1. date unknown. هدف و روش (Methods and Approach in Researching Bahá'í Teachings). Alí Murád Dávúdí, Muhammad Afnan, Badi'u'llah Farid. Questions from the Youth Committee of Ahang-e Badi, with answers from Mr. Dr. Alimurad Davudi, Badi'u'llah Farid, and Dr. Muhammad Afnan. Articles.
2. 2026. "Knowledge Game" and the Bahá'í Faith, The: Ten Perspectives from Bahá'í Scholarship. Filip Boicu. What does the Revelation have to contribute to the modern system of knowledge and academic disciplines? To what extent does the understanding of the Revelation depend on the modern system of knowledge? This problematic is the knowledge game of religion. Articles-unpublished.
3. 2025-12-06. Interview with Joshua Hall on Bahá'í Philosophy of Religion. Joshua Hall, Amos Wollen. In-depth interview exploring Bahá’í philosophy, theology, metaphysics, and spirituality. Includes audio and video formats, plus transcript. Audio.
4. 2025-12. New Perspective on Human Evolution, A. Douglas Perry. Applies modern cladistics to evolutionary biology, addressing gaps in Bahá’í scholarship and reframing perceived tensions between evolution and statements of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Articles.
5. 2025-09. Vie intellectuelle de la communauté bahá'íe, la. Farzam Arbab. On the need for us to have intellectual courage, a lack of elitism, and the harmony of science and religion. Articles.
6. 2024-08. Question-answer session from "Text and Context in the Bahá'í Heroic Age". Nader Saiedi, Alison Marshall, ed. . Partial transcript of the Q&A portion of a talk on the Bahá'í writings and the need for scholars to index and translate these texts; the metaphysical nature of the Manifestations. Transcripts.
7. 2022. Reference Desk, The: Projects that Support Bahá'í Scholarship in the Digital Age. Graham Hassall, ed. 13 presentations on how digital technologies are supporting Bahá’í scholarship. Webmasters, bibliographers, genealogists, and archivists speak about their journey in reference projects: origins, progress, and insights into how their projects are used. Presentations.
8. 2021-05. Secret of Divine Civilization, The. Fariba Moghadam. Overview of the history Abdu'l-Bahá's treatise, and its themes presented through a compilation of quotations. Prepared for the Wilmette Institute. Presentations.
9. 2021. What is Bahá'í Orientalism?. Geoffrey Nash. Postcolonial theory can help analyze religious writing; Edward Said and the concept of mutual othering; power and knowledge are linked in the production of Orientalist discourse. Link to article (offsite). Articles.
10. 2018. List of Bahá'í Studies and Translations. Stephen Lambden, A. Bolhuis, comp. . A list of content available at Lambden's personal website, Hurqalya Publications, with select links to manuscripts, texts, introductions. Includes Shaykhi and Bábí studies, bibliographies, genealogies, provisional translations. Resources.
11. 2018. Scholar Meets Prophet: Edward Granville Browne and Bahá'u'lláh (Acre, 1890). Christopher Buck, Youli A. Ioannesyan. Details of E.G. Browne's handwritten notes about his meeting with Bahá'u'lláh, his stay in Akka in April 1890, and his correspondence with Russian academics. Articles.
12. 2018. Scholarship and the Bahá'í Vision of Reality. John S. Hatcher. "From the Editor's Desk": Understanding the various aspects of reality in contemporary fields of study can be enhanced when approached from a Bahá'í perspective. Essays.
13. 2018. Exploring the Implications of a Conceptual Framework for Action for Bahá'í Scholarship. John S. Hatcher. "From the Editor's Desk": How elements of the conceptual framework that encompasses the vision and activities of the worldwide Bahá’í community can be incorporated into the Association's various initiatives. Essays.
14. 2018. Toward a Framework for Action. Paul Lample. On defining and encouraging scholarship, especially as it relates to the major objectives of the Bahá'í Faith, and the role of the scholarin the Bahá'í community. Articles.
15. 2018. Transformative Leadership: Its Evolution and Impact. Joan Barstow Hernandez. The ideas behind the conceptual framework and capabilities of Núr University’s "Transformative Leadership Program," developed as a Bahá’í-inspired approach to leadership in academic settings or in projects of social action. Articles.
16. 2018. Power of Reflection, The: Advancing Governance and Dispute Resolution Systems through Devolved Reflection and Shared Knowledge Generation. Shahla Ali. Reflection is the "source of crafts, sciences and arts," with the capacity to produce "pearls of wisdom and utterance as will promote the well-being and harmony of all the kindreds of the earth." It can improve institutions and community governance. Articles.
17. 2017. A Way Out of No Way, by Hussein Ahdieh and Hillary Chapman: Review. Donald T. Streets. Reviews.
18. 2016. Intellectual Life of the Bahá'í Community, The. Farzam Arbab. The 34th Hasan M. Balyuzi Memorial Lecture at the ABS conference in Montreal, on the need for us to have intellectual courage, a lack of elitism, and the harmony of science and religion. Includes video, published version, and an outline of the talk. Talks.
19. 2015. Seven Narratives of Religion: A Framework for Engaging Contemporary Research. Benjamin Schewel. Academic discourse on religion is beginning to resonate with the broader Bahá'í vision. Seven narrative frameworks are examined and contrasted: subtraction, renewal, transsecular, post-naturalist, construct, perennial, and developmental. Articles.
20. 2015. Evolving Role of Bahá'í Scholarship, The. Vahid Rafati. Lecture on the evolution of Bahá’í scholarship; ulamás and the Faith; role of the ulamás in Islam; changes instituted by Bahá'u'lláh; abolition of clerical authority; historical legacy of some scholars; present challenges and future scholarship. Articles.
