The Manifestation of God () is a concept in the Baháʼí Faith that refers to what are commonly called prophets. The Manifestations of God are appearances of the Divine Spirit or Holy Spirit in a series of personages, and as such, they perfectly reflect the attributes of the divine into the human world for the progress and advancement of human morals and civilization through the agency of that same Spirit.
In the Baha'i Faith, it is believed that the Manifestations of God are the only channel for humanity to know about God because contact with the Spirit is what transforms the heart and mind, creating a living relationship between the soul and God. They act as perfect mirrors reflecting the attributes of God into the physical world. Baháʼí teachings hold that the motive force in all human development is due to the coming of the Manifestations of God. The Manifestations of God are directly linked with the Baháʼí concepts of progressive revelation and unity of religion.
Station
200px|thumb|left|The [[Baháʼí symbols#Ringstone symbol|Ringstone symbol represents humanity's connection to God through the Manifestation of God]]
The Baháʼí concept of the intermediary between God and humanity is expressed in the term Manifestation of God. Though inaccessible directly, God is nevertheless seen as conscious of his creation, with a mind, will and purpose. Baháʼís believe that God expresses this will at all times and in many ways, including through a series of divine messengers referred to as Manifestations of God. In expressing God's intent, these Manifestations are seen to establish religion in the world. Thus, the Manifestations of God are special beings, having a unique relationship to God as they have been sent by God from the spiritual world as an instrument of divine revelation. They are understood to have existed in the spiritual world prior to their physical birth in this life. They are also seen to have innate, divinely revealed knowledge and absolute knowledge of the physical world.
In his book The Messiah of Shiraz, Denis MacEoin noted a possible discrepancy between the contemporary Baháʼí understanding of Baháʼu'lláh's station as a Manifestation of God and that found in Baháʼu'lláh's own works. Specifically, he contrasted the "official modern Bahāʾī doctrine reject[ing] any notion of incarnationism and stress[ing] instead his status as a locus of divine manifestation [...] comparable to a mirror with respect to the sun," to several quotes from the writings of Baháʼu'lláh, which he argued are suggestive of a more radical interpretation.
Purpose
The purpose of the Manifestation of God, according to Baháʼí belief, is to educate humanity. The laws and precepts revealed by the Manifestation of God lie in different spheres and levels and include elements intended to help individuals develop a sound character and acquire divine attributes, as well as laws and principles designed to help improve the welfare of society and advance civilization. ʻAbdu'l-Bahá has stated that from time to time an educator will come to teach humanity, and without these teachings humanity would be overcome by such emotions and attitudes as anger, jealousy and hatred.
:"God sent all His Prophets into the world with one aim, to sow in the hearts of men love and goodwill, and for this great purpose, they were willing to suffer and to die. All the sacred Books were written to lead and direct man into the ways of love and unity; and yet, in spite of all this, we have the sad spectacle of war and bloodshed in our midst."
Equality
alt=Arabic script inscribed on a metal plate|thumb|250px|right|The calligraphy of the [[Greatest Name on a metal plate at the top of the interior of the Baháʼí House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois.]]
In the Baháʼí Faith, all of the Manifestations of God are sent from the same God and have the same spiritual and metaphysical nature, and that there is absolute equality among them.
The Manifestations of God are taught to be "one and the same", and in their relationship to one another have both the station of unity and the station of distinction. In this sense, the Manifestations of God all fulfill the same purpose and perform the same function by mediating between God and creation. Baháʼu'lláh in several passages goes so far as to say that denial of one Manifestation is equivalent to denial of all of them. ʻAbdu'l-Bahá said that a Baháʼí will choose death over denial of any of the great Prophets, whether Moses, Muhammad or Christ.
The Baháʼí belief in the oneness of the Manifestations of God does not mean, however, that the same individual soul is born again at different times and in different physical bodies. In the Baháʼí Faith, the various Manifestations of God were all different personalities and had separate individual realities. Instead, their equality is due to that Manifestation of God manifested and revealed the qualities of God to the same degree. In the Baháʼí view the succession of Manifestations of God had no beginning and will have no end. Shoghi Effendi, the head of the Baháʼí Faith in the first half of the 20th century, stated that Manifestations will continue to come about every thousand years, extending "over many ages into the unborn reaches of time."
While Manifestations of God are explained to have always come to humanity and will continue to do so, ʻAbdu'l-Bahá explained that there are distinct cycles within this process. The cycles consist of hundreds of thousands of years and are characterized by three periods. The first period involves the coming of a series of Manifestations of God who prepare humanity for a universal theophany; the second period involves the appearance of the Manifestation of God that brings the universal theophany and his dispensation; finally the third period includes the Manifestations of God that come after. ʻAbdu'l-Bahá stated that in the current cycle, the first period was started by Adam and extended to the time of the Báb. Baháʼu'lláh is seen as the universal Manifestation of God, and the current cycle will continue for another 500,000 years.
