Precursor (religion)

In religion, a precursor, also known as forerunner, predecessor, harbinger or herald, is a holy person who announced the approaching appearance of a central figure of the religion or who identified a central figure of the religion during the latter's childhood. ^[1]

List of precursors

• Asita in Buddhism ^[2]
• John the Baptist in Christianity ^[3]
• Bahira or Sergius in Islam ^[4]
• Shaykh Ahmad, forerunner of Bábism (in the Bábí-Bahá'í view) ^[5]
• Sayyid Kazim Rashti, forerunner of Bábism (in the Bábí-Bahá'í view) ^[5]
• Báb, forerunner and herald of the Bahá'í Faith (in the Bahá'í view) ^[6]

See also

• List of founders of religious traditions

References

1. Momen, Moojan (2009) [Originally published as The Phenomenon of Religion in 1999]. Understanding Religion: A Thematic Approach. Oxford, UK: Oneworld Publications. pp. 304–5. ISBN   978-1-85168-599-8. OL   25434252M.
2. Kohn, Sherab Chodzin (2009). A Life of the Buddha . Shambhala Publications. ISBN   0834822512. pp. 5-6.
3. Meier, John (1994). Mentor, Message, and Miracles (A Marginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical Jesus, Vol. 2) . Vol. 2. Anchor Bible. ISBN   0-385-46992-6.
4. Abel, A. "Baḥīrā". Encyclopaedia of Islam . Brill. Brill Online, 2007
5. Smith, Peter (2000). "Shaykhism". A concise encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith. Oxford: Oneworld Publications. pp.  312. ISBN   1-85168-184-1.
6. Smith, Peter (2000). "The Bahai View of the Bab". A concise encyclopedia of the Bahá'í Faith. Oxford: Oneworld Publications. pp.  58-59. ISBN   1-85168-184-1.