According to Ninian Smart, the doctrinal dimension is (together with the experiential, mythic, ethical, ritual, and social) a major dimension of any religion. Thus, it is arguably true that doctrinal studies (usually known as "systematic theology," or "dogmatism") are crucial for understanding and developing a Bahá'í theology. Compared to the other world religions, the Bahá'í Faith has, on the one hand, very meager mythical and ritual dimensions, but on the other hand, it has quite elaborate doctrinal, ethical, and social dimensions.
With regard to the doctrinal dimension, it is Bahá'u'lláh's Kitáb-i-Õqán, which, according to Shoghi Effendi, occupies a position "of unsurpassed preeminence among the doctrinal ... writings of the Author of the Bahá'í Dispensation." More importantly, Adib Taherzadeh writes that the Kitáb-i-Õqán has "unfolded the pattern and disclosed the meaning of progressive revelation." It is also especially noteworthy that 'Abdu'l-Bahá, during his travels to Europe and North America, enumerates a set of various Bahá'í principles (one being "the oneness of religion"), and that Shoghi Effendi, more specifically and repeatedly, states that "the fundamental principle which constitutes the Bedrock of Bahá'í belief" is "the principle that religious truth is not absolute but relative, that Divine Revelation is orderly, continuous and progressive and not spasmodic or final." But, since the doctrinal dimension of the Bahá'í Faith has only recently been emphasized in Bahá'í scholarship, it is only natural the principle of progressive revelation should have remained largely unexplored, and it is therefore important to take notice of Jack McLean's words, that:
... there is still no major scholarly work in Bahá'í perspective on this most vital theme [the oneness of religion], which along with the oneness of humanity, is the most distinctive and characteristically Bahá'í teaching. Neither is there yet any major scholarly work on progressive revelation, one of the grand themes of Bahá'u'lláh's preeminent doctrinal work the Kitáb-i-Õqán.
[Revisioning the Sacred: New Perspectives on a Bahá'í Theology, p. xv]
The purpose of this paper is therefore to: 1) introduce the doctrinal dimension of religious studies--especially the function of doctrine, 2) investigate the Bahá'í usage of the technical term "progressive revelation," 3) analyze whether the principle of progressive revelation can be evaluated as a central Bahá'ídoctrine, and 4) survey the process of "doctrinalization" in Bahá'í history.
Paper:
The British medieval
Christian theologian and churchman St. Anselm of Canterbury
(1033-1109) said that "Theology" which
utilizes doctrines is "faith seeking rational
self-understanding."1 Nine centuries later, Alister
McGrath similarly states that "Doctrine may...be regarded
as the intellectual self-expression of a living
tradition...."2 These passages could be interpreted
on the one hand that through colloquia and seminars like this
one on Principles of the Bahá'í Belief
System or Bahá'í Theology, we, as
Bahá'ís, have the rare and precious
opportunity to, ultimately, develop a greater
self-understanding and self-expression of the
Bahá'í Faith itself. Yet, on the other
hand, it is significant that in 1992 Udo Schaefer stated that:
if we compare the development of the
doctrines of our Faith, the scholarly systematization and
presentation of its teachings in terms of philosophy, theology,
religious studies, with that of Islam, for instance, we must
admit that we are still in our infancy...our research has
mainly been focused on the history of our Faith.... The
theological doctrines...which are at the very core of a
religion, have not been stressed much in
[Bahá'í] research...and] very little has
been written on the metaphysical and theological aspects of
Bahá'u'lláh's Revelation.3
Jack McLean's Revisioning the Sacred: New Perspectives on a
Bahá'í Theology (1997)
may be seen as a recent and serious attempt, involving several
Bahá'í "theologians," to
investigate the theological dimension of the
Bahá'í Faith. Nonetheless, McLean writes in
the same work that:
The systematic
"Bahá'í theologian" has yet to
emerge...and a number of fundamental Bahá'í
teachings have suffered from neglect ...there is still no major
scholarly work in Bahá'í perspective on
this most vital theme [the oneness of religion],4 which along
with the oneness of humanity, is the most distinctive and
characteristically Bahá'í teaching. Neither
is there yet any major scholarly work on progressive revelation, one
of the grand themes of
Bahá'u'lláh's preeminent
doctrinal work the Kitáb-i-Íqán.5
Doctrine, Belief, Theology, and Religion
In a Western and a Christian traditional
sense, the study of doctrines has been recognized as being
intimately related to theology, or theological systems, and
have therefore often labeled "systematic theology"
and "dogmatism."6 However, in a broader
perspective, Ninian Smart argues that the doctrinal dimension
is one of six central dimensions of religion.7 Similarly,
Richard Comstock states that doctrine is "a category in
the comparative study of religion that belongs with ritual,
sacrament, mystical experience,"8 and he further writes
that terms like torah in Judaism, kalám
in Islam, darshana and dharma in Hinduism
and Buddhism, and chiao in Confucianism and Taoism, all convey similar
meanings of "doctrine" or "teaching."9
Indeed, the very term doctrine can etymologically be derived
from the Latin doctrína "teaching" (from docére, "to
teach")10 and it is commonly understood as
"something that is taught," "a
