Hello Dean,

I don't know of any Middle Persian sources that would support Nabarz's view. It's quite inaccurate, and goes against what we, or I, know about Zoroastrianism. I have had a brief look at some of the other descriptions of Zoroastrianism in Nabarz (2005) and would say that most are outdated by now, if they had not already been then.

A couple of the Middle Persian texts associate Zarathustra's mother with the Endless Light, but none seem to suggest any virgin birth. That's why I said yesterday that the process is complex involving a number of steps. Zarathustra is certainly not conceived like other people, and divine/supernatural beings go to various lengths to make his birth possible. In Dēnkard 7 that I mentioned yesterday, his parents have intercourse three times with the idea to conceive a child.

If you read Persian, I can warmly recommend this book which is a collection of sources:

Amoozgar, J. & A. Tafazzoli. 1997. Zoroaster's mythical life. Tehran.

Best wishes,
Arash


On Sun, 26 Dec 2021, 05:23 Dean Michael Anderson via INDOLOGY, <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:
Thanks. I was hoping to find the primary source.

Best,

Dean

On Sunday, December 26, 2021, 10:39:34 AM GMT+5:30, Alex Watson via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:


On Saturday, December 25, 2021, 10:57:41 PM GMT+5:30, Arash Zeini via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

Hello Dean,
What's reference for the text you quote, or is that what you are asking?

On Sun, Dec 26, 2021 at 3:39 AM Dean Michael Anderson via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:

Yes, I was trying to find the source of that quote.

The sentence is contained in: 
Payam Nabarz (2005), The Mysteries of Mithras: The Pagan Belief That Shaped the Christian World. Simon and Schuster.
--
Alex Watson
Professor of Indian Philosophy
Ashoka University



On Saturday, December 25, 2021, 10:57:41 PM GMT+5:30, Arash Zeini via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:


Hello Dean,

What's reference for the text you quote, or is that what you are asking?

As you know the sources for Zarathustra's birth stories are the Middle Persian accounts, and among those Book 7 of the Dēnkard stands out. The birth story is complex and Ohrmazd and his helpers put many elements in motion so that Zarathustra can be conceived. One of these, is sexual intercourse between the parents, something the the daemons try to discourage.

Best,
Arash


On Sat, 25 Dec 2021, 11:04 Dean Michael Anderson via INDOLOGY, <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:
Sorry for once again spilling over the South Asian borders but I can't seem to find a reliable reference for this claim:

"Zoroaster is said to have had a miraculous birth: his mother, Dughdova, was a virgin who conceived him after being visited by a shaft of light.

Perhaps some of our Indo-Iranians might know.

Best,

Dean

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