Round 4: Tossup 6

This person’s name replaces Er’s in a pseudepigraphical text plagiarizing Plato’s Republic. Hermippus of Smyrna commented on two million lines of astrological writings attributed to this person, who was supposedly consumed by celestial fire after invoking a star. Classical authors described this person and his followers, such as the father of alchemy Ostanes, (10[1])with a term that evolved into the clerical rank mobad (“MO-bad”). Porphyry calls this person the first man to dedicate a cave to Mithras. This person’s supposed patron “Hystaspes” was a conflation of the father of Darius (-5[1])and the legendary King Vishtaspa. (10[2])This (10[2])person’s followers (10[2])adopted a title which Herodotus had used to describe priests (10[2])accompanying Xerxes (-5[1])with sacred (10[1])fire. (10[1])For 10 points, (10[1])Plutarch described what person as the “magus” (10[1]-5[1])who (10[1])founded (10[2])Persia’s dualistic religion? ■END■ (10[5])

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