The purpose of this study is to systematically and structurally investigate a specific and central apocalyptic idea of the Bahá'í-religion — the concept of progressive revelation. The concept of progressive revelation is thereby seen as incorporated into a much greater and coherent system of apocalyptic ideas — that of Bahá'í-apocalypticism. This system is, in turn, subordinate to the Bahá'í-religion and the general study of apocalypticism.
In the first major part of this thesis, the general field of apocalypticism and the various dimensions of revelation will be introduced. The second major part — Bahá'í-apocalypticism — will introduce some important and pertinent areas to the concept of progressive revelation. Consequently, areas such as theology, cosmology, and prophetology, will be included and discussed, since it is possible to locate in them not only the overall framework for the concept of progressive revelation, but because they either tacitly, or implicitly, express various conceptual metaphors, structures, axes, and dimensions, which are associated with this concept. The third major part of this thesis examines the concept of progressive revelation by discerning specific and related key terms, concepts, metaphors, structures, axes, and dimensions, which ultimately are correlated to the general field of Bahá'í-apocalypticism. Finally, issues like the finality of revelation and the "Seal of the Prophets" are analyzed and discussed.
Before going into detail into Bahá'í'-apocalypticism and the concept of progressive revelation, it is necessary to briefly: review the general background of the Bahá'í-religion (Ch. II), survey some related studies (Ch. III), examine the methodology (Ch. IV), and the field of apocalypticism (Ch.V).
The title of this thesis is Bahá'í Apocalypticism: the Concept of Progressive Revelation. Thus, the key terms for this study are: Bahá'í, apocalypticism/revelation, and the concept of progress.[1] The first two areas naturally fall within the study of religion whereas the third areas rather pertain more to philosophy or the study of history of ideas. Further, the idea of progress is also often associated with fields such as evolution, science, and technology.[2] Without attempting to define or operationalize the terms "apocalypticism," "revelation" or "progress" here, it may be useful to make a tentative distinction between: 1) religious writings on apocalypticism and ideas of progress (the religious context), 2) philosophical writings on apocalypticism and ideas of progress (the philosophical context), and 3) the scholarly study of these two fields (the scholarly context). The historical origins of the religious and philosophical contexts are rather obscure and difficult to ascertain, but scholars have attempted to locate apocalyptic themes in, e.g., the ancient Egyptian and Iranian religions,[3] and ideas of progress in ancient Greek philosophy and mythology.[4] However, in dealing with the concept of progressive revelation and its general background, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between religious and philosophical works. For example, there are works that are of a more religious nature and which allude to the idea of progress,[5] and there are philosophical works that contain features of apocalypticism.[6] Moreover, the scholarly studies of these two areas are, in comparison, fairly recent phenomena.
Although these important areas are beyond the scope of this thesis, there are two important historical events, or contexts, which are necessary to highlight and which emerged contemporaneously with the birth of the Bahá'í-religion. Consequently, they will function as a general frame of reference for the present study. The first event is located within the religious context and the second within the philosophical context.
