From the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh:
Mention hath been made in certain books of a deluge which caused all that
existed on earth, historical records as well as other things, to be
destroyed. Moreover, many cataclysms have occurred which have effaced the
traces of many events. Furthermore, among existing historical records
differences are to be found, and each of the various peoples of the world
hath its own account of the age of the earth and of its history. Some
trace their history as far back as eight thousand years, others as far as
twelve thousand years. To any one that hath read the book of Juk it is
clear and evident how much the accounts given by the various books have
differed.
Please God thou wilt turn thine eyes towards the Most Great Revelation,
and entirely disregard these conflicting tales and traditions.
("Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh", 2nd.
ed.
(Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1982), pp. 174-175)
The Four Gospels were written after Him [Christ]. John, Luke, Mark and Matthew - these four
wrote after Christ what they remembered of His utterances.
(From a previously
untranslated Tablet)
...the Torah that God hath confirmed consists of the exact words that streamed forth at the
bidding of God from the tongue of Him Who conversed with Him (Moses).
(From a previously
untranslated Tablet)
From the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá
Know ye that the Torah is that which was revealed in the Tablets to Moses, may peace be upon
Him, or that to which He was bidden. But the stories are historical narratives and were written
after Moses, may peace be upon Him.
(From a previously untranslated Tablet)
Know ye that the Torah is that which was revealed in the Tablets unto Moses, may peace be upon
Him, and in that which He was commanded to do.... The glorious Book, the Mighty Decree, is what
was in the Tablets which Moses, upon Him be peace, brought from Mount Sinai, and that which
He proclaimed unto the Children of Israel, in accordance with the explicit text of those
Tablets.
(From a previously untranslated Tablet)
...What is intended by the creation of heaven and earth in six days is a spiritual creation and a
divine day, as prior to the creation of this heaven and earth there were no days and nights.
(From a previously untranslated Tablet)
The disciples of Christ taught His Faith with the language of the Kingdom. That language
conformeth to all languages, for it consisteth of celestial
meanings and divine mysteries. For the one who becometh conversant with that
language the realities and secrets of creation stand unveiled before him.
Divine truths are common to all languages. The Holy Spirit, therefore, taught
the disciples the language of the Kingdom, and they thus were able to converse
with the people of all nations. Whenever they spoke to those of other nations
of the world, it was as if they conversed in their tongues. The well-known and
outstanding languages of the world number about a thousand. It was necessary
for the disciples to have written the Gospels in at least one of the languages
of other nations. Thus, as it is known, the Gospels were written only in Hebrew
and Greek, and not even in the language of the Romans, although it was at the
time the official language. As the disciples were not well-versed in it, the
Gospels were not written in that language.
(From a previously untranslated Tablet)
From Letters Written on Behalf of the Guardian:
...The Bible is not wholly authentic, and in this respect is not to be compared with the
Qur'an, and should be wholly subordinated to the authentic writings of Bahá'u'lláh
.
(28 July 1936 to a National Spiritual Assembly)
...we cannot be sure how much or how little of the four Gospels are accurate and include the
words of Christ and His undiluted teachings, all we can be sure of, as Bahá'ís, is that what has
been quoted by Bahá'u'lláh and the Master must be absolutely authentic. As many times passages
in the Gospel of St. John are quoted we may assume that it is his Gospel and much of it
accurate.
(23 January 1944 to an individual believer)
When 'Abdu'l-Bahá states we believe what is in the Bible, He means in substance. Not that we
believe every word of it to be taken literally or that every word is the authentic saying of the
Prophet.
(11 February 1944 to an individual believer)
We cannot be sure of the authenticity of any of the phrases in the Old or the New Testament.
What we can be sure of is when such references or words are cited or quoted in either the Quran
or the Bahá'í writings.
(4 July 1947 to an individual believer)
We have no way of substantiating the stories of the Old Testament other than references to them
in our own teachings, so we cannot say exactly what happened at the battle of Jericho.
(25 November 1950 to an individual believer)
Except for what has been explained by Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá, we have no way of knowing
what various symbolic allusions in the Bible mean.