21. 2014. Finding a Trace of the Traceless Friend: Reflection on Bahá'í Scholarship as a Journey in the Valley of Search. Wolfgang A. Klebel. Prerequisites of search; independent investigation and the role of the heart, culture and tradition; dealing with distractions; exclusivity of search and sacrificing; seeking truth in every soul; and the standard of Majnún — seek her everywhere. Articles.
22. 2014. Baha'i Studies in Iran: A Preliminary Survey. Bijan Ma'sumian, Adib Masumian. Overview of the cultivation and evolution of religious education in the Baha’i Faith in Iran in the 19th and 20th centuries. Articles.
23. 2014. Text and Context in the Bahá'í Heroic Age. Nader Saiedi. A series of 12 talks by Nader Saiedi exploring Bahá'í history, key writings, and the need for scholarly study, translation, and contextual analysis of Bahá'í texts. Audio.
24. 2013. Global Scholars as Ambassadors of Knowledge. Boris Handal. Global scholars can face challenges interacting with peers and with the community of their destination cultures, but can become agents of social change due to their unique overseas positions, and teach global citizenship, moral leadership, and unity. Articles.
25. 2013. Next Stage, The. Douglas Martin. Bahá'í scholars find themselves at a stage in the Faith’s development where they must construct a discourse that is free of "haughty intellectualism." The Association for Bahá’í Studies can help promote the Bahá'í cause to institutions of higher learning. Articles.
26. 2009-03-08. Persian Manuscript of Nabíl's History (Táríkh-i-Nabíl), The. Universal House of Justice. Answers to various questions, including: have any publications made use of the original manuscript used by Shoghi Effendi for The Dawn-Breakers; can scholars inspect the one surviving copy; does a corrected version or a "second manuscript" exist? UHJ-letters.
27. 2009. Scholarly Activities, Development of. Universal House of Justice. UHJ-letters.
28. 2009. Purposes and Objectives of Bahá'í Scholarship, The: Compilation and commentary. Peter Terry. Three essays on objectives of Bahá'í Scholarship, attaining to the knowledge of God, and the study of philosophy. Articles-unpublished.
29. 2008. Emergence from Obscurity: The Journey of Sociology in the Bahá'í Community. Will C. van den Hoonaard. The field of sociology and the Bahá’í Faith share important principles and both challenge widely-held beliefs, yet there has sometimes been a wall of silence separating them. This paper explores how the Faith informs the sociology of Bahá'í scholars. Articles.
30. 2008. Study of the Bahá'í Faith, Comment on Issues Related to the. Universal House of Justice. A follow-up to the "Issues Related to the Study of the Bahá'í Faith" letter. UHJ-letters.
31. 2008. Insider and Outsider Scholarship in Bahá'í Studies. Moojan Momen. 'Insider' and 'outsider' scholars can both use academic methodolology in the study of religion with productive results. Articles.
32. 2007. Brief Biography of 'Azizu'llah Sulaymani, A. Koumarth Sulaymani, Adel Shafipour, trans. . Overview of the life and publications of a prominent Iranian scholar (1901-1985) who wrote on history, philosophy, and theology, and was especially known for his biographies of 99 Bahá'ís in the ten-volume series Masabih-i-Hidayat. Biographies.
33. 2006. Ineffability in Scripture: A Conversation with 6 Medieval Mystics. Ismael Velasco. On how the experience of six 13th- and 14th-century Christian mystics was shaped by their language, environment, and background; how that process illuminates Baha’i scripture; implications for the conduct and direction of Baha’i scholarship. Articles-unpublished.
34. 2006. Doing Scholarship from a Faith Perspective: Reading the Sacred as Sacred Encounter. Ismael Velasco. Problems with faith perspectives, and the dichotomy between faith and objectivity. Articles-unpublished.
35. 2005-08-12. Bahá'í Community and the Life of the Mind, The. Douglas Martin. Audio.
36. 2005. Unveiling the Huri of Love. John S. Hatcher. Three versions of this paper: Powerpoint presentation, audio file, and published article. Articles.
37. 2004. Prolegomenon to the Study of Babi and Baha'i Scriptures, A: The Importance of Henry Corbin to Babi and Baha'i Studies. Ismael Velasco. On the foremost Western authority on the Islamic philosophy of Persia, one of the most influential Islamicists of the 20th century, whose work is uniquely relevant in understanding the philosophical context for the emergence of the Bábí Faith. Articles.
38. 2003-08-29. Thoughts about Scholarship and Learning in a Far-from-Equilibrium State, Some. Stephen Birkland. Audio.
39. 2003-01. Contemporary developments in Baha'i studies: An examination using citation analysis. Seena Fazel. Investigation of contemporary developments using the technique of citation analysis, a widely used method to report trends in academia. Articles-unpublished.
40. 2003-01. International Conference on Bahá'í Libraries and Archives. Graham Hassall, ed. Conference convened at Landegg International University for people to share experiences, learn about best practices, and begin developing a structure for world interaction among those who handle and organize Bahá’í library and archival materials. Archives.
41. 2003. Towards a Spiritual Methodology of Scholarship. Chris Jones Kavelin. Attempt to offer youth a vision of their sacred duty to pursue scholarship and a confidence in their unique spiritual genius to enable a world civilization to become conscious of its own Divine origin, spiritual nature, sacred purpose and glorious destiny Articles.
42. 2003. Spiritual Self in Bahá'í Studies, The. Jack McLean. Being philosophically informed is particularly important for Bahá'ís who are in dialogue with persons concerned with ethical, epistemological, theological and metaphysical issues. This paper introduces the topic for discussion among Bahá'í academics. Articles-unpublished.
43. 2003. Styles of piety: Notes on the relationship between Bahá'í scholars and the Bahá'í institutions with reference to academic methodology. Todd Lawson. On the role of the scholar in the community, the phenomenon of the internet, and the institution of the Covenant, as seen in the light of the intellectual heritage of the Islamic world. Articles.
