Extracts from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh and `Abdu'l-Bahá and from the Letters

Universal House of JusticeProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.7

Word count: 97K words
Chapters: 10

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Extracts from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh and `Abdu'l-Bahá and from the LettersAuthor: Universal House of Justice,Language: English, Class: BP: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Islam, Bahaism, Theosophy, Other and new beliefs, Release Date: Sep 18, 2006

Editor's review

Compiled by the Universal House of Justice, this anthology gathers passages from the writings and letters of Bahá'u'lláh and `Abdu'l-Bahá. It is a thematic selection rather than a continuous treatise. Its value lies in giving readers access, in a relatively short space, to how core Bahá'í texts express themselves, and in showing how a single theme unfolds and echoes across different authors. The thematic arrangement lets readers move between topics and makes the book convenient for quotation and comparison; it suits those seeking an introductory sampler of the faith's basic ideas or supplementary classroom material. Because it is an extract collection, the passages lack a complete chain of argument, and readers must supply context themselves; the public-domain English electronic text also has no modern introduction or notes. Overall, it is better suited to readers with some initial background who wish to encounter the original formulations directly than to those seeking a systematic theological introduction.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Beginning readers who want direct contact with passages from core Bahá'í texts
Organizers who need thematic selections for teaching or reading groups
Readers interested in religious anthologies and citation conventions
Learners with some English reading ability who prefer close reading of short passages

Not a good fit for

Beginners who need a systematic doctrinal introduction or a full historical narrative
Readers who expect a continuous argument and do not want to supply context themselves
Readers who read only Chinese and will not accept an English public-domain text

Reading tips

Begin with the table of contents or section headings and read in thematic batches, rather than straight through, to avoid a fragmentary impression.
Note the source and author of each passage so as to distinguish the formulations of Bahá'u'lláh, `Abdu'l-Bahá, and the letters.
Choose two or three themes of interest for comparative reading and observe how the same idea unfolds across different passages.
Read alongside a concise overview of the Bahá'í faith to compensate for the lack of context in an anthology.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this a complete work or an anthology of extracts?

It is an anthology of extracts compiled by the Universal House of Justice, gathering passages from the writings and letters of Bahá'u'lláh and `Abdu'l-Bahá. It is arranged thematically rather than as a continuous treatise, so readers must supply context between passages themselves.

Is it suitable as an introduction to the Bahá'í faith?

It can serve as an introductory sampler of the original formulations, but it does not provide a systematic doctrinal introduction or historical narrative. Readers with no background should read it alongside an overview; otherwise they may gain only scattered passages without an overall framework.

How should the extracts be read most effectively?

Read in thematic batches, note the source and author of each passage, and select two or three themes for comparison to observe how the same idea is expressed differently by different authors. This brings out the value of the anthology better than reading straight through.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Universal House of Justice Author

The Universal House of Justice is the supreme international governing body of the Bahá'í Faith, seated at the Bahá'í World Centre in Haifa, Israel. Established by Bahá'u'lláh, it has been elected every five years since 1963 by members of national spiritual assemblies, and it applies Bahá'í teachings to social development, issues messages, and publishes compilations. Five of its works are held here, including The Promise of World Peace and compilations on Bahá'í education, women, and peace, such as A Compilation on Bahá'í Education, A Compilation on Women, and Compilation on Peace, along with an extract from the writings and letters of Bahá'u'lláh and `Abdu'l-Bahá. These works consist mainly of doctrinal texts and public messages, offering a faith-based perspective on these topics for believers and general readers. Public information is limited, and no personal biography applies to this corporate author.