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Tablet of 'Abdu'l-Baha Concerning Arius
by Universal House of Justice
1998-03-17
M E M O R A N D U M
To: The Universal House of Justice
From: Research Department
Tablet of 'Abdu'l-Bahá Concerning Arius
In its letter of 17 December 1997 to the Universal House of Justice,
the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States seeks guidance
concerning how to respond to a question raised by Mr. ____, whose
letter of 24 November 1997 is enclosed by the National Assembly.
In his letter, Mr. ____ cites the following passage from a Tablet by
'Abdu'l-Bahá, which is translated by Shoghi Effendi and published in
"Star of the West":
Consider thou, at the time of Christ and after Him, how many
childish attempts have been made by different persons! What claims
they have advanced and what a multitude have they gathered around
themselves! Even Arius attracted to himself a million and a half
followers and strove and endeavoured to sow the seeds of sedition in
the Cause of Christ. But eventually the sea of Christ surged and cast
out all the gathering froth and nothing was left behind save the
everlasting malediction. [*Star of the West, vol. 10, no. 5, p. 96]
Mr. ____ expresses his understanding, drawn from available non-Bahá'í
reference material, concerning the reason for Arius's excommunication
from available non-Bahá'í reference material, concerning the reason
for Arius's excommunication from the early Christian Church. He states
that Arius was a supporter of the unity of God and opposed to the
Church's idea of the Trinity, and that his position on this issue
appears to be "precisely in accordance with Bahá'í teachings". This
being the case, Mr. ____ enquires about the validity of `Abdu'l-Bahá's
statement, about the accuracy of the report in "Star of the West" and
about Shoghi Effendi's translation.
Arius is referred to in several of `Abdu'l-Bahá's Tablets. We attach a
compilation of extracts from these Tablets - the only references to
Arius and to his activities we have, to date, been able to locate in
the Bahá'í Teachings. It can be seen that these references confirm the
assessment of Arius given in the Tablet published in "Star of the
West". From a careful reading of this material, it is clear that the
main subject of these Tablets is not Arius himself, nor his doctrinal
views, but the question of Covenant-breaking and dissension, and the
importance of firmness in the Covenant in the Bahá'í community.
`Abdu'l-Bahá's references to the history of Christianity and to Arius
seem merely to be given as examples to Western believers of what
happened in the past and of how the Covenant of Christ preserved His
Faith, even in the face of such a major challenge as that presented by
Arius.
As to the doctrines of Arianism, it is difficult at this time and in
light of the paucity of documents remaining, to ascertain exactly what
Arius taught, but in "The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church"
we find the following description:
ARIANISM. The principal heresy which denied the true Divinity of
Jesus Christ, so-called after its author, *Arius (q.v.).
Arianism maintained that the Son of God was not eternal but
created by the Father from nothing as an instrument for the creation
of the world; and that therefore He was not God by nature, but a
changeable creature, His dignity as the Son of God having been
bestowed on Him by the Father by account of His foreseen abiding
righteousness.
It would, perhaps, be difficult to maintain that the teaching of Arius
is closer to that of the Bahá'í Revelation than that of the Church in
light of the Bahá'í Teachings about the nature of the Manifestations
of God, of `Abdu'l-Bahá's elucidation of the doctrine of the Trinity,
and of the following words of the Guardian:
As to the position of Christianity, let it be stated without any
hesitation or equivocation that it s divine origin is unconditionally
acknowledged, that the Sonship and Divinity of Jesus Christ are
fearlessly asserted, that the divine inspiration of the Gospel is
fully recognized, that the reality of the mystery of the Immaculacy of
the Virgin Mary is confessed, and the primacy of Peter, the Prince of
the Apostles, is upheld and defended. ("The Promised Day is Come"
(Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, l980), p. 109
However that may be, the principal theme of `Abdu'l-Bahá's
authoritative references is not the nature of the teachings of Arius
but the damage caused by his attempt to raise a following which
divided the Church in defiance of the Covenant of Christ, and the
ability of that Covenant to maintain the essential unity of the Church
even in the face of so formidable an opponent.
No doubt in the future Bahá'í scholars will be able to examine this
question in greater detail and draw many illuminating conclusions.
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