THE ANCIENT Zoroastrians believed that every man born into this world must at some point in his life choose between Truth and the Lie. `For our choice', says Zoroaster, `Truth has been presented for our own benefit, but to the false teacher the Lie for his undoing.' The realm of the Truth emanates from Ahura Mazda, the principle responsible for the creation of man and the universe. In choosing the Truth man not only testifies to the reality of what is, but contributes to his own natural and supernatural benefit. To choose the Truth is to side with the principle of Being against the disintegrating power of the Lie. Worldly prosperity and success follow, thought the Zoroastrians, because one is working with the nature of things rather than against it. Supernatural benefit results because in choosing the Truth one is enlisting in the cosmic battle waged against Ahriman, principle of evil and the Lie. In the end the evil realm of the Lie is doomed to perish from its own confusions and contradictions but the victory of Ahura Mazda can be aided by men's choice of Truth, against the Lie.

The Zoroastrians believed that to be in Truth was-adapting Arnold's phrase-to see life steadily and see it whole. The Truth was the mean between contrary errors, sufficiency between excess and deficiency. Good order on Earth, recognition of the beneficent character of creation and knowledge of the tragic consequences that flow from the denial or rejection of cosmic ...