Baha'i Studies Review - Volume 16, Issue 1, 2010

This article is a historical and textual study of the one of the major writings of Bahaullah: the Law-i Bishrt (Tablet of Glad-Tidings), revealed circa 1891, and advances new theories as to its provenance and purpose. The Tablet of Glad-Tidings is a selective compendium of Bahaullah's laws and principles, sequentially presented in a series of 15 Glad-Tidings. As the Arabic term, Bisharat, suggests, these Glad-Tidings were a public announcement of some of the essential teachings of the new Baha'i religion. The Glad-Tidings is the most extensive of several tablets by Bahaullah that present key teachings in a numbered structure. The Glad-Tidings may, in part, be regarded as serially articulated world reforms intermixed with religious reforms emanating from Bahaullah in his professed role as World Reformer. The Glad-Tidings also functioned analogously (albeit anachronistically) to a press release, serving not only as a public proclamation but to rectify the inaccuracies and gross misrepresentations that had previously circulated in print. Intended for widespread translation and publication, the Glad-Tidings was sent to scholars notably Russian orientalist, Baron Viktor Rosen (18491908) and Cambridge orientalist, Edward Granville Browne (18621926) and possibly pre-revolutionary Russian statesmen as well. As a Proclamatory Aqdas, the Tablet of Glad-Tidings was part of a much broader proclamation by Bahaullah, who proclaimed his mission to the political and religious leaders of the world. This study will argue that Bahaullah may have revealed the Tablet of Glad-Tidings for E. G. Browne or rather through him, since Bahaullah evidently intended that Browne should translate and publish the Bisharat in order to make the nature of the Baha'i teachings more widely known. This would then correct the distortions that had previously been published regarding Bahaullah's purpose and the nature of the religion that he founded, thereby promoting a public awareness that a new world religion was on the horizon of modernity.

The contemporary press has, in many countries, evolved into a discursive battlefield characterized by a war of words and images. Against this backdrop, some normative theorists of the press assert the need for alternative models of journalistic practice in which the press serves as a forum for more thoughtful and constructive processes of democratic deliberation. As a contribution to the field of normative press theory, this paper articulates a model of the press that derives from the teachings of the Baha'i Faith. At the core of this model are the principles and objectives of consultation, which is a collective decision-making process that Baha'is employ. This paper explores elements of this normative model of the press, which are scattered throughout a wide range of primary Baha'i texts, in order to bring the model into clearer focus. The purpose of the paper is to highlight the heuristic value of the model for press theorists and practitioners, inside and outside the Baha'i community.

This paper analyses some of the terminology that Bahaullah uses in one of his earliest tablets, the Tablet of All Food (Law-i Kull ut- am), which is addressed to a Babi, j Mrz Kamlud-Dn Narq, who visited Bahaullah in Baghdad. In particular the hierarchy of the spiritual worlds is examined under the headings of the four terms that Bahaullah uses to describe this hierarchy: Hht, Lht, Jabart and Malakt.

This paper comprises of a systematic study of the work of Baha'i farmers, food growers and sharecroppers who, for over half a century (190660), toiled on the lands in Adasiyyah, a village in the north-west of Jordan. The history of this community has been reconstructed from written and oral sources. The author presents the early history of this community from the time that Abdul-Baha purchased the land for it. The earliest settlers were Baha'is of Zoroastrian background who moved there from Yazd in Iran. The author describes the gradual growth of this community, some of the problems that they encountered and the guidance that Abdul-Baha gave them. In particular, the author concentrates on the agricultural development of the community's lands and the innovations that they introduced, some of which were subsequently taken up by other farmers in the area. Some conclusions are drawn about the features of Baha'i development in rural areas as advocated by Abdul-Baha: the importance of agriculture to rural development; fairness and moderation in the landlordtenant relationship; the importance of prayer and consultation in community decision-making and resolution of conflict; and the importance of developing self-sufficiency and self-reliance in rural populations.

