Zardusht on the issue of Clergy
Part1: At the time of zartusht and in the gathaic society, the kavi was the leader of the tribe. He was also the religious leader of a clan. The kavis were the clergy head of the Aryan tribes. The status of the kavi comes from the religion of totemism in which the oldest son of the family, and that of the tribe, is the guardian of the family stove or of the flame of the tribe. Gradually, the kavi became the king and the ruler, and at the time of the sassanids kavi ghobad, kavi khosrow… or kay ghobad and kay khosrow… were all terms for kings. At the time of zartusht, there was no sign of monarchy or of kingship but tribal societies and clans were the only form of societies that existed. Since society had not yet been classified, there was no class of clergy within a set of training (as many scholars mistakenly believed). In the gathas, we meet karpans with usiji and kavis. They were all the religious leaders of their day. Each one had a special responsibility but none of them had yet to belong to particular with a set hierarchy.
In one part of the gathas, Azargoshasb translates the word ratush to mean spiritual leader. He found a fact and through this fact he has made his own conclusion that there was no class of clergy at the time of zartusht. In the light of this interpretation, we can accept by spiritual leader he means the moral leader and not the leader of a set of spiritual class.
Therefore we must accept that in the primitive society of zartusht there was not yet any form of organized church .Gradually as society expands and the responsibility of its various groups is determined. The kavis become the political leaders, the karpans become religious leaders, and the kings and their courts alongside the athrravans, the magis and the mubadan gradually became to separate institution but in harmony with one another. Although political and religious leadership was just coming into existence, Zartusht rose to oppose them both and to warn the masses of obeying these evil thinkers and evil leaders.
Hertel writes,”the creed of zartusht, was philosophical but it was simultaneously anti-clerical and anti-religious. In
Adolph Rapp, the German expert on Persian culture, believes that the influence of the clergy and their interference in political affairs caused the creation of obstacles that prevented progress. In the history of the world we see such examples. In the religion of Mazdaism this factor has been totally rejected. There is no trace of clerical influence in this religion.
Most scholars have come to understand that the massage of zartusht was to oppose the clergy and the ancient practice, for he not only advocates a religion without intermediaries but he also rises to castigate them.
