My second question derives from the same sentence of the Guardian, in which he describes the fruit of the Bab's three-year banishment to the mountains of Adhirbayjan:
"Little did he [Aqasi] 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, and would afford Him the opportunity of safeguarding it from disintegration and schism..." (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 18) "The last three and most eventful years of the B�b's ministry had, as we have observed in the preceding pages, witnessed ... the establishment of that Lesser Covenant which was to safeguard the unity of His followers and pave the way for the advent of an incomparably mightier Revelation." (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 30) "The Covenant of the B�b, to which reference has already been made, with its immutable truths, incontrovertible prophecies, and repeated warnings, stood guard over that Faith, insuring its integrity, demonstrating its incorruptibility, and perpetuating its influence." (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By p. 170) The House of Justice has explained that the Lesser Covenant of a Manifestation concerns maintenance of the unity of the Faith during His Dispensation: "There is, for example, the Greater Covenant which every Manifestation of God makes with His followers, promising that in the fullness of time a new Manifestation will be sent, and taking from them the undertaking to accept Him when this occurs. There is also the Lesser Covenant that a Manifestation of God makes with His followers that they will accept His appointed successor after Him. If they do so, the Faith can remain united and pure." (The Universal House of Justice, letter to an individual believer dated 23 March, 1975, Compilation of Compilations, Vol. I, p. 111, Compilation on the Covenant) So to summarize, the Greater Covenant concerns the next Manifestation, and the Bab's promise of Baha'u'llah was, then, His Greater Covenant. The Lesser Covenant concerns the Successorship and maintains the unity of the Faith during the Prophet's Dispensation. Shoghi Effendi states in the above three quotes that during His banishment the Bab revealed His Covenant which safeguarded His Faith from schism; established His Lesser Covenant which safeguarded the unity of His followers; and that the Covenant of the Bab insured the integrity of His Faith. These three quotes sound like the function of the Covenant concerning the successorship. However, as Shoghi Effendi has written: "A successor or vicegerent the B�b never named, an interpreter of His teachings He refrained from appointing." (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 28) What, then, constituted the Lesser Covenant of the Bab? Brent ---------- 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)
