Edward Gibbon and the Baha'i Faith
John Taylor
I thought the following background information about the historian
Edward Gibbon and certain early Baha'is might be of interest to readers
of this group.
Digression on Gibbon; 21 January, 2005
Most Baha'is are familiar with the importance of Gibbon's work in the
life of the Guardian. His widow wrote that,
"He was a great reader of King James version of the Bible, and of the
historians Carlyle and Gibbon, whose style he greatly admired,
particularly that of Gibbon whose 38 Decline and Fall of the Roman
Empire Shoghi Effendi was so fond of that I never remember his not
having a volume of it near him in his small room and usually with him
when he travelled." There was a small Everyman's copy of part of it
next to his bed when he died. It was his own pet bible of the English
language and often he would read to me excerpts from it, interrupting
himself with exclamations such as "Oh what style; what a command of
English; what rolling sentences; listen to this." With his beautiful
voice and pronunciation - in the direction of what we call an "Oxford
accent", but not exaggeratedly so - the words fairly glowed with colour
and their value and meaning came out like shining jewels." I
particularly remember one peaceful hour (so rare, alas) when we sat on
a bench facing the lake on a summer afternoon in St James' Park in
London and he read me Gibbon out loud. He revelled in him and
throughout Shoghi Effendi's writings the influence of his style may
clearly be seen, just as the biblical English is reflected in his
translations of Baha'u'llah's Prayers, The Hidden Words and Tablets."
(Ruhiyyih Khanum, The Priceless Pearl, pp. 37-8)
Marzieh Gail writes also of her introduction to Gibbon in Arches of the
Years. It must have been an impressive experience since the teenaged
girl living in an embassy in Teheran in the 1920's that she describes
here in the third person (annoyingly, to me) later grew up to become an
historian by trade.
"Florence said that Sir Percy invited her and the children to read
books from the Legation library, and this it turned out was Marzieh's
introduction to Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, in
venerable, precious tomes, leather-bound and gold. All the s's looked
like f's, so that the reader felt as if his front teeth had been
knocked out. ... Thus Gibbon's first volume began: "'in the fecond
century of the Chriftian era, the Empire of Rome comprehended the
faireft part of the earth, and the moft civilifed portion of mankind.
The frontierf of that extenfive monarchy were guarded by ancient renown
and difciplined valour... Their peaceful inhabitantf enjoyed and abufed
the advantagef of wealth and luxury.' Marzieh was frustrated to
discover that the most interesting parts were down in the Latin
footnotes." (Marzieh Gail, Arches of the Years, p. 228)
This is the sort of thing that would never pass if I should submit
these essays to review, but my old school chum Doug once commented that
this peculiar early use of a long, tall "f" instead of "s" and "th"
rather changed the meaning of early metaphysical couplets like, "Where
the bee sucks, there suck I," when they were read in black and white,
rather than spoken aloud. He points out that the transformation was not
inadvertent but consciously done, at least some modern scholars are
inclined to believe.
Gibbon also crops up in the spiritual quest of prominent early Baha'i,
Harry Randall. Here is how his youthful encounter with Gibbon is
described in his biography, written by the daughter, later named
"Bahiyyih" by the Master (it is the female form of "Baha'i," and He
told her that He named her that after His sister, Bahiyyih Khanum). She
was the young child Margaret mentioned at the start of this selection.
"As Harry advanced in years his realization of a need within himself
that had not been satisfied became greater. He knew he had been blessed
in many ways - his home and family, success in business, his friends -
but he needed something else, something more. When Ruth was away for a
few days, visiting a cousin, Harry wrote to her about Margaret and
there seemed to be a sense of poignancy behind his words: "`Margaret
grows more lovely every day and as her nature unfolds so trustingly I
can compare it to nothing but flowers, sunshine and music. She told Ann
that she dreams about angels every night.' "Perhaps it was the purity
of heart in a child that he yearned for. Christ said, "Become ye as
little children." Harry turned again to study, which had always been a
source of comfort and pleasure. This time he chose Rome as his theme. A
huge picture of the Roman Forum was hung in the library and the seven
volumes of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by
Edward Gibbon were piled up on the table by his chair. The history was
advertised as a classic - the best, the wisest, and the wittiest in the
English language. He read every word with intense interest, admiring
the flawless English as he explored the saga of ancient days. "His
fascination with this remarkable work led Harry to wonder about the
author - surely he must have been a brilliant scholar. To his utter
surprise Harry learned that Gibbon came from a middle-class English
family, was short and homely and had a difficult personality. People
made fun of him and felt that he was a misfit who would never amount to
anything. When he was a young man he went to Rome and while exploring
the ruins of the ancient buildings, became inspired to write the
history of the Roman Empire. He returned home and his true life began
at his desk. He closed, to the world, the door of his little
blue-and-white study, and allowed nothing to disturb him. Finally,
after writing for two decades he put down his pen one summer day and
offered to the world this magnificent literary achievement which is
still read today. "Harry continued the study of the Roman Empire for
months, always referring back to Gibbon. This profound study of Rome
was an important milestone in Harry's life because it led him to his
equally intense study of the Bible. He had surmised that Gibbon was
writing with integrity and vision, that he was not allowing his
brilliant intellect to conjure up theories. History was being written
factually as far as possible. This pleased Harry and he read to learn.
A discerning statement about the new religion, Christianity, struck a
responsive cord in Harry's mind: "A pure and humble religion gently
insinuated itself into the minds of men, growing up in silence and
obscurity, derived new vigor from opposition and finally erected the
triumphant banner of the cross on the ruins of the Capital [of Rome].'"
