The Rudolf Steiner Archive

79. The Christian Mystery: Repeated Earthly Lives as the Solution to the Enigma of Humanity

[ 1 ] At the request of the Theosophical Society (Adyar), Dr. Rudolf Steiner gave a lecture on the Christian mystery on the 12th of this month. Among the major world religions, Christianity holds a special place. In all other religions, it was not the founder himself but his teachings that were most significant; in Christianity, however, the person of Jesus Christ stands at the center of his teachings; emulating the exemplary life of the founder—that is what matters most in Christianity. While the other great teachers sought to point the way to “the truth” and “the way,” in Christ himself this truth and this way became “life.” Through this, what the mysteries of pre-Christian times contained was transformed into a new form. In the past, the initiate had to gain certainty about the reality of a supersensible world through his own contemplation, and in this contemplation the mystic achieved the victory of life over death. Through the life and death of Christ, what the mystic beheld has become a historical event, and from now on this victory can be achieved by everyone within themselves without the need for a mystery school. The seven stages of this “following” are set forth in the Gospel of John, the content of which makes no sense to measure against historical criticism. The soul becomes ready to tread this path through meditation on the opening words of this Gospel. Theosophy teaches us to read the Gospels correctly once again, for it seeks to understand the Christianity of the past, to revitalize the Christianity of the present, and thereby is able to shape a Christianity of the future.

[ 2 ] On March 13, the same speaker gave a lecture on “Reincarnation as the Solution to the Mystery of Humanity.” One of the most important mysteries of the world is presented to us by everyday life: the varied and seemingly unjust distribution of earthly blessings. A reference to “God’s inscrutable counsel” merely postpones the solution. Science does not address this question at all and attributes everything to chance. And yet, the path to a logical understanding lies in the facts recognized by science. Once it is established that all living things originate only from other living things, one must also admit that everything soul-spiritual can originate only from the soul-spiritual. Just as a living being can only be understood by tracing its development from a lower stage to a higher one, so too must a highly developed soul-being have been preceded by an imperfect one from which it evolved. Thus, what Theosophy calls “reincarnation” becomes a concept that is necessary from a scientific standpoint. Theosophy shows the way in which, by awakening consciousness to supersensible planes of existence, one can trace the course of a soul’s life through repeated earthly lives. All development takes place in accordance with the law of cause and effect, which Theosophy calls karma. There is no question of “fatalism” here, for precisely because everything proceeds according to law, human free will can foresee the consequences of each of its actions and thus consciously work on its own development.