John Ferraby

John Graham Ferraby (born January 9, 1914 in Southsea , United Kingdom - † September 5, 1973 in Cambridge , United Kingdom) was a British author , Baha'i and one of the eight hands of the Cause , who were appointed by Shoghi Effendi in 1957 .

Life

John Ferraby grew up in Southsea, Hampshire , where he lived until 1936 when his father died. The family then moved to London . John Ferraby was educated at Malvern College and studied mathematics and experimental psychology at King's College , Cambridge . He worked for the opinion polling company "Mass Observation" and later for the British Export Trade Organization.

In 1941 he was made aware of the Bahaitum. In a library he found further information, including John Esslemont's book " Baha'u'llah and the New Era". He was also able to meet Hasan Balyuzi and other Baha'i. John Ferraby spoke to them every evening and after two weeks decided to become a Baha'i himself.

As early as 1942 he was elected to the Local Spiritual Council of London and the National Spiritual Council of the British Isles . In 1943 he married Dorothy Cansdale. The couple's daughter, Bridget, was born in 1945. From 1946 to 1959, John Ferraby was secretary to the National Spiritual Council. He initially performed this task from home during his free time, but from 1950 as a full-time secretary.

In December 1954, he and his family moved into the top floor of the national administrative center newly acquired by the National Spiritual Council. He also managed the British Bahai publishing house for a long time. In the early 1950s he wrote a booklet on Baha'i economics and one on progressive divine revelation . Furthermore, John Ferraby was a member of the Africa Committee from 1951 to 1956, which had the task of spreading the Baha'i faith in Africa . His numerous duties on this committee also included writing a simple introductory booklet in the Baha'i Faith for distribution in Africa, and organizing its translation and printing into twelve African languages.

In 1955 he made his pilgrimage to the Baha'i World Center in Haifa and met Shoghi Effendi, who suggested that he write more about the Baha'i Faith. After his return he wrote the work "All Things Made New", which makes extensive use of quotations from the Baha'i scriptures and has therefore long been regarded as a standard reference work and an introductory work. This work has been published in the British Isles, the United States and India . On October 2, 1957, John Ferraby was appointed a hand of the cause of God by Shoghi Effendi. Shoghi Effendi died on November 4, 1957 in London and was buried there. Since John Ferraby lived in London, he had to shoulder many tasks related to this funeral. After the funeral, he worked with Rúhíyyih Khanum on the publication of a pamphlet on the passing of Shoghi Effendi. This brochure has also been translated into German and published. In 1959 he was elected one of the Hands of the Cause of God to take over the trusteeship of the Baha'i Faith from Haifa. He represented the hands of the cause in the election of the first National Spiritual Council of Norway in 1962. John Ferraby lived in Haifa until the election of the first Universal House of Justice to Ridvan in 1963. He then returned to Great Britain and moved with his family to Cambridge. There he worked as a secretary for the hands of the cause in Europe . He traveled extensively in Europe attending numerous conferences, assemblies and summer schools and consulting with national spiritual councils. In the late 1960s, his health deteriorated and he limited his activities. On September 5, 1973, he died while sleeping in Cambridge, where he was buried.

Works

• All things made new: a comprehensive outline of the Bahá'í Faith . Bahá'í Publishing Trust, London 1957.
• All things made new: a comprehensive outline of the Bahá'í Faith . 2nd revised edition. Bahá'í Publishing Trust, London 1987.
• with Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khanum: The Passing of Shoghi Effendi . Bahá'í Publishing Trust, London 1958.
• with Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khanum: The passing of Shoghi Effendis . Bahá'í-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1958.
• Bahá'í Teachings on Economics . Bahá'í Publishing Trust, London 1954.
• Progressive revelation . Bahá'í Publishing Trust, London 1954.

literature

• Barron Deems Harper: Lights of Fortitude . George Ronald, Oxford, UK 2007, ISBN 978-0-85398-413-9 , pp. 400-404 .
• Dorothy Ferraby: The Bahá'í World . Ed .: The Universal House of Justice. tape XVI . Haifa 1978, ISBN 0-85398-075-6 , pp. 511-512 .
• The Universal House of Justice (Ed.): Ministry of the Custodiens 1957-1963 . Haifa 1992, ISBN 0-85398-350-X .

Web links

• Photo by Ferraby