Michael writes: **In the cases of > Judaism, Christianity and Islam, one might argue that these traditions were > themselves most efflorescent when they were most in touch with Classicism**
Except that if you really carefully read Baha'u'llah He reveals that the Authors of Classicism derived their inspiration from the Prophets: I share this much but in all honesty and genuine humility [not so much piety as you sometimes describe me dear Michael] I defer to Keven Browne for a full discussion of these issues: He has written extensively on the Greeks and the Scholastics and the Faith ***Empedocles, who distinguished himself in philosophy, was a contemporary of David, while Pythagoras lived in the days of Solomon, son of David, and acquired Wisdom from the treasury of prophethood. (Baha'u'llah: Tablets of Baha'u'llah, Page: 145) *** ****** Even Socrates visited the Jewish doctors in the Holy Land, consorting with them and discussing the principles and basis of their religious belief. After his return to Greece he formulated his philosophical teaching of divine unity and advanced his belief in the immortality of the spirit beyond the dissolution of the body. Without doubt Socrates absorbed these verities from the wise men of the Jews with whom he came in contact. Hippocrates and other philosophers of the Greeks likewise visited Palestine and acquired wisdom from the Jewish prophets, studying the basis of ethics and morality, returning to their country with contributions which have made Greece famous. (Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 272) 25. O thou handmaid of God! It is recorded in eastern histories that Socrates journeyed to Palestine and Syria and there, from men learned in the things of God, acquired certain spiritual truths; that when he returned to Greece, he promulgated two beliefs: one, the unity of God, and the other, the immortality of the soul after its separation from the body; that these concepts, so foreign to their thought, raised a great commotion among the Greeks, until in the end they gave him poison and killed him. And this is authentic; for the Greeks believed in many gods, and Socrates established the fact that God is one, which obviously was in conflict with Greek beliefs. The Founder of monotheism was Abraham; it is to Him that this concept can be traced, and the belief was current among the Children of Israel, even in the days of Socrates. The above, however, cannot be found in the Jewish histories; there are many facts which are not included in Jewish history. (Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 54) After him came Socrates who was indeed wise, accomplished and righteous. He practised self-denial, repressed his appetites for selfish desires and turned away from material pleasures. He withdrew to the mountains where he dwelt in a cave. He dissuaded men from worshipping idols and taught them the way of God, the Lord of Mercy, until the ignorant rose up against him. They arrested him and put him to death in prison. Thus relateth to thee this swift-moving Pen. What a penetrating vision into philosophy this eminent man had! He is the most distinguished of all philosophers and was highly versed in wisdom. We testify that he is one of the heroes in this field and an outstanding champion dedicated unto it. He had a profound knowledge of such sciences as were current amongst men as well as of those which were veiled from their minds. Methinks he drank one draught when the Most Great Ocean overflowed with gleaming and life-giving waters. (Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 146) Historians cannot be sure Socrates did not visit the Holy Land. But believing as we do that 'Abdu'l-Bah� had an intuitive knowledge quite different from our own, we accept His authority on this matter.... The Guardian hopes this will better enable you to understand our wonderful Faith -- for a living religion it is, and not merely a philosophy! (Shoghi Effendi, Arohanui - Letters to New Zealand, p. 88)***** ----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Baha'i Studies" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: 18 September 2003 07:48 Subject: Influence of Islam on Renaissance > Dear Brent, > > <<"It is wholly unfair to attribute the efflorescence of European culture > during the Renaissance period to the influence of Christianity. It was mainly the > product of the forces released by the Muhammadan Dispensation." (From a > letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, April 27, > 1936; Lights of Guidance, 2nd edition p. 495) Is there modern scholarship with > evidence to back this up?>> > > From the present vantage point, one would agree that it is incorrect to > attribute the efflorescence of European culture during the Renaissance period to > the influence of Christianity--but likewise, one would not really attribute it > to Islam itself either, but rather to Classicism itself, Islam being arguably > the main force that brought that Classicism to the forefront, or at least to a > greater degree than before. > One book dealing with Medieval monasticism that I read long ago (and if > you're interested in it, I'll try to dig it out from whatever box its in) took > the position that Islam's principle role in the renaissance of Europe was > owing more to Christian scholars fleeing the threatened eastern empire and > bringing with them into Europe their classical learning--i.e., more than through > Muslims in Spain. > But whether one believes that the path of classical learning flowed more > from Muslims in Spain or from Christian refugees from the East, either way, > one has to wonder what here is the real "force" behind the Renaissance--Islam or > Classicism? By that I mean that what we call the Renaissance was essentially > a cultural phenomenon characterized by an enthusiastic attempt to revive the > Greek and Roman past, a shift away from the former almost myopic adherence to > Christian theology and a move toward a type of humanism inspired by a real > hunger to rediscover the spirit of Greek and Roman culture. In art we see, for > example, the very noticeable shift from higher stylized to more naturalistic > classical-type representations. In politics, Mechiavelli presents the first study > of human behavior not guided purely by Christian theology, drawing on both > Greek/Roman and biblical history. In the forefront of musical innovation, rather > than purely Christian devotional music, Opera is born in an attempt to revive > Greek recitation. And so on. Classicism continued to guide Western culture in > the centuries to come, a major force up to recent times--influencing art, > politics, music, fashion, architecture, manners, etc., each century mining the > tradition a little deeper than the former. > In fact, the Classical tradition long exerted a powerful influence on the > development of Judaism (most significantly, the Hellenistic period), > Christianity, and Islam, and through them, even left a noticeable and significant > imprint on the ideological content of the Baha'i tradition. In the cases of > Judaism, Christianity and Islam, one might argue that these traditions were > themselves most efflorescent when they were most in touch with Classicism. > > Warmest, > Michael ---------- You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://list.jccc.net/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=bahai-st news://list.jccc.net/bahai-st http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist (public) http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] (public)
