Divine philosophy
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Divine philosophy is a term used most recently in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas and associated with the maturity of the human race which can trace the progress back through the world's religions in history with incremental stages of progressive revelation. The most important principle of divine philosophy is the oneness of the world of humanity, the unity of mankind, the bond conjoining east and west, the tie of love which blends human hearts (`Abdu'l-Bahá, p. 244). The compound word is more than the two words that make it up. The word divine and the word philosophy have their own meaning but the understanding of divine philosophy is best understood by looking at the progress of religion from the dawn of recorded history. Divinity and divine (sometimes 'the Divinity' or 'the Divine'), are broadly applied but loosely defined terms, used variously within different faiths and belief systems — and even by different individuals within a given faith — to refer to some transcendent or transcendental power, or its attributes or manifestations in the world. The root of the words is literally 'Godlike' (from the Latin 'Deus,' closely related to Greek 'Zeus'), but the use varies significantly depending on the underlying conception of God that is being invoked. This article outlines the major distinctions in the conventional use of the terms. Philosophy is a field of study in which people question and create theories about the nature of reality. It includes diverse subfields such as aesthetics, epistemology, ontology, ethics, logic, metaphysics, and law. Philosophers concern themselves with such fundamental and mysterious topics as whether or not God(s) exist, what is the nature of being and the universe, what is truth, what is consciousness, and what makes actions right or wrong. The fundamental method of western philosophy is the use of reasoning to evaluate arguments. However, the methodology of philosophy is itself debated, and varies according to the philosophical and cultural traditions of people all over the world.
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[edit] The Divine Philosophy wording in English
[edit] Adamic Understanding
Adam ("Earth" or "man", Standard Hebrew אָדָם, Adam; "Soil" or "Light Brown", Arabic آدم, Adam) was the first man created by Elohim, which means Almighty One, or God or Allah according to the Abrahamic religious tradition. He is considered a prophet by the Jewish, Islamic, Mandaean and Bahá'í faiths.
The Adamic period of time dates back from the receding of the last ice age 12,000 years ago. However, the term Proto-World language refers to the hypothetical, most recent common ancestor of all the world's languages – an ancient proto-language from which are derived all modern languages, all language families, and all dead languages known from the past 6,000 years of recorded history. The distinguishing feature of this period in religious history was to become the foundation of all religious history and that was founded on the 'oneness of God' monotheism. In the Adamic period of time divine philosophy was confined to the understanding of the concept of one God with the social transformation that flowed from that understanding. Through out religious history the re-establishment of the oneness of God principle in humanity has been part of the task of Manifestations of God that unite people. In Islam the restatement of Allah's position in an idol worshiping context of humanity by Muhammad again drew on the Adamic founding principle of the oneness of God. The Koran was again the restatement of the divine philosophy of Adamic understanding of the oneness of God and the breaking with idol superstition that gets passed down from generation when deviation from the notion of the oneness of God occurs. The Adamic understanding of divine philosophy is the Oneness of God.
[edit] Judaic Understanding
The Ten Commandments rest within a divine philosophy that leads to unity and concord between people. The adamic cycle lead with the oneness of God and the body of faith arose around the Ten commandments.
[edit] Zoroastrian Understanding
Little is known of early Zoroastrianism, and what is known is mostly from the accounts of ancient Greek philosophers and historians.Herodotus's The Histories (completed c. 440 BCE) includes a description of greater Iranian society with what may be recognizably Zoroastrian features, including exposure of the dead. Perhaps more importantly, The Histories is a primary source of information on the early period of the Achaemenid era (648–330 BCE), in particular with respect to the role of the Magi. According to Herodotus i.101, the "Magi" were the sixth tribe of the Medians (until the unification of the Persian empire under Cyrus the Great, all Iranians were referred to as Mede or Mada by the peoples of the Ancient World), who appear to have been the priestly caste of the Mesopotamian-influenced branch of Zoroastrianism today known as "Zurvanism", and who wielded considerable influence at the courts of the Median emperors. (It is also relevant to note that , as per Boyce, the 'priesthood' were known as 'Athravans' during the period Zoroastrianism was in its infancy and being proselytised in the eastern regions of Iran, and central Asia; further, Boyce postulates the Athravans were missionaries, a role more or less abandoned by the magi when they 'took over' as the priesthood of the fledging religion, after its slow spread in western Iran, prior to and during the Achaemenid period.)
Zoroastrianism is uniquely important in the history of religion because of its possible formative links to both Western Abrahamic and Eastern dharmic religious traditions.
