Evil, Good, and Gender: Facets of the Feminine in Zoroastrian Religious History

Societies often link the phenomena of evil and good to the feminine and masculine genders and, by extension, to women and men. Evil, Good, and Gender explores doctrinal and societal developments within a context of malevolence that came to be attributed to the feminine and the female in contrast to benevolence ascribed to the masculine and the male by Zoroastrians or Mazda worshipers. This study authoritatively elucidates implications of the feminine and the masculine in religion and suggests that images in theology have been fundamental for defining both women’s and men’s social roles and statuses.