44. 2002. Seven Valleys and the Scientific Method, The. Robert Sarracino. The Seven Valleys is both Bahá'u'llah's "greatest mystical composition" and a practical and inspirational guide and sourcebook for those engaged in a process of both self discovery or scientific research. Articles.
45. 2001-09-02. Reason and the Bahá'í Writings: The Use and Misuse of Logic and Persuasion. Ian Kluge. How to study the Bahá'í Writings through the use of logic. Articles-unpublished.
46. 2001 Winter/Spring. Scholarship and the Bahá'í Institutions, Comments on. Robert Stockman. The terms "scholarship" vs "scholar"; relationship between scholarship and faith; relationship with the institutions; scholarship in North America. Essays.
47. 2001 Winter. Academic Irrelevance or Disciplinary Blind-Spot?: Middle Eastern Studies and the Baha'i Faith Today. Ismael Velasco. Possible reasons for the lack of attention to the Bahá'í religion in Middle Eastern academic studies. Why is it considered marginal? What are the conceptual boundaries involved and their limitations? Articles.
48. 2001. Methodology in Bahá'í studies. Moojan Momen. How Bahá'í scholars can interact with secular academia. Bahá’í scholarship can develop in two ways: interior (scholarship that develops within the Bahá’í community, based on faith) and exterior (academic scholarship based on rationalistic methodology). Articles.
49. 2001. Methodology and Bahá'í Studies: The Bridge between Realities. John S. Hatcher. The role of Bahá'í academics to bring to light aspects of the dual physical and spiritual aspects of reality. Articles.
50. 2001. "What I Want to Say is Wordless": Mystical Language, Revelation and Scholarship. Ismael Velasco. If the Word of God transcends words and letters, what point is there to Scripture, let alone to scholarship; the paradox of a history of writers penning volumes on a subject which they assert cannot be grasped by language; the relevance of mysticism. Articles.
51. 2001. Rationality in Academic Disciplines. K. P. Mohanan. For an academic community to construct knowledge through teamwork, its members must have a shared language with the same pairings of concepts and words, and they must have shared epistemic values by which to "dialogue" and base collective decisions. Articles.
52. 2000. Yerrinbool Report on Scholarship: 1999. Graham Hassall. Overview of worldwide Bahá'í scholarship projects, publications, and events - 1999; includes a progress report on the growth of the Bahá'í Library Online. Resources.
53. 2000. Results of Talisman Attitudes Survey. Eric Hadley-Ives. Detailed analysis of the beliefs and community interactions of participants in the listserver Talisman2 (circa 1999). Articles-unpublished.
54. 2000. Scholarship. Bahá'u'lláh, Abdu'l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, Universal House of Justice, Universal House of Justice, Research Department, comp. . Compilations.
55. 2000. Fact and Fiction: Interrelationships between History and Imagination. Bahíyyih Nakhjavání. On the tension between "fact" and "fiction," between objective history and our relative and subjective stories, between art as the representation of reality and faith based on the Word of God. We inherited a responsibility to resolve this tension. Articles.
56. 2000. Learned. Peter Smith. Essays.
57. 1999-12. Meaning of Baha'i History, The. Moshe Sharon. Disregarding personal belief, a neutral historian uses tools of objective research to deal with the scriptures of any religion as "literary texts" and not as "divine revelations"; issues of historicity in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Bahá'í Faith. Articles-unpublished.
58. 1999-04-02. Yerrinbool Report on Scholarship: 1998. Graham Hassall. Overview of worldwide Bahá'í scholarship projects, publications, and events - 1998. Resources.
59. 1999. Aspects of Bahá'í Scholarship, Some. Peter J. Khan. Talks.
60. 1999. Aspects of Bahá'í Scholarship, Some. Peter J. Khan. Four ideas that characterize Bahá’í scholarship: the central position of the Word in the acquisition of knowledge; the interconnected Bahá’í model of the world; progressive nature of Bahá’í law; organic relationship of scholarship and the Covenant. Articles.
61. 1999. Fádl Mázandarání, Mírzá Asadu'lláh. Moojan Momen. Very brief article, short enough to qualify as "fair use." Encyclopedia.
62. 1999. Knowledge and the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh: Invited Commentary. Ian C. Semple. On the apparent contradiction between following infallible divine guidance while pursuing an unfettered search after truth, and the culture of academic writing. Articles.
63. 1999. Principles for Bahá'í Scholarship. Robert Sarracino. On the use and development of the intellect; the nature and importance of scholarship; its pursuit in contemporary context; the Bahá'í model as an example. Articles-unpublished.
64. 1998-12-30. Primary Source Texts, Access to. Universal House of Justice, Susan Maneck. One scholar's query why the Bahá'í World Centre's copies of primary sources in Bábí and Bahá'í history are not available for study, followed by the House's response. UHJ-letters.
65. 1998-05. Study of the Bahá'í Faith, Issues Related to the. Universal House of Justice. Compilation of guidance from the Universal House of Justice on Bahá’í scholarship, emphasizing responsible study, the review process, academic freedom, institutional trust, and preservation of unity. Compilations.
66. 1998-04-10. Yerrinbool Report on Scholarship: 1997. Graham Hassall. Overview of worldwide Bahá'í scholarship projects, publications, and events - 1997. Resources.
67. 1998. Bahá'í Studies Bulletin: Index by volume. Robert Stauffer, comp. List of articles in all issues of Bahai Studies Bulletin, 1982-1992. Bibliographies.
