SOAS Research Online

Abstract

The presence of Evil in the world in the face of a wholly good God constitutes a major theme in Zoroastrianism, as it does in many other religions. The problem of theodicy is here resolved by the view that Evil is eternal and uncreated and exists separately from God, and that it has come into the world created by God from outside as an intruder and destructive enemy. It is the ultimate source of all destructive actions, suffering, and death in the world. At the end of time, however, Evil will be forced out of the world and compelled to retreat powerless to the place where it had initially come from. Evil is thus a major player in the Zoroastrian cosmic drama.