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2013
Islam is not often represented in the Journal of the American Academy of Religion. Even less so is Baha'ism, the independent, minor world religion known as the Baha'i Faith, which emerged from its sectarian chrysalis and decisively broke from Islam in the last century. The publication of "Behold the Man: Baha'u'llah on the Life of Jesus" is thus something of an event in the emergence of Baha'i studies as a recognized sub-field in the Study of Religion.
Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses, 1992
Baha’i Studies Review, 1997
Christopher Buck, Reviews of Peter Smith, A Short History of the Baha’i Faith; and Moojan Momen, A Short Introduction to the Baha’i Faith. Baha’i Studies Review 7 (1997): 95–99. ABSTRACT Book Review – Introductory books on the Bahá’í Faith A Short History of the Bahá’í Faith Author: Peter Smith Publisher: Oneworld, Oxford, 1996, 168 pages A Short Introduction to the Bahá’í Faith Author: Moojan Momen Publisher: Oneworld, Oxford, 1997, 150 pages Reviewer: Christopher Buck If the academic study of religion could be thought of as a graph, the x-axis might represent the history of religions, while the y-axis would represent the phenomenology of religion. The former is diachronic (historical), the latter synchronic (systemic, structural). This is one way of appreciating how usefully the two volumes by Peter Smith and Moojan Momen complement each other. . . . After treating the Shí’í and Shaykhí background of the Bábí movement, Smith distinguishes the paradigm-shift that took place in the latter part of the Báb’s ministry: “Although still employing Shí’í and particularly Shaykhi terminology and concepts, these later writings indicate that, as well as superseding Islamic law, the Báb was also now presenting a new religious framework distinct from that of Islam. There was a clear contrast with his earlier writings, which were written within an Islamic paradigm” (37). What, then, represents the paradigm-shift from Bábism to the Bahá’í Faith? Smith writes: “The Bahá’í concept of the future millennium has also become linked with a specific programme of social reform and transformation. This does not have any real precedent in the Bábí movement” (156). One distinctive dynamic evident in the Bahá’í paradigm has not received sufficient attention: that Bahá’u’lláh made peace, equality and unity sacred. In incorporating theretofore secular concerns, from disarmament to gender equality, Bahá’u’lláh generated a process that may be characterized as “sacralizing the secular.” Turning now to A Short Introduction to the Bahá’í Faith, . . . [w]ithout anachronism, retrojection, or romanticization, Momen’s approach is the inverse of Smith’s and this is another aspect of their complementarity. Steering clear of any historicism or similar reductionism, the author also distances Bahá’í teachings from any alleged eclecticism or syncretism. Allowing that “all religions, including the Bahá’í Faith, will, to some extent, contain echoes of each other,” Momen states his intent: “I hope to show that the Bahá’í Faith also has its own teachings that are new and innovative” (3). Does the author deliver on this promise? Momen’s elaboration of Bahá’í teachings is systematic, clear, and, in all major respects, comprehensive. The author finally does identify the distinctiveness of the Bahá’í paradigm towards the end of the book: “The key difference between the Bahá’í Faith and the main established religions of the world is the fact that its vision was created within the last hundred years, and so has an immediacy and relevance that visions that had their origins a thousand years ago or more lack. . . . The Bahá’í Faith presents a unique integrated vision of the present state of the world and its future direction. This vision embraces politics, economics, environmental considerations, social issues, social administration, community development, ethical issues and spirituality” (139). To the credit of these two academics, the drawbridge of the ivory tower has been lowered across the moat of disciplinary obfuscation above the murky and forbidding currents of academic discourse, over which the scholar must walk in order to speak to an audience for whom matters of the head are also matters of the heart.
