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183. O ye the learned ones in Bahá # 173 |
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In this holy cycle the “learned” are, on the one hand, the
Hands of the Cause of God, and, on the other, the
teachers and diffusers of His Teachings who do not rank
as Hands, but who have attained an eminent position in
the teaching work. As to the “rulers” they refer to the
members of the Local, National and International Houses
of Justice. The duties of each of these souls will be
determined in the future.
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The Hands of the Cause of God were individuals
appointed by Bahá’u’lláh and charged with various duties,
especially those of protecting and propagating His Faith. In
Memorials of the Faithful ‘Abdu’l-Bahá referred to other
outstanding believers as Hands of the Cause, and in His
Will and Testament He included a provision calling upon
the Guardian of the Faith to appoint Hands of the Cause at
his discretion. Shoghi Effendi first raised posthumously a
number of the believers to the rank of Hands of the Cause,
and during the latter years of his life appointed a total of 32
believers from all continents to this position. In the period
between the passing of Shoghi Effendi in 1957 and the
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election of the Universal House of Justice in 1963, the
Hands of the Cause directed the affairs of the Faith in their
capacity as Chief Stewards of Bahá’u’lláh’s embryonic World
Commonwealth (see note 67). In November 1964, the
Universal House of Justice determined that it could not
legislate to make it possible to appoint Hands of the Cause.
Instead, by a decision of the House of Justice in 1968, the
functions of the Hands of the Cause in relation to protecting
and propagating the Faith were extended into the future by
the creation of the Continental Boards of Counsellors, and
in 1973 through the establishment of the International
Teaching Centre, which has its seat in the Holy Land.
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The Universal House of Justice appoints the Counsellor
members of the International Teaching Centre and the
Continental Counsellors. Members of Auxiliary Boards are
appointed by the Continental Counsellors. All these
individuals fall within the definition of the “learned” given
by Shoghi Effendi in the statement quoted above.
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