principle," "the whole body of principles in a
branch of knowledge," and a "system of
belief."11 The term is therefore often found associated
with other religious terms and concepts like belief,
catechesis, creed, confession, dogma, and kerygma.12
In a general perspective on the nature of
doctrine, Smart defines doctrines as "an attempt to give
system, clarity and intellectual power to what is revealed
through the mythological and symbolical language of religious
faith and ritual."13 Although Smart defines doctrines
"as an attempt to give system," in his later
writings he points out that doctrines "are not rigidly
systematic," but that they "are more like schemes
than systems." Moreover, he maintains that a
"scheme is organic," and he seems to imply a
hermeneutic principle when he further argues that "to
understand a scheme, it is important to see each part in the
context of the whole."14
Smart also enumerates five functions of
doctrine, which are to:
• bring order to what is given by
revelation
• safeguard the reference myths have
to that which lies Beyond
• relate their claims to the current
knowledge of the age
• reflect and stimulate a fresh vision
of the world
• define the community15
These five points can finally be compared
with R. M. Speight's eight functions of creeds as:
• the basis of membership
• a test of orthodoxy
• a type of prayer
• a basis for religious instruction
• a corporate or individual response
in faith to divine revelation
• an expression of self-understanding
by the religious community
• an assertion and confirmation of the
unity of the community
• a witness to the world, expressing
the core of belief16
It is here noteworthy that Smart's
fifth and Speight's sixth points include self-definition
and self-understanding as functions of doctrines/creeds in that
they "define the community" and that they are
"an expression of self-understanding by the religious
community." Similarly, McGrath states that
"Doctrine defines communities of discourse, possessing a
representative character, attempting to describe or prescribe
the beliefs of a community."17 Speight's last
point, "expressing the core of belief," is
particularly illuminating since this paper argues that the
Bahá'í doctrine of progressive revelation
is "the bedrock of Bahá'í
belief."
In sum, the purpose of this paper is to
show that the Bahá'í idea or concept of
progressive revelation is explicitly18 described as a
"doctrine," "something that is taught,"
"a scheme," "a principle" and that it
even is labeled as a "philosophy," that it
expresses "the core of belief," and, ultimately,
that it not only defines the Bahá'í
community but the Bahá'í Faith itself.
THE DOCTRINE OF PROGRESSIVE REVELATION:
The Term Progressive Revelation in the
Writings of the Central Figures
In order to determine if the concept of
progressive revelation explicitly19 is a
Bahá'í doctrine, it is first necessary to
investigate the English technical term progressive revelation
as it occurs in the Bahá'í writings.
Bahá'u'lláh
The technical term progressive revelation
occurs in the English translations of the extant writings of
Bahá'u'lláh only once and in the
following passage of Gleanings from
the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh:
Contemplate with thine inward eye the chain
of successive Revelations that hath linked the Manifestations
of Adam with that of the Báb. I testify before God that
each one of these Manifestations hath been sent down through
the operation of the Divine Will and Purpose, that each hath
been the bearer of a specific Message, that each hath been
entrusted with a divinely revealed Book and been commissioned
to unravel the mysteries of a mighty Tablet. The measure of the
Revelation with which every one of them hath been definitely
fore-ordained ...And when this process of progressive Revelation
culminated...He chose to hide His own Self behind a thousand
veils, lest profane and mortal eyes discover His glory.20
The original passage is in Arabic and was
translated by Shoghi Effendi. However, it is important to note
that an equivalent to the technical term progressive revelation
never occurs in the original Arabic text. However, it is
significant that the term occurs in the internal context of the
above passage and especially in connection with such key terms
as the "chain of successive Revelations,"21 and
the "Manifestations" (i.e., the Manifestations of
God).
'Abdu'l-Bahá
Similarly, the technical term progressive
revelation never occurs in any of the extant English
translations of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's oral or
literary works, but a couple of close equivalents can easily be
found. The following passages may serve to exemplify this:
Religion is the outer expression of the
divine reality. Therefore, it must be living, vitalized, moving
and progressive. If it be without motion and non-progressive,
it is without the divine life; it is dead. The divine
institutes are continuously active and evolutionary; therefore,
the revelation of them must be progressive and continuous.22
Among the bounties of God is revelation.
Hence revelation is progressive and continuous. It never
ceases. It is necessary that the reality of Divinity with all
its perfections and attributes should become resplendent in the
human world. The reality of Divinity is like an endless ocean.
Revelation may be likened to the rain.23
In the first passage religion itself is
seen as progressive. Further, it is significant that in both
passages the term progressive is directly coupled with the term
continuous.
