Christianity & Zoroastrianism
Good Thoughts, Good Words, and Good Deeds
The whole Zoroastrian ethic can be gathered into three shining words: good thoughts, good words, good deeds (humata, hukhta, huvarshta). To think, speak, and act in line with truth (asha), and against the lie, is the calling of every believer, and one's destiny is finally weighed by the sum of these. Christians honor this beautiful summary of the moral life, and share the longing to think, speak, and act in goodness. But they root that goodness differently: not first as a scale to be balanced, but as the fruit of a changed heart, given by God's grace and flowing from his love. The same three good things, sought by our own effort, or the same goodness received as the fruit of grace, is the difference we name here honestly.
What Zoroastrianism teaches
The Zoroastrian confession is summed up in the triad of good thoughts, good words, and good deeds, the pattern of a life aligned with truth:
To choose asha (truth and right order) over druj (the lie) in mind, speech, and action is the heart of the religion, and the Gathas call each person to that choice, as the two primal spirits themselves chose:
What Christians believe
Christians pursue the very same goodness of thought, word, and deed, but as the fruit of a heart made new by grace, not as the price of acceptance.
Where they meet
Both call for a whole and integrated goodness, in the mind, on the tongue, and in the hands, not mere outward show. Both honor truth and hate the lie, and both believe the way we think and speak and act truly matters. The Zoroastrian triad is a summary a Christian can read with admiration.
Where they differ
Zoroastrian ethics ask us to build a life of good thoughts, words, and deeds, and one's destiny is weighed by their sum. Christianity seeks the same goodness, but roots it in grace: a heart changed by God, so that good thoughts, words, and deeds grow as the fruit of his love rather than as the currency that earns acceptance. The same three good things pursued by our effort, or the same goodness received as the fruit of grace, is the difference, held with respect.
Zoroastrian sources: the Gathas of Zarathushtra and the wider Avesta; Gathic renderings follow widely published translations (L. H. Mills, Sacred Books of the East vol. 31, public domain, and later scholars such as Mary Boyce), which vary, compare others. Bible: King James Version. Every reference on this page was checked against its source.
The word itself
Humata, Hukhta, Huvarshta (humata, hukhta, huvarshta) → good thoughts, words, deeds → the Zoroastrian ethical triad
Humata, hukhta, and huvarshta are the three pillars of Zoroastrian ethics: good thoughts, good words, and good deeds, the pattern of a life aligned with truth (asha). Christians pursue the same goodness (Philippians 4:8), but as the fruit of a heart changed by God's grace rather than as the price of acceptance (Ephesians 2:8).
Frequently asked questions
- What are the three pillars of Zoroastrian ethics?
- Good thoughts, good words, and good deeds, in the Avestan tongue humata, hukhta, and huvarshta. To think, speak, and act in line with truth (asha) and against the lie (druj) is the heart of the Zoroastrian life, and one's destiny is weighed by the sum of these.
- How do Christians see this?
- With real admiration; Christians pursue the same goodness of thought, word, and deed (Philippians 4:8). The difference is the root: for Christians this goodness grows as the fruit of a heart changed by God's grace, a gift received, not the currency that earns acceptance (Ephesians 2:8). The same three good things by our own effort, or the same goodness as the fruit of grace, is the difference.
Come and see
Zoroastrianism awaits a savior yet to come and calls you to choose truth over the lie; the Gospel tells of the Savior who has already come, and of wise men from the East who came seeking him. The most direct way to know Jesus is to read his words for yourself. There is no pressure here.
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