Frashokereti

Frashokereti, also transliterated Frashōkertī, is the Zoroastrian doctrine of the final renovation of the universe. The term comes from Avestan frašōkeretī or frāšōkertī, usually translated as “making perfect,” “renovation,” or “the end of days.” In Zoroastrian eschatology it denotes the ultimate defeat of Angra Mainyu (the destructive spirit) and the restoration of creation to a state of perfection under Ahura Mazda.

According to tradition, time culminates in the final confrontation between good and evil. Angra Mainyu is overcome, a messianic Saoshyant is born, and the dead are resurrected. The final judgment sorts souls at the Chinvat Bridge; the righteous cross to a renewed world, while evil is eradicated. The cosmos is cleansed and restored: fire, water, earth, and all beings are renewed, disease and decay end, and humanity lives in a perfected existence free of sin and suffering.

Textual sources and interpretation: The concept appears in the Avesta and is developed in later Zoroastrian literature, including the Denkard and Pahlavi commentaries. While the core idea is common to the tradition, details vary among texts and historical periods, and modern interpretations range from a literal physical renewal to a more symbolic moral restoration.

Influence and significance: Frashokereti has shaped Zoroastrian faith and Iranian cultural notions of justice and final deliverance, and it has influenced later religious and philosophical thought in the broader region. It remains a central, defining element of Zoroastrian eschatology.