In God Passes By, Shoghi Effendi explains that the Vazir Haji Mirza Aqasi engineered the banishment of the Bab to the remotest outreaches in northwest Persia. However, this isolation that the plot of the Vazir brought about, actually allowed the Bab uninterrupted time to develop His Faith.
There are two aspects of what the Bab revealed during this period of His incarceration that I wish to ask you folks about, and the first is this: "Little did he imagine that the very isolation he was forcing upon his Prisoner would enable Him to evolve the System designed to incarnate the soul of His Faith..." (God Passes By, p. 18) This is the same language Shoghi Effendi uses to describe the institutions Baha'u'llah brought into being: "... the ultimate erection of a House of Worship that will incarnate the soul of a flourishing nation-wide community" (Shoghi Effendi, Messages to Canada p. 14) "... that World Order that must incarnate the soul, execute the laws, and fulfill the purpose of the Faith of God in this day." (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, Introduction, p. xii) "... an Administration which, as it evolved, would at once incarnate, safeguard and foster its spirit." (Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 83) My question is, what is the System of the Faith of the Bab? I know of no administrative institutions that He created, so what is it that He revealed that incarnated the soul of His Faith? I know that a number of the laws of the Aqdas have their predecessors in the Bayan; perhaps these are what Shoghi Effendi refers to. Also, as Baha'u'llah designated the Rulers and the Learned, the Bab appointed Mirrors, Witnesses and Letters; though I know of no specific functions they had, other than proclaiming the Cause of the Bab. Perhaps these could be thought of as proto-institutions? I'd be grateful for any insights. Thank you Brent I know of no inst ---------- 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)
