Final Paper by Eddy Hall

A Brief Summary

I remember the first time I read the Book of Certitude and the excitement of reading Baha'u'llah's explanation of the symbols and signs accompanying the appearance of a Manifestation. That the form by which spiritual truth is preserved in the scriptures is metaphor and parable and that this language is twofold. Firstly plain and straight forward pointers showing the path, acting as a beacon and the other a spiritual meaning, sorry, spiritual Truth innumerable but dependent on purity of heart, chastity of soul and freedom of spirit and therefore totally independent of academic knowledge. An illiterate person may even be in a better position than a doctor may of religion, more able to accept the truth than ones whose knowledge "becomes the most grievous of veils."

What types of knowledge veil, how does knowledge veil one, how do you consume the veil & how do we acquire knowledge and know that it is true knowledge?

And just when I am thinking, "well ok what you did was enough" I reread Mr. Hooper Dunbar's analysis of how we acquire knowledge and say to myself "What do you really know?"

So some form of summing up is necessary.

1. Each prophet has been opposed at the time of his appearance. This is the essential truth and a matter not so much of belief but historical fact. Baha'u'llah gradually brings out the various aspects and sheds light on the forms, which this opposition takes.
2. Suns, moons and stars are used as symbols representing Prophets, divines and prayer and fasting in the heaven of revelation
3. Death, sleep & resurrection and wakefulness are not the physical conditions but concern the life of the spirit, (the spirit of faith) not the human spirit.
4. The return of The Imam Husayn's and His martyrdom and the circumstances surrounding it are echoed both in the Martyrdom of the Báb and exile of Bahá'u'lláh, particularly Bahá'u'lláh's stay in Constantinople.
5. The Tablet of Ahmad is like a summery of the Book of Certitude! To be more accurate it encapsulates some of the key concepts. A worthy study subject and perhaps we should think of studying it online.
6. The Tree of Life and lamp of God refer to the manifestation. Here it would be interesting to examine the evolution of the tree symbol throughout history.
7. And how could I forget! The essential oneness of the prophets and their twin stations and that they each have a specific mission and manifest a particular attributes although they posses all and reflect the light of God from the purest and most polished mirror of their hearts.

Ideas

1. A closer examination of 'Jesus Christ Superstar' and how it depicts opposition to the manifestation. One would use the Book of Certitude as a balance and guide to achieve this. An examination of contemporary objections to this musical work which has been called blasphemous, sacrilegious and was banned outright in some countries such as South Africa.

2. Baha'u'llah states that every nation has had its messengers & prophets. Perhaps some like William Blake have been poets and artists. What about the Native American prophet Black Elk and the Egyptian king Akhenaten who turned his back on the old gods, proclaiming and worshiping one God.