This investigation concerns the question of “origins” with regard to two specific “religions.” This is not to be confused with the well-trodden historical pursuit of the “origin of Religion,” which has only recently found new life in CSR.¹ In “The Beginnings of YHWH and ‘Longing for Origin’” Friedhelm Hartenstein differentiates between scholarly endeavors seeking to understand “origin” versus “beginning.”² He writes, 

Whereas 'beginning' from a temporal point of view describes a first initial point, 'origin' is associated with the idea of an enduring foundation for the future:  As for 'beginning,' the direction of view is prospective, as for 'origin,' it is mainly retrospective…From a qualitative/ontological point of view, 'beginning' is therefore often associated with an emphasis on something new and a break with the past, which can be more or less categorical (pathos of the beginning right up to a sudden revelation). On the other hand, 'origin' is a point of reference for a thinking which wants to confirm traditions and thus underline continuity (enduring foundation and effective deep layer).³

Hartenstein’s comments highlight the perspective implied in the title of this chapter: modern Judaism and Zoroastrianism are “religions deemed monotheistic.” This investigation is an inquiry into the influence of the environmental variables on the respective “origins” of these modern religions. The particular “religions” on which this work is focused have been articulated using the language of “community of worship centered around YHWH or Ahura Mazda” in order to reference the point of continuity that appears to underlie the long histories of these modern religions. Using Hartenstein’s observations as a guide, this discussion points to the connection between the modern religions and their respective development lineages (and antecedent iterations/religions) while focusing the work on the circumstances under which the worship of YHWH and of Ahura Mazda originated.