Historical Religious Dates

By Dr. Pallan Ichaporia

Thu, 16 Jan 1997. Update Sep 28, 2023 by Joseph Peterson, indicated in [].

MAJOR HISTORICAL RELIGIOUS DATES - (SPECIFIC TO THE RELIGION OF ZARATHUSHTRA AND MEANINGFUL FOR OUR ZOROASTRIAN CHILDREN) ARE CAPITALIZED.

BCE.

[16th ce BCE]["Indo-Aryans move southward]
[16th ce BCE]["definitive split in Proto-Indo-Iranian language" (Lubotsky 2023)]
1400 ? (1200) BIRTH OF PROPHET ZARATHUSHTRA, at age 35-40 Zarathushtra received revelation - composition of the Gathas, Yasna Haptanghaiti and other Old Avestan literature
13 century Moses, the Hebrew Law Giver & Prophet
1100-500 The RigVeda compiled
[1080][Date of Zarathushtra, according to Xanthos]
563-483 Buddha, the founder of Buddhism
551-479 Confucius, the founder of Confucianism
549-330 THE FIRST ZOROASTRIAN ACHEMENID EMPIRE
540-468 Mahavira, the founder of Jainism
220BCE-227CE THE SECOND (partial) ZOROASTRIAN ARSACID EMPIRE
200 The Bhagavad Gita (Hindu Text) is written
6 to 4BCE to 30 CE Jesus Christ, the founder prophet of Christianity

CE.

33 Crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ
64 Peter, the first Bishop of Rome & disciple of Jesus, dies
70-100 First four books of the New Testaments are written
220-651 THE THIRD ZOROASTRIAN SASANIAN EMPIRE. THE HOLY ANCIENT ZOROASTRIAN TEXTS FINALLY COMPILED & WRITTEN DOWN.
400 Two Buddhist Sects -- Zen and Amidism established
570-632 Muhammad -- the Prophet of Islam His teachings are recorded in the Quran
622 Prophet Muhammad flees to Yatrib (Medina) the date is known as Hejira, the start of the Muslim era
650 THE DEFEAT OF THE SASANIAN EMPIRE BY THE ARAB MUSLIMS AND COLLAPSE OF ZOROASTRIANISM, AS THE STATE RELIGION -- BEGINNING OF THE SLOW PERSECUTION OF THE ZOROASTRIANS -- PROGRESSIVELY BECOMING MORE & MORE OPPRESSIVE.
910-950 THE TRADITIONAL DATE OF THE ARRIVAL OF THE IRANIAN ZOROASTRIANS -- (PARSIS=PERSIANS) IN INDIA TO ESCAPE THE CRUSHING RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION.
921 THE GREAT ATASH VEHRAN (BAHRAM) -- "IRAN SHAH" -- IS ENTHRONED (now at Udvada).
1054 Pope Leo IX finalizes the split of the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman catholic Church
1224-1274 Thomas Aquinas, Roman Catholic saint and Theologian
1309-1377 The Roman Catholic Papacy moves to Avigon, France
1483-1556 Martin Luther, leader of Protestant reformation -- Germany
1491-1546 Ignatius Loyola establishes the Jesuit Order of Roman Catholic Priests
1765 ATASH BAHRAM AT NAVSARI INSTALLED
1783 DADISETH ATASH BAHRAM INSTALLED (BOMBAY)
1823 MODI ATASH BAHRAM AT SURAT INSTALLED
1823 VAKIL ATASH BAHRAM AT SURAT INSTALLED
1830 WADIAJI ATASH BAHRAM INSTALLED (BOMBAY)
1845 BANAJI ATASH BAHRAM INSTALLED (BOMBAY)
1859 Charles Darwin publishes Origin of Species -- theory of organic evolution -- (animosity with the Christian Church doctrine of "creation")
1897 ANJUMAN ATASH BAHRAM INSTALLED (BOMBAY).
1869-1948 Mohandas K.Gandhi, Indian spiritual and political leader gets independence for India (1947) from British without any armed conflict, (- like American War of Independence).
1970 SLOW MIGRATION (unlike the first one of 950 CE from Iran) OF THE PARSIS TO THE WESTERN COUNTRIES.
1978-79 Fall of the Shah of Iran and migration of several Iranian Muslims to the west to escape the Islamic Fundamental Regime
1970-96 ESTABLISHMENT OF THE HALLS OF WORSHIP AND ZOROASTRIAN ASSOCIATIONS IN SEVERAL US, CANADIAN, AUSTRALIAN/NEW ZEALAND CITIES. FORMATION OF THE FEDERATION OF ZOROASTRIAN ASSOCIATION OF N. AMERICA -- 'FEZANA'.

REAL THREAT OF THE WORLDWIDE EXTINCTION OF MICROSCOPIC ZOROASTRIAN COMMUNITY.

(Many other dates though important like the attack on Zoroastrianism by the Christian Priest, Wilson resulting in its renaissance through the efforts of Khurshedji R. Cama and his scholarly team of Priestly disciples, establishment of K.R. Cama Oriental Institute with its world-renown library for Zoroastrian Scholarship. Introduction of the Study of Old Iranian/Avesta/Pahlavi Languages at the University level -- Bombay etc. will be dealt later.)