68. 1998. Social Organization of Mentorship in Bahá'í Studies, The. Will C. van den Hoonaard. Mentorship in contemporary Bahá’í Studies is influenced by gender inequality, generational differences, and a perceived hierarchical order of disciplines. How can these limitations be overcome? Articles.
69. 1998. Ishráq Khávarí. Vahid Rafati. Very brief article, short enough to qualify as "fair use." Encyclopedia.
70. 1997-10. Law and International Order: Proceedings of the First European Bahá'í Conference on Law and International Order: Review. Joshua Lincoln. Review of conference proceedings, highlighting Bahá'í law, governance, human rights, and future perspectives. Reviews.
71. 1997-09-21. Academic Methodologies. Universal House of Justice, Susan Maneck. Two letters to the House on the relationship between "materialistic methodologies" and "doctrinal heresy" in the academic fields, followed by the House's detailed response. UHJ-letters.
72. 1997-07-20. Scholars and the Administrative Order. Universal House of Justice. Letter to the House requesting guidance concerning a possible "atmosphere of distrust" among some academics, followed by a response which sets the problem in the context of the current intellectual and spiritual crisis afflicting society at large. UHJ-letters.
73. 1996-03-31. Role of the Scholar: Scholarship and the Covenant. John S. Hatcher, Abdu'l-Missagh Ghadirian, Mark Towfiq, comp. . Essays "The New Role of the Scholar in Bahá'í Society" and "Scholarship and the Covenant." Essays.
74. 1996-03-14. Laymen vs. Scholars in Bahá'í Studies. Universal House of Justice. No distinction should be drawn between "laypeople" and "scholars" in Bahá'í studies, and the pursuit of knowledge. UHJ-letters.
75. 1996-01. Enlightened Scholarship: E.G. Browne and H.M. Balyuzi. Richard Logan. Examination of the qualities of scholarship embodied by E. G. Browne and H. M. Balyuzi. Essays.
76. 1996. Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986: Third Epoch of the Formative Age. Universal House of Justice, Geoffrey W. Marks, comp. . Books.
77. 1996. Bahá'í studies Seminar in Cambridge, 30 September - 1 October 1978: Message to Participants. Universal House of Justice. Harmony of science and religion; faith and reason; spiritual scholarship; and the institution of review. UHJ-letters.
78. 1996. Scholarship from an Aboriginal Perspective. Diana Rose Yoka. Scholarship can be demonstrated in our daily lives, through how we interact with each other and put Bahá'u'lláh's admonitions into action; it is not limited to the written word: to have meaning it needs to include experiential learning. Essays.
79. 1995/2007. Promises to Keep: Thoughts on an Emerging Bahá'í Theology. Jack McLean. A nascent Bahá'í systemic theology must have certain parameters, including spirituality, the prophetic tradition, and the "truth claims" neglected by the academic study of religion. Articles-unpublished.
80. 1995/2004. Holy Grail of Objectivity, The: Some Considerations for Balancing Sacred and Secular in Bahá'í Scholarship. Rick Harmsen. Discussion of an apologetic nature about an interpretive or hermeneutic principle relating to Bahá'í scholarship articulated by Shoghi Effendi. Articles.
81. 1995-05-19. Internet Discussions, Character of. Universal House of Justice. Internet courtesy, discipline, and the need for Bahá'ís online to be a "spiritual leaven." UHJ-letters.
82. 1995. Bahá'í Scholarship: An examination using citation analysis. Seena Fazel, John Danesh. Examines references of articles in major Bahá'í studies journals published during 1978-83 and 1988-93 to study trends in Bahá'í scholarship. Articles.
83. 1995. Bahá'í Review: Should the 'red flag' law be repealed?. Barney Leith. Argument that the current provisions for review may be anachronistic and that the benefits of deregulation might outweigh possible disadvantages. Includes responses by Roxanne Lalonde and Sepideh Taheri. Articles.
84. 1995. Browne, Edward Granville. Moojan Momen. Short biography of an English orientalist and famous scholar of the Bábí and Bahá'í Faiths. Encyclopedia.
85. 1995. Bahá'í Faith, Scholarship on. Moojan Momen. This article is a survey of attempts to analyse and study the Bábí and Bahá'í Faith from a scholarly viewpoint. Encyclopedia.
86. 1995. Why We Need Bahá'í Theology. Jack McLean. A short definition of theology, its relationship with scholarship in general, and the role of apologetics. Essays.
87. 1995. Propositions on a More Comprehensive Theology. Jack McLean. Implications of theology for science and creativity, religious language, proclamation, apologetics, the existential dimension, the relativity of religious truth, and scholarship. Theology must be a careful science. Articles-unpublished.
88. 1994. Prophecies of Jesus, by Michael Sours: Commentary and Responses. Michael W. Sours, Christopher Buck. Editorial statement about the nature of Bahá'í scholarship and academic debate, followed by responses from each of the authors. Reviews.
89. 1993. Doing Bahá'í Scholarship in the 1990s: A Religious Studies Perspective. Stephen Lambden. Argues that Bahá'í studies must address contemporary world issues, dialogues in pluralism, the New Age movement, and secular ideologies. Articles.
90. 1993. Scholarship, Bahá'í: Statements from the World Centre. Universal House of Justice. Compilations.
91. 1993. Bahá'í Scholarship: Readings. Seena Fazel, comp. Compilations-personal.
92. 1993. Scholarship, Bahá'í. Shoghi Effendi, Universal House of Justice, Peter J. Khan, comp. . Compilations-personal.
93. 1993. Bahá'í Scholarship: Definitions and Perspectives. Moojan Momen. Reflections on strictly religious Bahá'í scholarship vis-à-vis secular scholarship, and how one can effectively study the Faith in different fields. Essays.
94. 1992. The Prophecies of Jesus, by Michael Sours: Review. Christopher Buck. Reviews.
95. 1992. Immanence and Transcendence in Theophanic Symbolism. Michael W. Sours. Bahá'u'lláh uses symbols to depict theophanies — the appearance of God and the divine in the realm of creation — such as "angel," "fire," and the prophets' claims to be incarnating the "face" or "voice" of God; these convey the transcendence of God. Articles.