1. The religious context
The Bahá'í-religion has its roots in the land of todays Iran (the ancient Persia), which is associated with at least one great prophet — Zarathustra. His name has subsequently been connected with, and given rise to, a world-religion — Zoroastrianism. Although scholars disagree upon the exact dating of Zarathustra, Zoroastrianism was once a state religion of three great Iranian empires.[7] The apocalyptic idea of the Saoshyant, or future "world saviour," is an especially noteworthy concept to the religious context of this thesis.[8] However, Zoroastrianism has, since the 7th century CE, been largely replaced and dominated by another great world religion — Islám. More precisely, it has since the 16th century CE been under the minority branch of Islám — Shí'ah ("Twelver-Shí'ia").[9] In turn, Shí'i Islám consists of a variety of bifurcations that have sprung from this branch.[10] Mary Boyce makes in this context an interesting observation regarding the apocalyptic relationship between Zoroastrianism and Shí'i Islám:
The Shí'i also found a figure to replace, in their hopes and longings, that of the Saoshyant. Bitterly disillusioned by the failure of the 'Abbasids to restore the caliphate to the descendants of 'Ali, they continued to regard the latter as the true imams or leaders, attributing them by virtue of their lineage and especial divine grace . . . Of the nine imams descended from Husayn . . . eight died violent deaths; but the last was held to have disappeared miraculously, in 878 [sic]. He is the 'hidden', or 'expected' imam, who will, like the Saoshyant, appear at the end of time, restore faith, and fill the earth with justice.[11]
During the middle of the 19th century prophetic expectations gradually peaked in the awaiting of the appearance of the "hidden imam," "al-Qá'im" or "al-Mahdi."12 This was especially the case among adherents of the Shaykhi-movement and which subsequently created a fertile ground for the claim of the Báb[13] in 1844 and the emergence of the Bábí-religion.[14] Almost as soon as the múllas (Islámic clergy) were informed of the claims of the Báb, they arose in violent opposition throughout Persia to what they saw as heretical teachings. Consequently, growing attacks from mobs were instigated by the múllas and persecutions of the Bábís were common place.[15] The dispensation of the Báb was very short-lived and lasted only six years. In 1850, in an episode reminiscent of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Báb was martyred together with a disciple by two firing squads each numbering 750 soldiers.[16]
According to the Bahá'ís,[17] the Báb's claim as the "hidden imám" is also seen the historical starting point of their religion, but although the two religions are seen as distinct, they are nonetheless seen as intimately connected. For example, in his major doctrinal work, the Bayán,[18] the Báb had made many allusions and prophecies about "Him Whom God will make manifest."[19] Bahá'u'lláh[20] was an early and distinguished disciple of the Báb. After the Báb's martyrdom Bahá'u'lláh undertook a journey to the holy places of Iráq, and when arriving to Tihrán (1852), he became aware that a group of fanatical Bábís had, in the wrath of revenge of the Báb's martyrdom, tried to assassinate the ruling emperor, Násiri'd-Dín Sháh. However, the attempt failed and the assassins were instantly killed. The assassination resulted in that many Bábís were either directly martyred, or first put in jail, only to be executed later. A few months later Bahá'u'lláh was also arrested and imprisoned in the notorious Síyáh-Chál ("Black Pit") in Tihrán. It was here were he had his first intimations of revelation (1852).[21] Since Bahá'u'lláh descended from a noble lineage he was spared execution but was, together with his family and followers, alternately banished and imprisoned throughout the Ottoman Empire (Iráq, Turkey, and Palestine/Israel). In Baghdád (1863), eleven years after his revelatory experience in the Síyáh Chál, Bahá'u'lláh proclaimed to be the one promised by the Báb. He is therefore seen as the founder of the Bahá'í-religion and hence its name.[22] Concerning the above stated passage by Boyce, it is also significant that Bahá'u'lláh eventually also claimed to be the promised one in both Zoroastrianism (the return of Sháh Bahrám Varjávand) and Shí'í Islám (the return of Imám Husayn).[23]
Before he passed away in Palestine/Israel (1892), Bahá'u'lláh appointed, in his will and testament, his eldest son, 'Abdu'l-Bahá[24] to be the interpreter and head of the young Bahá'í-community. It was 'Abdu'l-Bahá who brought the Bahá'í-religion to the Middle East and the West through his journeys to Egypt, Europe, and America (1911-1913). He, in his turn, appointed Shoghi Effendi,[25] the great grandson of Bahá'u'lláh, as the "Guardian" of the Bahá'í-community. Shoghi Effendi was educated in English literature at the American University in Beirut and Balliol College, Oxford.[26] In addition, he also translated and interpreted major works of both Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá, wrote a historical overview of the religion's first hundred years (1844-1944),[27] and administered the growing world-religion until he passed away in London (1957).[28] Bahá'u'lláh, 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and Shoghi Effendi are the three principal authors of the Bahá'í-religion, and their collected works are therefore essential to an analysis of Bahá'í-apocalypticism and the concept of progressive revelation.
