Miracle of Jesus in the Baha'i religion

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The miracles of Jesus in the Baha'i religion , like the miracles, are interpreted spiritually by the revelators. Thus the resurrection acts of Jesus are interpreted as the resurrection from spiritual death - and not from physical death.

It is true that the revealers have the power to work miracles by virtue of their “ sovereignty ”, but they do not do this, since extra-natural miracles are neither suitable to legitimize the claims of the revealers nor to educate people spiritually. Moreover, such miracles are only verifiable by those who are direct witnesses of the miracle.

The Baha'i religion takes up the spiritual interpretation of miracles that already exist in Christian literature, continues on this path and, in its sacred texts, gives a consistent interpretation of the symbolism in the miracles of Jesus and the other revelators (e.g. . Jona , Mose , Mohammed ), which is compatible with the knowledge of modern science .

Interpretative approach

As manifestations of God , all revealers, including Jesus Christ , are “representatives of God”, “bearers of His names and the embodiments of His attributes” (KI 110). They are all "endowed with all the attributes of God such as sovereignty , rule and the like" (KI 110). This attribute of the revelators, which in Baha'ullah's book of certainty is called “invincible sovereignty” (KI 103) or in the Gospel “authority” (John 5:19 ff., Matt 7:29), is not a “majesty of earthly rulership ”But“ spiritual superiority over everything in heaven and on earth ”(KI 114).

Since it is a matter of “spiritual sovereignty” (KI 132) (cf. Jn 18, 36: “My kingdom is not of this world”), according to the Baha'i the miracles reported in the holy scriptures are the revelators of a spiritual nature and hence to interpret allegorically: “Consequently those passages of the holy books which tell of a blind man who saw, that he was blind inwardly and that he gained spiritual sight, or that he was ignorant and became wise, or that he was indifferent and became awake, or that he was worldly and became pious ”(BF 22).

Similarly, the Baha'i interpret the reports of the raising of the dead by Jesus (see above under types of miracles in the NT) as "spiritual rebirth" or spiritual change. Pure hearted people who engage with the revealer will be “born again” (Jn 3: 7). They are ready “for the sake of His holy cause to give up their clan, their property, their life, their old faith, yes everything but God”, while they have previously pursued earthly things (KI 163) and in the sense of “leave the dead to bury their dead ”(Mt 8:22) counted among the“ spiritually dead ”:“ Therefore, when the raising of the dead is mentioned in the sacred books, it means that they found eternal life ; when a blind man saw, what is meant is that seeing which signifies real, inner insight; if a deaf became hearing, it means that he attained spiritual and heavenly hearing. ”(BF 22)

Systematic-theological treatment of the miracles of Jesus

The two most important Baha'i apologists in the Muslim and Christian world, Mirza Abu'l-Fadl and George Townshend , treat the miracles of Jesus in their work and establish the need to understand these miracles spiritually.

Mirza Abu'l-Faḍl dedicates one chapter in each of his two works, Kitábu'l-Fará'id and Faṣlu'l- Kh ṭiáb , to the interpretation of the miracles of Jesus. In the introduction, Abu'l-Faḍl makes it clear that God and His manifestations by virtue of their omnipotence basically have the ability to perform (also material) signs and wonders. However, they did not set miracles as the criterion to legitimize their claims or to win over people, to convince them and to lead them to faith. The greatest miracle they perform is their words and deeds, which prevail over time and guide people to lead a spiritual life and advance human society and culture.

This is why Jesus, among others, refused to perform signs and wonders to prove his claim when the Pharisees and scribes asked him to do so (Mt 12: 38). Instead, he announced that he would only give the “mark of the prophet Jonah,” who was in the fish's belly for three days and nights (Jonah 2: 1). Abu'l-Faḍl further states that in the course of religious history it was never the early believers (e.g. the disciples of Christ ) who asked for a miracle, but always the opponents of the revelator. Therefore, Jesus describes those who approach him for a miracle as an "wicked and faithless generation". In addition, material miracles would never have made people believe in the revelators; rather, they would make people fear and rigid rather than lead them to believe. So they are counterproductive to the goal of any religion, to lead people to salvation .