96. 1991-09-08. Translation and Review. Universal House of Justice. Whether certain scholars were authorized as translators, and that the institution of review is not being abrogated at this time. UHJ-letters.
97. 1991-06. Covenant-Breakers in Bahá'í Historiography. Universal House of Justice. Bahá'í scholars may, when needed, use books by Covenant Breakers. UHJ-letters.
98. 1991. Study of Religion, The: Some Comments on Methodology of Studying Religion. Moojan Momen. Reasons for the broad variety of different theoretical frameworks from which to view religious phenomena and the lack of a unified model. Articles.
99. 1991. "'The Objectivity Question' and Bahá'í Studies: A Reply to MacEoin" and "A Few Words in Response to Cole's 'Reply to MacEoin'". Juan Cole, Denis MacEoin. Two responses to MacEoin's article "Crisis in Bábí and Bahá'í Studies." Essays.
100. 1991. Asking Questions: A Challenge to Fundamentalism, by Bahíyyih Nakhjavání: Review. Graham Hassall. Reviews.
101. 1990. Crisis in Babi and Bahá'í Studies, The: Part of a Wider Crisis in Academic Freedom?. Denis MacEoin. Response to Cole's review of MacEoin's "Hierarchy, Authority, and Eschatology in Early Bábí Thought" with comments on "outsider" scholarship versus faith-based approaches. Articles.
102. 1990. Browne, Edward Granville: Babism and Bahá'ísm. Juan Cole. Brief excerpt, with link to article offsite. Encyclopedia.
103. 1989. Dilemmas and Prospects of Writing a Bahá'í Encyclopedia. Will C. van den Hoonaard. The need for a Bahá’í encyclopedia and a description of the nature, organization, and editing of the encyclopedic dictionary project endorsed in 1984 by the United States Bahá’ís; dilemmas which accompany its undertaking.  Articles.
104. 1988. Thoughts on the Establishment of a Permanent Bahá'í Studies Center and Research Institute, Some. Stephen Lambden. Present state and future possibilities of Bahá'í studies and academic curricula, and answers to various objections. Includes short compilation on the importance of scholarship. Articles.
105. 1988. Scholarship and the Bahá'í Community. Moojan Momen. The place of scholarship in the Bahá’í community and the value of Bahá’í studies to that community; the problems that may arise for Bahá’í scholars in relation to their own spiritual life and also in relation to the Bahá’í community. Articles.
106. 1988. Scholarship: A Bahá'í Perspective. William S. Hatcher. Bahá’í scholarship seeks to understand and/or apply truths contained in the writings of the Bahá’í Faith, but it may also involve historical/critical studies of the Bahá’í Faith as a social phenomenon. It is broad in scope. Articles.
107. 1987. Qualities and Attributes of the Spiritually Learned: Excerpts from The Secret of Divine Civilization. Thomas R. Wilson. Compilations-personal.
108. 1986. Bahá'í Fundamentalism and the Academic Study of the Babi Movement. Denis MacEoin. A response to Afnan and Hatcher's "Western Islamic Scholarship and Bahá'í Origins," on the issues of faith-based approaches to religious history and textual criticism. Articles.
109. 1986. Note on Maceoin's 'Bahá'í Fundamentalism' and 'Afnán, Hatcher and an old bone'. Muhammad Afnan, William S. Hatcher, Denis MacEoin. Two shorter follow-up essays, offering closing thoughts on a previously-published debate about issues of historical accuracy, academic neutrality, and faith-based scholarship. Essays.
110. 1985:12. Library and Archival Resources at the Bahá'í World Centre. William P. Collins. Overview of the nature of the Bahá'í World Centre; historical resources at the BWC; Centre for the Study of the Holy Texts; access to BWC resources; classification schemes. Articles.
111. 1985. Western Islamic Scholarship and Bahá'í Origins. Muhammad Afnan, William S. Hatcher. A critique of articles by Denis MacEoin, and a defense of Bahá'í interpretations of history vis-à-vis academic criticism. Articles.
112. 1985. Mírzá Abu'l-Fadl Gulpáyegání. Moojan Momen. Brief excerpt, with link to article offsite. Encyclopedia.
113. 1984-08-09. Bahá'í Scholarship: Importance, Nature, and Promotion of. International Teaching Centre. Information on Bahá'í scholarship to devise ways to foster the development of Bahá'í scholarship along lines that are in accordance with Bahá'í standards and values. UHJ-documents.
114. 1983. Response to MacEoin's "Problems of Scholarship" and "A Critique of Moojan Momen's Response," A. Moojan Momen, Denis MacEoin. A discussion touching on many topics, including scientific objectivity in the study of religion, faith vs reason, liberalism, academic standards, and the nature of sects vs "world religion." Articles.
115. 1982. Dr. MacEoin's "Problems of Scholarship...": Some Thoughts. Stephen Lambden. The nature of faith-based approaches to studying religion, authoritarianism, supernatural vs. human knowledge, Bahá'í "review", and examination of some sources. Articles.
116. 1981. Challenge and Promise of Bahá'í Scholarship, The. Universal House of Justice, Research Department. Issues that face students of religion, and especially scholars coming from a Bahá'í perspective. UHJ-documents.
117. 1979/1983. Selected Extracts from Letters on Scholarship. Bahá'u'lláh, Abdu'l-Bahá, Shoghi Effendi, Universal House of Justice, comp. . Two compilations on scholarship. Compilations.
118. 1976-2026. Proceedings and Recordings. Various. Links to archived audio and video talks and lectures given at meetings of the Association for Bahá'í Studies (North America). Audio.
119. 1976 Spring. Challenge of the Bahá'í Faith: A Non-Bahá'í Assessment of Reasons for Studying the Bahá'í Religion. Vernon Elvin Johnson. Though small and young, the Bahá’í Faith is a subject of central importance not only for the student of the history of religions but for anyone interested in world problems and proposals for their solution. Articles.