Some scholars (Boyce, 1987; Black and Rowley, 1987; Duchesne-Guillemin, 1988) believe that large portions of the eschatology, angelology, and demonology (see Asmodai) of Judaism, a key influence on Christianity and Islam, originated in Zoroastrianism, and were transferred to Judaism during the Babylonian captivity (apparently 100 years before the emergence of monotheistic Zoroastrianism) and the Persian era, despite the numerous structural differences in the belief systems, crucial to the faiths, as in the issue over whether the evil spirit is a product of the good spirit.
Some also believe monotheism to have been a Zoroastrian influence, as Deutero-Isaiah supposedly makes a first monotheistic declaration (Isaiah 45:5-7) during the reign of the Persian Kings, that corresponds to his declaration that Jews were to obey Cyrus.
According to Mary Boyce "Zoroastrianism is the oldest of the revealed credal religions, and it has probably had more influence on mankind, directly or indirectly, than any other single faith... some of its leading doctrines were adopted by Judaism, Christianity and Islam". (Boyce, 1979, pg 1) Zoroastrianism has been proposed as the source of some of the most important post-Torah aspects of Judaic religious thinking, which emerged after the Babylonian captivity, from which Jews were liberated by Cyrus the Great.
This is also a view put forward by King and Moore, who wrote in The Gnostics and Their Remains that
- it was from this very creed of Zoroaster that the Jews derived all the angelology of their religion... the belief in a future state; of rewards and punishments, ... the soul's immortality, and the Last Judgment - all of them essential parts of the Zoroastrian scheme. (King, 1887)
Many traits of this ancient religion can be traced back to the culture and beliefs of the proto-Indo-Iranian period, and Zoroastrianism consequently shares some elements with the Vedic faiths that also have their origins in that era. In fact, in many ways, although Zoroastrianism presents a similar philosophy as the Vedic faiths, it tends to present an "alternate viewpoint" that seems influenced primarily by a difference in perception. However, Zoroastrianism was also strongly affected by the later culture of the Iranian Heroic Age (1500 BC onwards), an influence that the Indic religions were not subject to. Nonetheless, scholars have used evidence from the texts of both religious systems to reconstruct the earlier stage of proto-Indo-Iranian beliefs and culture. This has also formed attempts to characterise the even earlier Proto-Indo-European religion, and so determine the process by which Dyeus became Jupiter, Sabazios, Zeus, and Tyr.
[edit] Hindu Understanding
The Vedas are the most sacred texts (śruti) in Hinduism. The oldest of them, the Rigveda, at more than 3000 years old, in its youngest books (books 1 and 10) contains evidence for emerging monotheistic thought.
[edit] Buddhist Understanding
Buddhist philosophy is the branch of Eastern philosophy based on the teachings of Gautama Buddha, a.k.a. Siddhartha Gautama (c. 563 BCE - c. 483 BCE). Buddhist philosophy deals extensively with problems in metaphysics, phenomenology, ethics, and epistemology.
[edit] Christian Understanding
A quote from The Millennial Harbinger 28 (September 1857) Faith v's Philosophy by Robert Richardson in an internet reference states " The reader will remember that I have distinctly asserted that religion itself has its own philosophy, and that my objection has been to the substitution of human philosophy for that divine philosophy, which pervades the gospel. I remarked in the May number that, "since the philosophy of anything is its reason, there is a philosophy [493] in religion, else there would be no reason in it. But it is a divine and not a human philosophy. It is Christ crucified that is God's philosophy. It is the gospel that is God's power and wisdom. Hence it would be correct to say that Christianity contains the most glorious and sublime philosophy in the universe, since it is the divine plan or system of salvation, perfectly adapted to man through an infallible knowledge of his nature, character and condition. It is because it is thus absolutely perfect in its own philosophy that any addition of human philosophy spoils it. Christ must be our 'wisdom' as he is "our righteousness, our sanctification, and our redemption." and goes on to say "Of course there never can be any just antagonism between the [494] Christian faith and that divine philosophy of which it is itself the exponent, and I trust that no reader will so far misconceive me as to imagine that I have anywhere asserted the existence of such an antagonism."
The Bible also makes other references to the commandments. References to them and the consequences for not following them are found throughout the book of Deuteronomy. Jesus refers to the commandments in several verses,[1] and condenses them into two general commands:
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like unto it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.[2]
[edit] Islamic Understanding
Islam (Arabic: الإسلام; al-'islām ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. The history of Shia and Sunni. The transfer of wealth within a community and intergenerationally is an important part of measures and indicators for a body politic. The most simple requirement in understanding this process is zakat.
