The secret of divine culture

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The treatise The Secret of Divine Culture was written by Abdul-Baha in 1875 and is an appeal to the leadership elite and the people of Persia .

background

The Persian Shah Naser al-Din decided in 1875 to initiate the progress of his people, their welfare and security as well as the prosperity of the country. Abdul-Baha therefore felt it necessary to compose this treatise in Persian as a contribution to those high-minded endeavors . To demonstrate that its sole purpose is to promote the common good, the original was anonymously lithographed in Mumbai in 1882 . The first English translation appeared in London in 1910 under the title Mysterious Forces of Civilization . A second edition appeared in Chicago in 1918 . "An important Baha'i philosopher" is stated as the author. In German , this was 1928-1930 under the title The mysterious powers of culture -Bahai magazine in the Sun of Truth published. Marzieh Gail then re-translated the original into English, which was published in 1957 under the title The Secret of Divine Civilization and named Abdul-Baha as the authors. This more precise new version was published in German in 1973 under the title The Secret of Divine Culture .

content

After an introduction by the hand of Horace Holley, the work “The Secret of Divine Culture” begins, in which Abdul-Baha first appeals to promote civilization . Among other things, he explains the background to the hostility to reform and discusses the requirements of parliamentarianism . He also defines the hierarchy of society and explains the level and characteristics of the true educated person who becomes aware of his political obligation - not as a tiresome burden, but in deep love for value concepts, models and goals and in mercy for the needs of humanity . However, he warns of a purely outward civilization that never produces results that will please God and guarantee the peace and welfare of men. He therefore recommends the culture , which, in his opinion, is based on religion and describes the emergence and decay of the culture of the Israelites, the emergence of Christian culture and the decline of Europe in the Middle Ages and Islam as the basis of Western culture. Abdul-Baha quotes numerous verses from the Koran throughout the work to appeal to the conscience of the Islamic nation of Persia.

literature

  • Abdu'l Baha: Risáliy-i-mandaníyyih . Bombay 1892.
  • Abdu'l Baha: The Mysterious Forces of Civilization . Cope & Fenwick, London 1910.
  • Abdu'l Baha: The Mysterious Forces of Civilization . Baha'i Publishing Society, Chicago 1918.
  • Abdu'l Baha: The Sun of Truth: magazine for world religion and world unity . Stuttgart, S. 98, 117 (1928/1929).
  • Abdu'l Baha: The Sun of Truth: magazine for world religion and world unity . Stuttgart, S. 37,55,86,115,134,150,167 (1929/1930).
  • Abdu'l Baha: The Secret of Divine Civilization . Bahai Publishing Trust, Wilmette IL 1957.
  • Abdu'l Baha: The Secret of Divine Civilization . Bahai Publishing Trust, Wilmette IL 1990, ISBN 0-87743-008-X ( bahai.org ).
  • Abdu'l Baha: The Secret of Divine Culture . Bahai-Verlag, Oberkalbach 1973, ISBN 3-87037-060-2 ( holy-writings.com ).
  • Abdu'l Baha: Risáliy-i madaníyyih . Bahai-Verlag, Hofheim-Langenhain 1984.