Shoghi Effendi
Of the three central
Bahá'í figures,24 Shoghi Effendi is the
only one who ever applies the technical term progressive
revelation, although, as shall be seen below, he apparently did
not coin this term. In a letter, written in 1935, Shoghi
Effendi states that he made a "tentative and incomplete
list of the subjects referred to in these translations."25
Among the fifty-four subjects enumerated, Shoghi Effendi
mentions the "Unity of Prophets" as the first
subject. However, what is significant in this context is that,
as subject forty-three, he briefly states that "Divine Revelation is progressive." Generally, and similar to
'Abdu'l-Bahá's statement above, Shoghi
Effendi repeatedly writes that "Divine Revelation is a continuous and progressive
process."26 Further, writing
on the topic of religions, Shoghi Effendi states that "One cannot call one World Faith superior to
another, as they all come from God; they are progressive, each
suited to certain needs of the time."27
Elsewhere he also refers to "a
series of progressive dispensations associated with Moses,
Zoroaster, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad and other Prophets."28
More specifically, Shoghi Effendi
explicitly, directly, and frequently employs the technical term
progressive revelation. For example, writing about the
ascension of Bahá'u'lláh in both his God Passes By and The World Order of
Bahá'u'lláh, he refers to the Bábí and
Bahá'í "Dispensation" as
encompassing fifty years of "continuous
and progressive Revelation."29 Once
again it can be noted that the term progressive is coupled with
the term continuous. Other expressions in the singular are:
• the
concept of progressive religion30
• the
principle of progressive revelation31
• the
Bahá'í philosophy of progressive revelation32
Shoghi Effendi also uses plural terms of
progressive revelations like:
• series
of progressive Revelations33
• a series
of successive, of preliminary and progressive revelations34
• one link
in the chain of continually progressive Revelations35
• a
further stage in a chain of progressive Revelations36
Consequently, with regard to the three
central Bahá'í figures and the technical
term progressive revelation, it should now be clear that this
term occurs only once (as translated by Shoghi Effendi) and
implicitly in the writings of
Bahá'u'lláh; it is implicitly,
indirectly, and rarely stated in the writings of
'Abdu'l-Bahá;37 but it is explicitly,
directly, and frequently employed by Shoghi Effendi.38
The Term Progressive Revelation in the
Writings of Other Authors
However, Shoghi Effendi is apparently not
the first Bahá'í author who uses this term,
but it is highly interesting and significant that its first
usage in a Bahá'í context is made by Shoghi
Effendi's close British friend, J. E. Esslemont
(1874-1925), who also was his English language secretary.39
Thus, the perhaps earliest dating of the English term
progressive revelation in Bahá'í [usage]
occurs as the subtitle of the eighth chapter on
"Religious Unity" in Esslemont's Bahá'u'lláh and the
New Era, published in 1923.40 It is
also important to note that in 1919, Esslemont sent chapters of
his book for approval to 'Abdu'l-Bahá who,
before he died in 1921, revised the first nine chapters.41
Although Esslemont never elaborates on the term, he does refer
to passages by Bahá'u'lláh42 and
'Abdu'l-Bahá.43 Esslemont, however, may not
be the first Bahá'í author to use the term
progressive revelation, since William Collins writes that
"From somewhere around 1900, American
Bahá'ís had access to the biblical
interpretations found in Bahá'í scriptures,
upon which a sound concept of progressive
revelation could be based."44
In addition, Samuel Wilson states that early English speaking
Bahá'í writers (e.g., Kheiralla, Remey,
Dealy, and Brittingham)45 "refer[red] to Miller,
Cummings, Seiss, Guinness, and others."46 This is a
crucial statement, since the Guinness Wilson is referring to is
most likely Henry Grattan-Guinness, who employed the technical
term progressive revelation already in 1878.47
Another person who frequently used the term
progressive revelation was the former Anglican priest George
Townshend48 (1876-1957), who also was a close friend to
Shoghi Effendi. In this context it is especially noteworthy
since Shoghi Effendi greatly admired his command of English and
therefore sent him his translations and manuscripts.49
In 1954 the term progressive revelation
makes a clear and definite appearance since John Ferraby used
the term as the very title of a pamphlet. More recently,
progressive revelation has, in English
Bahá'í literature, variously been referred
to as the:
• idea of
progressive revelation50
• principle
of progressive revelation51
• process
of progressive revelation52
• theme of
progressive revelation53
• Bahá'í
thesis of Progressive Revelation54
• Bahá'í
notion of progressive revelation55
• concept
of progressive revelation56
• basic
Bahá'í teaching of progressive revelation57
Progressive Revelation as an Explicit
Doctrine
The Doctrine of Progressive Revelation in
the Writings of the Central Figures
Bahá'u'lláh and
'Abdu'l-Bahá
It should be clearly stated that from the
extant English sources of the writings of
Báhá'u'lláh and
'Abdu'l-Bahá neither author explicitly
declared progressive revelation as a doctrine. However, quite a
few Bahá'í scholars state that
Bahá'u'lláh's Kitáb-i-Íqán not only "enunciates the essential
doctrinal principles of the Bahá'í
revelation,"58 but that it also has been referred to as
"Bahá'u'lláh's foremost
doctrinal work."59 Other Bahá'í
authors have argued that
Bahá'u'lláh's Kitáb-i-Íqán is the primary Bahá'í
textbook on progressive revelation. Thus, for example, Adib
Taherzadeh states that the Kitáb-i-Íqán has "unfolded the pattern and disclosed
the meaning of progressive revelation,"60 and similarly,
William Hatcher states that it is
"Bahá'u'lláh's most
important doctrinal work"61 and that it "discusses
progressive revelation."62 In addition, Seena Fazel &
Khazeh Fananapazir state that
Bahá'u'lláh's Súriy-i-Sabr
is "a tablet devoted to the exposition of the theme of
progressive revelation."63
In the case of
'Abdu'l-Bahá, it is significant that he
states:
In every Dispensation the light of Divine
Guidance has been focused upon one central theme.... In this
wondrous Revelation, this glorious century, the foundation of
the Faith of God and the distinguishing feature of His Law is
the consciousness of the Oneness of Mankind.64
From this passage it would be possible to
conclude that "the Oneness of Mankind" could be
considered the "central theme" of
Bahá'í [doctrine]. However, during his
travels to Europe and America, 'Abdu'l-Bahá
also formulated what has been referred to as "a core set
of Bahá'í 'principles'"65
and which "could assume creedal formulation as a simple
summary of the Bahá'í Faith."66
Foremost among these principles is the principle which states
that "it is incumbent upon all mankind to investigate the
truth." It is significant that included in this first
principle 'Abdu'l-Bahá alludes to a central
theme, or aspect, of progressive revelation - that of an
essential religious unity—since he states that "The
different religions have one truth underlying them, their
reality is one.... All the divine Prophets and Messengers were
the instruments and channels of this same eternal, essential
truth."67
Shoghi Effendi
Earlier it was seen that only Shoghi
Effendi utilize the technical term progressive revelation.
