Was Zoroaster tempted by demons in the wilderness?
Yes, but in post-Christian texts written between 250 and 650 A.D., meaning it is more likely Christianity influenced Zoroastrianism than vice versa.
The beginning of Zoroaster's ministry
Zoroaster did, indeed, begin his ministry at age 30. However, unlike Jesus, he was ignored for 12 years until his religion was accepted by king Vishtaspa, whereas Jesus became popular rather quickly.
Communion
There is no mention in Zoroastrianism of communion. The closest reference you will find to communion is drinking juice from the sacred Hoama plant, but this in no way resembles communion, as it represents neither body nor blood of Zoroaster.
Good and evil
Both Christianity and Zoroastrianism teach a conflict between good and evil. However, this is true of most theistic religions, including Judaism, so there's nothing significant about this teaching. An interesting difference, however, is that Zoroastrianism's version of the devil, Angra Mainyu, is said to be equal to Ahura Mazda, the head god of Zoroastrianism. On the other hand, Christianity teaches that Satan's power is virtually non-existent when facing God.
Salvation and judgement
According to Zoroastrianism, all men will be judged by their works at the final judgement, but eventually all will be saved. By contrast, while Christian doctrine teaches that salvation is available to all men while they still live, it is through Christ alone, and only those who die without him will be judged by their deeds. It also teaches that judgement is eternal. There's no coming back. One can hardly claim Zoroastrianism is similar in this respect.
Monotheism
Not that monotheism is an alien concept to pre-Zoroastrian religions, such as Judaism (i.e. the actual origin of Christianity), but copycat theorists do claim Zoroaster inspired this aspect of Christianity. While the original religion was indeed monotheistic, Zoroastrian priests eventually added other gods.
Attoning death
The circumstances surrounding Zoroaster's death are heavily debated, but the generally accepted view is that he was murdered by raiders at his alter at age 77. At no point is this claimed to attone for any sins.
Conclusion
Just as with all alleged "pagan saviours", Zoroaster could not have inspired Christianity. There never was a record of a virgin birth, and while Zoroaster was said to have been tempted in the wilderness, this wasn't claimed until at least the 2nd century, after Christianity began and the scriptures were completed. Zoroaster's ministry did begin when he was 30, but he was rejected, and he never did set up a communion ritual. While Christianity may seem to have similar doctrines to Zoroastrianism, a closer examination reveals major differences, and no, Zoroaster was never slain for the sins of men.
Who was Zoroaster?
The interesting thing about Zoroaster is that most of the detailed texts we have about him were actually written after Christianity, which should be enough to prove he did not inspire Christianity. Most pre-Christian references to Zoroaster are vague poems, which say very little about his life. He is believed to have lived during the 6th century B.C. as a contemporary to king Hystaspes. He was a (false) prophet, and founded the religion of Zoroastrianism.
Virgin birth
There are no accounts of Zoroaster being born of a virgin. Zoroaster's parents were married, and concieved him through natural means. In later versions, the main deity of Zoroastrianism implants the soul of Zoroaster into a sacred plant, called a Haoma plant, and he is born from the milk of that plant. No genuine accounts of Zoroaster's birth bear similarity to Jesus'.
Is Zoroaster like Jesus?
Article author: Jay Zeke Malakai
Article editor: Jay Zeke Malakai
Introduction
Alphabetically, Zoroaster is the last pagan saviour that Christianity allegedly copied from. It is claimed that, like Jesus, Zoroaster was born of a virgin, tempted in the wilderness, began his ministry at age 30, set up a ritual similar to communion and died for the sins of his people. It is also claimed that Zoroaster taught many similar things to Jesus. We will examine these claims in this article.