Orientalia Christiana Periodica, 2000
Review of Christopher Buck, Paradise and Paradigm: Key Symbols in Persian Christianity and the Baha’i Faith. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1999. (Release date: May 13, 1999.) By Edward G. Farrugia, S.J. Orientalia Christiana Periodica 66.2 (2000): 480–483. ABSTRACT The work, originally a doctoral dissertation successfully defended at the Centre for the Study of Religion, University of Toronto, in 1996 (p. xiii), is meant to be an experiment in comparison (p. 313). Given his background, the author sought to compare Christianity with the Baha’i religion established in Baghdad by Mirza Ḥusayn-‘Ali Baha’ Allah, (1817–1892), a name officially spelt Baha’u’llah, meaning “Glory of God” (p. 2). In order to compare like with like, Buck concentrated on East Syrian Christianity, since this form of Christianity and the Baha’i Faith are two culturally related Abrahamic traditions in the Iranian context (p. 1). In Late Antiquity, the world had two superpowers, Rome and Persia, with the Sasanian Empire, which held sway from 224 to 651 practically always at war with the Roman Empire, save for short periods (p. 4). From an ecclesial viewpoint, while in present-day Iran Armenian Christians outnumber Assyrian Christians two to one, originally — until the devastations caused by the Mongols — it was Syrian Christianity which prevailed in Sasanian Iran, then much larger than now (p. 313). A way of stating the question of the book is to ask how “Persian” was Persian Christianity (p. 313). As is generally known, “paradise” is a Persian loan word (p. 1), and so is the word for sacraments, “raze”. The author restricts himself to the formative period of East Syrian writings, before a Church of Persia was officially constituted — and that means primarily Aphrahat the Persian Sage and Ephrem the Syrian (p. 9), from both of whom derives the grammar of images prevalent in Syriac spirituality in its formative period (p. 39). Buck explains the title of his book as follows: “Paradise may function as a master-symbol of a core religious paradigm, a controlling, conceptual model that governs ideal beliefs and behaviors” (p. 10). In its methodological intent, the work is more structural than historical (p. 11). The methodological justification that follows is particularly worth reading, for it gives us the author’s bearings, especially where he stands in comparison with other authors. Corresponding to the place occupied by symbols for East Syrian Christianity, one is pleased to see that symbol is the central category, as the sub-title would lead one to believe anyhow. Religions are described as a system of symbols, a symbol being, in turn, defined as an object or an act or an event which, metaphorically and narratively, enshrines a conception (p. 12). As Paul Ricoeur aptly puts it: “Le symbole donne a penser ... ” (p. 13). But besides providing food for thought, symbols possess a kind of collective “dream logic”, which penetrates beyond the limits of discursive thinking (p. 14). … In a nutshell, the symbolic approach may be said to reveal “creeds beyond words” (p. 315). To the author’s mind, in both early Christian and modern Baha’i texts one may observe a logic of higher agreement aiming at a synthetic unity of opposites. Soteriology is for the author the single most important heuristic key for comparing both religions (p. 315). But, while the Baha’i faith does not have a sacramental worldview, the paradigm of purity in Syriac Christianity presupposes a state of sanctification achieved through sacramental divinization (p. 317f). In the past, comparative religion fell into disrepute because of its poaching on alien territory and drawing conclusions unwarranted by the facts. On his own avowed methodological stance of not forcing identities but of explaining similarities by way of difference, Buck seems to have avoided the strictures against the old methods of comparison (see p. 320). Since the reviewer’s competence does not include the Baha’i religion, this review has purposely restricted itself to the presentation of East Syrian Christianity, which, besides providing much useful information, takes pains to avoid caricature. E. G. Farrugia, S.J.
This article offers a systematic and comprehensive overview of Baha'i theology and philosophy. Since Bahá'í thought is still in very nascent stages of development, without any established philosophical or theological schools, it is discussed within the comparative framework of what has already been long established in both of these scholarly fields. Bahá'í religious texts contain a great deal of philosophical passages and speculation, sometimes of a highly technical nature. Bahá'í scriptures make use of such Aristotelian terms as essence, substance, essential and accidental attributes, four-fold causality, potentiality, and its actualization, and so on. In addition to Aristotelian philosophical ideas, the Bahá'í Writings make use of a Neoplatonist concept of emanation. Overall, the article explores Bahá'í views in the areas of epistemology, ontology, philosophical anthropology, philosophy of religion and history, social and political philosophy, ethics, and aesthetics.
THE "BAHA'I FAITH": A "WORLD RELIGION"? — OR A "NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENT"? A Case of Changing Classifications The Publication: Christopher Buck, “Baha’i: History, Beliefs, Practices” and “Baha’i: Theological Exchanges, Current Issues.” Handbook of Religion: A Christian Engagement with Traditions, Teachings, and Practices. Edited by Terry C. Muck, Harold A. Netland, and Gerald R. McDermott. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2014. Pp. 714–719; 720–724. The Controversy: As originally planned, the Baha'i Faith was supposed to be featured as the last of the "world religions" in “Part 2: World Religions,” as chapters 26 through 29. I was asked by the lead editor, Terry C. Muck, to contribute these four chapters, which I did. The working relationship between editor and author was collegial and productive. Shortly before this multi-author volume went to press, however, there was in-house opposition (i.e. in the "Baker Academic" publishing house, a Christian press) to including the Baha'i Faith as a "world religion." The excuse given was that the Baha'i Faith did not fit the following definition of a "world religion": "Today we commonly call the religions that emerged from the Axial Age world religions. World religions have three distinguishing characteristics. They are old, large, and cross-cultural.” (p. 44) So the chapters on the Baha’i Faith (which the editors insisted on referring to as simply "Baha'i") were reduced from four essays to two, and were shortened in length as well. Instead of appearing in the “World Religions” section as first intended, the two published essays were placed as the final two essays in “Part 4: New Religious Movements.” The two chapters uploaded here were created to correspond as faithfully as possible to the published version, by reproducing text, format, and pagination. This is seen as preferable to posting scans of the two essays themselves, as the author does not have an eBook version of this multi-author volume. Research Interests: Religion, New Religious Movements, Comparative Religion, History, Sociology, and 14 more https://www.academia.edu/36192935/_Baha_i_History_Beliefs_Practices_and_Baha_i_Theological_Exchanges_Current_Issues_2014
2018
Scholar Meets Prophet: Edward Granville Browne and Baha’u’llah (Acre, 1890) Christopher Buck Independent Scholar, Pittsburgh Youli Ioannesyan Institute of Oriental Manuscripts, Russian Academy of Sciences, St Petersburg Baha’i Studies Review, Vol. 20 (2014, published 2018): 21–38. (The original publication (print or PDF) may be ordered online from Intellect.) ABSTRACT Rediscovery of contemporaneous handwritten notes by Cambridge orientalist, Edward Granville Browne,1 of his historic meetings with Baha’u’llah, prophet-founder of the Baha’i Faith in Akka (St Jean d’Acre), Palestine, during his stay there – which lasted from his arrival on Sunday, 13 April 1890, to Browne’s departure on Sunday, 20 April 1890 – significantly adds to our knowledge of those spiritual and momentous events. Given the fact that Baha’u’llah was to become widely regarded as the founder of a new world religion, Browne’s published account of his 16 April 1890 audience with Baha’u’llah takes on added significance as a rare first-hand description by a distinguished contemporary from the West. Although well-known to those acquainted with Baha’i history, relatively little is known regarding the sequence of events. This article will draw from Cambridge manuscripts to add some new details, and will draw a fuller picture of what transpired by use of Browne’s correspondence with Russian academics, along with known Baha’i sources judiciously compared with Azali sources. Together, a composite account of that historic encounter between scholar and prophet, Browne and Baha’u’llah, will be offered.
