What do Baha'i believe about Jesus.

[Mister Emu]

Topic says it all, or more appropriatley asks.

 

[BruceDLimber]

Hi!

Baha'is view Jesus as God-sent, and as a Divine Messenger sent here for our guidance and salvation. His titles are Christ (of course!) and the Son of God, and we stipulate His virgin birth. He fulfilled Judaic prophecies (such as in Daniel) and was opposed, maltreated, and crucified by His opponents, but the Christ Spirit is eternal and lives on!

You can read much more about Jesus (and the Baha'i view of Him) in the Baha'i scriptures, which you can find at:
- www.bahai-library.org (click "Baha'i Writings" for our scriptures),
- www.reference.bahai.org (this site is multilingual), and
- www.bahaistudy.org (this site also has videos and talking books).

Regards, and good hunting!

Bruce

 

[Lloyd]

What Baha'is believe about Jesus isn't too different than what Christians believe about Jesus. Our beliefs about Jesus are more akin to an unorthodox branch within Christianity. One of the most interesting beliefs is the twist given to the belief that Jesus is both human and divine. Rather than the incarnate word descending from Heaven, Jesus is seen as a perfectly polished mirror reflecting the light of God. So even though God is beyond human comprehension, all who were lucky enough to look into the face of Jesus were also looking into the face of God, so to speak.

The teachings that clearly distinguish Baha'is from Christians though are the ones that explain the relationship of Jesus to other manifestations of God. His mission was just as he said it was except from a Baha'i perspective it is only one part of a much broader project of which Muhammed, the Buddha, Baha'u'llah, and others play a part. Thus, Jesus is not privileged above the founders of other world religions.

 

[andyjamal]

"As to the position of Christianity, let it be stated without any hesitation or equivocation that its divine origin is unconditionally acknowledged, that the Sonhip and Divinity of Jesus Christ are fearlessly asserted, that the divine inspiration of the Gospel is fully recognized, that the reality of the mystery of the Immaculacy of the Virgin Mary is confessed, and the primacy of Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, is upheld and defended. The Founder of the Christian Faith is designated by Baha'u'llah as the "Spirit of God," is proclaimed as the One Who "appeared out of the breath of the Holy Ghost," and is even extolled as the "Essence of the Spirit." His mother is described as "that veiled and immortal, that most beauteous, countenance," and the station of her Son eulogized as a "station which hath been exalted above the imaginings of all that dwell on earth," whilst Peter is recognized as one whom God has caused "the mysteries of wisdom and utterance to flow out of his mouth." "Know thou," Baha'u'llah has moreover testified, "that when the Son of Man yielded up His breath to God, the whole creation wept with a great weeping. By sacrificing Himself, however, a fresh capacity was infused into all created things. Its evidences, as witnessed in all the peoples of the earth, are now manifest before thee. The deepest wisdom which the sages have uttered, the profoundest learning which any mind hath unfolded, the arts which the ablest hands have produced, the influence exerted by the most potent of rulers, are but the manifestations of the quickening power released by His transcendent, His all-pervasive and resplendent Spirit. We testify that when He came into the world, He shed the splendor of His glory upon all created things. Through Him the leper recovered from the leprosy of perversity and ignorance. Through Him the unchaste and wayward were healed. Through His power, born of Almighty God, the eyes of the blind were opened and the soul of the sinner sanctified. . . . He it is Who purified the world. Blessed is the man who, with a face beaming with light, hath turned towards Him.""


--Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is Come, 269


I thought of this passage and knew that I couldn't put it any better.

 

[Judgement Day]

Since Baha'is believe in the Quran, where is it in there which explains that Jesus is Son of God?

 

[Popeyesays]

Since Baha'is believe in the Quran, where is it in there which explains that Jesus is Son of God?

"Son of God" is not a Bahai belief if you mean "son" as progeny of God. Son of God as a metaphoric name is okay because it does not claim paternity or desendence.

Usually Jesus is refered to as the "Spirit of God" in Baha`i writings.
"Son of Man" is something different of course. It is involved with Jesus as the Messiah.

Regards,
Scott

 

[Judgement Day]

"Son of God" is not a Bahai belief if you mean "son" as progeny of God. Son of God as a metaphoric name is okay because it does not claim paternity or desendence.

