From a Cosmic Order (Asha) to Countless Yazatas, or From One Ahura to a Thousand Attributes?

Description This preprint examines the structural transformation of the religious system of the ancient Iranian Plateau through the methodological framework of Retrodictive Structural Hermeneutics (RSH 2.0). Rather than assuming a linear transition from polytheism to monotheism or vice versa, the study compares competing explanatory paradigms and investigates whether the available evidence is more consistently interpreted as the functional distribution of an originally central sacred authority. The paper analyzes key Avestan concepts—including Ahura Mazda, Asha, Amesha Spentas, Yazatas, and the semantic transformation of the Daevas—within a comparative and methodological framework. It argues that RSH functions as a heuristic model for evaluating structural continuity in fragmentary historical datasets without claiming definitive historical reconstruction. This version represents a substantially revised, reorganized, and expanded manuscript prepared for scholarly dissemination. It is intended for researchers in the history of religions, Iranian studies, comparative religion, and the philosophy of historical methodology.