1. 1910-00-00 —
   Bahá'í Scholarship

   The publication in 1865 of the Comte de Gobineau's (1816-1882),Les Religions et Les Philosophies dans l'Asie Centrale created an interest in Europe. A scholar that was inspired by Gobineau was E.G.Browne. He travelled to Iran and also visited Bahá'u'lláh in Akka in the latter days of His life. He translated two histories of the new religion and published two other books as well as a number of articles. He also made an important collection of manuscripts that he gave to Cambridge University Library. Bahá'ís have criticized Browne's work for being too sympathetic to Azal, Baha'u'llah's half-brother and implacable enemy. One of the books that Cobineau for Les Religions... was Násikhu't-Taváríkh (the 'history to abrogate all previous historiies') by Lisánu'l-Mulk. This book had been condemned by Bahá'u'lláh as a falsification of history one which even an infidel would not have had the effrontery to produce. [SUR36-37]      

   A.L.M. Nicolas (1864-1939) was a French consular official in Iran who researched and wrote a biography of the Báb as well as translating three of the Báb's major works into French.

        Just as the Báb was the centre of the scholarly interests of Gobineau, Browne and Nicolas, some Russian scholars who were more interested in Bahá'u'lláh. Baron Viktor Rosen (1849-1908), the director of the Oriental Department of the University of St. Petersburg was assisted by Aleksandr Tumanski (1861-1920). He spent a great deal of time with the Bahá'í community of Ashkhabad and with Mirza Abu'l-Fadl Gulpaygani. Although he did not write as much as Browne or Nicolas, what he did write was derived from a very deep and thorough investigation. [L&E43-83]

   See An Officer and an Orientalist: Alexander Grigorevich Tumanskii and His Contribution to Russian Historiography on and Policy towards the Babi-Baha'i Religion by Soli Shahvar, Bahá'í Studies Review 20 (1), 3-19

        There was much interest in scholarship in the early days of the Faith because almost all of the most important disciples of the Báb were Islamic religious scholars, as were many of the leading converts to the Bahá'í Faith in later years. The most important of these was the above mentioned Mirza Abu'l-Fadl Gulpaygani (1844-1914). He was learned in the Zoroastrian and Jewish scriptures and spent some time in the Christian West at the request of 'Abdu'l-Bahá prior to His visit.

        During the 1930s to 1960s, a second generation of Iranian Bahá'í scholars, such as Fadil Mazandarani (1881-1957), 'Abdul-Hamid Ishraq-Khavari (1902-1972), and 'Azizu'llah Sulaymani (1901-1985) systematized Bahá'í theology and law, developed aids for scholars such as dictionaries of Bahá'í terminology, and wrote histories and biographies. This was of course a more traditional style of scholarship than is current in the West, but it continues to be useful to all present scholars.

        The above-described initial flurry of interest in the Bábí and Bahá'í religions in the West was not sustained and from the 1920s to the 1970s, there were no Western scholars who were as deeply engaged as the above-named ones and only a handful of studies that can be said to have done much to advance knowledge. From the 1970s onward, there gradually emerged a new stream of scholars who can be said to be a fusion of the above two groups, the Western and the Bahá'í scholars. This new generation of scholars mostly began as Bahá'ís, although some have subsequently left the religion. They use Western academic methodology and most operate from within Western universities but they have access to insider information and resources. Apart from these individuals, the Bahá'í Faith has been very little studied by Western scholars of religion.

   Early Bahá’í Scholarship in North America

      The study of the Bahá’í Faith in the United States and Canada began almost as soon as the religion arrived on the continent in the late‑19th century. Early scholars were a mix of missionaries, journalists, university professors, and curious laypeople who sought to understand a new religious movement that was still largely unknown in the West.

