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Images of Christ in the Writings of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá by Maryam Afshar Occasional Papers volume 1 'Irfán Colloquia Bahá'í National Center 1233 Central Street Evanston, IL 60201 Phone: (847) 733-3501 Fax: (847) 733-3502 E-mail: iayman@usbnc.org> Sponsored by the Haj Mehdi Arjmand Memorial Fund 161 B.E. 2004 C.E. Copyright © 2004, Haj Mehdi Arjmand Memorial Fund Cover design by Majid Nolley Typeset by Jonah Winters, winterswebworks.com

                          Table of Contents  

  Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
  
  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
  
  Images of Christ  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
       Manifestation of God
       "Glorious Word of God"
       "Son of the living God"
       Quickener of the world
       Teacher-Educator
       Promised Messiah
       One who brought unity and love
       The Physician
	   
  Parallels between Christ and Bahá'u'lláh  . . . . . . . . . . . 13
       Teachings of the Prophets
       Teachings have always come from the East
       The light of the Prophet
       The trials of the Prophets
       The renewal of the Teachings
       Christ and Bahá'u'lláh, Founders of spiritual civilizations
       Manifestation of God as a Physician
       The promulgation of the teachings through disciples
	   
  Interpretation of some Christian Beliefs  . . . . . . . . . . . 17
       The birth of Christ
       Baptism
       The Trinity
       The symbolism of the bread and wine
       Sacrifice for redeeming the original sin
       The resurrection of Christ
       The return of Christ
	   
  Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
  
  Bibliography  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Preface

For many centuries the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and the main beliefs of Christianity have been the subject of many disputes and interpretations by both friends and foes. It was and still is quite natural that those with a Christian background, whether Bahá'ís or non-Bahá'ís, who encounter the Bahá'í Faith be interested in knowing the Bahá'í views on those age old topics. It is with regard to such interests and inquiries that Images of Christ in the Writings of Abdu'l-Bahá is published as an occasional paper.

Images of Christ in the Writings of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá is the text of a presentation by Maryam Afshar delivered to the Forty-Sixth Session of the ‘Irfán Colloquium held at Bosch Bahá'í School in Santa Cruz, California, in May 2003. It is an attempt to present a vision of Jesus Christ, and an elucidation of some Christian beliefs from the perspective of the Bahá'í Faith, as described by ‘Abdu'l-Bahá. This portrayal depicts various aspects of the image of Christ as it appears in the written and spoken words of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá. In addition, the Bahá'í interpretations of some of the major Christian beliefs such as the birth of Christ, the trinity, the symbolism of the bread and wine, the original sin, and the resurrection are presented in the second part of this paper.

‘Abdu'l-Bahá (1844-1921) was the eldest son of Bahá'u'lláh (1817-1892), the Prophet-Founder of the Bahá'í Faith. He was appointed by Bahá'u'lláh as His successor to be the leader of the Bahá'í community and the sole authorized interpreter of Bahá'í scripture. The contents of this occasional paper consist mainly of quotations extracted from the Writings and public utterances of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá. ‘Irfán Colloquia started in 1993 and have continued to be held annually in North America and Europe. The main aim and purpose of ‘Irfán activities are to foster systematic study of the scriptures of the world's religions from the point of view of the Bahá'í Faith, and to promote scholarly studies in the sacred writings, essential verities, and fundamental principles of the Bahá'í belief system. ‘Irfán Colloquia and seminars are held annually in the English, German and Persian languages. ‘Irfán is a Persian-Arabic word referring to mystical, theological, and spiritual insight and knowledge.

It is hoped that the publication of this paper will help those interested in Christian subjects find Bahá'í answers to some of their questions, and that it will encourage further studies.

Iraj Ayman      
Chicago, USA      
March 2004