I learn from incidents here and there that some of the priests are giving vent to the utmost condemnation of us, that is the Catholic priests, that they attribute any sort of thing to us, pronounce anathema, and say we are the cause of misleading the people. We say nothing as regards them, nothing at all. But we shall mention this much, and this is to awaken you that you may be aware that such conversations, such speeches, such calumnies and libels are not specialized to us. It has always been thus.
In the time of Abraham, religious leaders, Pharisees Haran, anathemized His Holiness Abraham, saying, "This person is satan, He misleads the people; He misguides them; He pronounces evil words with regard to our idols; this person must be killed." At best because the government was rather fair, the learned men assembled and decided that His Holiness Abraham should be rescued and they caused him to flee. Thus the alienation of Abraham from his native land was caused by the anathema of the priests. "Abraham," they said, "is misguided and misguiding the people."
Then we come to the. period of Moses. All the priests of Egypt pronounced anathema regarding Moses, saying, "This person is the cause of corruption and sedition and this person must be killed. He must be effaced."
Then we come to the time of Christ. When His Holiness Christ appeared, the first people who objected to His Holiness were the Jewish priests. They said, "This Christ is not the promised Christ, this Christ is an imposter." They then pronounced the name which means in the Arabic The Ugly One, and according to the text of the Gospel the name of His Holiness was made to read Beelzebub, and this is an explicit text of the Gospel.
That glorious personage was debased; that Heavenly Radiance they pronounced as darkness; that Guide of the nations was accounted as misguidance of the people; that personified Spirit they pronounced as sheer body. All the rabbis of the Jews assembled forming a great body of learned men famous among the Jews and they consulted together regarding the killing or martyrdom of His Holiness Christ. They left no calumny unapplied to Him. There was no word of detestation which they did not pronounce regarding Him. At last they pronounced His death sentence, saying that Christ is both misguided and misguiding the people and deserving of punishment or killing, that His blood should be spilled but after due trial.
The judgment was not to bring Him all of a sudden and kill Him – no - but after due trial and judgment. Wherefore, they placed upon the blessed head of Christ a crown of thorns and paraded Him through the streets and bazaars, according to explicit texts of the Gospel; and these rabbis and [other] Jews, according to the Gospel, pronounced this death only regarding Christ. Their chieftain was Caiaphas who was the chieftain or head of all the rabbis.
In brief, His Holiness Christ was paraded through the streets and bazaars with a crown of thorns placed upon His head, and the Jews would come to Him, turn their back to Him and bow, saying: "Peace be to Thee, Thou King of the Jews!" That is, scornfully they would say it: "Thou art a King and for a King, a man should bow!" and backwards they would bow, scorning Him. According to the explicit text of the Gospel they accused Him, and even spat upon His face.
They pronounced calumnies, they said scornfully; "This is the Savior of the world, save yourself." Another would say: "He saved the world, but He Himself is not saved." With such debasing attitudes they paraded His Holiness through the streets and bazaars, and eventually they crucified Him with the consent of the rabbis who were famous throughout the world, such men as Caiaphas who was the high priest or head rabbi and Annas who was one of the chieftains. Under their jurisdiction that assembly of the Jewish priests gathered and pronounced His death sentence and placed the same Beelzebub upon His Holy person. This is an explicit text of the Gospel. This is not a tradition, that is to say, this is not a new account.
Even so has it happened in all centuries. In the age of Christ, the first opposers were the rabbis, and the first whose judgment was against Him were the high priests (Khakham). They are the spiritual leaders. This has always been so, and is not a new story.
There is a cause for this: they see that all the people are imitating them blindly; are obeying them; are contributing to them. From every standpoint they fare well, and they imagine if the people's eyes are open but a bit, if they are awakened at all, then they will not care for [the priests], they will not be kind to them, they will not give them money; hence, all the learned priests arise against the Manifestation of God.
Even in Persia the first ones who arose against the Baha'is were the mullas or priests, and the cause was that each one of them had one hundred thousand people [followers], and they lived on the produce of these people. The men kissed the hands of the priests, [they] revered them; and [the priests] said: "If a person becomes a Baha'i, he will care nothing for us." That is why they objected, why they denied, why they sentenced the Beloved to death, why they sentenced the Blessed Perfection to martyrdom, why they sent the Báb to death.
The cause is this: they would see their shops closed, they would have no customers, and naturally the shopkeeper wants his customer, he wants to keep his client, and it is difficult for him to desert his clientele. That is why His Holiness Christ called them "vipers" in an explicit text of the Gospel.
His Honor Abu'l-Fadil has written an epistle to the press of London, which will be translated and printed, and each one of you should have a copy of it to read.
(World Order magazine, July 1942)