Usually Jesus is refered to as the "Spirit of God" in Baha`i writings.
"Son of Man" is something different of course. It is involved with Jesus as the Messiah.

I can differentiate that.

On your second statement, do you have a reference to that in the Quran? Or is it just according to Baha'i writings.

Thx

 

[Popeyesays]

I can differentiate that.

On your second statement, do you have a reference to that in the Quran? Or is it just according to Baha'i writings.

Thx

"Son of Man" only comes up once in my search in the Mathnavi, by Rumi. The passage has a number of footnotes to the Qur'an, so I include them:
And you bowed down to it, saying, 'Thou art my God.' 4
The golden calf lowed; but what did it say,
That the fools should feel all this devotion to it?
You have seen many more wondrous works done by me,
But where is the base man who accepts the truth?
What is it that charms vain men but vanity?
What else pleases the foolish but folly?
Because each kind is charmed by its own kind,
Does a cow ever seek the lion?
Did the wolf show love to Joseph, 5
Or only fraud upon fraud with a view to devour him?
True, if it lose his wolf-like nature it becomes a friend;
Even as the dog of the cave became a son of man. 6
When good Abu Bakr saw Muhammad,
He recognized his truth, saying, 'This one is true;'
When Abu Bakr caught the perfume of Muhammad,
He said, 'This is no false one.'
But Abu Jahl, who was not one of the sympathizers,
Saw the moon split asunder, yet believed not.
If from a sympathizer, to whom it is well known,
I withhold the truth, still 'tis not hidden from him;
But he who is ignorant and without sympathy,
However much I show him the truth, he sees it not.
The mirror of the heart must needs be polished
Before you can distinguish fair and foul therein."
*NOTES:
1. Anwari Suhaili, i. 27.
2. Koran lxxvi. 21.
3. Koran xvii. 110.
4. See Koran xx. 90.
5. Koran xii. 17.
6. Koran xviii. 17.
(Mathnavi of Rumi (E.H. Whinfield tr), The Masnavi Vol 2)
------------------

This is from the Psalms, not the Christian Old Testament, but the English translation straight from the Hebrew in the Tanakh:
8,2 O LORD, our Lord, how glorious is Thy name in all the earth! {N}
whose majesty is rehearsed above the heavens.
8,3 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast Thou founded strength, {N}
because of Thine adversaries; that Thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
8,4 When I behold Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, {N}
the moon and the stars, which Thou hast established;
8,5 What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that Thou thinkest of him?
(Kesuvim (Writings), Tehillim (Psalms))

80,15 O God of hosts, return, we beseech Thee; {N}
look from heaven, and behold, and be mindful of this vine,
80,16 And of the stock which Thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that Thou madest strong for Thyself.
80,17 It is burned with fire, it is cut down; they perish at the rebuke of Thy countenance.
80,18 Let Thy hand be upon the man of Thy right hand, upon the son of man whom Thou madest strong for Thyself.
80,19 So shall we not turn back from Thee; quicken Thou us, and we will call upon Thy name.
80,20 O LORD God of hosts, restore us; cause Thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.
(Kesuvim (Writings), Tehillim (Psalms))

144,1 [A Psalm] of David. Blessed be the LORD my Rock, who traineth my hands for war, {N}
and my fingers for battle;
144,2 My lovingkindness, and my fortress, my high tower, and my deliverer; {N}
my shield, and He in whom I take refuge; who subdueth my people under me.
144,3 LORD, what is man, that Thou takest knowledge of him? or the son of man, that Thou makest account of him?
144,4 Man is like unto a breath; his days are as a shadow that passeth away.
(Kesuvim (Writings), Tehillim (Psalms))

Praise the LORD, O my soul.
146,2 I will praise the LORD while I live; I will sing praises unto my God while I have my being.
146,3 Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.
146,4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his dust; in that very day his thoughts perish.
146,5 Happy is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,
146,6 Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is; {N}
who keepeth truth for ever;
(Kesuvim (Writings), Tehillim (Psalms))

This passage from the Book of Daniel sounds so much like Muhammad in the presence of Gabriel, that it gave me a shiver:
"8,15 And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, that I sought to understand it; and, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man. 8,16 And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of Ulai, who called, and said: 'Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.' 8,17 So he came near where I stood; and when he came, I was terrified, and fell upon my face; but he said unto me: 'Understand, O son of man; for the vision belongeth to the time of the end.' 8,18 Now as he was speaking with me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face toward the ground; but he touched me, and set me upright. 8,19 And he said: 'Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the latter time of the indignation; for it belongeth to the appointed time of the end."
(Kesuvim (Writings), Daniel)

