The Zoroastrian devil is an independent cosmic power, not a divine servant

Evidence

A particularly relevant version of the idea occurs in the dualist religions of ancient Iran. Most of the religions of Iran before the advent of Islam in the seventh century were to a greater or lesser degree dualist, believing not in one but in two cosmic powers. The Zoroastrian devil, unlike the Christian or Muslim or Jewish devil, is not one of God’s creatures performing some of God’s more mysterious tasks, but is an independent power, a supreme force of evil engaged in a cosmic struggle against God. This belief influenced a number of Christian, Muslim, and Jewish sects, through Manichaeism and other traditions. Although the Manichaean religion has almost disappeared, its name is still used—with some injustice to a complex theology—to designate a simplistic view that sees the world and all its problems as a stark struggle between good and evil. — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 1526

Categorization

• DEFINE: Clarifies what distinguishes Zoroastrian dualism from monotheistic devil concepts, and corrects the loose modern use of ‘Manichaean’.
• ADDENDUM: The good/evil cosmic struggle framing connects to the ritual sacrifice and sacred-kingship logic in ‘On Sacrifice: The Real Kind, with Corpses.’