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LIFE AND TEACHINGS ABBAS EFFENDI A STUDY OF THE RELIGION OF THE BABIS, OR BEHAIS FOUNDED BY THE PERSIAN BAB AND BY HIS SUC CESSORS, BEHA ULLAH AND ABBAS EFFENDI BY MYRON H. PHELPS of the New York Bar WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY EDWARD GRANV1LLE BROWNE, M. A., M. R. A. S. Fellow of Pembioke College, Sir Thomas Adams Professor of Arabic and some time Lecturer in Persian in the University of Cambridge, Authoi of A Travellers Narrative The New History of Mtea AH Muhammad the Bab, etc. G, P. PUTNAMS SONS NEW YORK LONDON Gbe imlcherbocftet press 1904 COPYRIGHT, 1503 B MYRON H PHELPS Published, November, 1903 Reprinted, April, 11904 Ube ftnfcfcerbocfer ptew, - new fiorh To THE COUNTESS M. A. DE S. CANAVARRO TO WHOM I SHALL ALWAYS FEEL A DEEP OBLIGATION FOR HAVING DIRECTED MY ATTENTION TO THE REAL CHARACTER AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE BEHAl MOVEMENT, AND TO THE ASSISTANCE OF WHOSE CLEAR INSIGHT SUCH SUCCESS AS I MAY HAVE HAD IN REACHING A CORRECT APPRECIATION AND UNDER STANDING OF T1IE I PACKINGS OF ABBAS EFFENDI IS VERY LARGELY DUE, THIS BOOK IS GRATEFULLY DEDICATED CONTENTS CHAPTER PACK INTRODUCTION BY PROF. E. G. BROWNE . vii INTRODUCTORY ...... xxvii I. THE MASTER OF AKKA i II. THE STORY OF HIS LIFE TEHERAN AND BAGHDAD . . . . . . n III. THE STORY OF HIS LIFE Continued CON STANTINOPLE AND ADRIANOPLE . 27 IV. THE STORY OF HIS LIFE Continued-. AKKA 55 V. THE STORY OF HIS LIFE Concluded-. AKKA 73 VI. CHARACTERISTICS AND INCIDENTS . . 95 VII. PHILOSOPHY AND PSYCHOLOGY . . .114 VIII. ETHICS AND CONDUCT .... 130 IX. ATTITUDE TOWARDS OTHER RELIGIONS ESSENTIAL NATURE OF BEHAISM . 143 X. DISCOURSES 165 THE STANDARDS OF TRUTH NATURE OF GOD AND THE UNIVERSE PERSISTENCE OF NATURAL QUALITIES DIVINE AND EARTHLYNATURE SPIRIT vi CONTENTS CHAPTBR PACK THE PERCEIVING SOUL STATES OF THE PERCEIVING SOUL THE HOLY SPIRIT XI. DISCOURSES Continued . . . 193 PARABLE OF THE SEED REINCARNATION THE WORLDS OF DARKNESS AND LIGHT THE WORLDS OF GOD THE PERCEPTION OP TRUTH How THE EYES OF MAN ARE VEILED THE PROOF OF A DIVINE TEACHER THE HEAVENLY WISDOM THE MEANING OF SUFFERING XII. DISCOURSES Continued . . .,221 HEAVEN AND HELL THE Two SORTS OF HAPPINESS LOVE LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP LOVE AND CONCORD TALK TO CHILDREN THE POOR PRAYER FROM THE WRITINGS OF BEHA ULLAH XIIL CONCLUSION ...... 250 INDEX . . . . . . - 257 INTRODUCTION NOT by my own seeking, but only at the request of my old friend, Mr. G. H. Putnam, the publisher of this book, and, as Mr. Putnam informs me, by the wish of the author, Mr. Myron Phelps, whose acquaintance I had the pleasure of making in the early part of this year in Cairo, do I write these intro ductory words to a work which I have read with equal pleasure and satisfaction, and which I regard as a faithful and trustworthy exposition of the views of Abbds Effendi, the Master of Akk, and his followers. So faithfully, indeed, does it represent their stand point that, notwithstanding the fact that Mr. Phelps was not sufficiently conversant with Persian or Arabic to enable him to commu nicate directly with him whose life and teach ing he here describes, but was dependent on the offices of interpreters, the whole book is to me full of familiar echoes of the voices to which I so eagerly listened when I visited thirteen years ago, in the days when viii INTRODUCTION Beh ullch himself still dwelt amongst man kind To the study of the Bcibf religion I was irresistibly attracted, even before I undertookmy journey to Persia in 1887-88, by the vivid and masterly narrative of its birth and baptism of blood contained in the Comte de Gobi neaus Religions et Philosophies dans PAsie Centrale a narrative which no one interested in the BW or, if the term be preferred, Behdi faith, or indeed in the history of relig ion In general, should on any account omit to read with careful attention...