Dec 20, 2010 -- 10:13PM, truthseeker630 wrote:

Hey all,

I read this last night in Baha'u'llah's tablet of Wisdom.  I thought it was pretty interesting, because we get to hear some things about the philosophers that most of us never had revealed before. 

"Empedocles, who distinguished himself in philosophy, was a contemporary of David, while Pythagoras lived in the days of Solomon, son of David, and acquired Wisdom from the treasury of prophethood.  It is he who claimed to have heard the whispering sound of the heavens and to have attained the station of the angels.  In truth thy Lord will clearly set forth all things, if He pleaseth.  Verily, He is the Wise, the All-Pervading.

The essence and the fundamentals of philosophy have emanated from the Prophets.  That the people differ concerning the inner meanings and mysteries thereof is to be attributed to the divergence of their views and minds.  We would fain recount to thee the following:  One of the Prophets once was communicating to his people that with which the Omnipotent Lord had inspired Him.  Truly, thy Lord is the Inspirer, the Gracious, the Exalted.  When the fountain of wisdom and eloquence gushed forth from the wellspring of His utterance and the wine of divine knowledge inebriated those who had sought His threshold, He exclaimed: 'Lo! All are filled with the Spirit.'  From among the people there was he who held fast unto this statement and, actuated by his own fancies, conceived the idea that the spirit literally penetrateth or entereth into the body, and through lengthy expositions he advanced proofs to vindicate this concept; and groups of people followed in his footsteps.  To mention their names at this point, or to give thee a detailed account thereof, would lead to prolixity, and would depart from the main theme.  Verily, thy Lord is the All-Wise, the All-Knowing.  There was also he who artook of the choice wine whose seal had been removed by the Key of the Tongue of Him Who is the Revealer of the Verses of thy Lord, the Gracious, the Most Generous.

Verily, the philosophers have not denied the Ancient of Days.  Most of them passed away deploring their failure to fathom His mystery, even as some of them have testified.  Verily, thy Lord is the Adviser, the All-Informed.

Consider Hippocrates, the physician.  He was one of the eminent philosophers who believed in God and acknowledged His sovereignty.  After him came Socrates who was indeed wise, accomplished and righteous.  He practiced self-denial, repressed his appetites for selfish desires and turned away from material pleasures.  He withdrew to the mountains where he dwelt in a cave.  He dissuaded men from worshipping idols and taught them the way of God, the Lord of Mercy, until the ignorant rose up against him.  They arrested him and put him to death in prison.  Thus relateth to thee this swift-moving Pen.  What a penetrating vision into philosophy this eminent man had!  He is the most distinguished of all philosophers and was highly versed in wisdom.  We testify that he is one of the heroes in this field and an outstanding champion dedicated unto it.  He had a profound knowledge of such sciences as were current amongst men as well as of those which were veiled from their minds.  Methinks he drank one draught when the Most Great Ocean overlowed with gleaming and life-giving waters.  He it is who perceived a unique, a tempered, and a pervasive nature in things, bearing the closest likeness to the human spirit, and he discovered this nature to be distinct from the substance of things in their refined form.  He hath a special pronouncement on this weighty theme.  Wert thou to ask from the worldly wise of this generation about this exposition, thou wouldst witness their incapacity to grasp it.  Verily, thy Lord speaketh the truth but most people comprehend not." [Lawh'i'Hikmat (Tablet of Wisdom) 9.25-9.28]

I hope the long post didn't bother anyone, I just thought it was cool and wanted to share.  There's more in that Tablet, in case anyone wants me to share.  But, I just thought I'd stop with that for now.

Sincerely,

Andrew 

 

Dear Andrew,

Thanks for posting this!