and
they interpreted in a material sense the prophecies regarding his
dominion, his glory, his conquests and the "signs" of his advent, just as
the Jews in the time of Christ interpreted similar prophecies regarding
the Messiah. They expected that he would appear with earthly sovereignty
and an innumerable army and declare his revelation, that he would raise
dead bodies and restore them to life, and so on. As these signs did not
appear, the _Sh_i'ihs rejected the Bab with the same fierce scorn which
the Jews displayed towards Jesus. The Babis, on the other hand,
interpreted many of the prophecies figuratively. They regarded the
sovereignty of the Promised One, like that of the Galilean "Man of
Sorrows," as a mystical sovereignty; His glory as spiritual, not earthly
glory; His conquests as conquests over the cities of men's hearts' and
they found abundant proof of the Bab's claim in His wonderful life and
teachings, His unshakable faith, His invincible steadfastness, and His
power of raising to newness of spiritual life those who were in the graves
of error and ignorance.

But the Bab did not stop even with the claim of Mihdihood. He adopted the
sacred title of "Nuqtiyiula" or "Primal Point." This was a title applied
to Muhammad Himself by His followers. Even the Imams were secondary in
importance to the "Point," from Whom they derived their inspiration and
authority. In assuming this title, the Bab claimed to rank, like Muhammad,
in the series of great Founders of Religion, and for this reason, in the
eyes of the _Sh_i'ihs, He was regarded as an impostor, just as Moses and
Jesus before Him had been regarded as impostors. He even inaugurated a new
calendar, restoring the solar year, and dating the commencement of the New
Era from the year of His own Declaration.

Persecution Increases

In consequence of these declarations of the Bab and the alarming rapidity
with which people of all classes, rich and poor, learned and ignorant,
were eagerly responding to His teaching, attempts at suppression became
more and more ruthless and determined. Houses were pillaged and destroyed.
Women were seized and carried off. In Tihran, Fars, Mazindaran, and other
places great numbers of the believers were put to death. Many were
beheaded, hanged, blown from the mouths of cannon, burnt or chopped to
pieces. Despite all attempts at repression, however, the movement
progressed. Nay, through this very oppression the assurance of the