2. The philosophical context
Above one can see that the Bahá'í-authors' lives span over almost two centuries (1817-1957) and, in addition, their combined travels stretched over geographical areas like Persia, the Near and Middle East, Africa, Europe, and North America. It is therefore important to briefly mention some early and contemporary notions of the concept of progressive revelation that may have influenced their writings. For example, in the middle part of the 18th century both Gotthold E. Lessing (1729-1781) and Edward Gibbon (1737-1794) wrote on the theme of progress or decline. The former wrote a pamphlet entitled Education of the Human Race (1780), and the latter wrote the monumental The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1776-88). Although both authors may be of interest, it is the former who apparently wrote about a few themes that will subsequently be examined in this thesis. In his classical work The Idea of Progress (1920), J. B. Bury writes about Lessing as follows:
The thesis is that the drama of history is to be explained as the education of man by a progressive series of religions, a series not yet complete, for the future will produce another revelation to lift him to a higher plane than that to which Christ has drawn him up. This interpretation of history proclaimed Progress, but assumed an ideal and applied a measure very different from those of the French philosophers. The goal is not social happiness, but a full comprehension of God.[29]
Later on in this thesis it will be discovered that themes like "education," "a progressive series of religions," "a series not yet complete," and "a higher plane," are central key terms and concepts to Bahá'í-apocalypticism and the concept of progressive revelation.
Concurrently with the above stated messianic fervor of the middle of the 19th century, Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species (1859) established the evolutionary paradigm that, throughout the consecutive decades, revolutionized almost every field of endeavor in the Western world. Moreover, it was also the century which many new sciences saw the light of day, e.g., Sociology, Psychology, and the Science of Religion, or Religionswissenschaft.[30] In this context it is also interesting that Eric J. Sharpe writes that:
The decade from 1859 to 1969 witnessed the rapid development of an entirely new situation in the world religious study, a situation over which may be set as a rubric one word, 'evolution'. [. . . ] Might divine revelation itself be progressive, and might it be capable of interpretation on evolutionary principles? These were important questions, and they fascinated the late nineteenth century. [. . . ] an attempt was beginning to be made to view religion on the criteria provided by science, to judge the history and growth and evolution as one would judge the history, growth and evolution of any organism . . .[31]
The question "Might divine revelation itself be progressive" can be seen as the basic question of not only this thesis, but can also be seen as a challenge to any religion that defends not only exclusivity but, above all, the idea of finality of revelation. Moreover, the themes of "history," "growth," and "evolution of any organism" are all highly applicable key terms for the present study, since they are replete with organic metaphors. Thus, it can be seen that the idea of progress is not a new concept in the history but, when it was coupled with the evolutionary paradigm, it witnessed a new renaissance and strongly influenced the newly born field of Science of Religion. Consequently, titles like Edward Caird's (1902) The Evolution of Religion were in the ascendance since the 1860's and flourished even into the next century. An excerpt from his book will conclude this introduction, not only since it is contemporary with the Bahá'í-religion, but because it contains some very salient key terms and concepts that shall be develop in this thesis:
[ . . .] the unity of mankind must for our purpose be interpreted as involving not only the identity of human nature in all its various manifestations in all nations and countries, but also as implying that in their co-existence these manifestations can be connected together as different correlated phases of one life, and that in their succession they can be shown to be the necessary stages of one process of evolution. The conception of development is thus a corollary which cannot be disjoined from the principle of the unity of man itself. [ . . . ] the life of the individual is a sort of epitome of the history of humanity . . . all the stages of animal life are reproduced in the development of the human embryo. . . The history of the individual mind cannot be used by itself, at least in the first instance, as a key to the history of the race, but rather his life becomes intelligible by means of the large letters in which its stages are written in the life of mankind as a whole.[32]
The key terms and concepts of interest here are "the unity of mankind," the themes of "succession" and "stages of one process of evolution," and finally, the general scheme of a macro/microcosmos relationship, here depicted in that the history of mankind and the development of human beings are seen as organic parallels. These themes shall be discussed during and at the end of this thesis.
