The Light Shineth in Darkness

Udo Schaefer, distinguished German Bahá’í scholar and lawyer published four of his essays written in German between 1968-1970, subsequently translated and published in English under the title The Light Shineth in Darkness.  I have long bemoaned what I have perceived as the unreadability of most books by Bahá’í authors by the general public. Though I feel this way about this book also, I can wholeheartedly recommend this book for the edification of both Bahá’ís and non- Bahá’ís on two subjects which receive unique and valuable treatment, namely the role of Saint Paul in the transformation and development of the Christian Church in “Answer to a Theologian” (he argues that Paul made it something very different than the teachings of Jesus Christ had indicated), and an exposition of how Islám treated non-Muslims throughout most of its history in “Muhammad and the West”.  Since these are scholarly articles, he quotes German and other scholars extensively.  I personally found the book on the whole a bit too argumentative for my taste, but well-researched and well-expounded.  The themes mentioned are to date not found in the series of courses in the Ruhi Institute, but certainly valuable tools in teaching knowledgeable Christians and Muslims about the Bahá’í Faith and matters about the history of their own religions that they may not have known.