Sign of Jonah - Meaning of the Resurrection

The sign of Jonah announced by Christ is related in Christian exegesis to the crucifixion and the resurrection after three days, but neither the Jews nor the early believers - according to historically guaranteed sources - would have observed the resurrection. A literal interpretation of this miracle would reduce Christ's claim to absurdity , so that this miracle has to be interpreted allegorically or spiritually. Abdul-Baha 'interprets the story of Jonah as follows: Jonah, as a manifestation of God from heaven, is divine revelation in the kingdom of creation appeared in the midst of a people who have given themselves to earthly things and passions. The fish stands for the world of animal and lower passions and unbelief that surrounded Jonah. In this situation - in the belly of the fish - Jonah was mindful of God and asked for rescue. God saved him by leading the people to believe. Abu'l-Faḍl interprets the sign Jonas in Christ analogously. He too appeared in the midst of a people who were hostile to him and killed him. After his death on the cross , the small group of his followers were desperate and had temporarily lost their faith. Christ's opponents believed that they had destroyed the Christian faith. But when the disciples and apostles found their faith again and decided to spread it, the word of Christ prevailed and many peoples were led to the faith. The time between the death on the cross and the taking of the initiative by the disciples corresponds to Jonas being devoured by the fish or the ascension. The salvation from the belly of the fish corresponds to the guidance of the people to Christianity, the emergence of the Christian faith and the appearance of the power and sovereignty of Christ and thus the resurrection of Christ.

Miracle of bread - a miracle gift

As another example, Mirza Abu'l-Faḍl cites Speech on the bread of heaven (John 6:31 ff.). The people ask Jesus to rain down bread for them like in the days of Moses (Ex. 16: 4). Jesus refuses to do this and describes himself as the bread of life: "Whoever comes to me will never go hungry again ... You have seen me and yet you do not believe" (Jn 6:35). From the fact that Christ, despite his sovereignty and power to also perform material miracles, did not comply with the wishes of the Jews, Abu'l-Fadl draws the conclusion that material miracles are not to be regarded as evidence of the claims of the revelators. ʿAbdul-Baha 'interprets the heavenly bread as the love for God that enlivens the spirit of man . It is the nourishment for the human heart and works forever - in contrast to earthly food, which only supplies the body and works temporarily. Bahá'ú'lláh interprets Heavenly Bread as the revelation's interpretation of Scripture, who thereby opens people's eyes to spiritual truths. (KI 22).

Do miracles have evidential value?

In the fourth treatise of the Fará'íd , Mirza Abu'l-Fadl states that miracles have no evidential value for the claim to truth. He justifies it methodically: It is true that the revelators have the power to perform miracles because they are ontologically above man. However, this is only part of the “secondary evidence” that must be added as a complement to the evidential value of the verses and the book. So miracles alone do not legitimize a claim to disclosure. Therefore God “established the book as the most comprehensive sign, entrusted the guidance of the believers to him and with this immovable proof completely furnished the sign for all earthly inhabitants”. To explain his position, Mirza Abu'l-Fadl cites the example of a doctor who, as a proof of competence, refers to being able to fly or to make a stone speak. This will not suffice as proof for a wise man, for the ability to heal the sick and the infirm is the proof of the doctor's claim to truth. Bringing stones to speak or being able to fly has no evidential value here, because "there is no connection between the claim and the evidence." In the further course of the argument, Mirza Abu'l-Fadl brings up numerous verses from the Koran , in which also Mohammed refuses to work miracles in order to prove his claim to truth.

The minimization of the meaning of "extra-natural miracles" in the Baha'i religion

In one of his table discussions, Abdul-Baha addresses the problem of a material understanding of the miracles of the revelators. On the one hand, miracles only have "evidential value for eyewitnesses ..., for other people they are not sufficient as confirmation." On the other hand, there are miracle legends among all peoples and religions, so that stories about the miracles of Jesus per se are insufficient to legitimize his claim as revelator . With this, Abdul-Baha alludes to the pagan objections to the representation of Christians regarding the miracles of Jesus. The fact that miracles are only comprehensible to eyewitnesses meant that “the miracle events would have lost their persuasive power over time and are now even classified as mere legends”, as the church father Origen had to state. The pagan world also tried to rebut the arguments of the Christians by pointing out, like Porphyry , that the magicians in ancient Egypt already worked miracles against Moses. According to this logic, every Egyptian magician would be a son of God.

Another problem concerns the usefulness and meaningfulness of material miracles, since the effect of these miracles is limited in time: a dead person who is raised to life would die again. The real "true miracle" that no one can deny is what the revealers do. It is the enforcement of their word - without external material help - against all resistance that the opponents oppose. (BF 22)

The Baha'i religion does not deny that the revelators are able to perform miracles that break or abolish scientific laws. Precisely because they are endowed by God with supernatural omnipotence , they can. However, the revelators attach no importance to this type of miracle - especially not to legitimize their claim or to proclaim or enforce their message.