This chapter addresses in brief the third area discussed above — the scholarly context. Yet, a literature review of apocalyptic studies in other fields will not be included here, but it may suffice to say that the field of apocalypticism has recently been revisited. The International Colloquium on Apocalypticism,[33] held in Uppsala 1979, testifies to this, as do the reprinting of old titles and the publishing of new themes of revelation.[34] It is perhaps no surprise that scholars of the Bahá'í-religion was absent at the International Colloquium on Apocalypticism. There are least three reasons for this. First, the Bahá'í-religion, despite its geographical spread,[35] is still relatively unknown, both among the general population and in the academic world. Secondly, although there have been quite a few scholarly studies in various areas of the Bahá'í-religion, there have been very few scholarly studies pertaining to the study of Bahá'í-apocalypticism. Third, since the Bahá'í-religion is fairly unrecognized in the academic sphere, most scholarly research is being conducted and published by the Bahá'ís themselves, even though there are, and has been, a few notable exceptions.[36]
The following studies, however, have all been conducted by Bahá'ís, and in general, they represent some disparate dimensions of Bahá'í-apocalypticism. One such study is the monumental study of Adib Taherzadeh's (1974-87) The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh (vol.'s 1-4) which primarily focuses on the textual level, or the content of revelation and its historical development, i.e., what did Bahá'u'lláh write where and when? This type of research could be classified as an historical content-analysis, although it is more descriptive than analytical. Taherzadeh also includes some interesting passages of an eye-witness who has recorded the process of the actual writing down of revelation, and references to how the writings of Bahá'u'lláh have been classified into specific genres.[37] Taherzadeh has furthermore translated some original writings from Persian and Arabic to English.
The only academic pursuits to the study of Bahá'í-apocalypticism are Hugh Adamson's (1974) The Concept of Revelation in Islam and Bahá'í, and Nicola Towfigh's (1989) Schöpfung und Offenbarung aus der Sicht der Bahá'í-Religion. The former is a M. A. thesis which is a general survey of the Muslim- and Bahá'í-concepts of revelation. However, the concept of progressive revelation is only dealt with in a cursory fashion. This approach to the study of Bahá'í-apocalypticism could be described as comparative. The latter study is a Ph.D. dissertation and is to date the most scholarly and comprehensive research in the field of Bahá'í-apocalypticism. It not only gives a preliminary introduction to the relationship between God, creation (schöpfung) and revelation (offenbarung), but it further discusses these Bahá'í-concepts from the background of Islámic theology and philosophy. Moreover, Towfigh's dissertation also contains some relevant original (Arabic/Persian) texts by the Báb, Bahá'u'lláh, and 'Abdu'l-Bahá, which have been translated into German by the author. This type of study could be classified as mainly a philological and conceptual approach to Bahá'í-apocalypticism. However, the concept of progressive revelation has in this study been treated tentatively and is therefore far from exhausted.
Finally, one important study, and which is significant for this thesis, is S. Fazel and K. Fananapazir's (1993) A Bahá'í Approach to the Claim of Finality in Islam. This paper centers on the issues of finality and the "Seal of Prophets" that will be discussed at the end of this thesis. However, Fazel and Fananapazir's paper may be classified primarily as an apologetic approach to Bahá'í-apocalypticism.
Consequently, the above approaches to Bahá'í-apocalypticism classify as either textual, historical, comparative, philological, conceptual, or apologetic, and none of them have systematically studied the various structural levels of Bahá'í-apocalypticism or focused specifically on the concept of progressive revelation. Thus, the present study is the first attempt to address and fulfill this need.
In this section some methodological issues that are relevant for this thesis will be surveyed.
