Selecting the first book in a Baha'i "Bible"

classic Classic list List threaded Threaded
1 message Options
Reply | Threaded
Open this post in threaded view
|

Selecting the first book in a Baha'i "Bible"

OmegaKV
Here are my summaries of the Baha'i works I know of which I would definitely consider candidates of works to go inside a Baha'i "Bible":

* Kitab i Badi (1867) - This book stands out as being the Baha'i prophet's most critical book. At about 200 pages is also his longest book. The tone of the book is angry and hostile, calling followers of the religious leadership of the previous prophet idolators for blindly following their religious leadership. Reading this book would cause any reasonable Baha'i to question their current leadership, because of how eerily similar the situation was back then to the situation today. No translation of this existed until I made the first English translation using GPT4.

* Seven Valleys (1859) - This is a mystical work hypnotizing the reader to clear their mind of everything that isn't God and to accept only God, among other things. This is usually people's favorite book. It is very short. Authorized translations of this have existed for a long time.

* Hidden Words (1859) - Collection of short verses, similar to Proverbs, but less straightforward and uses mystical language for everything. It's hypnotic effect is even greater than the Seven Valleys, and many converts to the religion converted after reading this book. Authorized translations of this have existed for a long time.

* Kitab i Aqdas (1873) - This is the most holy book. It contains the laws (things such as penalties against fornication, inheritance, fasting, etc). Authorized translations of this have existed for about 30 years.

* Kitab i Iqan (1861) - Explains Quranic prophecies about the return of Christ and Bible passages such as Matthew 24, and argues that they are symbolic and not literal. Also contains some attacks on religious leadership, although the tone is not nearly as angry as the Kitab i Badi. Authorized translations of this have existed for a long time.

* Acre Tablets (1873 - 1892) - A collection of short tablets with general goals of the religion, often in bullet-point form. Most of these do not produce any kind of strong emotional response in the reader, but they are short, digestible, and for the most part straightforward. Authorized translations of this have existed for a long time.

* Edirne Tablets (1860s) - These tablets have a "dark" tone, similar to the Kitab i Badi, but they are shorter tablets instead of such a long book. They captivate the reader, with shocking imagery, such a long metaphor he creates about his head being cut off in battle, and telling his followers to place his blood-stained shirt to their face and inhale the blood. The only problem with these tablets is that it might be difficult for the reader to infer the context from these tablets. Like, some of these tablets criticize the dominant sect of the time as being "idolators", but do not explain what exactly makes them idolators as the Kitab i Badi does. Authorized translations of this do not exist, but provisional translations have been made by a Baha'i scholar named Juan Cole who ended up being driven out of the religion after being threatened with excommunication by the Baha'i leadership.

Now I need to figure out which book should go first. I think something like Seven Valleys or Hidden Words would do the most to get people interested in the Baha'i Writings. But on the other hand, the Kitab i Badi is more likely to reform the views of existing Baha'is about their religion. But then again, Seven Valleys and Hidden Words are both very short (a few dozen pages each), so maybe it wouldn't hurt to but them in the beginning and then lead into the Kitab i Badi.