The Baha'i believe in the virgin birth of Christ . However, they do not see any proof of truth in this for the claim and mission of Jesus (LOG 1637). In doing so, the Baha'i minimize the importance of miracles that go beyond the laws of science. Because miracles do not represent the channel through which God reveals His power to people (LOG 1638). Therefore, miracles that Baha'ullah performed and which - historically vouched for - have been handed down are hardly mentioned by the Baha'i. Baha'ullah himself admonishes his followers not to trivialize and thereby harm religion by “what you see as signs and wonders”.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Baha'ullah , Kitáb-i-Íqan ( Book of Certainty ), cited by chapters
  2. ↑ Abdu'l-Bahá: Questions answered, cited by chapters
  3. ↑ Townshend, The Heart of the Gospel , Oxford 1995, chapter 58. See also Blackwell, The Christianity of Jesus , chapter 8.
  4. ↑ (کتاب الفرائد): The book of priceless pearls . Fará'id is the plural of farída (فریده) for 'precious pearl', 'precious gem'.
  5. ↑ (فصل الخطاب): What separates truth from error.
  6. ↑ Abu'l-Fal: Falu'l-Khiáb , Dundas, Ontario / Canada, p 37ff. Fará'id , Hofheim, 2001, p. 76ff. These books have not yet been translated into European languages. For an idea of Fará'id and an analysis of his most important apologetic approaches, cf. Farrokhzad: The Truth Claim of All Religions Justify - Universality of Apologetic Argumentation in the Kitábu'l-Fará'id of Abu'l-Faḍl-i-Gulpáygání in: Series of the Society for Baha'i Studies, Volume 9, p. 29. Another treatise Abu 'l-Faḍls, in which he interprets the miracles of Moses, is translated into English: Gulpáygání: Miracles and Metaphors , p. 39. Another translated treatise in which he systematically and theologically deals with the miracles of the revelators and their interpretation, can be found on p. 99.
  7. ↑ Abu'l-Faḍl: Faṣlu'l- Kh iṭáb , p. 31.
  8. ↑ Abu'l-Faḍl: Faṣlu'l- Kh iṭáb , pp. 64, 79.
  9. ↑ Abu'l-Faḍl: Faṣlu'l- Kh iṭáb , p. 44.
  10. ↑ Abu'l-Faḍl: Faṣlu'l- Kh iṭáb , p. 38.
  11. ↑ Although Abu'l-Faḍl writes that - unlike in traditional Christianity - he has a spiritual interpretation in mind, he announces it for later publication ( Faṣlu'l- Kh iṭáb , p. 38). Unfortunately, some of his works have been lost, so that the Jonas interpretation by Abu'l-Faḍl has not been found to this day. Therefore, the interpretation of Abdul-Baha ' is used here .
  12. ↑ Mázandarání: Amr va Kh alq , Vol II, Hofheim 1985, p. 207. For a different interpretation by Abdu'l-Bahá cf. Má'´diyih Asemáni , Vol 9, 1972, Tehran, page 2.
  13. ↑ Afrú kh tih: Kháṭiráti Nuh Sálih , Los Angeles 1983, page 19. It is an analogous reproduction of a conversation with ʿAbdul-Baha ' . See also Answered Questions 23.
  14. ↑ 'Abdu'l-Bahá: Khiabát , Hofheim 1984, p. 111.
  15. ↑ Arab.-pers. adilliy-i-thánawiyya (ﺍﺩﻠﻪ ﺛﺎﻨﻮﻴﻪ).
  16. ↑ Abu'l-Fal: Fará'id , S. 76th
  17. ↑ Fiedrowicz : Apology in early Christianity , p. 257.
  18. ↑ Fiedrowicz: Apology in early Christianity , p. 258.
  19. ↑ Kháira´ti-Málamírí , Hofheim 1992, p. 86. There it is reported how 'Abdu'l-Bahá whispers a verse revealed by Baha'ullah in the ear of a dead Baha'i, whereupon the latter comes back to life. Another, much better known example is the miracle involved in the execution of Bab : when he was about to be executed, not a single bullet from the execution squad hit him (Shoghi Effendi: God is passing , 4: 6-8). This miracle can also be found in non-Baha'i sources, e.g. B. in the monograph by Muammad-Riá Fasháhí, which he prepared for the Department of Advanced Studies in Economics and Social Sciences at the University of Paris. The work is entitled “The Last Medieval Movement in the Age of Feudalism” ( Vápasín Junbish-i-Qurún-i-Vusṭá'í dar Dawrán-i-Fi'udál , Tehran 1977). As the source of the representation of the miracle of the Bab he is "the equitable test Shiite chronicler," Mirza Mihdí- Kh án-i-Hikmat, entitled Za'ímu'l-Hukama ', who had heard this from his father and grandfather who were both present at the execution of the Báb (pp. 87–90).
  20. ^ Baha'ullah, Letter to the Son of the Wolf , 1988, p. 43.