The Rudolf Steiner Archive

56. Theosophy and the Bible

Member Presentation

[ 1 ] I ask that what is to be said here today be accepted as observations and experiences that the occultist may gain from the Bible or other ancient documents concerning human development. In the most diverse records, among the most varied peoples, one finds myths, sagas, and legends that are strikingly similar to one another. Names and individual details of the narratives often—very often—differ from one another; yet there are great similarities among such ancient sagas, for example, among the Greek and Mexican peoples. Modern people with a contemporary education, especially if they are truly intelligent, say: “These are the childish notions that earlier people formed.” From the perspective of occult research, however, and through observation of the Akashic Records, one develops a profound respect for these ancient records. Although the ancient myths and legends spoke in images, the nature of these images leads us to assume that there was a true understanding of the spiritual hierarchies that brought about what our Earth and humanity are today. It was not a childish imagination, but only primordial wisdom that could have created such images. ...

[ 2 ] Myths in all ancient languages speak of language being given to humans by the gods. This is not as fantastical a theory as modern classical scholars make it out to be. There must simply have been a primordial wisdom that was passed down to individual peoples in forms adapted to their respective abilities. ...

[ 3 ] But in one document—the Bible—the occultist finds something else as well. An immense amount of effort and diligence has been expended to understand its content; and it seems downright tragic to realize that, in a certain sense, all of this was in vain, for no one finds what really matters—whether the Bible is examined by orthodox believers or liberal thinkers, it makes no difference—everyone simply skims over it. We must, of course, have the utmost respect for the boundless diligence and great erudition; but all this serious and devoted research has become completely futile due to the materialism of the method: a harsh fate that befalls science!

[ 4 ] I would like to illustrate this method with an example. As a Goethe scholar, I endeavored to prove that a highly controversial essay—“On Nature”—was indeed written by Goethe; there was, in fact, sufficient evidence that Goethe had recited the various passages to the Swiss scholar Tobler—who had an unusually good memory—during their daily walks, and that Tobler had written them down from memory immediately afterward. While I believed I had clearly demonstrated Goethe’s intellectual authorship, a distinguished philologist thanked me profusely for having finally proven beyond a doubt that it was not Goethe but Tobler who was the author! So for today’s philologists, what matters is who dipped the pen in the ink! In the same way, when it comes to the Bible, people seek not to identify the intellectual authors but to investigate the scribes. We, however, do not need the Toblers, but the Goethes.

[ 5 ] It is very difficult, especially in Genesis, to rediscover the true meaning of the text; for among the ancient peoples, communication took place through rhythm and the harmony of vowels—something that has been completely lost in our modern, so banal language. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Therein lies something that modern man must first reclaim for himself. The Bible offers the greatest insight into the human soul. As an occultist, one discovers, for example, the relationship between the individual sense organs, and then one finds: These things are written in the Bible; this discovery is one of the most profound experiences.

[ 6 ] All other legends contain only knowledge of nature—there are Babylonian tablets and so on, where, so to speak, the Lord’s Prayer is already inscribed, and the Sermon on the Mount also contains well-known sayings—but what matters in the Bible is an entirely new nuance. For example, it says:

[ 7 ] Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. (Mt 5:3)

[ 8 ] Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. (Mt 6:10)

[ 9 ] The parallels found there with what existed earlier prove nothing. But there is something else peculiar about the Bible. A distinctive characteristic of all religious texts is that they have an inspiring effect, enabling us to progress further on our own—modern literature, on the other hand, is not inspiring but stifling. And the Old Testament, in particular, has an inspiring effect. For a time, this inspiration satisfies the occultist, but a residue remains that can be removed only by one means: through one of the Gospels or one of the epistles of Paul or Peter. These are observations anyone can make. We must understand the reason for this difference.

[ 10 ] All sacred texts, except for the New Testament, can be traced back to the Original Revelation. Back then, when spiritual leaders were on Earth, people could look back on their past incarnations during their initiations. But the further evolution progressed, the darker it became around people during these initiations. By the time the “New Testament” begins, the disciple no longer quite understood what it was that he saw; it remained obscure to him. The immense pain experienced by such people, who could no longer connect with the Spirit, becomes clear to us when we consider the fate of a personality who lived in his last incarnation roughly at the threshold between the Middle Ages and the modern era.

