Posted by db on April 28, 2101 at 01:35:07:

In Reply to: Baha'u'llah can't be a prophet of God. posted by David on April 24, 2101 at 16:01:49:

It seems that one of the controversies brought up here revolves around Baha'u'llah's use (or rather the translator's use) of the word "every". In light of this, it's interesting to look at the quote in question within its larger context:

"Thou hast, moreover, asked Me concerning the nature of the celestial spheres. To comprehend their nature, it would be necessary to inquire into the meaning of the allusions that have been made in the Books of old to the celestial spheres and the heavens, and to discover the character of their relationship to this physical world, and the influence which they exert upon it. EVERY heart is filled with wonder at so bewildering a theme, and EVERY mind is perplexed by its mystery. God, alone, can fathom its import. The learned men, that have fixed at several thousand years the life of this earth, have failed, throughout the long period of their observation, to consider either the number or the age of the other planets. Consider, moreover, the manifold divergencies that have resulted from the theories propounded by these men. Know thou that EVERY fixed star hath its own planets, and EVERY planet its own creatures, whose number no man can compute."

Note how the word "every" is used here. It strikes me that it's not necessarily being used in a precise numerical sense, but rather as a superlative to indicate a large value.

It's been said that every word of scripture has seventy and two meanings. I wonder, does that mean exactly 7.2E1? ;)

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