Shoghi Effendi also refers to Bahá'í
doctrines in general statements like "The
principles" and "fundamentals of the Faith,"68
"basic and sacred principles,"69 "verities of
the Faith,"70 "the essential verities of the
Faith,"71 "truths which lie at the basis of our
Faith,"72 "the major beliefs of our Faith,"73
and "the principles and
precepts constituting the bedrock of [the] Faith,"74 and "the incontrovertible principles that constitute the
bedrock of Bahá'í belief."75 More specifically, he positively identifies
"the oneness of the entire human race" as "the pivotal principle and fundamental doctrine
of the [Bahá'í] Faith."76 Once again, the oneness of mankind may
seem as the fundamental Bahá'í doctrine.
The following paragraphs by Shoghi Effendi, however, can be
used to directly ascertain that progressive revelation also is
explicitly stated as a central Bahá'í
doctrine, here referred as a principle:
The fundamental principle enunciated by
Bahá'u'lláh...is that religious truth
is not absolute but relative, that Divine Revelation is a
continuous and progressive process.77
Its [the Bahá'í
Faith's] teachings revolve around the fundamental
principle that religious truth is not absolute but relative,
that Divine Revelation is progressive, not final.78
the fundamental principle which
constitutes the Bedrock of Bahá'í belief,
the principle that religious truth is not absolute but
relative, that Divine Revelation is orderly, continuous and
progressive and not spasmodic or final.79
The Faith of
Bahá'u'lláh should indeed be
regarded...as the culmination of a cycle, the final stage in a
series of successive, of preliminary and progressive
revelations.80
It is possible to interpret the first three
paragraphs above that "religious truth is not absolute
but relative" as a separate principle from "Divine
Revelation is a continuous and progressive process," or
that that "Divine Revelation is progressive."
Moreover, by the very fact that it is mentioned first, the
principle of "religious relativity" could be
considered as the fundamental principle of
Bahá'í. It is also possible, however, to
see the two sentences as inseparably related and as a more
elaborate version of a single principle. Two other passages by
Shoghi Effendi may clarify this relationship in determining
whether they are to be treated as two separate principles, or
as one single principle:
Let none, however, mistake my purpose, or
misrepresent this cardinal truth which is of the essence of the
Faith of Bahá'u'lláh. The divine
origin of all the Prophets of God—including Jesus Christ
and the Apostle of God [Muhammed], the two greatest
Manifestations preceding the Revelation of the
Báb—is unreservedly and unshakably upheld by each
and every follower of the Bahá'í-religion.
The fundamental unity of these Messengers of God is clearly
recognized, the continuity of their Revelation is affirmed.81
Here Shoghi Effendi indirectly refers to
the "continuity of their Revelation" as a
"cardinal truth which is of the essence of the Faith of
Bahá'u'lláh." In the first
sections above, one may also notice that the term continuous is
directly coupled with the term progressive, whereas the last
quote contains the term successive. In The Promised Day is
Come, and in a chapter significantly entitled "The
Continuity of Revelation," Shoghi Effendi once again uses
a similar expression:
Repudiating the claim of any religion to
be the final revelation of God to man, disclaiming finality for
His own Revelation, Bahá'u'lláh
inculcates the basic principle of the relativity of religious
truth, the continuity of Divine Revelation, the progressiveness
of religious experience.82
What is especially noteworthy in this
passage is that Shoghi Effendi uses the singular "basic
principle," but, more importantly, he links not only the
terms "relativity" and "continuity,"
but he is in turn relating these to the expression
"progressiveness."
As a further support that the unity of the
"Messengers of God" is seen as a central doctrine
of Bahá'í, can be seen in the next passage
by Shoghi Effendi:
That all the Messengers of God should be
regarded as "abiding in the same Tabernacle, soaring in
the same Heaven, seated upon the same Throne, uttering the same
Speech, and proclaiming the same Faith"83 must...remain
the unalterable foundation and central tenet of
Bahá'í belief.84
In addition, Shoghi Effendi states in a
similar context of the "unity of the Manifestations of
God" that to regard Bahá'u'lláh
"as essentially one of these
Manifestations of God...is one of the major beliefs of our
Faith."85
As a final support that Shoghi Effendi
considers progressive revelation a central
Bahá'í doctrine is that he states that:
the Bahá'í philosophy
of progressive revelation...should be thoroughly accepted and
taught by every loyal...Bahá'í.86
In accordance with the definitions of
doctrine reviewed above, it is significant to note that the
philosophy of progressive revelation should not only be
"thoroughly accepted," but it should be taught as
well.
