Hi, Gilberto, At 09:17 AM 12/27/2004, you quoted: >>7 No one hath been or will ever be invested with prophethood other than Thee, >>nor hath any sacred Book been or will be revealed unto any one except Thee. >>Such is the decree ordained by Him Who is the All-Encompassing, the Best >>Beloved.<<
Off the top of my head, I think that may be a reference to the Bab as the Primal Point. Given the revolutionary characteristics of the Bab's teachings, I think it would difficult to read perennialism into them. For instance, the Bab did authorize the burning of all non-Babi books, which was subsequently revoked by Baha'u'llah. "...The severe laws and injunctions revealed by the Bab can be properly appreciated and understood only when interpreted in the light of His own statements regarding the nature, purpose and character of His own Dispensation. As these statements clearly reveal, the Babi Dispensation was essentially in the nature of a religious and indeed social revolution and its duration had therefore to be short, but full of tragic events, of sweeping and drastic reforms. These drastic measures enforced by the Bab and His followers were taken with the view of undermining the very foundations of Shi'ah orthodoxy, and thus paving the way for the coming of Baha'u'llah. To assert the independence of the new Dispensation, and to prepare also the ground for the approaching Revelation of Baha'u'llah, the Bab had therefore to reveal very severe laws, even though most of them were never enforced. But the mere fact that He revealed them was in itself a proof of the independent character of His Dispensation and was sufficient to create such widespread agitation, and excite such opposition on the part of the clergy that led them to cause His eventual martyrdom." -- From a letter, dated Feb. 17, 1939, written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi (Lights of Guidance, p.471) >>So the seeming-exclusive description of the Bab's status in 7 and then the >>claim that the Bayan "enshrineth the sum total of all the Scriptures, whether >>of the past or of the future" tends to suggest something different from >>progressive revelation.<< It is different. It is an assertion of absolute authority. Had the Bab been a perennialist, He certainly would not have wanted all non-Babi books to be burned. >>I mean, I think the Bab does seem to be saying that the revelation will be >>renewed from time to time I'm not sure if it says that the the next >>revelations will be better/deeper/more spiritual./ etc. Maybe they are just >>reiterations of the perennial wisdom.<< How do you read the passage where the Bab says that each divine Revelation is perfected through the appearance of the next? >>I mean, how else could the Bayan endhrine all the future revelations without >>something like the perennial wisdom?<< In a sense, all the Prophets enshrine past and future Revelations. They all manifest the Will of God. However, the Bab, as the Primal Point, had a special relation to the Revelations before and after Him. With regards, Mark A. Foster * 15 Sites: http://markfoster.net "Sacred cows make the tastiest hamburger" -- Abbie Hoffman __________________________________________________ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:archive@mail-archive.com To unsubscribe, send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, use subscribe bahai-st in the message body to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:bahai-st@list.jccc.edu Web - http://list.jccc.edu/read/?forum=bahai-st News - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st Public - http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.net New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.edu
