| 1 |
Jedan od onih Koji su posjedovali tu moć i kojima je ona pomogla bio je Abraham. Dokaz je tome bio podatak da je On rođen u Mezopotamiji i to u obitelji koja ništa nije znala o Jednosti Božjoj. On se suprotstavio Svojoj vlastitoj naciji i narodu, pa čak i Svojoj obitelji, odbacujući njihove bogove. Sam i bez pomoći pružio je otpor moćnom plemenu, što nije bila nimalo laka ni jednostavna zadaća. To bi se moglo poistovjetiti sa slučajem u kojem bi netko danas otišao nekom kršćanskom narodu koji se drži Biblije i porekao Krista; ili – ne daj Bože – u Papinu Dvoru kad bi netko na najmoćniji način bogohulio protiv Krista i suprotstavio se ljudima. |
One of those Who possessed this power and was assisted by it was Abraham. And the proof of it was that He was born in Mesopotamia, and of a family who were ignorant of the Oneness of God. He opposed His own nation and people, and even His own family, by rejecting all their gods. Alone and without help He resisted a powerful tribe, a task which is neither simple nor easy. It is as if in this day someone were to go to a Christian people who are attached to the Bible, and deny Christ; or in the Papal Court—God forbid!—if such a one were in the most powerful manner to blaspheme against Christ and oppose the people. |
| 2 |
Ti ljudi nisu vjerovali u jednog Boga, nego u više bogova kojima su pripisivali čudesa; stoga su svi oni ustali protiv Njega i nitko ga nije podržavao osim Lota, sina Njegova brata, i jednoga ili dvojice drugih ljudi koji nisu bili važni. Napokon, poražen do krajnjeg očaja oporbom Svojih neprijatelja, morao je napustiti rodnu grudu. Zapravo, protjerali su Ga da Ga slome i unište i da od Njega ni traga ne ostane. |
These people believed not in one God but in many gods, to whom they ascribed miracles; therefore, they all arose against Him, and no one supported Him except Lot, His brother’s son, and one or two other people of no importance. At last, reduced to the utmost distress by the opposition of His enemies, He was obliged to leave His native land. In reality they banished Him in order that He might be crushed and destroyed, and that no trace of Him might be left. |
| 3 |
Abraham je potom došao u područje Svete Zemlje. Njegovi su neprijatelji smatrali da će Ga progonstvo odvesti u potpuno uništenje, jer činilo se nemogućim da bi čovjek protjeran iz Svog zavičaja, lišen prava i napadan sa svih strana – čak i kad bi bio kralj – mogao izbjeći istrebljenju. No, Abraham je ustrajao i pokazao izuzetnu čvrstoću – i Bog je to izgnanstvo učinio Njegovom vječnom čašću – sve dok nije usred politeističkog naraštaja uspostavio Jedinstvo Božje. To je izgnanstvo postalo uzrokom napretka potomaka Abrahamovih, a Sveta Zemlja je njima dana. Posljedica toga bilo je širenje Abrahamovih učenja u inozemstvu, Jakobljevo pojavljivanje u njegovu potomstvu i Josip, koji je postao vladar Egipta. Kao posljedica njegova progonstva iz Njegova su se potomstva objavili jedan Mojsije i biće poput Krista, a otkriven je i Hagar od koga se Išmael rodio, čiji je jedan od potomaka bio Muhamed. Kao posljedica njegova progonstva pojavio se među Njegovim potomcima5 i Báb, a Proroci Izraela ubrojani su među potomke Abrahamove. I tako će se se to vječno nastavljati. Napokon, kao posljedica Njegova progonstva, cijela Europa i većina Azije došla je u zaštitničku sjenu Boga Izraelova. Uviđate li veličinu moći koja je omogućila Čovjeku Koji je bjegunac iz Svoje zemlje da osnuje takvu obitelj, uspostavi takvu vjeru i širi takva učenja? Može li itko reći da se sve to dogodilo slučajno? Moramo biti pravedni: je li taj Čovjek bio Odgajatelj ili ne? |
Abraham then came into the region of the Holy Land. His enemies considered that His exile would lead to His destruction and ruin, as it seemed impossible that a man banished from His native land, deprived of His rights and oppressed on all sides—even though He were a king—could escape extermination. But Abraham stood fast and showed forth extraordinary firmness—and God made this exile to be to His eternal honor—until He established the Unity of God in the midst of a polytheistic generation. This exile became the cause of the progress of the descendants of Abraham, and the Holy Land was given to them. As a result the teachings of Abraham were spread abroad, a Jacob appeared among His posterity, and a Joseph who became ruler in Egypt. In consequence of His exile a Moses and a being like Christ were manifested from His posterity, and Hagar was found from whom Ishmael was born, one of whose descendants was Muḥammad. In consequence of His exile the Báb appeared from His posterity,5 and the Prophets of Israel were numbered among the descendants of Abraham. And so it will continue for ever and ever. Finally, in consequence of His exile the whole of Europe and most of Asia came under the protecting shadow of the God of Israel. See what a power it is that enabled a Man Who was a fugitive from His country to found such a family, to establish such a faith, and to promulgate such teachings. Can anyone say that all this occurred accidentally? We must be just: was this Man an Educator or not? |
| 4 |
Budući da je progon Abrahama iz Ura u Aleppo u Siriji polučio takav rezultat, moramo razmotriti kakav će biti učinak progona Bahá’u’lláha tijekom Njegovih nekoliko prelazaka iz Teherana u Bagdad, pa u Konstantinopol, u Rumeliu i Svetu Zemlju. |
Since the exile of Abraham from Ur to Aleppo in Syria produced this result, we must consider what will be the effect of the exile of Bahá’u’lláh in His several removes from Ṭihrán to Baghdád, from thence to Constantinople, to Rumelia and to the Holy Land. |
| 5 |
Vidite kakav je savršen Odgajatelj bio Abraham! |
See what a perfect Educator Abraham was! |
