Dialectic of ideology or utopia of Ardavirafnameh

ArdaVirafnameh is a religious text belonging to ancient Iran and was written by ArdaViraf at the end of the Sasanian era. This work should be read as a text commissioned by the ruling class. The Zoroastrian priests who formed the ruling class, considering the chaotic situation of the Sassanid society, which had suffered many crises, including the crisis of legitimacy, sought to preserve the government, and one of their most important measures was the selection of a priest named Ardaviraf from among the chosen priests. It was to go on a religious journey and write his observations in the form of a narrative of heaven and hell. Therefore, although Ardavirafnameh is a religious text, but by going deeper into it, one can infer various aspects from it, which narrates the society, politics and ancient history of Iran. This article has a question under the title of whether Ardavirafnameh has moved towards ideology or utopia? and why It examines the dialectic of ideology and utopia in it and finds that the ideology of this work is bolder and heavier than utopia, and therefore, by ordering this book to Arda Viraf, the Zoroastrian theologians sought to preserve the status quo and reduce the legitimacy crisis of the Sassanid political system. . Accordingly, the theoretical framework of Mannheim's sociology of knowledge and Skinner's method have been used, both of which emphasize the role of society, history and thought and can help in the historical and textual reflection of this article.