The Doctrine of Progressive Revelation in
the Writings of Other Authors
Although it is clear that is
'Abdu'l-Bahá and especially Shoghi Effendi
have been most instrumental in systematizing various
Bahá'í doctrines, other
Bahá'í authors have used the term doctrine
only recently. For example, in 1931 Mabel Hyde Paine recorded,
in her "Pilgrims' Notes" the following lines,
attributed to Shoghi Effendi:
Progressive revelation is the basis of
Bahá'í Teachings.87
Although such a statement cannot be
considered authoritative, it suggests a doctrinal status of
progressive revelation. More recently, Schaefer states that the
"theological pivot [of the Bahá'í
Faith] is the teaching of the unity of the Manifestations [of
God], and, hence, the unity of the religions."88 Stockman
also refers to progressive revelation as "the fundamental
Bahá'í teaching."89 Similarly,
Michael Sours, who devotes a chapter to progressive revelation,90
states that "At the core of
Bahá'u'lláh's teaching is the
belief in the complete oneness and progressiveness of
religion."91 In like manner, under the heading
"Basic Teachings," William Hatcher & Douglas
Martin refer to "three fundamental principles," as:
1) The Oneness of God, 2) The Oneness of Humanity, and 3)
Oneness of Religion. A description of progressive revelation is
included in the third principle.92
However, the first author to use the terms
"the Baha'i doctrine of
progressive revelation" was
not a Bahá'í but a
non-Bahá'í, Peter L. Berger, the famous
sociologist of religion.93 It would take more than thirty years
[before] Robert Stockman would use the exact same terms.94 In
this context it is especially significant that in 1954 Berger
also wrote that "Progressive
revelation is still held as a cardinal doctrine by the
Baha'is to this day...."95
That the concept of an essential unity of
religions is connected with progressive revelation and
Bahá'í doctrine can be seen in a statement
by Moojan Momen:
The concept of the unity of religions is
one of the key doctrines of the Bahá'í
Faith. At its most basic level, this doctrine can be expressed
as the belief that the different religious systems of the world
merely reflect different stages in a single process, the
progressive unfoldment of religious "Truth."96
Here one may notice the expression
"key doctrines" and the statement "At its
most basic level," and that it is related to "the
progressive unfoldment of religious 'Truth.'"
Similarly, when Dann May states that "The
Bahá'í concept of religious unity...is one
of the most fundamental doctrines of the
Bahá'í Faith," he continues to
describe this doctrine as follows:
This doctrine affirms the existence of a
common transcendent source from which the world's
religious traditions originate and receive their inspiration.
The Bahá'í writings view the religions of
the world not as isolated and sporadic events, but as
participants in a successively unfolding process called
progressive revelation.97
Indirectly addressing the concept of
progressive revelation, Alessandro Bausani succinctly states
that "the whole Bahá'í Faith is
centered on this theophanical idea [evolution in time, and
unity in the present hour]" and that "all of the doctrines of the Faith can be
encompassed by the phrase 'evolution in time.'"98 The three keywords here are:
theophany ("the Manifestation of God"), evolution
("progress"), and unity, terms and concepts which
all play primary roles in the Bahá'í
doctrine of progressive revelation.
Progressive revelation has also been
discussed in relation to Islam.99 Heshmat Moayyad, for example,
discusses progressive revelation in the context of the Islamic
"Seal of the Prophet doctrine" and religious
finality, and refers to it as "the Bahá'í doctrine of continuing,
progressive revelation."100
Stephen Lambden writes that Bahá'í in some
respects is "neo-Islamic" in that certain
Bahá'í doctrines (e.g., tawhíd, al-ism al-a'zam,
and progressive revelation) are "obviously
Islamic."101
Juan Cole is the first author who uses the
term "The Babi-Baha'i doctrine of progressive
revelation" and it is significant that he views this
doctrine in terms of "a continuous sacred history."102
Loni Bramson-Lerche states that progressive revelation is an
"important doctrine of the
Bahá'í Faith."103
Schaefer goes one step further and in a chapter entitled
"The New Paradigm: Progressive Revelation," since
he refers to progressive revelation as a "fundamental doctrine."104
Most recently, in a review article of the earlier mentioned Revisioning the Sacred, it is notable that Susan Stiles Maneck uses the terms
"the Bahá'í doctrine of Progressive
Revelation."105
The one Bahá'í author
who most clearly and elaborately states that progressive
revelation is not only an important Bahá'í
doctrine, but the central one, is Nader Saiedi. Although he
also states that the doctrine of the Manifestation of God
"is a fundamental, central, theological, philosophical,
and sociological concept of the Bahá'í
Faith," he simultaneously states that the "doctrine of progressive revelation can be
characterized as the central theological principle of the Bahai
Faith."106 Moreover, even
though Saiedi states that progressive revelation is "One
of the most important principles of Bahá'í
theology,"107 he also points to its complexity when he
declares that "the doctrine of progressive
revelation" simultaneously is "a theory of
knowledge, a metaphysics of being, a prophetology, a theology,
an eschatology, a social theory, an ethical doctrine, and an
aesthetic approach to life."108
Finally, it should also be mentioned that
the term and concept of progressive revelation has been
portrayed in the form of a video,109 it has also has found its
way into various Bahá'í dictionaries, a
Bahá'í encyclopedia, and is central to many
Bahá'í home-pages.110 Most significantly,
the official Bahá'í home-page, which
includes various "Spiritual Truths" of
Bahá'í, it is noteworthy that "The
Oneness of Religion" is included, and that "The
principle of the unity of religion" is described as being
"at the center of Bahá'í
teachings."111 That progressive revelation has acquired
doctrinal status in Bahá'í is clear since
the International Bahá'í Library (Israel)
classifies progressive revelation under the heading
"Doctrines, Theology."112 That the doctrines of
manifestation and progressive revelation are intimately related
and important, can be seen in that a graduate-course, developed
and taught by Landegg Academy (Switzerland), entitled
"Comparative Study of Religion and the Concepts of the
Manifestation and Progressive Revelation."113
A final, and very recent example, that the
Bahá'í Faith can be understood in terms of
progressive revelation may also be seen a
non-Bahá'í source—the Encyclopedia Britannica:
The cornerstone of Baha'i belief is
the conviction that Baha' Ullah and his forerunner, who
was known as the Bab, were manifestations of God, who in his
essence is unknowable. The principal Baha'i tenets are
the essential unity of all religions and the unity of humanity.
