Chapter 359: Divine Revelation
Zoroastrianism has many scriptures and complicated teachings, but it is not difficult to understand: worship the heaven, earth, sun, moon and stars, and believe in the only god-Ahura Mazda.
Believers believe that there are two forces of light and darkness in the world, and there is a long struggle between them, but light will eventually defeat darkness and evil under the leadership of Ahura Mazda.
In it, people need to make a choice, that is, ignorance will be punished forever, and truth will lead to a rich life.
The holy fire guides the distinction between good and evil. He is the son of the true God, pure, brilliant, absolute, and supremely good. At the same time, it is also the eye of justice, all good and evil are invisible in front of the flame.
It is also because of this that the Tang people who did not know the truth called Zoroastrianism: Zoroastrianism.
As for Dasabao.
Zoroastrian believers like to gather crowds, which is very easy to cause turmoil and affect public order. Therefore, since the ancestor Gao, the imperial court specially set up a special official-Sabao for the convenience of managing the Zoroastrian temple.
He is not from the Tang Dynasty, but an upper-class figure of Zoroastrianism. He can be regarded as a fifth-rank official and respected by others.
"Keep the nobleman waiting for a long time."
At this moment, an old man wearing a gold-rimmed white robe is slowly coming, with a very solemn appearance, and two flame-patterned belts are crossed around his neck. Most importantly, he is holding a golden scepter in one hand and holding it holy fire.
Neither is commonplace.
Needless to say, there is no need to say anything about the holy flame. You can feel the light and grandeur in it before you get close. And that golden scepter was inlaid with a ruby, which gave Lu Li a strong sense of crisis, as if it was a warning, but it seemed that he didn't intend to do it.
"The true god sent a revelation, and I hope that the nobles can watch us perform the fire sacrifice ceremony."
Da Sabao guessed that Lu Lili was jealous, so he didn't ask him to participate in the ceremony in person, but just watched.
"good."
Lu Li felt that since he was a god, the creator god and savior in the scriptures must have the structure that he should have, and he would not force people to believe in him.
So, after a little thought, he agreed.
The big Sabao in white robe had a smile on his face, looked at the two people beside Lu Li, and said, "Well, please leave my temple temporarily and wait for the fire sacrifice ceremony to end."
On the side, Millis was not worried about Lu Li's safety, nodded to him, and then walked away. From the beginning to the end, the lotus cross did not leave his hand.
After a series of changes, Miss Qianrui felt that she could not bear any more blows, no, to be precise, she should not be able to bear any more shocks, so she hurriedly followed Millis.
Immediately afterwards, the Tang people who were standing in the distance to watch and join in the fun also left voluntarily, because non-religious people are prohibited from visiting the fire worship ceremony, except for those who are invited.
In fact, the ceremony is not mysterious.
The two red-clothed priests worked together to bring a brazier that was obviously specially made——
Three camels are carved on it. They stand on a lotus pedestal, carrying a disk on their back with a firewood on it, and priests in the shape of birds and human beings stand on both sides.
Could this group of congregation be this kind of bird people?
While Lu Li was watching the ceremony, a strange thought flashed through his mind.
However, when Da Sabao sent the holy fire into the brazier, all distracting thoughts disappeared.
Flames shot up into the sky.
"Mazda in the sky..." Da Sabao let go of the golden scepter, put his hands across his chest in the shape of flames, and at the same time recited the sacrificial words prepared in advance.
Lu Li couldn't understand Sogdian, so naturally he didn't know what he was reciting, but the holy fire in the basin grew bigger and bigger as the ceremony progressed.
The Zoroastrians took off their masks, saluted in unison, and tapped their foreheads, ears, and noses with musk-scented spices to show respect.
There are men and women among them, the men are nothing to look at, all of them have big beards, if you don't look closely, you will feel that they are carved out of the same mold.
The female audience is different, with three-dimensional facial features and light amber pupils. Although the body is covered with a red robe, it is difficult to conceal the slender figure, which looks very exotic.
When he was distracted, Lu Li heard a strange voice. He felt that the accent was very similar to the Sogdian spoken by Da Sabao earlier.
It's a pity that the scumbag said that he couldn't understand a word.
But as time went by, the voice became clearer and quicker, as if it was saying something important.
After confirming that it was not an auditory hallucination, Lu Li, who was cautious in his heart, kept it in mind and planned to find a time to learn the ancient Sogdian language, or find a suitable Sogdian to ask after the event.
At the same time, the lingering voice disappeared, and the blazing holy fire in the pot was gradually extinguished. In the end, only a little flame was left flickering.
"My lord, if you encounter trouble in Chang'an in the future, you can go to the Zoroastrian Temple for help."
The white-robed Da Sabao said with a full expression, "The Zoroastrians are willing to be the forerunners."
Seeing this, Lu Li felt a chill in his heart. He didn't like the feeling of being dumbfounded.
What on earth is Ahura Mazda, the bird god, planning?
That voice came from his mouth?
Frankly speaking, Lu Lilai didn't know whether it was a blessing or a curse if he agreed to come to Zoroastrianism to observe the ceremony today.
"Your Excellency said earlier that you have something important to deal with, but we bothered you. Now that the ceremony is over, I will send you away."
Da Sabao decided to send them off in person.
However, before he understood their intentions, Lu Li was reluctant to leave, so he said straight to the point, "Did Da Sabao hear someone talking when your religion held the fire sacrifice ceremony just now?"
The white-robed Sabao shook his head, his expression normal.
"Then... what does it mean to ask Da Sabao about it?" Lu Li repeated what he heard without hesitation.
"It looks like Sogdian, but it's not."
Several red-robed priests shook their heads in unison.
Hu and Han mixed in the surrounding areas, Sogdian language is not uncommon, and there are even Tang people who are proficient in this language and make a living by translating the two languages for others.
Therefore, if the voice really spoke Sogdian, the Zoroastrians did not need to conceal it, nor could they conceal it.
"That may be a revelation from the true god to noble people, and others have no chance to understand it." Sa Bao didn't know what he was planning, and stuffed a gold coin into Lu Li's hands, "This is a token of our religion, Wang Qing cherishes it."
Having said that, his tone was full of reluctance.
"..."
Lu Li didn't answer for a long time.
After all, he had a lot of worries when dealing with a mysterious sect.
"Ahura Mazda is the god of light. There is a saying: Good thinking, good words, and good deeds are all merit."
"He taught us to abide by the scriptures, how could he harm the nobles?"
This is true.
If Mazda were an evil god, no matter how many Hu people there were in Chang'an, and how much influence Zoroastrianism had on them, the imperial court would have banned it long ago, and it would be impossible to grant officials to the most famous Zoroastrians.
And through the inherited memories, Lu Li also knew part of the Zoroastrian scriptures: darkness should not be underestimated, but good deeds will surely defeat evil, and light will replace darkness.
After the final battle, all souls will pass through the [Bridge of Judgment], the good will get the rewards they deserve, and the wicked will never be reborn.