       In 1901 the British orientalist student of E G Browne, Edward Denison Ross, wrote a concise overview of “Babism” for The North American Review. The article was later reproduced in the 1912 volume Great Religions of the World, where Ross added a brief pre‑face describing ʻAbdu’l‑Bahá’s recent travels in the United States. Ross’s piece is one of the earliest academic treatments of the movement in a mainstream American periodical. [USMERCED]

      During the early twentieth century, a number of America's religious thinkers were in touch with Sarah Farmer or visited Green Acre and participated in the dynamic exchange of ideas that took place there. Among them were the Harvard scholars William James and W.E.B. Du Bois, two of the most prominent and influential American writers and philosophers of the time. William James, in turn, invited Ali Kuli Khan, an Iranian diplomat and prominent member of the Bahá'í community, to give presentations on the Bahá'í Faith at Harvard University.

      Du Bois, who had been a student of James, received his doctorate from Harvard and was the first African American to do so, graduating in 1895. His work as the founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) brought him into contact with 'Abdu'l-Bahá, who gave a speech at its fourth conference in 1912. Du Bois, as pointed out by Guy Mount in his research, later published the speech in the official magazine of the NAACP, along with a photograph of 'Abdu'l-Bahá.

      A contemporary and close colleague of Du Bois, Alain Locke was also among the most eminent thinkers of the time. Locke was the first African American Rhodes Scholar, and he is often remembered as the "Dean" of the Harlem Renaissance. In a biography on Locke, Christopher Buck suggested that Du Bois may have been the one who introduced Locke to the Bahá'í Faith. He received his PhD from Harvard in 1918, the same year he became a Bahá'í. Du Bois and Locke's profound contributions to philosophy were recognized widely—the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. compared their influence to that of Plato and Aristotle.

      The early American Bahá'í community also included Albert Vail and Stanwood Cobb, graduates of the Harvard Divinity School and prior Unitarian ministers. Vail published an impressive article on the Bahá'í Faith emphasizing its principle of unity in the Harvard Theological Review in 1914. While the Harvard University and Green Acre represented significant meeting points for leading writers and philosophers of the time, Dehghani's lecture also noted that the influence of the emerging discourse on unity reached other prominent thinkers in the northeastern United States.

      A word must also be said about what passes for scholarship on the Bahá'í Faith in Iran and to a lesser extent in the rest of the Middle East. Bahá'ís have been persecuted in many Middle Eastern countries and rejected by Islamic leaders, and one form of this discrimination has involved the manipulation of information. For most of the last 100 years, deliberately distorted or falsified information and documents have been created mostly by some within the Islamic religious establishment and then distributed as though these were facts about the Bahá'í Faith. Since the Bahá'ís have had no ability to respond to this material in the Middle East, these distortions have gradually become accepted in the Middle East as the truth. One example is the forged memoirs of Count Dolgorukov, the Russian ambassador to Iran in the 1840s to 1850s.

      This and other contradictions were so clearly spurious that even some Iranian scholars debunked them when they were first published in the 1940s. But despite this, they are often regularly cited by Middle Eastern writers up to the present day as though they are a reliable source for the history of the religion.

      Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, this manufacturing of disinformation and forged material has increased greatly with programs in the media, articles, and books appearing on a frequent basis, especially in the government-run media. The result is that there is almost nothing published in the Middle East that has reliable information about the Bahá'í Faith in it. A little of this sort of scholarship has also appeared in the West; some Christian missionaries, notably Reverend William McElwee Miller(1892-1993)(Also see WOB83) have written anti-Bahá'í material and ex-Bahá'ís have published academic work that is calculated to make the Bahá'í community resemble a cult as portrayed in the anti-cult campaigns that were carried out in the Western media in the 1980s. [The above was copied from the website Patheos and has been edited for brevity. It was contributed by Dr. Natalie Mobini]

   • See as well the publication of Der Bahā'ismus, Weltreligion der Zukunft?: Geschichte, Lehre und Organisation in Kritischer Anfrage (Bahá'ísm-Religion of the Future? History, Doctrine and Organization: A Critical Inquiry) by Francesco Ficicchia under the auspices of the Central Office of the Protestant Church for Questions of Ideology in Germany.
2. 1978-09-30 —
   The Bahá'í Studies Seminar on Ethics and Methodology was held in Cambridge, UK.
   • See the Message from the Universal House of Justice addressed to the participants.
3. 1979-01-03 — In a message from the Department of the Secretariat of the Universal House of Justice "To the Participants in the Bahá'í Studies Seminar on Ethics and Methodology held in Cambridge on 30 September and 1 October 1978" the subject of the review of Bahá'í publications was clarified.
   .....it has already established the policy that doctoral theses do not have to be reviewed unless there is a proposal to publish them in larger quantities than is required by the examining body.

   Also included were comments / a small compilation from the Research Department at the World Centre on the seminar and on Bahá'í scholarship. They concluded by discussing the two particular dangers to which Bahá'í scholars are exposed.

4. 1979-09-15 —
   The second Baha'i Studies Seminar on Ethics and Methodology was held at St. John's College in Cambridge, England.
   • The proceedings.
5. 1981-01-01 —
   The publication of Der Bahā'ismus, Weltreligion der Zukunft?: Geschichte, Lehre und Organisation in Kritischer Anfrage (Bahá'ism-Religion of the Future? History, Doctrine and Organization: A Critical Inquiry) by Francesco Ficicchia under the auspices of the Central Office of the Protestant Church for Questions of Ideology in Germany. This book was distributed by the Protestant Church and became the most widespread book on the Bahá'í Faith in German, and as such was widely accepted as a critical academic publication. At the time of its distribution a decision was taken to not dignify the publication with a rebuttal. This proved to be an error. Making the Crooked Straight was published in 1995 in German and translated/published by George Ronald Publishers in 2000. The purpose of the book, as the name suggests, was to address the distorted views presented in Ficicchia's publication. [MCSintroduction]
   • See The Refutation of Francesco Ficicchia and the Dangers of Silence by Jack McLean.
6. 1984-08-09 — A statement on the encouragement of Bahá'í scholarship was issued by the International Teaching Centre. [BW19p372]
7. 2013-00-00 — The publication of The development of the Babi/ Baha'i communities : exploring Baron Rosen's archives by Youli Ioannbesyan. It was published by Routledge of New York.