Bahá’í Faith: The Basics, 2021
Released by publisher online: eBook Preview PDF (front matter, Chapter 1, and References), https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9780429023088 Baha’i Faith: The Basics By: Christopher Buck Edition: 1st Edition First Published: 2021 eBook Published: 27 November 2020 Pub. location: London Imprint: Routledge DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429023088 Pages: 262 pages eBook: ISBN9780429023088 Subjects: Humanities Bahá’í Faith: The Basics provides a thorough and accessible introduction to a fascinating, independent world religion. Examining its historical development, current “community-building” efforts and the social contributions of the Bahá’í Faith in the world today, this introduction covers: • Beliefs: Bahá’í spiritual teachings. • Principles: Bahá’í social teachings. • History: Bahá’u’lláh and his covenant. • Scripture: Bahá’í sacred texts and inspired guidance. • Institutions: The Bahá’í Administrative Order. • Building community: What Bahá’ís do. • Social action: Bahá’í social and economic development projects. • Public discourse: The Bahá’í International Community. • Vision: Foundations for a future golden age. With features including a glossary of terms, and references to the Bahá’í writings throughout, this is the ideal text for students and interested readers wanting to familiarize themselves with the Bahá’í Faith. Reviews "This excellent, beautifully organized introduction provides an accurate and unusually rich entré into a relatively new and still somehow frequently misunderstood religion. The author, Christopher Buck, is a leading scholar of the Baha'i religion. His book is richly enhanced with quotations from official translations of the Baha'i sacred writings, insights into the formation of distinctive Baha'i institutions and rare glimpses of key moments in Baha'i intellectual history from an introduction to the influential African-American Baha'i philosopher, Alain Locke (d. 1954) known as 'the father of the Harlem Renaissance', to a discussion of the more recent development of the Ruhi Institute process. This introduction goes beyond existing textbooks in both scope and detail. It will be warmly welcomed by researchers and students of the Baha'i Faith." Todd Lawson, University of Toronto, Canada Christopher Buck is an independent scholar and former professor at Michigan State University, USA; Quincy University, USA; Millikin University, USA; and Carleton University, Canada.
BahaiTeachings.org, 2013
Baha’i Reflections on the “Seal of the Prophets” (Three Blogs).* * Note: These are personal reflections — not academic discourses. 1. Unsealing the “Seal of the Prophets” • Christopher Buck • Oct 1, 2013 • https://bahaiteachings.org/unsealing-the-seal-of-the-prophets 2. The Seal of the Prophets: Meeting God on the Last Day • Christopher Buck • Feb 12, 2016 • https://bahaiteachings.org/seal-of-the-prophets-meeting-god-on-the-last-day 3. Muhammad: the Last Prophet? • Christopher Buck • May 15, 2017 • https://bahaiteachings.org/last-prophet-muhammad _____________ Even as the Lord of being hath in His unerring Book [the Qur'an], after speaking of the "Seal" in His exalted utterance: "Muhammad is the Apostle of God and the Seal of the Prophets" [Qur'an 33:40], hath revealed unto all people the promise of "attainment unto the divine Presence." [Qur'an 33:44] … Nothing more exalted or more explicit than "attainment unto the divine Presence" hath been revealed in the Qur'an. … And yet, through the mystery of the former verse [Qur'an 33:40], they have turned away from the grace promised by the latter [Qur'an 33:44], despite the fact that "attainment unto the divine Presence" in the "Day of Resurrection" is explicitly stated in the Book. [Baha'u'llah, The Book of Certitude, Paragraphs 181–182.] This quote changed my life, challenged my thinking, gave me insight. Here's how:
Rakshit Bagde, 2022
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