|
An important early work by Bahá'u'lláh
that explores the human quest for spiritual enlightenment
has been recently translated into English.
An important early work by Bahá'u'lláh that explores the
human quest for spiritual enlightenment has been recently
translated into English.
"Gems of Divine Mysteries" is the latest publication of
the Bahá'í World Centre. The 82-page volume was written in
Arabic during Bahá'u'lláh's banishment to Iraq, where He was
exiled from 1853 until 1863, and originally titled Javahiru'l-Asrar.
It takes the form of a letter in reply to an individual
who asked about the relationship of prophecy to religion.
Bahá'u'lláh used that question as an opportunity to elaborate
a number of related subjects.
Specifically, it addresses the causes of the rejection of
the Prophets of the past – particularly, the dangers of taking
scriptural writings literally, rather than seeking to understand
the underlying meaning of the signs and prophecies of, for
example, the Bible or the Qu’ran promising a new Messenger
of God.
Bahá'u'lláh explains many of the symbolic terms used in
past revelations, such as the term “resurrection”.
Thus, “he who had believed in God… was raised from the grave
of heedlessness,… quickened to the life of faith and certitude,
and admitted to the paradise of the divine presence. What
paradise can be loftier than this, and what resurrection greater?”
“Gems” is the result of the work of a team of translators
at the Research Department of the Bahá'í World Centre in Israel,
working from original documents.
The book is the second publication of Bahá'u'lláh’s writings
in English this year, following “The Summons of the Lord of
Hosts” in May 2002. They are the first new full translations
of sacred Bahá'í writings since 1992.
Although the documents identified as Bahá'u'lláh's primary
works have been the focus of translation work so far, they
represent only a small portion of His writings during His
40-year ministry. CP
BAHÁ’Í HOLY DAY REPORTED
in CIVIL SERVICE MAGAZINE
AN ARTICLE marking A BAHÁ’Í HOLY DAY WAS
FEATURED IN THE STAFF MAGAZINE OF THE LORD CHANCELLOR’S DEPARTMENT,
‘HEARSAY’.
It was the fifth article in the magazine’s series about
the various religions that are practiced within the Lord Chancellor’s
Department. The article was written by a Bahá’í employee of
the department, Dion Azordegan who is also Secretary of the
European Bahá’í Youth Council.
The starting point for the three-quarter page article was
the Bahá’í Holy Day—the Birthday of the Báb on October 20th.
Dion presented an overview of the history of the faith and
a description of the activities of the Bahá’ís focussing on
their work in breaking down barriers in society. RW
WORLD WIDE WEBWATCH
The culmination of a long and fruitful
working relationship with the BBC has taken its place on the
Internet.
The Bahá'í Faith can now be found on the BBC’s website,
at: http:// www.bbc.co.uk/religion /religions/index.shtml
It is a substantial and informative set of pages about the
Faith, covering particularly its ethical aspects.
The opening words of the page note that: “To be a Bahá'í
simply means to love all the world; to love humanity and try
to serve it; to work for universal peace and universal .”
CP
|
