Abstract

In various religions, there are beliefs about the fate of the righteous person’s soul in the afterlife. In this research, we examine and compare the stages of the ascension of the righteous soul until reaching Heaven in the Manichean and Zoroastrian religions. At each stage it is examined what happens and what heavenly gifts the righteous soul receives. The findings show that these two religions have similarities and differences in the beliefs related to the ascension of the righteous soul to Heaven. According to the findings of this research, it was determined that there was a ceremony in the Manichaean religion in which fortune telling was done to select the Teachers, the Elect and Church Leaders. In this ceremony, the ascension to Heaven of that person was determined with omen, and if their omens were recognized as good, they were elected as teachers or elected members or church leaders. Also, in this article, due to the fact that there are similarities between Kird-īr’s journey to heaven and the journey of the righteous soul to heaven in Manichaeism, the manner of his journey is also examined.

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