Biblical References in Tablets of the Divine Plan

Abstract: Throughout His Tablets of the Divine Plan, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá makes liberal reference to biblical stories, verses, and images. A problem that may arise for many contemporary readers is that of biblical illiteracy; research shows that knowledge of the Bible is at an all-time low at this time. Lack of familiarity with the contexts of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s biblical references could not only undermine one’s full understanding of His instruction, but may also render one incapable of following ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s example of integrating biblical references into one’s teaching. The purpose of this paper is to explore the contexts of four biblical references found in the Tablets of the Divine Plan in order to demonstrate the value that biblical literacy brings to the study and implementation of these Tablets.