Ages and Cycles

Moojan Momen

1995

Ages and Cycles. Bahá'í sacred history has been divided into

a number of ages and cycles by `Abdu'l-Bahá and Shoghi Effendi.

Although the Bahá'í Faith has its historical roots in the western line

of prophetic religions, Islam, Christianity and Judaism, its view of sacred

history also contains elements in keeping with Indian religion in that

it sees time as being cyclical as well as being linear in nature.

1. Universal Cycles and the coming of Manifestations of God.

`Abdu'l-Bahá describes vast "Universal Cycles," stretching over hundreds

of thousands (perhaps millions) of years, at the end of which "great events"

take place as a result of which all traces of the previous cycle are obliterated

and a new cycle begins. Within each Universal Cycle, many Manifestations

of God (q.v.) appear, each linked to a cycle. Thus each of the religions

founded by one of these Manifestations goes through a period of growth,

reaches its zenith or maturity, and then declines. When the decline is

complete and the religion is no longer capable of guiding humanity spiritually,

another Manifestation comes (PUP 93-96).

At the heart of each Universal Cycle, `Abdu'l-Bahá states that there

appears a Manifestation of God whom he names the "great and universal Manifestation."

The appearance of this Universal Manifestation marks the maturity of the

Universal Cycle. All the Manifestations that appear after the Universal

Manifestation "arise under his shadow" and all the previous Manifestations

in that cycle were sent in anticipation of his advent. `Abdu'l-Bahá asserts

that we are now in the Universal Cycle beginning with Adam and that Bahá'u'lláh

is its Universal Manifestation (Foundations of World Unity 54).

Thus the Manifestations that have appeared before Bahá'u'lláh can be considered

to have been part of a cycle leading up to Bahá'u'lláh, a cycle called

the Adamic Cycle (or Cycle of Prophecy) which lasted about six thousand

years, and the Manifestations that will appear after Bahá'u'lláh are part

of the Bahá'í Cycle (or Cycle of Fulfillment, CF 80). This Bahá'í Cycle

initiated by Bahá'u'lláh, during which many further Manifestations of God

will arise and lasting about five hundred thousand years, should not be

confused with the Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh, which is expected to be

a period of a thousand years or more during which the specific teachings

given by Bahá'u'lláh will hold sway until the coming of the next Manifestation

of God. The Bab is seen as being at the interface between the Adamic and

Bahá'í Cycles--at one and the same time the conclusion of the first and

the start of the second (GPB 54).

Hence each individual Manifestation of God has his own individual cycle,

in which his religion grows, matures, and declines; is part of a larger

cycle, either the Adamic Cycle or the Bahá'í Cycle; and these larger cycles

are in turn set within the overall Universal Cycle. Although time is thus

in some ways cyclical, the cycles that occur within each Universal Cycle

do not result in a return to the initial point. Rather there is also an

element of progression. Each Manifestation of God has the function of guiding

humanity in its social and spiritual evolution (see "Progressive Revelation").

2. Ages within the Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh. Shoghi Effendi

has divided the Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh into three ages. The first

of these, the "Primitive," "Heroic," or "Apostolic Age" began with the

Declaration of the Bab in 1844. It is divided into three epochs corresponding

to the ministries of the Bab (1844-53), Bahá'u'lláh (1853-92), and `Abdu'l-Bahá

(1892-1921). Shoghi Effendi states that this first age concluded with the

death of `Abdu'l-Bahá in 1921 and "more particularly" with the death of

Bahiyyih Khanum in 1932 (WOB 98).

The second age is called the "Formative" or "Iron Age." It also divided

into epochs. The first of these lasted until 1944 (CF 5) or 1946 (MBW 19)

and covers the period during which the Bahá'í administrative order was

being set up by Shoghi Effendi. The second epoch, which lasted until 1963,

was marked by the global spread of the Bahá'í Faith. The third epoch, which

lasted until 1986 was characterized by the emergence of the Bahá'í Faith

from obscurity and the initiation of social and economic development plans.

The present epoch, which is the fourth epoch of the Formative Age, is considered

to have begun in 1986 and is to be marked by the national Bahá'í communities

taking on the responsibility for their own development.

3. Epochs and stages of the Divine Plan. In his writings, Shoghi

Effendi has also marked out various stages in the evolution of the process

of the spread of the Bahá'í Faith and the establishment of its administrative

institutions throughout the world set in motion by `Abdu'l-Bahá's Tablet

of the Divine Plan (q.v.). He writes of a twenty-year delay in the implementation

of this plan while the administrative institutions of the Bahá'í Faith

were being established (CF 32). The first epoch of the Divine Plan thus

began in 1937. The first stage of this epoch constituted the first American

Seven Year Plan (1937-44) and was marked by the spread of the Bahá'í Faith

in Latin America. The second American Seven Year Plan (1946-53) constituted

the second stage and was marked by activities spreading the Bahá'í Faith

throughout Europe. The Ten Year Crusade (1953-63) marked the third stage

of the first epoch and took the Bahá'í Faith to most of the rest of the

world. The second epoch of the Divine Plan began in 1964 and includes successive

stages marked by the Nine Year Plan (1964-73), the Five Year Plan (1974-79),

the Seven Year Plan (1979-86), the Six Year Plan (1986-92), and the Three

Year Plan (1993-96). (MBW 153; CF 62, 113-14; WG 25).

Bibliography. SAQ 160-61; PUP 220; GPB 100; CF 4-6; `Abdu'l-Bahá,

Foundations of World Unity 54

TABLE: BAHA'I SACRED HISTORY

I. PREVIOUS UNIVERSAL CYCLES - of which no trace remains

II. PRESENT UNIVERSAL CYCLE

A. ADAMIC CYCLE, CYCLE OF PROPHECY - lasted approximately 6,000 year

1. Adam 1. Indian religious figures

2. Noah - Krishna

3. Abraham

4. Moses 2. Zoroaster

5. Jesus 3. Buddha

6. Muhammad

+ Other unknown or unspecified prophets

B. BAHA'I CYCLE, CYCLE OF FULFILLMENT - to last 500,000 years

1. The Bab

2. Bahá'u'lláh - Universal Manifestation for this Universal Cycle

a. Heroic, Primitive, or Apostolic Age - 1844-1921 (or 1932 - the

death of Bahiyyih Khanum)

i. Ministry of the Bab (1844-53)

ii. Ministry of Bahá'u'lláh (1853-92)

iii. Ministry of `Abdu'l-Bahá (1892-1921)

b. Formative, Transitional, or Iron Age - 1921 -

i. First Epoch (1921-44/46) - Erection of the Administrative Order

ii. Second Epoch (1946-63) - spread of the Faith beyond the confines

of the Western Hemisphere

iii. Third Epoch (1963-86) - emergence of the Faith from obscurity

and initiation of social and economic development plans

iv. Fourth Epoch (1986- ) - national communities taking on the responsibility

for their own development

v. Successive further Epochs

c. Golden Age

Successive Epochs leading to the Most Great Peace

3. Further Manifestations - under the shadow of Bahá'u'lláh

END OF PRESENT UNIVERSAL CYCLE

III. FURTHER UNIVERSAL CYCLES

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