[An American passenger aboard the ship asked ‘Abdu’l-Baha
whether the Bahá'í Faith accepted the Bible.]
‘Abdu'l-Bahá replied:
This Cause acknowledges the truth of all the Books and all
the Manifestations of God. The heavenly teachings are composed of two kinds of
commandments. One kind is concerned with spiritual verities, with the
perfections and virtues of the world of humanity. These commandments never
change or alter. Each of the Books and the Prophets was the promulgator of
these principles upon which all the religions are based, hence the foundation
of all the divine religions is one. The second category of commandments is
concerned with material principles and social issues. These are altered
according to the exigencies of the age. For example, at the time of Christ the
social laws of the Torah were changed.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (Responding to a question
aboard the Cedric, March 27, 1912, recorded by Mahmud Zarqani; ‘Mahmud’s
Diary’)
