New articles explore dramatic impact of the Báb

Dec 5

Dec 5 New articles explore dramatic impact of the Báb

This article has been republished from Bahá’í World News Service, and slightly edited.

In its latest articles published online, The Bahá’í World focuses on the figure of the Báb.

The distinctive nature of the Báb’s station and character, the extraordinary drama that unfolded as tens of thousands responded to His Teachings, and the deep impact His life and Message had on countless other people in His homeland and abroad—these themes are explored in three articles now available on the publication’s website, BahaiWorld.Bahai.org.

In “A Twofold Mission,” Elham Afnan looks at some of the most distinctive characteristics of the Báb’s life and Writings, highlighting the rare combination of qualities that have come to be associated with Him.

“Tales of Magnificent Heroism,” by Robert Weinberg, provides a survey of responses to the Báb by writers and artists of the time and over the subsequent century, revealing just how extensive was knowledge of the Báb and His new religion and how captivating the dramatic story of His life and the lives of His followers.

The site includes a special piece from the archives of The Bahá’í World, an essay by Mary Maxwell—later known as Amatu’l-Bahá Rúḥíyyih Khánum after her marriage to Shoghi Effendi in 1937. In the essay, first published in the 1932–1934 volume, Ruhiyyih Khanum reflects on the dominant themes of The Dawn-Breakers, an early narrative of Babi history. The essay is titled, “The Re-florescence of Historical Romance in Nabil”.

This year’s bicentenary celebrations around the world have shed light on just how far-reaching has been the impact of the Báb’s mission in the world.

The Bahá’í World volumes began in print form in 1926 under the direction of Shoghi Effendi, providing a remarkable historical record of the development of the Bahá’í Faith. In May of this year, a website was launched for The Bahá’í World, which periodically publishes new pieces and works from the archives.

The Bahá’í World has introduced an email subscription service, through which readers can be notified when new articles are published. (To sign up, at the top right corner of BahaiWorld.Bahai.org, click “Subscribe”.)

Featured photo: “Jamais Oublie” (“Never Forgotten”), a painting by Lorraine Pritchard, 2018. Photo by Guy L’Heureux. This image heads the Bahá’í World article, “Tales of Magnificent Heroism”. (The image is slightly cropped.)

Picture below: The article “Tales of Magnificent Heroism” includes a series of portraits of writers and artists who were impacted by the message of the Báb. The portraits shown here are (clockwise from top left) Isabella Grinevskaia, Jules Bois, Charlotte Despard, and Robert Hayden.