Baha'is believe that all the founders of the
world's great religions have been manifestations of God
and agents of a progressive divine plan for the education of
the human race.114
What is especially interesting with these
introductory remarks of describing the
Bahá'í Faith is that they immediately,
albeit implicitly, identify progressive revelation as the
"cornerstone of Baha'i belief" and that
"the essential unity of all religions" is one of
"principal Baha'i tenets." The final sentence
above connects the various points raised earlier since
"the world's great religions have been
manifestations of God" (including the Báb and
Bahá'u'lláh) are all part of "a
progressive divine plan" i.e., progressive revelation.
Progressive Revelation Defined
To cite a few examples of
Bahá'í definitions of progressive
revelation, the following examples will suffice. In Daybook—Passages for Deepening and
Meditation, the reader is asked the
question "What is meant by the term progressive
revelation?" whereupon the answer is given as:
Progressive revelation refers to the
belief that God has a great plan which He unfolds to man in
different periods in history. Each Messenger of God (such as
Moses, Christ, and Bahá'u'lláh)
reveals a new stage of this plan.115
A Basic Bahá'í
Dictionary defines progressive
revelation as:
The concept that Divine Revelation is not
final, but continuing. The concept is founded on the belief
that all the Greater Prophets of the past were Manifestations
of God who appeared in different ages with teachings
appropriate to the needs of the time....116
Similarly, in A
Resource Guide for the Scholarly Study of the
Bahá'í Faith,
progressive revelation is defined as:
The Bahá'í belief that
the major religions have been founded by Manifestations of God
and that the Manifestations succeed one another, each bringing
a greater measure of divine truth to humanity.117
Finally, the most elaborate attempt to
concisely articulate progressive revelation has been made by
Stockman, who, in a Bahá'í Encyclopedia
article, states:
Possibly the central principle behind the
Bahá'í concept of the oneness of religion,
progressive revelation asserts two important positions: 1) that
all the major religions of the world are at least partially
based on a divine revelation, conveyed to them by a
Manifestation of God; and 2) that the revelations brought by
the Manifestations are not contradictory, but constitute a
single, ongoing divine educational process for humanity.118
In this context it is notable that Stockman
states that progressive revelation possibly is "the
central principle behind the Bahá'í concept
of the oneness of religion."
From these four definitions a few recurrent
themes emerge. First of all, it is evident that three of the
definitions refer to progressive revelation as a belief, while
one designates it as a central principle. Secondly, the notion
of Manifestations of God occur in all four definitions, and
thirdly, the inclusion of various key terms such as succession
("succeed") and continuity
("continuing") are significant.
Taken together, these examples strongly
suggests that progressive revelation can indeed be understood
as a "belief" and "something that is
taught."
The Process of Doctrinalization
In this context it is significant that E.
G. Browne stated that the
Bábí-Bahá'í teachings were
"varying and unfixed," and that he noted that it
contained little doctrine "touching on questions of
Metaphysics, Ontology, or Eschatology."119 Although
Ibrahim Kheiralla introduced many idiosyncratic and highly
personal ideas into the early American
Bahá'í community, he still emphasized
"the Bahá'í doctrine of progressive
revelation."120 Although his list of
"Prophets" did include Abraham, Moses, Zoroaster,
Buddha, Christ, and Muhammad, he also included such religious
figures as Confucius121 and Haiwatha.122 With the advent of a
few Persian Bahá'í teachers to America to
clarify the Bahá'í Faith,123 it is
noteworthy that, for example,
'Abdu'l-Karím-i-Tihrání may
have discussed progressive revelation as early as 1890.124
Moreover, at the beginning of the twentieth
century, a dozen American Bahá'ís attempted
to summarize lists of the Bahá'í teachings.