This from the Torah:
"23,19 God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent: when He hath said, will He not do it? or when He hath spoken, will He not make it good? 23,20 Behold, I am bidden to bless; and when He hath blessed, I cannot call it back."
(Torah (Law), Bamidbar (Numbers))

There are 93 usages of the term "Son of Man" in the Book of Ezekiel alone.
In Isaiah twice, I include this one:
"56,1 Thus saith the LORD: Keep ye justice, and do righteousness; for My salvation is near to come, and My favour to be revealed. 56,2 Happy is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that holdeth fast by it: that keepeth the sabbath from profaning it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil. {S} 56,3 Neither let the alien, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying: 'The LORD will surely separate me from His people'; neither let the eunuch say: 'Behold, I am a dry tree.' {P}
56,4 For thus saith the LORD concerning the eunuchs that keep My sabbaths, and choose the things that please Me, and hold fast by My covenant: 56,5 Even unto them will I give in My house and within My walls a monument and a memorial better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting memorial, that shall not be cut off."
(Nev'im (Prophets), Yeshayahu (Isaiah))

In the Gospels Jesus refers to Himself as the "Son of Man" almost fifty times, and the reference "Son of God" occurs less than ten and those are not words from His own mouth most of the time.

Regards,
Scott

 

[BruceDLimber]

Greetings!

Since Baha'is believe in the Quran, where is it in there which explains that Jesus is Son of God?

Not all proofs need to appear in every book. We accept Jesus Sonship (which as has already been pointed out does not refer to being a literal offspring) regardless of whether or not it appears in the Qur'an.

And it's important to remember that we Baha'is base our faith and beliefs on the Baha'i scriptures. The others, while equally true, rank as supplemental to our own scriptures.

Peace,

Bruce

 

[Judgement Day]

Thank you, Scott and Bruce for answering my questions.

 

[BruceDLimber]

Our pleasure!

Please keep the questions coming. . . .

 

[barnabus]

I realize that this question may seem somewhat uneducated, but once a practioner of the Baha'i faith claimed that this new prophet of his religion was the reembodiment of Christ. Is this true in you eyes?

 

[Popeyesays]

I realize that this question may seem somewhat uneducated, but once a practioner of the Baha'i faith claimed that this new prophet of his religion was the reembodiment of Christ. Is this true in you eyes?

Its fine Barnabus - questions are always welcome.

As to the question the answer is Yes. And No.

We believe that Jesus was a Manifestation of God - a perfect Mirror to shine the Holy Spirit upon mankind and educate mankind as to the will of God.

So Jesus was unique in that sense. He had a body born of a woman in a particular place and time, that lived and died to the physical world like any man. in that regard He is an individual human being.

But God has sent other Manifestations of God before Jesus, and after Jesus. The major religions founded by Abraham, Krsna, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha Jesus, Muhammad, the Bab and Baha`u'llah are all foundede by a Manifestation of God Who was born of a woman in a particular time and place, Who lived and died as a man upon the earth - an individual.

But to Baha`i's These Perfect Mirrors for the reflection of The Holy Spirit are also one and the same. The same Spirit, the same Voice, the same Source, the same Station.

So while They are distinct humans They are also the same "Essence".

Why? Because the Revelation of God is ongoing - Progressive Steps and each Manifestation revealed as much as God pleased Him to do.

Regards,
Scott

 

[lunamoth]

Hi Scott,

I'm wondering if you could clarify the prophecy about the twin Manifestations Baha'is believe was fulfilled by the concurrent appearance of the Bab and Baha'u'llah. I seem to remember reading about it in William Sears Thief in the Night, but it was not clear to me then and now I've forgotten even that little bit.

It is postulated that Christians are actually expecting a twin reappearance of Christ, or perhaps I am misremembering? Perhaps you would say that Christ has come three times if you include Mohammed (pbuh), but that's not what I mean. Isn't there something specific about the Bab and Baha'u'llah appearing together?

peace and hope your fast is going well,
lunamoth

 

[barnabus]

Lunamoth, Christian wise I think you refer to the Two Witnesses, who would herald the Second Coming of Christ. (11 Chapter of Revelations). Anyways, in all due respect, I would like the BF interpretation of this passage.