"He decided to study the Bible more seriously, and hoped he would find
his answer there. Ruth told friends that Harry knew the Bible in much
greater detail and depth of vision than any minister of religion she
had ever met. When he studied he studied - it was total immersion.
Harry never did anything by halves. Ruth wrote to her daughter after
Harry had died: "Your father searched in every direction in so-called
spiritual movements for something which could fill his hunger but was
never completely filled until he found the [Baha'i] Faith." "Harry's
intense study of the Roman Empire and the Bible added to his broad
vision of the world. The extraordinary thirst for knowledge and his
choices of subject matter seem to have been inspired, in retrospect, to
take him along a pre-ordained path - a path which led him, step by
step, to the source that would satisfy his thirst for truth." (William
Henry Randall, Disciple of `Abdu'l-Baha, By Bahiyyih Randall-Winkler
and Mavis Garis)
Prima Facie, the frequent admiration for Gibbon on the part of Baha'is
seems somewhat strange since it is well known that Gibbon blamed
Christianity for the fall of the Roman Empire. Whatever his stylistic
virtue, Gibbon's overall thesis is hardly standard Baha'i doctrine. The
Kitab-i-Iqan and other doctrinal works hold the opposite opinion that
Jesus united rather than disintegrated.
Consider, though, the following passages, describing events just after
yesterday's selection from Decline and Fall about Atilla. Gibbon
describes the abysmal murder of Aetius by the head of Rome,
Velentinian. Aetius was the Churchill of the time, and had bravely
striven to raise armies to resist Attila the Hun. Gibbon then portrays
the bloody revenge which falls on the Roman king in these terms,
"Valentinian, who supposed that every human breast was devoid like his
own of friendship and gratitude, had imprudently admitted among his
guards several domestics and followers of Aetius. Two of these, of
barbarian race, were persuaded to execute a sacred and honourable duty
by punishing with death the assassin of their patron; and their
intrepid courage did not long expect a favourable moment. Whilst
Valentinian amused himself in the field of Mars with the spectacle of
some military sports, they suddenly rushed upon him with drawn weapons,
despatched the guilty Heraclius, and stabbed the emperor to the heart,
without the least opposition from his numerous train, who seemed to
rejoice in the tyrant's death. Such was the fate of Valentinian the
Third, the last Roman emperor of the family of Theodosius."
He portrays this end of an admittedly corrupt, murdering tyrant in such
gloating terms that, well, you have got to know that it would not pass
muster in a modern, professional historian. Furuz Kazemzadeh, a Yale
Baha'i historian, once complained that modern historians are under such
pressure by the social science perspective of our age to be "objective"
that the slightest value judgment brings down accusations of
"moralizing." He complained, "What do they want us to do, immoralize?"
Still, Gibbon can sum up the character and role of an individual with
such incisive eloquence that you cannot help but feel nervous and
wonder, "What if some historian with such a gift of language comes
along and describes me and my contribution in life in the way of
Gibbon?" It is a frightening thought. Here is how Gibbon sums up
Valentinian III.
"He faithfully imitated the hereditary weakness of his cousin and his
two uncles, without inheriting the gentleness, the purity, the
innocence, which alleviate in their characters the want of spirit and
ability. Valentinian was less excusable, since he had passions without
virtues: even his religion was questionable; and though he never
deviated into the paths of heresy, he scandalised the pious Christians
by his attachment to the profane arts of magic and divination."
Anyway, he then proceeds to a similar summing up, or perhaps dressing
down, of the sorry moral state of the generality of the inhabitants of
newly Christianized Rome. As he observes, it is a sad contrast to the
moral fiber of its denizens only a few centuries before. Unpleasant,
but I do not doubt its historical veracity. I will conclude today with
this last selection; the similarity to the decline and fall, in
reputation at least, of the present world super-state is, I also find,
rather frightening.
SYMPTOMS OF DECAY IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE OF THE WEST
"As early as the time of Cicero and Varro it was the opinion of the
Roman augurs that the twelve vultures which Romulus had seen
represented the twelve centuries assigned for the fatal period of his
city. This prophecy, disregarded perhaps in the season of health and
prosperity, inspired the people with gloomy apprehensions when the
twelfth century, clouded with disgrace and misfortune, was almost
elapsed; and even posterity must acknowledge with some surprise that
the arbitrary interpretation of an accidental or fabulous circumstance
has been seriously verified in the downfall of the Western empire."
"But its fall was announced by a clearer omen than the flight of
vultures: the Roman government appeared every day less formidable to
its enemies, more odious and oppressive to its subjects. The taxes were
multiplied with the public distress; economy was neglected in
proportion as it became necessary; and the injustice of the rich
shifted the unequal burden from themselves to the people, whom they
defrauded of the indulgences that might sometimes have alleviated their
misery. The severe inquisition, which confiscated their goods and
tortured their persons, compelled the subjects of Valentinian to prefer
the more simple tyranny of the barbarians, to fly to the woods and
mountains, or to embrace the vile and abject condition of mercenary
servants. They abjured and abhorred the name of Roman citizens, which
had formerly excited the ambition of mankind. The Armorican provinces
of Gaul and the greatest part of Spain were thrown into a state of
disorderly independence by the confederations of the Bagaudre, and the
Imperial ministers pursued with proscriptive laws and ineffectual arms
the rebels whom they had made. If all the barbarian conquerors had been
annihilated in the same hour, their total destruction would not have
restored the empire of the West: and if Rome still survived, she
survived the loss of freedom, of virtue, and of honour." (Gibbon,
Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, 496-97)
John Taylor, Essayist