ʻAbdu'l-Bahá writes in the Tablet of the Universe ("Lawh-i-Aflákiyyih") that there are infinite Manifestations of God in the infinite worlds of God.
Minor prophets
In the Baháʼí definition, there is a distinction between minor prophets and the Manifestations of God, the major prophets. This distinction is also referred to as lesser/greater, dependent/independent, follower/universal, and other similar phrases. The Manifestations of God or the major prophets are compared to the sun, which produces its own heat and light, and the minor prophets are likened to the moon, which receives its light from the sun.
The Manifestations of God are described as prophets endowed with constancy. The term endowed with constancy refers to prophets to whom a book was revealed (in which the book contained legislation) and with whom lasting covenants with God were made, abrogating past covenants. For example, Baháʼu'lláh describes Moses as a Manifestation of God and his brother Aaron a minor prophet; Moses spoke on behalf of God, and Aaron spoke on behalf of Moses (Exodus 4:14–17).
The distinction can also be described as the difference between inspiration and revelation. Revelation is seen to be the direct and infallible perception of God's word and is only accessible to the Manifestations of God who transmit it to humanity. On the other hand, inspiration is seen to be the indirect and relative perception of spiritual truths that each person may have access to. Baháʼu'lláh stated that at times, God chooses ordinary people to act as prophets and thus inspires them to play certain roles in human affairs; these people however remain ordinary people whose powers of inspiration have been further developed by God.
Other possible divine teachers
It is implied, though not specifically stated, that the American continents have had their share of divine revelations, which somewhat have been lost to time except in oral traditions. A quote exists by 'Abdu'l-Bahá:
Academics are researching Native Messengers and some have connected the signs of a Prophet with the Great Peacemaker of the Haudenosaunee. As such, some Baháʼí's revere the Peacemaker as a Manifestation of God.Joseph Smith, the Prophet of the Mormon religion founded around the same time as the Baha'i, is not officially recognised as a Manifestation of God or as a minor prophet, but is thought to have spoken of the coming of Baháʼu'lláh.
Known messengers
There is no definitive list of Manifestations of God, but Baháʼu'lláh and ʻAbdu'l-Bahá referred to several personages as Manifestations; they include: Zoroaster, Krishna, Gautama Buddha, all the Jewish prophets, Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, the Báb, and ultimately Baháʼu'lláh. Thus, religious history is interpreted in the Baháʼí Faith as a series of periods or "dispensations", where each Manifestation brings a somewhat broader and more advanced revelation, suited for the time and place in which it was expressed. There is, however, no definite list of who is or is not a minor prophet in the Baháʼí understanding.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Table of the known messengers of God in Baháʼí Faith
!Name
!Main article
!Also venerated in
|-
|Ádam
|
|Christianity, Islam, Druze Faith, Mandaeism
|-
|Edrís
|
|Christianity, Islam, Judaism
|-
|Núh
|Noah in the Baháʼí Faith
|Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Druze Faith, Mandaeism, Yazidism
|-
|Krishna
|
|Hinduism, Jainism, Islam (only Ahmadiyya)
|-
|Húd
|Zoroaster in the Baháʼí Faith
|Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, Mithraism, Islam (only Ahmadiyya)
|-
|Ibráhím
|Joseph in the Baháʼí Faith
|Christianity, Islam, Judaism
|-
|Ayyúb
|Aaron in the Baháʼí Faith
|Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Samaritanism
|-
|Musá
|
|
|-
|David
|
|Christianity, Islam, Judaism
|-
|Búdá
|
|Buddhism, Hinduism
|-
|Íshiya
|
|Christianity, Islam, Judaism
|-
|Yu'íl
|John in the Baháʼí Faith
|Christianity, Islam, Mandaeism, Druze Faith
|-
|Jesus Christ
|Jesus in the Baháʼí Faith
|Christianity, Islam, Druze Faith, Manichaeism
|-
|Muhammad
|Muhammad in the Baháʼí Faith
|Islam, Druze Faith
|-
|Báb
|
|Bábism, Azalism
|-
|Baháʼu'lláh
|
|
|}
See also
- Abrahamic Religions
- Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion
- Buddhahood
- Culture hero
- Dashavatara
- List of founders of religious traditions
- Messiah
- Manifestation of God
- Perennial philosophy
- Saoshyant
- Sidrat al-Muntaha
- Son of Heaven
- Table of prophets of Abrahamic religions