[edit] Bábí Understanding
1844 was the start of the Bab's teaching and was a time in the world when human population was 1 billion people after 140,000 years. A rapid expansion of human knowledge marked this time and in 160 years the world population had increased by 5 times to 6 billion people. This huge increase is projected to see humanity reach 9.1 billion people 210 years after 1844. Understanding of science and access to knowledge at this time in history required now understandings of what would unite people. For 6000 years Adam, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad influenced 1 billion people on the planet. In the next 210 years from 1844 The Bab and Baha'u'llah will influence 9.1 billion people. It is estimated that between 80 billion and 120 billion people have cumulatively have ever lived. Climate change is one uniting understanding that humanity growingly reflects on as part of its existence. Scientific history.
[edit] Bahá'í understanding
Divine Philosophy is a concept further defined by Bahá'u'lláh, the Bahá'í Faith's founder. He wrote that there was a difference between the material interpretation of life and the spiritual interpretation. He refers to the qualities of the Prophets of God speaking distinguishably differently on the subject of spirituality than the philosophers who comment on physical philosophical treatments.
The term divine philosophy can be linked to the Bahá'í book Kitáb-i-Aqdas. Divine Philosophy is mentioned in conjunction with the coming of age of humanity. One of the signs stated in the coming of age of humanity is the development of an International Auxiliary Language.
"According to divine philosophy, there are two important and universal conditions in the world of material phenomena; one which concerns life, the other concerning death; one relative to existence, the other non-existence; one manifest in composition, the other in decomposition. Some define existence as the expression of reality or being, and non-existence as non-being, imagining that death is annihilation. This is a mistaken idea, for total annihilation is an impossibility."(`Abdu'l-Bahá, p. 261)
Divine philosophy is elaborated on by `Abdu'l-Bahá in a talk in Paris in 1912. A quote from this talk sums up this page "Today the enmity and rivalry existing between the religions are over mere words. It is an established fact that the followers of all the religions believe in a reality, the benefits of which are universal; which reality is a medium between God and man. The Jews call that reality Moses, the Christians Christ, the Mussulmans Mohammed, the Buddhists Buddha and the Zoroastrians Zoroaster. Now mark well that none of these religionists have ever seen the founders; they have only heard his name. Could they overlook these names they would at once realize that all believe in a perfect reality which is an intermediary between the Almighty and the creatures. Should you speak to a Jew about the medium or channel between God and man, without referring to any particular name or person, he would say, "Yes, this is right, but I say the name of this mediator is Moses." If you give the exposition of this divine philosophy to the followers of each religion they will agree with you in the abstract, but they will stick to the names of their own prophets and arise in contention and strife over these names. The Jew believes in Christ, though he knows it not, and is quibbling over the mere name. There have been wars and rumors of war amongst the people of the world for many thousand years; much innocent blood has been shed, many kingdoms and empires have been laid waste. Is it not enough? Religion should be the means of good fellowship and love. It must upraise the standard of harmony and solidarity. If religion is conducive to hatred and enmity, its existence is harmful to the welfare of the community."
The development of financial institutions that support divine philosophy and are apart of its development include Huququ and Zakat.
Shoghi Effendi has made reference to divine philosophy.
The Universal House of Justice in the publication of the Kitáb-i-Aqdas in 1992 into English gave a focus to the concept of divine philosophy and what it meant by the term.
[edit] References
- `Abdu'l-Bahá, Baha'i World Faith - `Abdu'l-Bahá Section, p. 244 & p. 261
- Bahá'u'lláh (1873). The Kitáb-i-Aqdas: The Most Holy Book. Wilmette, Illinois, USA: Bahá'í Publishing Trust. ISBN 0-85398-999-0.
- Boyce, Mary (1984). Textual sources for the study of Zoroastrianism. Manchester: Manchester UP. ISBN 0-226-06930-3.
- Boyce, Mary (1987). Zoroastrianism: A Shadowy but Powerful Presence in the Judaeo-Christian World. London: William's Trust.
- Boyce, Mary (1979). Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-23903-6.
- Boyce, Mary (1996). History of Zoroastrianism, Vol. I, The early period. Leiden: Brill. ISBN 90-04-10474-7.
- Boyce, Mary (1997). History of Zoroastrianism, Vol. II, Under the Achamenians. Leiden: Brill. ISBN 90-04-06506-7.
- Boyce, Mary. (2002). "Ahura Mazda". Encyclopaedia Iranica. New York: Mazda Pub.
- King, C. W. (1887). Gnostics and their Remains Ancient and Mediaeval. London: Bell & Daldy. ISBN 0-7661-0381-1 (repr. 1942).
^ i.e. Matthew 19:16-19 ^ Matthew 22:34-40; cf. Ethic of reciprocity
- Momen, Moojan (1985) An Introduction to Shi`i Islam: The History and Doctrines of Twelver Shi`ism. London: George Ronald Publishers
