The Rudolf Steiner Archive

1. Theosophy and the Evolution of Religions (The Bible-Babel Question)

I. Article in the “Weimarische Zeitung” from April 17, 1903

[ 1 ] Last night, before a large audience in the “Erholung” hall, Dr. Rudolf Steiner of Berlin delivered a lecture on “Theosophy and the Evolution of Religions” (The Bible-Babel Question), the first of three announced lectures. In a captivating manner, the speaker began by discussing the origins of divine wisdom (theosophy), which had come to the forefront in a way that should not be underestimated through Adolf Harnack’s sensational work: The Essence of Christianity and Friedrich Delitzsch’s world-renowned lectures, had come to the fore in a way that should not be underestimated, since it regards the promotion of the comparative study of religions, philosophies, and sciences as its foremost task. Theosophy is called upon to reconcile the contradictions arising from science’s tireless efforts to penetrate the divine mysteries through the natural world, and from principles such as Harnack’s: radical rejection of all scientific interference in religion—Theosophy is called upon to reconcile these opposing forces. Its essence is never struggle or strife, but always and only explanation and fulfillment: the explanation and interpretation of the symbols of knowledge, and the fulfillment and completion of the tasks of the will. And who is a Theosophist? Anyone who, in the wonders that are unquestionably revealed in even the smallest and most inconspicuous creature—up to the microcosm, the most perfect wonder of our own self—perceives the living bonds of the Master who guides him, drawing him toward the Divine and the Eternal. - The knowledge of Theosophy reaches back to the most ancient traditions of all civilized peoples, manifesting itself in the awareness of our own divine nature, in the awareness of our immortality, and in the awareness of the goal of our striving: divine perfection. We find this threefold awareness already in the oldest records of our race—in the writings of the Egyptians, in the traditions of the Chaldeans, and in the Mosaic traditions of the Old Testament—even among the Chinese and even in the natural philosophers of today’s primitive peoples. But we also find this theosophical insight in Homer and the poetry of classical antiquity, in the Old Germanic sagas, and—in its most ideal form—in the original text of Christianity, the New Testament. — And in the spirit of this insight, the proponents of Theosophy regarded it as their duty—without alienating anyone from their religion—to encourage everyone to seek, in the depths of religion, the spiritual nourishment that is absolutely essential for them. Let everyone show the religion of others—whether friend or foe—the same respect that they demand for their own religion. With the meaningful quote: “Whoever has art and science has religion; whoever lacks these two should have religion,” the speaker concluded his extremely interesting 1½-hour presentation, which was received with the utmost attention; unfortunately, we lack the space to reproduce its entire content. — The next lectures will take place on Friday and Monday, respectively.

II. Report in “Deutschland”, Second Edition, April 17, 1903

[ 2 ] The Secretary-General of the “Theosophical Society for Germany,” Dr. Steiner—Berlin—gave an introductory lecture on Wednesday evening on the spiritual and historical significance of theosophy. This first lecture will be followed by two more, to be held on Friday, April 17, and Monday, April 20. Dr. Steiner, who is known as a captivating speaker, began his lecture by stating the principle that the Theosophical Movement finds its justification in the fact that it has set itself the goal of resolving the many mysteries surrounding human existence, as well as the uncertainty regarding the possibility of life after death. Theosophy does not seek to take away anyone’s religion, but only to encourage people to explore their religion and seek the spiritual nourishment that every human being needs. As the lecture progressed, Dr. Steiner explained that the idea of Theosophy pervades all civilized religions, just as the concept of God was virtually uniform among almost all civilized peoples of antiquity. The account of the Fall, as we find it in the Old Testament, corresponds to the accounts of the Chinese, the Egyptians, the Babylonians, and even the Aztecs in Mexico; likewise, we find the same traditions of the concept of God in Greek history as in our ancient Germanic Edda. Awareness of this concept of God has existed among all peoples throughout the ages; each people interpreted its God in its own way. It was only with the material advancement of culture that the deepening of this awareness became a mystery reserved for the initiated. The speaker explained that one should not side with those for whom research in the realm of religion always causes a sense of dread; it is the duty of the scholarly community to delve ever deeper into the natural sciences. The heart and the mind could very well work together to explore the true nature of religion, and even the research of Professor Delitzsch—which has recently caused such justified a stir—constitutes a major step toward enlightenment. In any case, one should not oppose a movement that might eventually give rise to an entirely new worldview. The three objectives pursued by Theosophy are, first: to form the nucleus of a fraternal spiritual community extending across all of humanity, without distinction of race, religion, social class, nationality, or gender; second, to promote the comparative study of religions, philosophies, and sciences; and third, to investigate the as-yet-unexplained laws of nature and the powers lying dormant within human beings. — Even though theosophy underlies all the aforementioned cultural religions, it nevertheless possesses something that distinguishes it from all religions as distinct forms of worship. Each of them places emphasis on its own very particular expression of wisdom. The Theosophical Movement, however, has at all times emphasized only the common core that fosters the same aspiration and the same knowledge in all human beings. Above all, it stands in contrast to materialistic academic science—not only to the natural sciences, but also to the historical and linguistic sciences. The two opposing worldviews are the inner and the outer, the spiritual and the sensual. The speaker went on to explain that this lecture should be regarded, in a sense, as an introduction. In any case, theosophy provides effective protection against the twin enemies of civilized humanity—superstition and materialism—and the purifying and ennobling influence of this movement would not fail to materialize. The extremely stimulating and interesting lecture lasted about 1½ hours.