An early example of such a list may be exemplified by Corinne
True, who in 1902 entitled her list "Fundamental Points
of Behaism." What is especially interesting in this
context is that the list was "dominated by points on progressive revelation and the
central figures of the Bahá'í Faith."125 It is also significant that two years
later, and what was called "the House of
Spirituality" in Chicago, "added a note" to
its Constitution "that
demonstrated the fascination of the early American
Bahá'ís with the Bahá'í
principle of progressive revelation and with their
Faith's fulfillment of prophecy."126 Simultaneously, Peter Smith also states
that in the American Bahá'í community, at
the beginning of the twentieth century, "There was no
credo to affirm" and that there was "the lack of
any creedal formulation beyond the statement of universal
principles" and further that there was even
"opposition toward the idea of dogma."127 Thus, it
is informative that in 1908 Thornton Chase writes the following
lines about 'Abdu'l-Bahá: "Unless
questions of metaphysics, dogmas and doctrines are introduced,
he seldom mentions them."128 It is also of interest that
even as late as 1915 Wilson wrote that "Bahaism has not a
fixed body of doctrines."129 However, Peter Smith
maintains that in 1917 (which was the centennial celebration of
Bahá'u'lláh's birth) some
Chicago Bahá'ís had plans for teaching in
the Central States in the U.S.A. and where "pure doctrine
were asserted in no uncertain terms,"130 and he further
states that with Shoghi Effendi's publication of The Dispensation of
Bahá'u'lláh in 1934 the "doctrinal confusion" was
ended.131
Conclusion
It should by now be evident that the term
and concept progressive revelation has undergone what may be
referred to as a "process of doctrinalization."
Starting with Bahá'u'lláh, neither
the term nor the doctrine of progressive revelation were
explicitly stated. Gradually, and most likely inspired by
visiting Persian Bahá'í teachers to
America, various attempts to make lists to summarize the
Bahá'í teachings were made. A few years
later 'Abdu'l-Bahá formulated a set of
core-principles during his travels to the West, among which the
essential unity of religions was central. Subsequently, with
Shoghi Effendi's extensive correspondence with the
globally expanding Bahá'í Faith, principles
of administrations were set, and a variety of
Bahá'u'lláh's writings were
translated. Although the technical term progressive revelation
antedates Shoghi Effendi's "Guardianship," it
is only during his administration that it became a central
doctrine.132 Following the terminology introduced by
Shoghi Effendi, later Bahá'í authors
alternatively have referred to progressive revelation as an
idea, concept, principle, theme, thesis, and basic
Bahá'í teaching, and most importantly, as a
belief and doctrine. The ultimate step in the process of
doctrinalization can be seen when the very term progressive
revelation not only entered Bahá'í
pamphlets, dictionaries, encyclopedias, the International
Bahá'í Library, and the official
Bahá'í home-page, as a key term, concept,
and doctrine, but, most significantly, that it also has been
taught as a graduate course.
From this brief review it should by now be
evident that it is possible to find direct and explicit support
in various texts by the central Bahá'í
figures and other authors, that the idea of progressive
revelation is not just an idea or a concept, but that it is a
central Bahá'í doctrine. If not the central
doctrine, then at least, together with the doctrine of the
oneness of humankind, one of the most central
Bahá'í doctrines. Thus, any attempts to
build a future Bahá'í theology—in
order to define, understand, and express the
Bahá'í Faith—must be solidly built on
this, the "Bedrock of Bahá'í
Belief."
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Notes
1) Encyclopedia Britannica 1987:366.
2) McGrath 1997:197.
3) Schaefer 1992:26, italics added.
4) Dann May's MA thesis (1993) The
Bahá'í Principle of Religious Unity and the
Challenge of Radical Pluralism certainly qualifies as a
scholarly work on the "oneness of religion."
5) McLean 1997:xv, clarification and
italics added; Smith 1988:232. Far from claiming to be a
systematic theologian, much less "the systematic
'Bahá'í theologian,'" I
still hope that this paper (and especially my forthcoming Ph.D.
dissertation) will be regarded as a preliminary academic
attempt to address not only the topic of progressive
revelation, but to simultaneously investigate areas like
Bahá'í prophecy, the idea of progress,
doctrine, rhetoric and root-metaphor. The forthcoming Ph.D.
dissertation is currently entitled The Emic Construction of
Religion: The Bahá'í Doctrine, Rhetoric,
and Root-Metaphor of Progressive Revelation.
6) In this context it is interesting that
Lindbeck 1984:76 notices that "Most of the books entitled
'church doctrine' or 'church
dogmatics,' . . . are in fact wide-ranging theological
treatises rather than being concerned simply with doctrines of
the churches in the narrow sense . . ." Erickson 1983:23
sees "Theological studies" as a general field of
study where "Doctrinal studies" is but one
subspecies which further can be divided into "Systematic
theology."
7) Smart's 1983:96-158, 1984:6-12 six
dimensions of religion are: 1) the Experiential Dimension; 2)
the Mythic Dimension; 3) the Doctrinal Dimension; 4) the
Ethical Dimension; 5) the Ritual Dimension; and 6) the Social
Dimension.
8) Comstock 1987:386.
9) Comstock 1987:385-386.
10) The Latin docére may in turn be
derived from the Greek doke'in (to seem, to teach) which again is the root for
the Greek dogma (opinion, teaching) and orthodox
(right opinion, teaching). See e.g.,
Skeat 1984. The Greek term didaskalia
also gives a similar meaning of
"basic teachings" and is used in I and II Timothy.
11) Longman 1978:322.
