"I beseech Thee by Thy Name which no scroll can bear, which no heart can imagine and no tongue can utter—a Name which will remain concealed so long as Thine own Essence is hidden, and will be glorified so long as Thine own Being is extolled"
(Prayers and Meditations, LVIII, final paragraph)
I know the Baha' is the Greatest Name. But since Baha' is a word that has been used as a Name of God since even before the Bab and Baha'u'llah (though not one of the 99), it can't be said to be "concealed", especially not now for Baha'is. But is there another name of God, referred to in the prayer above, which is still unknown. Presumably, this is a Name which cannot be written or even pronounced, since "no scroll can bear" it. What should we call this Name? Is the Even-Greater-than-the-Greatest-Name Name!? Is there anything else in Baha'i scripture about a Name of God which is still unknown and still concealed, even after the revelation of the Greatest Name (Baha')?
The Greatest Name
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British_Bahai
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I think youre taking the literal meaning of it
I think this passage is implying that God is so great, that no earthly word would ever describe him accurately enough.
For example, in lots of prayers there are references to God being so great, that no earthly word can be equivacol when we want to praise him.
[your prime example - the long healing prayer: "I call on thee, O most.....(blabla)..."
There are other examples in many other places, e.g. long obligatory prayer]
Am I making any sense to you?
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Also, this relates back to your other post.
viewtopic.php?t=1754
Bear in mind that the above passage has been translated into English, and i am assuming its original is in Persian. Persian is such a flowerly language whereas Arabic is more direct and rigid... (compare the 1st Persian Hidden word with the 1st Arabic hidden word).
Its best to just focus on the overall tone/essence because when you focus on something in particular you can get yourself into a tangle
I think this passage is implying that God is so great, that no earthly word would ever describe him accurately enough.
For example, in lots of prayers there are references to God being so great, that no earthly word can be equivacol when we want to praise him.
[your prime example - the long healing prayer: "I call on thee, O most.....(blabla)..."
There are other examples in many other places, e.g. long obligatory prayer]
Am I making any sense to you?
--
Also, this relates back to your other post.
viewtopic.php?t=1754
Bear in mind that the above passage has been translated into English, and i am assuming its original is in Persian. Persian is such a flowerly language whereas Arabic is more direct and rigid... (compare the 1st Persian Hidden word with the 1st Arabic hidden word).
Its best to just focus on the overall tone/essence because when you focus on something in particular you can get yourself into a tangle
Actually, this prayer is a translation from Arabic, not Persian. There are fewer than 10 prayers in Prayers and Meditations that are translated from Persian.
As I mentioned before, God is unknowable, but His Names are not. The Baha'i Writings are full of them. Since Baha' is the Greatest Name, what is this other Name that is being referred to in the prayer?
Yes, but it says that there is a Name which is concealed, unutterable, unbearable, and unimaginable. Yet, is it glorified. What I want to know is where this Name fits into the Baha'i theology of the Names and Attributes of God.
As I mentioned before, God is unknowable, but His Names are not. The Baha'i Writings are full of them. Since Baha' is the Greatest Name, what is this other Name that is being referred to in the prayer?
british_bahai wrote:I think this passage is implying that God is so great, that no earthly word would ever describe him accurately enough.
Yes, but it says that there is a Name which is concealed, unutterable, unbearable, and unimaginable. Yet, is it glorified. What I want to know is where this Name fits into the Baha'i theology of the Names and Attributes of God.