Gems of Divine Mysteries, a study - Intro

Most every year during the Fast, I choose a single book from the Writings to study. This year it is Gems of Divine Mysteries. And this year, I want to study it with you! Yes, you, dear Reader.

It has been a number of years since I have read it, and honestly, I don't recall much, so this should be interesting. Now, there are 117 paragraphs, not counting the little "intro" paragraph, over 19 days. So 6 or 7 paragraphs a day should take us through to the end of the Fast.

I'll copy the paragraphs at the beginning of the post, read them, and then toss down some thoughts. You can add your thoughts in the comments.

Sound good?

Now, before we begin, just a little history. This book was written while Baha'u'llah was still in Baghdad, which, as you know, means that it was before He declared His mission. This was at a time when a number of people would come to Him to enquire about the Bab, seeking guidance, usually about how it could possibly be that He was a Messenger from God.

This was also around the same time that He wrote the Hidden Words, the Kitab-i-Iqan (the Book of Certitude), the eleven valleys (The Seven Valleys, and The Four Valleys), and many other amazing works. These are the books that, in my own personal opinion, help set the stage for recognizing a Manifestation and preparing us to receive the Revelation from Baha'u'llah in preparation for the future civilization that awaits us. These works generally clarify previously obscure terms, such as "resurrection" or "Day of Judgment", and give us greater understanding of the various prophecies relating to this Day.

Baha'u'llah Himself writes, of this book, "This treatise was written in reply to a seeker who had asked how the promised Mihdí could have become transformed into ‘Alí-Muḥammad (the Báb). The opportunity provided by this question was seized to elaborate on a number of subjects, all of which are of use and benefit both to them that seek and to those who have attained, could ye perceive with the eye of divine virtue."

Are we ready?

Well, no time like the present, so here goes. I'll begin in the next post.