Around 1000 B.C. the prophet Zoroaster reformulated the original
polytheism of Persian religion into the first monotheism. Although little
is known about the old Persian polytheism, apparently some of the
old gods were demoted and retained as angels in Zoroaster’s synthesis.
The struggle between good and evil occupies center stage in the
Zoroastrian worldview. The god of light and the upper world,
Ohrmazd or Ahura Mazda (Wise Lord), and his angels are locked in a
cosmic struggle with the god of darkness and the lower world, Angra
Mainyu or Ahriman (Evil Spirit), and his demons. Every human being
is urged to side with Ahura Mazda and his angels.
Chief among the Zoroastrian angels are the holy immortals (amesha
spentas), the highest beings next to God in the Zoroastrian scheme
of celestial inhabitants. These beings are named after qualities valued
by Zoroastrians, and are usually numbered as six archangels:
Vohu Manah (Good Thought or Good Sense)
Armaiti (Piety or Harmony)
Ameretat (Immortality)
Asha (Righteousness or Truth)
Haurvatat (Prosperity or Salvation)
Kshathra (Power or Rulership)
This list is sometimes supplemented by a seventh, Saraosha (Obedience).
Zoroaster originally regarded these beings as aspects of Ahura
Mazda himself. Corresponding to these archangels of light are agents
of the evil Angra Mainyu, such as Druj (the Lie), who was directly
opposed to Asha.
The holy immortals played an important role in the religious
experience of the founder. At the age of thirty, Zoroaster had a vision
of Vohu Manah, who appeared to the prophet in a form nine times
larger than an ordinary person. After questioning Zoroaster, Vohu
Manah led his spirit into the heaven of Ahura Mazda, who was holding
court with his angels. God then instructed the prophet in the principles
of the true religion. Over the course of the following eight years,
Zoroaster had a visionary experience with each of the archangels—
experiences that allowed him to fill out the initial revelation into a
complete religious system.
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