Zoroastrianism: An Introduction (I.B.Tauris Introductions to Religion)

The book is packed with information - much of it of a kind one does not expect or desire to find in an introduction. Far too much attention is given to archaeological and other details of little interest to those who seek to be introduced to the subject. Particularly discouraging is the way technical terms, in whatever variety of Iranian language, are introduced once and freely used forever after. Hardly a page goes by that does not force one to consult the glossary or the index at least once. Instead of 'An introduction', a better subtitle would be 'An encyclopedic guide'.On the other hand, I was disappointed in not finding a systematic discussion of the relationship of Zoroastrianism with, at least, the Mithraic cult of the late Roman empire and Manichaeism.

bought it for for a rather ignorant christian relative

This is a very detailed and thorough review of one of the great ancient religions. Jenny Rose packs in a lot of information on the philosophy, praxis, culture as well as history of Zoroastrianism. Chapters are neatly organised thematically to address these issues, as well as focussing on the different periods in the evolution of the religion. As with any complicated religion, the materials covered in the book are complicated, and are made more so because of the terms from ancient languages that will be unfamiliar to most readers. The author ploughs through all this heroically providing a coherent narrative throughout. The book is probably not a beginner's guide without skipping many chapters but I have found it utterly engrossing.