A Study of the Pen Motif in the Baha'i Writings

Résumé

This article is an introductory survey of the frequently encountered pen motif in Baha'i writings. The theological usage of the "pen" is explored along with the Islamic theological and theosophical background of the term. The pen is a metaphor for the pre-existent and creative force presented by the Manifestation of God. The pen-tablet (active-recipient) motif is the used to explore the possible correlation between two theosophocal topics--the "five divine presences" and the seven stages of "coming into being." The creative forces of the pen, undergoing examination, create five distinct realms of existence. These five realms are generated as the pen creates in descending emanation. The pen undergoes the natural order of generation, the seven stages of "coming into being," as each of the divine presences are created.