1. Research-questions and hypotheses
Research-questions:
Hypotheses:
2. Methodological problems
A. The Material
The study of the Bahá'í-religion can in some respect be advantageous in comparison to the study of the more ancient religions in that: 1) the original and primary sources (Arabic/Persian/English), to a large extent, have been preserved and are utilized for direct translations, and 2) the Bahá'í-material, despite the religions young age, is quite vast.[38] At the same time, however, there is a frustration and disadvantage in that the great majority of this material is not yet translated, but efforts are being made to address and solve this problem.[39]
As was stated in the introduction, Shoghi Effendi was appointed as the interpreter and translator of the writings of the Báb, Bahá'u'lláh, and 'Abdu'l-Bahá. The Báb and Bahá'u'lláh wrote in both Arabic and Persian, whereas Abdu'l-Bahá mainly wrote in Persian. Moreover, the latter gave lectures in Persian that were either recorded by stenographic- or ordinary notes, and which subsequently were translated into English. Due to his American/English education, Shoghi Effendi naturally translated the original Arabic and Persian sources into English. Furthermore, due to his long-term correspondence (c. 1922-1957) with the world-wide Bahá'í community in English, Shoghi Effendi more or less established this as a universal language among the Bahá'ís.[40] Yet, Bahá'ís in various countries are not only encouraged, but sees it as imperative to translate the principal Bahá'í-writings into the vernacular. However, it should be emphasized that these translations are not based upon the original Arabic/Persian sources, but are in nearly all cases[41] based upon either: 1) English primary sources (Shoghi Effendi's writings), or 2) English secondary sources (usually translated by Shoghi Effendi). In addition, more than 60% of all published Bahá'í-literature that has been published in the world is in English. It is due to these reasons that the material for this thesis is primary and secondary English sources.[42]
B. The Method
This study is primarily an exegetical approach to Bahá'í-apocalypticism. However, to systematically and structurally analyze various dimensions of Bahá'í-apocalypticism the method which has been preferred for this study is mainly a "structural-criticism," which is a subordinate field of exegesis.[43] Consequently, extensive passages by the Bahá'í-authors have frequently been incorporated into the main-body of this thesis. These passages have, in turn, been utilized as the basis for the analysis of significant subjects: key terms, metaphors, concepts, structures, axes, and dimensions of Bahá'í-apocalypticism. It is "systematic" in that specific areas, e.g., theology, cosmology, and prophetology, are sequentially investigated. It is also systematic in that the Bahá'í-authors' texts in each area is generally dealt with in a "diachronic" fashion, i.e., first the writings of Bahá'u'lláh, then 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and finally Shoghi Effendi. It is also systematic since it has studied these areas in a "synchronic" manner, i.e., some subjects have been compared both "intra-textually" (within a text, or different texts, by the same author) and "inter-textually" (between various texts by the three Bahá'í-authors).
A "key term" is defined as a term which occurs repeatedly and/or is found as central to a Bahá'í-text. A "metaphor" is a figure of speech which is based on a pattern of resemblance. The metaphors which are recurrent, and that have been investigated in various contexts, are commonly of an astronomic/astrological, or organic, nature where the latter often exhibits characteristics of growth and progress. Certain regularly employed metaphors have in this thesis been labeled "models," (e.g., the solar-model and the seasonal-model). A "concept" can be defined as consisting of different "key terms". For example, the concept "progressive revelation" consists of two key terms — progress and revelation. However, this concept is, in turn, also associated with other key terms (e.g., evolution, capacity), or concepts (e.g., the Manifestation of God). A "structure" is seen as the relationship(s) between various concepts. Some repeated structures have been designated "schemes" (e.g., the macro/micro scheme and the cyclical scheme). An "axis" can also be regarded as a structure but which is associated with a specific directionality of revelation ("vertical/horizontal"). In turn, a "dimension" can be said to consist of all the previous mentions subjects, but it generally points to both the directionality and relationship between of the different structures. In this thesis the most prevailing dimensions have been defined in the following bi-polarities ("binary oppositions"): two "vertical/horizontal" axes, and two "esoteric/exoteric dimensions."[44] Together, the different key terms, metaphors (models), concepts, structures (schemes), axes, and dimensions, make up the overall system of Bahá'í-apocalypticism.