12) See Lindbeck 1974:243-246; 1984:88; New
Catholic 1967:939.
13) Smart 1984:8, italics added; 1983:97.
14) Smart 1983:102. Cf. Shoghi
Effendi's statement that "We must take the
teachings as a great balanced whole, not to seek out and oppose
each other two strong statements that have different meanings;
somewhere in between there are links uniting the two. This is
what makes our Faith to flexible and well balanced." (19
March 1945 to an individual believer)
18) In my dissertation I also attempt to
show that it is also implicitly part of a "whole body of
principles," and at that it is at the core of its
"system of belief".
19) With explicit statements of the
Bahá'í doctrine of progressive revelation
means statements where either the concept, or the term
progressive revelation, occur together with the term
"doctrine" or an equivalent.
21) For a discussion on the theme of
"the chain of successive Revelations" see Lundberg
(forthcoming). [22] 'Abdu'l-Bahá 1982b:140,
italics added.
23) 'Abdu'l-Bahá 1982b:
378, italics added
24) Although Shoghi Effendi 1991:131 refers
to the Báb, Bahá'u'lláh, and
'Abdu'l-Bahá as the "Three Central
Figures," he simultaneously attests to "the
independent character of the Bábí
Dispensation" (102) and that the Báb "is
fully entitled to rank as one of the self-sufficient
Manifestations of God" invested with "independent
Prophethood." (123) Thus, the Báb is not
considered here. For a discussion on this see Esslemont 1980:
20; Smith 1988:228.
25) Dated May 13, 1935, addressed to the
National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada.
37) Esslemont 1980:257 is an example of an
implicit statement since progressive revelation is stated in
parenthesis.
38) Lundberg 1996.
39) Momen 1975:19, 32-33.
40) Esslemont 1980:122. The term occurs
also indirectly on p. 257 where it is attributed to
'Abdu'l-Bahá.
41) Esslemont 1980:xiii; Momen 1975:11-19.
42) Esslemont quotes from a Tablet by
Bahá'u'lláh which he labels a Tablet
to a Zoroastrian. This passage can be found in A tablet by
Baha'o'llah to the Persian Zoroastrian Bahais
published in 1910 in Star of the
West and reprinted in Bahá'u'lláh 1978: book 1. vol 1.
43) See Fazel 1993.
44) Collins 1995:61, italics added.
45) i.e., Ibrahim Kheiralla, Mason Remey,
Paul K. Dealy, and Isabella D. Brittingham. For a reference of
their lives and works see Stockman 1985, 1995; Collins 1990.
46) Wilson 1970:102.
47) Grattan-Guinness 1878.
48) See e.g., Townshend 1995:37, 68, 73,
76, 111, 116.
61) In the foreword of his translation of
the Kitáb-i-Íqán 1931, Shoghi Effendi refers
to it as "this book of unsurpassed pre-eminence among the
writings of the Author of the Bahá'í
Revelation."
70) Shoghi Effendi cited in Hornby 1988:
484, #1612.
71) Research Department 1983:27 (#90),
45-47; Shoghi Effendi 1965:76-77; 1971a:75-76, 93.
72) Shoghi Effendi 1991:99.
73) Shoghi Effendi 1991:114.
74) Shoghi Effendi 1974:158, italics added.
75) Shoghi Effendi 1980:110, italics added.
From these two last quotes by Shoghi Effendi, it is evident
that the phrase "the bedrock of
Bahá'í belief" here occurs in other,
but similar, contexts.
76) Shoghi Effendi 1974:281, italics and
clarification added; 1991:42.
77) Shoghi Effendi 1980:v, italics added
78) Shoghi Effendi 1991:48, clarification
and italics added.
110) Virtual Study Course; The
Bahá'í Faith; Progressive Revelation; The
KnowMadz - Baha'i Faith.
111) The Bahá'í World.
112) International
Bahá'í Library. Other subgroups under the
heading "Doctrines, Theology" are e.g.,
"God," "Manifestations of God,"
"Oneness," "Prophecy," "Future
Manifestations of God," "Covenant," etc.
113) Landegg 1997.
114) Encyclopædia
Britannica Online, italics
added.
121) Confucius is not Manifestation of God
according to Shoghi Effendi 1971a:41 who says that
"Confucius was not a Prophet. It is quite correct to say
he is the founder of a moral system and a great
reformer."
122) Stockman 1985:67. For a discussion on
Native American religious figures and Manifestations of God see
Buck 1996.
123) On this point Banani 1981:xiv writes
that "The nascent community of
Bahá'ís in America was in dire need of an
authoritative and coherent understanding of the fundamentals of
its Faith." (italics added)
124) Stockman 1985:23. That
Mírzá Abú'l-Fadl
Gulpáygání clearly was aware of, and
implicitly elaborated upon, the concept of progressive
revelation is evident from his A
Letter to Tripoli written in
1897. See Cole 1985:124-126.
125) Stockman 1985:92-93, italics added.
126) Stockman 1985:168, italics added.
127) Smith 1982:196-97, 168, 174.
128) Chase 1908:34.
129) Wilson 1970:77.
130) Smith 1982:134.
131) Smith 1982:102.
132) e.g., Bramson-Lerche 1982:265 writes
that "Shoghi Effendi continued to push the community in
the direction of better organization and more unity in
doctrinal matters."
