Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices

Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices by Mary Boyce is the definitive single-volume introduction to Zoroastrianism. First published in 1979, it follows the world’s oldest monotheistic faith from the age of Zarathustra to the Zoroastrian communities of present-day Iran and India.

Mary Boyce (1920–2006) was Professor of Iranian Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and unquestionably the greatest scholar of Zoroastrianism of the twentieth century. She drew part of her research from living among the Zoroastrians of Yazd, which lends her account a rare authenticity and warmth.

Boyce carefully explains Zarathustra’s core teachings — monotheism, the struggle between truth and falsehood, human free will and moral responsibility — along with Zoroastrian cosmology, rituals, and festivals. She also shows how deeply the faith shaped the Abrahamic religions, from the concepts of heaven and hell to the Last Judgment.

For Iranians seeking to recover the pre-Islamic roots of their culture, this book is a trustworthy source. Zarathustra and his faith are an inseparable part of Iranian national identity, and Boyce’s work opens a scholarly and accessible gateway to that ancient heritage.