Fallen Stars or
Brilliant Suns?: Babi-Baha'i attitudes towards the priestly, `ulama' and other religiously learned classes.
ABSTRACT
Stephen
Lambden (UC-Merced)
In past
sacred literatures the priestly, `ulama', or learned classes generally have
been greatly exalted as the custodians and exemplars of religious truth,
ritual practices, sacred traditions and salvific insights. Through their
access to sacred scripture and specialist knowledge they have striven to
educate and guide the masses of humanity on the paths to truth. Countless
Jewish, Christian and Muslim as well as Buddhist, Hindu and other educators
have left a huge legacy of religious and related writings which have
contributed to the general and religious evolution of humanity. The
sometimes saintly lives of many such persons served as befitting examples of
a life devoted to God and the service to humanity. Others were
self-centered, did little but obscure truth from their communities, and left
a legacy of hatred and obscurantism for which they have been severely
criticized. In this paper a few of the lives and contributions of select
learned persons will be investigated and certain appreciative or
condemnatory Babi-Baha'i and modern academic references to them set
forth.
The lives and literary contributions of a few outstanding patristic and
later Christian figures such as Augustine of Hippo (334-430 CE) and Martin
Luther (1483-1546) will be sketched and critically assessed as will
those of a few key Muslim sages and mystics including Ibn al-`Arabi
(1165-1240), Ibn Hajar al-Askalani (d. 852/1449), Muhammad ibn al-Husayn,
Baha al-Din al-Amili (d. Isfahan 1031/1622) and Muhammad Baqir Majlisi (d.
1111/1700), author of the encyclopedic Bihar al-anwar (Oceans of
Lights) which was often cited by the Bab and Baha'u'llah.
Both the Bab and Baha'u'llah wrote many scriptural Tablets for
individuals of the learned, priestly or `ulama' classes. In the
Qayyum al-asma' (mid. 1844 CE) and Kitab-i aqdas (c. 1873), for example,
such persons are individually and collectively addressed. Many famous Babi
and Baha'i figures came from this background and made a major contribution
to Baha'i scholarship, apologetics and learning.
In this
paper it will also be noted that while the Baha'i religion does not have a
priestly or `ulama' type class, all individuals are nonetheless called upon
to educate both themselves and others to a very high level, from the cradle
to the grave. Much can be learned in this respect from a study of the
efforts of eminent and learned individuals of past times and ages in
addition to the example of the central figures of the Baha'i religion
itself. It will be argued that many priestly and learned individuals from
past religions should be viewed as brilliant "suns" of guidance rather
than one and all members of a depraved or "fallen star" class.
____________________________________