[ 11 ] The embodiment of this extremely problematic personality was the great philosopher Empedocles, who was active in Sicily for a long time. He was the first to proclaim the doctrine of the four elements. When one delves into his soul, one realizes that it was far ahead of its time. He presented the elements in their material form, and he felt as closely connected to them as he could possibly be—except in spirit. Empedocles also introduced the mysteries to Sicily and had to endure the tragic fate of the initiates of that time; he could no longer recognize the common origin, because the Christ impulse was already drawing near. He wanted to become one with the elements and threw himself into Mount Etna. He would have been ready to connect with the primordial source in an entirely different way. Had he been able to find the Christ impulse back then, he could have united with it; he came either too late or too early.

[ 12 ] Where darkness would otherwise begin, today’s occult researcher finds the Christ impulse; a person of earlier times could not do this. If today’s occultist overlooks the Christ while researching the Akashic Records, he will inevitably fall into darkness.

[ 13 ] A true monist today is capable of telling you that modern science can confidently rely on Kepler! Yet it was precisely Kepler who formulated his three laws from the harmonies of the spheres!! He discovered the Christ impulse!! His famous saying is: “I have stolen the sacred vessels of the Egyptians,” and so on. When such facts are pointed out, monists tend to be very forgiving toward such great minds. People at that time were not yet capable of thinking so clearly, they usually say by way of excuse. Yet Kepler discovered that at the time of the Christ event, very special constellations appeared; that the coming of the Christ was written in the planetary system. Kepler discovered this! When we engage with occultism, only then do we begin to recognize the immense significance of this event; we must find it in the Akashic Records!

[ 14 ] There are people today who claim that it cannot be proven that Jesus ever lived. This is a highly reckless way of thinking. For example, a respected theologian claims that a scholar from St. Petersburg—who, incidentally, does not even stand on Christian ground—has presented irrefutable evidence that Jesus did not exist. This scholar himself, despite being 90 years old and blind, felt compelled to set forth in a short treatise that he had claimed the exact opposite of what the aforementioned theologian attributes to him. But who, I wonder, has actually read that short treatise? The newspapers made no mention of this rebuttal, yet the theologian’s false claims have been splashed across every newspaper. That is how conscientiously such matters are handled today; there is not much conscience left to be found in our public writings. The Drews-style approach could have been around for centuries; it has nothing to do with evidence, but rather with impressions and feelings.

[ 15 ] What is significant about Theosophy is that it requires no documents at all; instead, one seeks knowledge directly within oneself. If there were no Gospel, the Akashic Records would lead the occultist to confirmation and knowledge. While the outer world will lose the Gospels, it will breathe new life into theosophical research. — We are facing major decisions! This also applies to other matters, to important questions, such as the doctrine of blood circulation and the movement of the heart. The prevailing theories on this subject are very flawed; today’s researchers regard the heart as a kind of pump that sets the blood in motion; yet it is the blood that moves the heart!! Some scientists have already realized this, but they think too materialistically. Benedikt, for example, says: The sensations of hunger and thirst and breathing are the ... [gap].

[ 16 ] That is quite something. Theosophy must take practical action regarding modern theories of knowledge.

[ 17 ] In the play The Gate of Initiation, the seer Theodora alludes to the impending event of the appearance of the etheric Christ. It is timely today to proclaim, as John the Baptist did in his day:

[ 18 ] Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near. (Mt 3:2)

[ 19 ] We are beggars for the Spirit, for we are seeing more and more into the light. Now the realms of heaven are coming; they have reached as far as the human “I.”

[ 20 ] In the Sermon on the Mount, too, we read:

[ 21 ] For they will find the kingdom of heaven. (Mt 5:3) ... [gap] move themselves forward—automobiles ... [gap]

[ 22 ] Gradually, people will develop the ability to see Christ as Paul first presented him; then, over the course of the next 3,000 years, people will come to recognize the persuasive power of the documents.