Kinds of Heresy and the Heresiarch According to Avesta and Middle Persian Zoroastrian Texts

Abstract:
In the history of Zoroastrian religion one can find different records for heresy and people who did not abide with Zoroastrianism. Maybe the first kind of heresy was Zurvanism which started at the time of the Achaemenid kings. Therefore, one can find different terminology and description for heresy in textual sources. One kind of heresy attested in Avesta is ašəmaōγa, meaning a person who knows the words of Zoroastrians but does not observe them in his actions. There are also other terms such as ahlamōγān ahlamōγ, referred to Mazdak, and drōg aštag referred to Mani. In Dādēstān ī dēnīg there is a chapter about heresy and its punishments. The aim of this paper is to analyze different kinds of heresy and their terminology according to Avesta and Middle Persian Zoroastrian Texts.