Making a vast new resource less daunting
Introduction
Baha’i scholar Steven Phelps has in recent years undertaken a major cataloguing project that brings together publicly accessible works of the Bab, Baha’u’llah, and Abdu’l‑Baha. The work is titled A Partial Inventory of the Works of the Central Figures of the Baha’i Faith. It currently lists over 11,900 items attributed to Baha’u’llah, alongside thousands of works by the other two Central Figures.
In addition to the Inventory, Phelps has used artificial intelligence to generate partial or full translations of all the catalogued works. For readers, this means that they can now approach the Baha’i Revelation with a structured map.
Accessing the Phelps Inventory
The Phelps Inventory is available on the “Partial Inventory” page of Phelps’s website Loom of Reality. Here readers can browse or download the Inventory’s two extensive volumes. The first volume contains the thousands of catalog entries for all three Central Figures, and the second volume contains a subject index.
The cataloging for the entries in the first volume follows a consistent format, making it straightforward to navigate. Every work is assigned an ID / PIN, which functions as a unique identifier combining an author code with a number. Where available, a title or description is given, while other works may simply be noted without one. An approximate word count is included, along with the language of composition, most often Arabic or Persian.
Entries also record the first line of the text, sometimes accompanied by an English translation. References to manuscript sources and original publications are provided in condensed form, and links are included where possible. Notes on context or questions may appear for certain items, and available English translations are listed, beginning with those authorized at the Baha’i World Centre.
Additional features include references to musical interpretations, miscellaneous notes, and occasional abstracts of well‑known works. Many entries also carry subject categories assigned through AI‑assisted analysis, linking them to topical compilations of extracts. Taken together, this structure provides multiple points of access for study and exploration.
Accessing the Translations of Baha’u’llah’s Writings
In addition to the catalog, Phelps has made available a collection of translations specifically of Baha’u’llah’s writings through “Phelps Collection – Baha’u’llah.” From this site, readers can view partial or full translations of the 11,924 works of Baha’u’llah listed in the Inventory. Translations of the Bab and Abdu’l‑Baha are not hosted separately in this way.
The entire set of Baha’u’llah’s translations can be downloaded in PDF or DOCX format, providing a comprehensive resource for study and reference. Phelps, who is knowledgeable in Arabic and Persian, has added some editorial notes to the translations.
Because these translations were generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence, they are provisional. Readers are encouraged to consult the Baha’i Reference Library for authenticated texts, while using the Inventory as a complementary tool for exploration and study.
So far, I have had a chance to view online the first nineteen works of Baha’u’llah listed in the Inventory. I discovered a near‑complete translation of Baha’u’llah’s longest work, Kitab‑i‑Badi (84,700 words; ID: BH00004), as well as what appears to be a complete translation of a tablet I had not previously encountered, “Lawh‑i‑Sarraj” (26,800 words; ID: BH00006). These examples illustrate the scale and depth of material now accessible through the Inventory and its associated translation collection.
Unlike Baha’u’llah’s corpus, the writings of the Bab and Abdu’l‑Baha are not yet available in full translation, but can be explored through thematic extracts in an online tool described in the next section.
Interactive Exploration of Themes
In addition to the catalog and translation files, Phelps has made subject‑indexed extracts from the writings of all three Central Figures available through the Partial Inventory Explorer.
This interactive resource, hosted in Google’s NotebookLM, allows readers to search across the Inventory, pose questions, or browse by subject categories, with the app displaying relevant passages drawn from the AI‑assisted translations. While this tool makes it easier to explore themes across thousands of works, the translations remain provisional, so it is best used as a complement to authenticated sources at the Baha’i Reference Library.
The Partial Inventory Explorer can be accessed directly at NotebookLM, or through the Baha’i Library, which provides a convenient entry point and instructions for use.
Additional Context from Recent Seminar
Phelps has also made available on his YouTube channel a 2025 seminar he gave in Oxford, “Update on the Partial Inventory: Charting the Coastline, and Initial Soundings.” In the summary of the video, he reports that the Inventory now includes over 27,000 works, representing about half of the known corpus. AI‑assisted analysis has identified more than 120,000 subject‑themed extracts across 650 categories. Among the most frequent themes are praise and encouragement, steadfastness and perseverance, the sovereignty of God, teaching the Cause, and spiritual transformation.
Reflecting on the inspiration for his project, Phelps notes that both Baha’u’llah and Abdu’l‑Baha left guidance on how the sacred writings should be organized. He explains: “Baha’u’llah did not want this organization to be centralized, preferring his followers to undertake it. He provided specific instructions and examples of subject categories for organizing his own writings.” The Inventory reflects this decentralized spirit, while also showing how AI tools can assist with translation and categorization.
Conclusion
The Phelps Inventory and its associated translation collection and search functions represent a significant resource for those interested in the writings of the Central Figures of the Baha’i Faith. While the translations are provisional and distinct from the authenticated corpus, their availability marks a new stage in accessibility.
For those who do not consider themselves scholars, the scale of the Inventory may seem daunting at first. By outlining here what is available, I hope to make it less intimidating and to show that it can be navigated step by step. Even a brief encounter with these resources offers a sense of the richness and breadth of the writings now accessible, and demonstrates that this vast new resource can be approached with confidence rather than hesitation.