Finally, this method is, on the hand "analytical" in that it discerns certain explicit units ("surface structures") of the Bahá'í-texts, but it is, on the other hand also "synthetic" in that it examines various implicit relationships ("deep structures") between the above mention subjects.[45]
1 It is beyond the scope of this thesis to
fully introduce the historical origins and the development of these areas. For
an introduction to the Bahá'í religion see, Hatcher, W. S. and
Martin, J. D. (1989). For a more in-depth study see, e.g., Balyuzi, H. M.
(1991). For an introduction to the field of revelation see, e.g., Ward. K.
(1994). For an in-depth study of apocalypticism see, e.g., Hellholm, D. (1983).
For an introduction to the ideas of progress see, e.g., Bury, J. B. (1920);
Nisbet, R. (1994); Melzer, A. M., Wein
2rger, J. & Zinman, M. R. (1995).
See Hopper, D. H. (1991); Kumar, K. (1978)
3 See Hellholm, D. (1983)
4 See Bury, J. (1920)
5 E.g., Augustine (354-430 AD). The City of God; Baillie, J. (1950). The Belief
in Progres
6 E.g., Plotinus (205-270 AD). The Enneads; Hegel, G. W. F. (1807).
Phenomenologie des Geistes [The Phenomenology of Mind]; Caird, E. (1902). The
Evolution of Religio
7 Boyce, M. (1987). p. xiii. Most scholars date the life of Zarathustra c.
700-600 BCE, whereas Boyce is dating him between c. 1700-1500 BCE; see p. 18
8 Boyce, M. (1987). p. 4
9 Ithná-'Asharí in Arabic
10 See e.g., Momen, M. (1985)
11 Boyce, p. 152. The figure 878 CE appears to be a typographic error since most
authors agree on Imám Hasan al-'Askarí's disappearance 260 AH =
873-74 CE See e.g., Amanat, A. Resurrection and Renewal, p. 10; Momen, M.
(1985). p. 30
12 al-Qá'im ("the one who will arise" in Arabic), is one of the many
titles of Muhammad al-Mahdí, the Twelfth Imam (al-Mahdí means
"the guided one" in Arabic)
13 The "Gate," (in Arabic) also known as Siyyid 'Alí-Muhammad
Shirází (1819-1850
14 The historical development of the Shaykhi-movement or the
Bábí-religion are beyond the scope of this thesis. For a greater
analysis of these areas see e.g., Amanat, A. (1989); Arjomand, S. A. (1984);
Báb (1987); Bayat, M. (1982); Browne, E. G. (1891), (1892), (1918),
(1924); Lawson, B. T. (1987); MacEoin, D. M. (1979); Rafati, V. (1979); and
Sachedina, A. (1981
15 See e.g., Momen, M. (1981); Vámbéry, H. (1869); Hedin, S.
(1887)
16 See e.g., Gibb, H. A. R. (1960); Hedin, S. (1887)
17 See e.g., GPB; Esslemont, J. E. (1980); Hatcher, W. S. and Martin, J. D.
(1989
18 "Explanation" in Arabic; see Nicolas, A. L. M. (1905) and (1911-1914); and
Báb. (1987
19 Man-yuzhiruhu'lláh in Persian. The full title of the Qá'im is
Qá'im-i-Ál-i-Muhammad which is translated as "He who shall arise
of the family of Muhammad." The relationship between the Qá'im and "Him
whom God shall make manifest" is rather intricate and complex. "The Báb
declared Himself to be the Qá'im and also the Gate (Báb) to a
greater divine messenger, 'Him Whom God Shall Make Manifest'." Momen, W.
