon many perfonages. Of men, ftiled Zoroafter, the firft was a deified perfonage, reverenced by fome of his pofterity, whofe worship was ftiled Magia, and the profeffors of it Magi. His hiftory is therefore to be looked for among the accounts tranfmitted by the ancient Babylonians, and Chaldeans. They were the first people ftiled Magi; and the inftitutors of those rites, which related to Zoroafter. From them this worship was imparted to the Perfians, who likewife had their Magi. The Perfians were originally named Perefians, from the deity Perez, or Parez the Sun; whom they also worshiped under the title of Zor-After. It may be worth while to confider the primitive character, as given by different writers. He was esteemed the firft obferver of the heavens; and it is faid that the ancient Babylonians received their knowledge of Aftronomy from him. He was looked upon as the head of all thofe, who are fuppofed to follow his inftitutes; confequently he must have been prior to the Magi, and Magia, the pricfts, and worship, which were derived from him. Of what antiquity they were may be learned from Ariftotle. (Diog. Laert. procm.) They were prior even to the Egyptians. In his childhood he is faid to have been under the care of Azonaces; in procefs of time he was greatly enriched in knowledge, and became in high repute for his piety and juftice. He firft facrificed to the gods, and taught men to do the fame. He likewife inftructed them in fcience; and was the first who gave them laws. The Babylonians feem to have referred to him every thing, which by the Egyptians was attributed to Thoth and and Hermes. He had the title of Zarades, ́ì. e. the lord of light, and is equivalent to Orus, Oromanes, and Ofiris. It was fometimes expreffed Zar-Atis, the lord of fire, and supposed to belong to a feminine deity of the Perfians. Mofes Chorenenfis (1. 1. c. 5.) ftiles him Zarovanus, and fpeaks of him as the father of the gods. It is faid of him that he had a renewal of life: and that whilst he was in the intermediate state of death, he was inftructed by the gods. Some fpcak (D. Chryfoft. Orat. Boryfth.) of his retiring to mountain of Armenia, where he had an intercourfe with the deity: and when the mountain burned with fire, he was preferved unhurt. The place to which he retired, according to the Perfic writers, was in the region called Adarbain; where was the greatest Puratheion in Afia. This region was in Armenia. To him has been attributed the invention of magic; which notion has arifen from a mifapplication of terms. The Magi were priests, and they called religion in general Magia. They, and their rites, grew into difrepute; in confequence of which they were by the Greeks called απατεωνες φαρμακευ]αι: but the Perfians of old, esteemed them very highly. By Zoroafter being the author of the Magia, is meant, that he was the first promoter of religious rites, and the inftructer of men in their duty to God. The war between Ninus and Zoroafter of Bactria relates probably to fome hoftilities carried on between the Ninivites, and the Bactrians, who had embraced the Zoroastrian rites. Their pricfts, or prince, for they were of old the fame, was named Oxuartes (Diod. Sic. 1. 2.) but from his office had the title of Zoroafter; which was properly the name of the Sun, whom he adored. This religion began in Chaldea; and it is exprefsly faid of this Bactrian king, that he borrowed the knowledge of it from that country, and added to it largely; when the Perfians gained the empire in Afia, they renewed thefe rites, and doctrines. Thefe rites were idolatrous; yet not fo totally depraved, and grofs, as thofe of other nations. They were introduced by Chus; at leaft by the Cuthites; a branch of whom were the Perefians, or Perfians. The Cuthites of Chaldea were the original Magi, and they gave to Chus the title of Zoroafter Magus, as being the firft of the order. But titles were not always determinately appropriated: nor was Chus the original perfon, who was called Zoroafter. There was another beyond him, who was the first deified mortal, and the Prototype in this worship. The purport of the term Zoroafter is by fome faid to be the living ftar; as if of Græcian etymology, from (wow, and asng. The latter among many nations did fignify a flar. But by Zoro-After was certainly meant Sol Afterius. Zor, Sor, Sur, Sehor, among the Amonians always related to the Sun. In confequence of this, we find that his temple is often called Beth-Sur, and Beth-Sura. It was also called Beth-Sor, and Beth-Soron. That Suria was not a provincial title is plain from the Dea Suria being worshiped at Eryx in Sicily; and from an infcription to her at Rome. She was worshiped under this title in Britain, as we may infer from an infcription at Sir Robert Cotton's, Cambridgeshire. DEE SURIE SUB CALPURNIO The Græcians therefore were wrong in their etymology. The origin of the miftake is easily traced. When they were told that Zor-After was the fame as Zoan-After, they by an uniform mode of of miftake expreffed the latter Zwov; and inter- |