The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. (Luke, 16:16)

 

[Popeyesays]

Hi Scott,

I'm wondering if you could clarify the prophecy about the twin Manifestations Baha'is believe was fulfilled by the concurrent appearance of the Bab and Baha'u'llah. I seem to remember reading about it in William Sears Thief in the Night, but it was not clear to me then and now I've forgotten even that little bit.

It is postulated that Christians are actually expecting a twin reappearance of Christ, or perhaps I am misremembering? Perhaps you would say that Christ has come three times if you include Mohammed (pbuh), but that's not what I mean. Isn't there something specific about the Bab and Baha'u'llah appearing together?

peace and hope your fast is going well,
lunamoth

Are you talking about the Biblical verse about the "three great woes" matching up with the Qur'an's "two blasts upon the trumpet?"

If not, the twin Manifestation of the Bab and the Baha`u'llah is much like the roles of John the Baptist and Jesus. John was the "Herald" or "Forerunner" who prepared the way for Christ's appearance.

It is much the same for the Bab and Baha`u'llah. The Bab declared Himself in 1844, but He was an independent Manifestation of God as well as the Forerunner of Baha`u'llah.

The Bab promised "He Whom God Will Make Manifest" hundreds of times in His writings and speech. He promised that He (the Bab) would be two years younger than He Whom God Will Make Manifest, and that His followers would see signs of Him in the Year 9 1853) and in the year 19 (1863). Baha`u'llah was banished from Persia in 1853 and sent into exile 30 days later. He also became the leader of the Babi's by default and in the year 1863, He declared Himself to be 'He Whom God Wil Make Manifest'.

"The Universal House of Justice also explains that there are two types of religious covenant: "There is ... 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. If not, the Faith becomes divided and its force spent." In the Bahá'í Dispensation the Greater Covenant refers to the renewal of God's ancient Covenant through the appearance of the twin Manifestations of God, the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh, and the promise of another Manifestation to come in the future after the passage of at least one thousand years. The Lesser Covenant, in this case, refers to Bahá'u'lláh's Covenant with His followers, which establishes 'Abdu'l-Bahá as the Centre of the Covenant. I
(The Universal House of Justice, Messages 1963 to 1986, p. 737)


How have you been doing, Luna. Brian seems to be angry with me for mentioning that I felt more comfortable and welcome here than there so he banned me.

Regards,
Scott

 

[barnabus]

A second question, regarding the Baha'i interpretation of the New Testament.

And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. -Gospel of Matthew, 24:4,5

 

[barnabus]

A third question, regarding the Baha'i interpretation of the New Testament.

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. -Gospel of John, 14:6

 

[lunamoth]

Lunamoth, Christian wise I think you refer to the Two Witnesses, who would herald the Second Coming of Christ. (11 Chapter of Revelations). Anyways, in all due respect, I would like the BF interpretation of this passage.

The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. (Luke, 16:16)

Hi barnabus, thank you for the input.

3And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth." 4These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.

Scott can tell you better than I, but I think Baha'is interpret these witnesses to be Muhammad (pbuh) and Ali (his nephew and first Imam?).

peace,
lunamoth

 

[lunamoth]

Are you talking about the Biblical verse about the "three great woes" matching up with the Qur'an's "two blasts upon the trumpet?"

If not, the twin Manifestation of the Bab and the Baha`u'llah is much like the roles of John the Baptist and Jesus. John was the "Herald" or "Forerunner" who prepared the way for Christ's appearance.

No, it was something else I am remembering from the Sears book. Perhaps it's been discredited now but I seem to remember that he claimed the Bible (Daniel, I think, and not only the woes) holds a very specific prophecy about two manifestations arising together. I think it invovled the archangel Michael or something. Darn. I gave away my copy of that book. It's just that I remember when I was reading it that I was thinking, hmmm, as a Christian I never heard of this twin manifestation thing...

How have you been doing, Luna. Brian seems to be angry with me for mentioning that I felt more comfortable and welcome here than there so he banned me.

Regards,
Scott

I'm fine, thank you. Well that was rather rude, especially since you repeated the insult twice. I almost PM'd you myself over it, but then decided just to stay out of it. These may be public forums, but in a way they are also like visiting someone's house. Oh well.

luna