(1991). p. 19
20 The "Glory of God" (in Arabic) also known as Mirza
Husayn-'Alí-i-Núrí (1817-1892
21 See GPB, p. 101-102; WOB, p. 31
22 The word "Bahá'í" ("a follower of Bahá") is derived from
Arabic and is the name of both the religion and an adherent of this religion
23 Buck, C. (1986)
24 "Servant of Bahá" (in Arabic) also known as 'Abbás Effendi
(1844-1921
25 Also known as Shoghi Rabbáni (1897-1957
26 It should be noted that Shoghi Effendi's style of writing was highly
influenced especially by: E. Gibbon's (1737-1794) The History of the Decline
and Fall of the Roman Empire (1776-78), and King's James' Bible
27 Effendi, S. (1944)
28 See Rabbani, R. (1969)
29 Bury, p. 240, italics added. See also Schelling, Friedrich von (1775-1854),
who, according to Bury, also "saw in history a progressive revelation of divine
reason." Bury, p. 256, italics added
30 See e.g., Sharpe, E. J. (1986). pp. 1-46
31 Sharpe, E. J. (1986). pp. 27-32, italics added
32 Caird, E. (1907). pp. 25-2
33 See Hellholm, D. (1983)
34 E.g., Dulles, A. (1994); Ward, K. (1994
35 The Bahá'í religion is the second most widespread religion in
the world with c. 7 million adherents. It is also the largest minority religion
in Iran. See Hatcher, W. S. and Martin, J. D. (1989); Fazel, S. (1994);
Schaefer, U. (1988
36 See e.g., Balyuzi, H. M. (1970); Momen, M. (Ed.) (1987); MacEoin, D. M.
(1979)
37 Taherzadeh, A. (1987). vol. I, pp. 35-36; pp. 42-4
38 In the Swedish Bahá'í News Magazine (Bahá'í
Nytt;
Nov. 1993), it is estimated that of Bahá'u'lláh's c.
15000 written documents (ranging from books, tablets, and especially letters),
7160 have been allocated and preserved in the Archives at the
Bahá'í World Center, Haifa, Israel. In comparison, the works of
'Abdu'l-Bahá, the figure is 15549 out of c. 30800, and Shoghi Effendi,
the amount is 16370 out of c. 30100. The total amount of available written
material, thus amounts to 39079. The rest of the written documents, estimated
to be c. 37000, has either been destroyed, lost, or is hidden among either
Bahá'í or non-Bahá'í
39 This is especially the case with studies in the Bábí-religion
where only portions of his writings have been translated into English. See:
Báb (1978); Browne, E.G., (1918). However, some of the most important
works of the Báb, the Arabic Bayán and the Persian Bayán,
have both been translated into French, e.g., Nicolas, A. L. M. (1905) and
(1911-1914). In this moment of writing a group of Bahá'í
scholars, competent in Arabic and/or Persian, are both trying to systematize
the works of Bahá'u'lláh and to translate hitherto unknown works
in the Bahá'í communit
40 It is to be noted that Shoghi Effendi only wrote one book, God Passes By,
which was published in 1944. The rest of the titles which are associated with
his name are compilations of letters in his correspondence with the world-wide
Bahá'í community.
41 The exceptions are Farsi, Urdu, and Turkish. In these cases the original
Arabic/Persian sources are used as the basis for translation. See: LG, p. 107;
Volker, C. A. (1989-90)
42 For a more detailed explanation why English is used as the primary language
for translations see: Collins, W. (1990). LG, p. 107; Volker, C. A.
(1989-90).
43 For an explanation of "structural criticism" see Hayes, J. H. & Holladay,
C. R. (1987). pp. 110-11
44 See Appendices I and II. See e.g., Schuon, F. (1984
45 For an explanation of "surface structures" and "deep structures" see Hayes, J.
H. & Holladay, C. R. (1987). pp. 110-11
|