(31 January 1955 to an individual believer)
From letters written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice:
The interpretation of biblical prophecies has long been the subject of controversy and
speculation among religious scholars. As Bahá'ís, we know that we must turn to the Writings of
Bahá'u'lláh, 'Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi for authoritative guidance in these matters. When a
subject has not been mentioned or explained in the Sacred Writings, we are free to consult other
books and to consider the opinions of scholars if we wish to do so. This principle is affirmed in
the following excerpts from letters written on behalf of the Guardian by his secretary to
individual believers:
As regards what Mirza Abu'l-Fadl has said concerning the seven religions of the past. Shoghi
Effendi wishes to emphasize that what is truly authoritative are the Master's words. In all such
cases we should try and find out what He has said and abide by His words, even though they seem
conflicting with the findings of modern scholars. If He does not say anything on the subject then
the individual is free to accept or refute what scholars such as Mirza Abu'l-Fadl say. Through
the discussions of these the truth will ultimately be found. But at no time should their decision
be considered as final.
As regards Confucianism, the Teachings contain no data on this subject, and the Guardian would
therefore advise that you refer to authoritative books regarding the history and teachings of this
Faith.
The Universal House of Justice has asked us to recommend your continued study of "Some
Answered Questions" since this book contains the interpretations given by 'Abdu'l-Bahá on the
meaning of some of the passages you mention from the Book of Daniel as well as other subjects
found in the Old and New Testaments. You will note that in addition to giving His explanations,
'Abdu'l-Bahá encourages personal initiative in unravelling divine mysteries. For example, at
the end of Chapter XX on "The Necessity of Baptism" He says: "This subject needs deep thought.
Then the cause of these changes will be evident and apparent." And at the end of Chapter XXX on
"Adam and Eve", after setting forth His own interpretation of the subject, He goes on to say:
"This is one of the meanings of the Biblical story of Adam. Reflect until you discover the
others."
(17 January 1978 to an individual believer)
You ask for elucidation of the statement made on behalf of the Guardian in this letter of 11
February 1944, "When 'Abdu'l-Bahá states we believe what is in the Bible, He means in
substance. Not that we believe every word of it to be taken literally or that every word is the
authentic saying of the Prophet." Is it not clear that what Shoghi Effendi means here is that we
cannot categorically state, as we do in the case of the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, that the words and
phrases attributed to Moses and Christ in the Old and New Testaments are Their exact words, but
that, in view of the general principle enunciated by Bahá'u'lláh in the "Kitab-i-Iqan" that God's
Revelation is under His care and protection, we can be confident that the essence, or essential
elements, of what these two Manifestations of God intended to convey has been recorded and
preserved in these two Books?
(19 July 1981 to an individual believer)
In studying the Bible Bahá'ís must bear two principles in mind. The first is that many passages
in Sacred Scriptures are intended to be taken metaphorically, not literally, and some of the
paradoxes and apparent contradictions which appear are intended to indicate this. The second is
the fact that the text of the early Scriptures, such as the Bible, is not wholly authentic.
(28 May 1984 to an individual believer)
The Bahá'ís believe what is in the Bible to be true in substance. This does not mean that every
word recorded in that Book is to be taken literally and treated as the authentic saying of a
Prophet. A striking example is given in the account of the sacrifice which Abraham was called
upon to make. The Guardian of the Faith confirms that the record in the Qur'an and the Writings
of Bahá'u'lláh, namely that it was Ishmael, and not Isaac as stated in the Old Testament, whom
Abraham was to sacrifice, is to be upheld. In one of His Tablets 'Abdu'l-Bahá refers to this
discrepancy, and explains that, from a spiritual point of view, it is irrelevant which son was
involved. The essential part of the story is that Abraham was willing to obey God's command to
sacrifice His son. Thus, although the account in the Torah is inaccurate in detail, it is true in
substance....
...The Bahá'ís believe that God's Revelation is under His care and
protection and that the essence, or essential elements, of what His
Manifestations intended to convey has been recorded and preserved in Their
Holy Books. However, as the sayings of the ancient Prophets were written
down some time later, we cannot categorically state, as we do in the case
of the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, that the words and phrases attributed to
Them are Their exact words
(9 August 1984 to an individual believer)