Charles Ioas
Charles Ioas | |
|---|---|
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| Born | March 23, 1859 Munich, Germany |
| Died | May 30, 1917 Chicago, Illinois, USA |
| Spouse(s) | Maria Reiser |
| Children | Leroy, Margarite, Monroe & others. |
Charles Karl Ioas (March 23, 1859 - May 30, 1917) was a German-American Bahá’í. He was one of the early Bahá’í's of America helping to develop the Bahá’í community of Chicago and many members of his family also became prominent Bahá’ís.
Biography[edit]
Ioas was born in Munich, Germany, in 1859. In his youth he studied at the University of Munich and upon graduating in 1880 he moved to America where he pursued further studies in law and began practicing as a lawyer.[1] He also married in 1880 to Maria Bertha Reiser and they went on to have eight children.[2]
In 1898 Ioas became a Bahá’í and an active member of the Chicago Bahá’í community. He was among the earliest members of the first administrative body for the Bahá’ís of Chicago, called a Board of Council at the time, after it was established in 1900.[3] He attended deepening classes conducted by Mírzá Abu’l-Faḍl when Faḍl visited Chicago in 1900,[4] and received the following Tablet from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá the same year:
O thou who hast advanced toward God!
By God, I rejoiced when reading thy letter which declares thy belief in the unity of God and thine acknowledgment of the appearance of the Kingdom of God. This is a matter whereby thy face shall brighten in the Supreme Concourse, and thy forehead shall sparkle among the people. Then know the worth of this gift, the lights of which shone forth unto all directions and indicate the attraction of the Concourse of El-Abha, the Most Glorious. Then be firm in this Cause, and thou wilt behold thyself in a lofty station, having all that is in earth under its shadow, because, this is verily that gift which is mentioned in the Gospel. O how good is this bounty in this day, when the commemoration of the true God is published and spread in all directions![5]
In 1902 Ioas briefly became disillusioned with the administration of the Faith in Chicago. The administrative body for the Chicago Bahá’ís had adopted the name House of Justice but ‘Abdu’l-Bahá instructed them to change the name to House of Spirituality which some interpreted as a sign ‘Abdu’l-Bahá disapproved of their actions, however later in the year ‘Abdu’l-Bahá clarified that the change of name was to emphasize that the body was not concerned with political affairs and He instructed them to name the body a Spiritual Assembly prompting Ioas to begin attending its meetings again.[6]
In 1917 Ioas passed away in Chicago.[7]
References[edit]
- ↑ Star of the West, Vol. 9, p 79
- ↑ Charles Karl Ioas at findagrave.com
- ↑ Star of the West, Vol. 9, p 79
- ↑ The Bahá’í World, An International Record. (1945). National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada. Wilmette, Ill. Volume 9 (1940-1944), Pg(s) 857. View as PDF.
- ↑ Star of the West, Vol. 9, p 78
- ↑ Robert H. Stockman (1995). The Bahá’í Faith in America Volume 2: Early Expansion 1900-1912. United Kingdom: George Ronald. p. 74. ISBN 0853983887.
- ↑ Star of the West, Vol. 9, p 78
Table Of Contents
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1.1 Biography
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2.2 References