Michael Heiser’s Theology in Light of Zoroastrianism, Hellenism, and the Agora’s Influence on Ancient Near Eastern Thought
Michael Heiser’s work is deeply rooted in Ancient Near Eastern (ANE) studies, which has shaped his approach to biblical theology. While he sought to recover the biblical worldview as understood by its ancient writers, his ideas have not been formed in isolation but exist in dialogue with many pre-existing religious traditions. This raises important questions about how much his work reflects true biblical theology versus how much it has been influenced by ANE and Hellenistic thought, particularly ideas that resemble Zoroastrianism, Greek mythology, and the intellectual culture of the Hellenistic world.
In examining this, we need to explore three key aspects:
How Heiser’s work parallels Zoroastrian dualism and cosmic conflict theology.
The influence of the Hellenistic world, particularly its mythologies, on his reading of Genesis 6 and the Nephilim.
The impact of the agora—Hellenistic intellectual exchange—on Jewish and Christian theology, and how Heiser may be operating from a Western mindset that finds these ideas novel.
1. Zoroastrianism and Heiser’s Cosmic Conflict Model
Zoroastrianism, the dominant religion of Persia during the Jewish exile, had a significant impact on Second Temple Jewish thought. Its theological framework is highly dualistic, emphasizing an ongoing battle between:
Ahura Mazda (the supreme good god)
Angra Mainyu (the evil spirit, later seen as equivalent to Satan)
This cosmic conflict model bears striking similarities to Heiser’s portrayal of divine beings in The Unseen Realm, where Yahweh is opposed by a rebellious spiritual order, led by the Satan figure (or the Serpent from Eden). In Heiser’s view:
The Divine Council (Psalm 82, Deuteronomy 32:8-9) consists of multiple divine beings, some of whom rebel.
The Nephilim (Genesis 6) are the offspring of these rebellious elohim (spiritual beings) and humans.
The nations are ruled by fallen spiritual entities until Christ reclaims them.
Key Similarities of Heiser’s (H) thoughts to Zoroastrianism (Z)
Cosmic battle between Ahura Mazda (good) and Angra Mainyu (evil) (Z)
Yahweh vs. the Rebellious Divine Council (fallen elohim) (H)
The spiritual world directly impacts human history (Z)
The cosmic rebellion of the divine beings plays out in human affairs (H)
Good and evil gods have their own dominions (Z)
The nations are ruled by fallen divine beings (Deut. 32:8-9, Psalm 82) (H)
Eschatology includes a final battle where evil is vanquished (Z)
Jesus’ mission is to defeat the powers of the fallen divine beings (H)
Is Heiser’s Work a Christianized Zoroastrianism?
Heiser does not directly affirm a Zoroastrian worldview, but he does elevate the “cosmic battle” motif beyond traditional biblical theology.
Augustinian Christianity sees evil as a privation of good, not an equal force in a dualistic struggle. But Heiser’s focus on rebellious elohim ruling the nations and actively resisting Yahweh mirrors Zoroastrian ideas of opposing divine forces.
Traditional Christian theology emphasizes Christ as the head of the Church, but Heiser puts great emphasis on supernatural entities shaping world history, shifting the focus away from classical Christology.
2. Hellenistic Influence: Greek Mythology and Heiser’s Nephilim Doctrine
One of Heiser’s most controversial positions is his interpretation of Genesis 6:1-4, where the “sons of God” take human wives and produce the Nephilim (giants). He argues that these “sons of God” were fallen divine beings who physically mated with human women.
However, this idea has strong parallels to Greek mythology, where:
Zeus and other gods mate with human women, producing demigods (e.g., Hercules, Perseus).
Giants and hybrid creatures are often the result of divine-human unions.
The Greeks had a supernatural cosmology in which gods frequently intervened in human affairs.
Why Does Heiser’s View Resonate with Protestants?
Protestants, particularly Evangelicals and Charismatics, are fascinated by eschatology, spiritual warfare, and supernatural themes, but many have never been exposed to comparative religion or Second Temple Jewish literature.
Heiser’s work feels fresh and revelatory to Western Christians who are used to either:
Rationalistic, Reformation-era readings of Scripture, which downplay the supernatural.
Eschatological speculation, such as Left Behind theology.
The idea of divine beings engaging with humanity in dramatic ways aligns with modern Christian fascination with angels, demons, and end-times prophecy.
Was Heiser Simply Rediscovering Ancient Myths?
The idea of divine beings producing hybrid offspring is far older than Genesis 6. It appears in Mesopotamian, Greek, and Canaanite myths.
Some Jewish groups, especially Hellenized Jews, interpreted Genesis 6 in this way during the Second Temple period—a period when Greek ideas were deeply influential.
The early Church Fathers explicitly rejected the view that angels had physical relations with humans, favoring either:
The Sethite view (sons of God = righteous line of Seth)
The Royalty view (sons of God = rulers who oppressed common women)
Criticism: Heiser’s Over-Reliance on Non-Canonical Sources
Heiser bases much of his argument on 1 Enoch, Jubilees, and other Jewish apocryphal texts, which were heavily influenced by Hellenistic and Persian thought.
This extra-biblical focus makes his work more speculative, as he builds his supernatural framework on texts that neither Jews nor Christians accepted into the biblical canon.
3. The Agora Effect: A Marketplace of Ideas in the Hellenistic World
The agora in ancient Greece and later in Hellenistic cities was a marketplace of intellectual exchange. Ideas flowed freely between Jewish, Greek, Persian, Egyptian, and Mesopotamian thinkers, leading to:
The rise of syncretistic philosophies (e.g., Gnosticism, which combined Jewish, Platonic, and Zoroastrian thought).
Jewish adaptations of Greek and ANE cosmology, as seen in the Book of Enoch.
Theological debates over the nature of the divine and the supernatural world.
Did Heiser Fall Into an Ancient Intellectual Trap?
Jewish writers in the Hellenistic period were influenced by the agora and incorporated ANE and Greek ideas into their interpretations.
Many early Jewish sects adopted esoteric, supernatural views of angels, divine hierarchies, and cosmic struggles.
Heiser, as a modern Westerner, may not have realized that the “biblical worldview” he was reconstructing was itself shaped by these cross-cultural exchanges.
Why Protestants Find Heiser’s Work Tantalizing?
Unlike Catholicism and Orthodoxy, which retained a more integrated theological tradition that filtered out many speculative ANE influences, Protestants often lack a historical theological framework beyond Reformation-era rationalism.
Since Heiser presents his work as recovering the “true” biblical worldview, many Protestants find it revolutionary—not realizing that these ideas have circulated before in Second Temple Judaism, Gnosticism, and mystical sects.
Conclusion: Heiser as a Product of Western Fascination with the Supernatural
Heiser’s work blends ANE religion, Zoroastrian dualism, and Hellenistic supernaturalism in a way that resonates especially with Western Protestants unfamiliar with these influences.
His cosmic battle framework mirrors Zoroastrianism, while his divine-human hybrid Nephilim theory aligns more with Greek mythology than with classical Christian doctrine.
The ancient agora was a place where speculative ideas flourished, and Heiser may have inadvertently revived some of these same speculative trends.
Final Thought
While Heiser’s work is valuable for historical context, it must be read critically, recognizing that it is not rediscovering lost biblical truths but rather reviving ideas shaped by Zoroastrian, Greek, and ANE traditions that the early Church ultimately rejected.