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Religious Studies & Theology

Religion, theology, sacred texts and the world's faith traditions.

Manuscript page of the Rigveda in Devanagari script

Vedas

Overview The Vedas form the oldest body of sacred literature in Hinduism, composed in archaic Vedic Sanskrit and transmitted for many generations through highly disciplined oral recitation before being written down. They are regarded by Hindu tradition as revealed knowledge, foundational to later religious and philosophical development across the subcontinent. The Four Vedas The corpus

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The Vedas are the oldest sacred texts of Hinduism, a body of hymns, rituals, and philosophical material composed in ancient Sanskrit.

The Zoroastrian Fire Temple in Yazd, Iran, which maintains a continuously burning sacred fire

Zoroastrianism

Overview Zoroastrianism is one of the oldest monotheistic religions in continuous practice, founded in ancient Persia by the prophet Zoroaster, also known as Zarathustra. Its teachings center on Ahura Mazda, a single supreme god associated with wisdom, order, and truth, who is understood to be locked in an ongoing cosmic struggle against the forces of

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An ancient Persian religion founded by the prophet Zoroaster, centered on the cosmic struggle between truth and falsehood and reverence for fire as a symbol of purity.