   A brief look at the Bábi and Bahá'í Faiths as an object of study in nineteenth century Russia and Britain
   -- Baron V. R. Rosen's archive in the Russian Academy of Sciences and this book
   -- From A. G. Tumanski's correspondence with V. R. Rosen
   -- Official reports and private letters of Russian diplomats concerning the Bábis/Bahá'í's
   -- Report by the Russian Charge d'Affaire in Tehran Mr. Zinovyev to Duke Gorchakov
   -- Babis in Adrionople. Report of Chief of the Consulate staff in Adrionople
   -- Information about the Bábis presented by Persians living in Adrionople
   -- Information about the Bábis by Yunus Mehdi Effendi, the qadi in Adrianople
   -- Report of the Russian Consul General in Adharbayjan Bezobrazov
   -- Anonymous diplomatic dispatch concerning an episode in Isfahan
   -- From G. Batyushkov's correspondence with V. R. Rosen
   -- From V. I. Ignatyev's correspondence with V. R. Rosen
   -- Sebastian Voirot's correspondence with V. R. Rosen
   -- Some separate transcripts in V. R. Rosen's archive
   -- From E. G. Browne's correspondence with Rosen
   -- I. Khayrulláh's letter to V. R. Rosen
   -- Abul-Fazl Gulpáygání's transcript.

   It is available "online..

8. 2015-02-12 —
   The official opening of the new location of the Afnan Library Trust at Sandy, close to Cambridge. The Afnan Library Trust was established in 1985 to manage the collection bequeathed by Hasan Balyuzi when he passed away in 1980. It consists of some 10,000 books, as well as a vast quantity of manuscripts, original letters, maps, documents, periodicals, and unpublished items – some of them dating back to the nineteenth century. [BWNS1040]
   • The official website can be found here.
   • "In a letter dated the 10 November and the 20 November 1979 he (Hasan Balyuzi) left instructions that all his books and document were to be kept together perpetually... and that they are to form the nucleus of the Afnán Library, founded in the name of his father, Muvaqqari'd-Dawlih, and dedicated to Khadíjih Bagum". [KBWBix]
   • Included in the collection were volumes of photographic copies of Tablets by the Central Figures of the Faith, as well as historical and doctrinal works by individual Bahá'ís, 104 volumes in all, that had been compiled by the National Committee for the Preservation of Bahá'í Writings and Archives of Iran in the years just prior to the Iranian revolution. The Library worked closely with the Research Department of the Bahá'í World Centre to make digitized transcripts of these volumes. The digitized volumes contain some 4,000 works of Bahá'u'lláh, more than 3,000 works of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and many writings of the Báb. The index and the links to the volumes can be found on the Afnan Library site.
     • See as well Iranian National Bahá'í Archives (INBA) entry on Bahá'í Library.
9. 2019-08-30 —
   The passing of Dr Udo Schaefer (b. October 19, 1926 in Heidelberg, Germany). He enrolled as a Bahá'í in 1948 and became one of the most important contemporary theologians of the Bahá'í Faith, well known for his scholarship and his defence of the Faith. He came from a family of musicians and his early studies were in in that field but he changed streams and became a lawyer. [FaceBook]
   • English translations of his work include:
     • Bahá'í Ethics In Light Of Scripture: Volume 1- Doctrinal Fundamentals: An Introduction
     • Bahá'í Ethics In Light Of Scripture Volume 2 Part 2: Virtues And Divine Commandments
     • The Light Shineth in Darkness
     • Making the Crooked Straight: A Contribution to Bahá'í Apologetics
     • The Imperishable Dominion: The Bahá'í Faith and the Future of Mankind
     • Beyond the Clash of Religions: The Emergence of a New Paradigm
     • In a Blue Haze: Smoking and Bahá'í Ethics
   • His publications in German.
   • His publications in French
   • His publications in Spanish
   • His publications in other languages, (Russian, Portuguese, Dutch and Farsi).
   • His articles.
   • His website.
   • Wikipedia.
10. 2024-01-16 — The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States established the Corinne True Center for Bahá'í History. Its stated purpose was to foster the study of Bahá'í history, Bahá'í sacred texts, Bahá'í philosophical and theological concepts, and world religions from a Bahá'í and comparative perspective. It will accomplish this through online noncredit courses, web presentations and interviews, online seminars, online conferences, in-person conferences, and publication of some of the resulting research. It will seek to support these subjects at three levels in order to provide comprehensive support to Bahá'í culture and Bahá'í scholarship: at an introductory level, to inform rank and file believers and their friends and encourage them to do basic scholarship; at an advanced level, for Bahá'ís and their friends wishing to go into greater depth of study and research; and at the graduate and postgraduate levels, via seminars and academic-level conferences.

    A website has been established and they have a YouTube and a Facebook presence as well.

1. 1951-08-00 — An anonymous believer provided for a one year scholarship at the University of Saskatchewan for a Bahá'í youth willing to serve as a pioneer in Saskatoon for one year. The scholarship was awarded to Suzanne Pawlowska of Winnipeg. [CBN No 21 August 1951 p2]

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