From the onset of his ministry, Abdul-Baha faced significant family opposition to his authority and position. These family members, led by Mirza Muhammad-Ali, a younger half-brother of Abdul-Baha to whom Bahaullah had given a rank subordinate to Abdul-Baha, colluded in spreading false allegations against Abdul-Baha who was seeking to spread the Baha'i Faith to Europe and North America. For several years, Abdul-Baha worked hard to contain these defections and to prevent news of them from reaching other Baha'i communities.

By 18967, the Baha'is of Egypt had heard enough of the details that when Mirza abbullh Afnn was going on a visit to Akka, they asked him to learn as much of the details as he could. To his great shock, while in Akka, the Afnan learned that indeed Abdul-Baha's brothers and the majority of his family had arisen against him in rebellion. As instructed by Abdul-Baha, the young pilgrim on his return to Egypt informed the Baha'i community of the occurrences in Akka and the opposition to Abdul-Baha. The celebrated Mirza Ab'l-Fadl found this hard to accept. Therefore, he wrote to Abdul-Baha inquiring about the veracity of this news, and received in response a lengthy tablet dated 26 March 1897, which we propose to be called the First Thousand-Verse Tablet. This paper will provide historical background and a provisional translation of this momentous tablet.

This note provides a summary of information presently available on the extent and distribution of the Baha'i communities around the world during the 1940s.

Why is scripture a catalyst for cultural expression and how can the writings of Bahaullah infuse a fresh dynamic into this process This paper examines the relationship between visual art and scripture through examples taken from the visual art practice of the author. Specific pieces of artwork are described and illustrated along with the verses from Bahaullah's The Hidden Words that inspired them. These pieces aim to translate the verses into visual metaphors and through this interpretation discover more about the direct correlation that exists between visual art and sacred text. This unfolding process provides a framework for exploring wider implications that are relevant to contemporary life and philosophy. Comparisons are made with other creative practitioners who have drawn their inspiration from spiritual teachings and particular interest is placed on the cultural expressions of the Islamic tradition. The metaphorical meanings of key motifs such as veils, layers, light, gems and silence are described, along with examples of how they have been used by artists throughout history. These examples attempt to open the reader's eyes to an awareness of the signs and symbols of the divine that penetrate all aspects of creation. The cyclical energies of the creative process are compared to the cyclical nature of divine revelation and the spiritual progress of individual souls. The power of minimal art is seen as a reflection of the ineffable and the challenge of postmodernism is highlighted as an attempt to unify this emptiness once more with the diversity of contemporary life. These observations illustrate how academic study and contextualization of an artist's practice can provide a framework that, far from restricting creativity, offers a deep grounding and springboard into the freedom of spontaneous improvisation.

Thirih in History: Perspectives on Qurratu'l-Ayn from East and West, Sabir Afaqi (ed.), Studies in the Bb and Bah' Religions, Volume 16 (2004) Los Angeles: Kalimat Press xiv 292 pp. (including 11 pp. of poetry in Persian) ISBN 1890688355, 29.95

The Genesis of the Bb-Bah' Faiths in Shiraz and Fars, Mirza Habbullh Afnn (translated and annotated by Ahang Rabbani) (2008) Numen Book Series, vol. 122, Leiden: Brill, xxi 404 pp., ISBN 9789004170544 (hbk), 129.00/US 199.00

Take My Love to the Friends: The Story of Laura R. Davis, Marlene Macke (2009) St Marys, ON, Canada: Chestnut Park Press. xviii 287 pp. (index, bibliography, 37 b&w photographs), ISBN 9780981025605 (pbk), US/Canadian 29.95

Church and State: A Postmodern Political Theology, Sen McGlinn (n.d.) Leiden: University of Leiden (Distributed by Kalimt Press, Los Angeles as volume 19 of Studies in the Babi and Baha'i Religions), 441 pp. ISBN 9080746029

The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins (2006) London: Black Swan, 463pp., ISBN 9780552773317 (pbk), 8.99