The Rudolf Steiner Archive

89. Goethe's “Faust” in the Light of Theosophy

[ 1 ] Goethe’s Faust in the Light of Theosophy. Dr. Rudolf Steiner from Berlin gave a lecture on this topic last night in the Eintracht Hall. The speaker explained, among other things, that theosophy—known as spiritual science—follows its own path. It gives us the opportunity to delve into various worldviews and to penetrate the spiritual orientations of great personalities. As people of today, we have come to realize that there is more to be found in the works of these individuals than even scholarly circles have sought and found in them. Goethe’s Faust affords us insight into the nature of this great man’s soul; it is a work that embodies the substance of his vast, richly eventful life. The poet himself permitted us to explore this magnificent work from a theosophical perspective, for he said to his secretary Eckermann: “Profound mysteries are hidden in this poem!” The first part was recognized by his contemporaries during his lifetime, but the second part was regarded as the work of his old age. Goethe thus saw that his contemporaries were not keeping pace with the times; this caused him displeasure, but he consoled himself with the thought that the work could be judged not by bookish learning but by a careful consideration of its worldview. Redner then explained in an accessible way that Faust is a reflection of this great poet’s inner life. Even as a seven-year-old boy, Goethe drew near to the God of nature—not in theory, but in a theosophical spirit—he for whom knowledge became life and life became knowledge. The great question of life took shape in the young Goethe during his student years, when, during a serious illness, he caught a glimpse behind the scenes of the spiritual world of the senses. In Frankfurt, he then met people whose inner experiences had opened their spiritual eyes to a certain degree. And yet he was close to despair. Literature was for him now merely a reflection of his earlier period of great insight. He, who sought to penetrate the mysteries lying beyond the sensory realm, was gripped by a genuine Faustian mood; and so, in his Faust, he offers a description of his inner feelings that is likely unique in world literature. The Faust problem is his own problem; characteristic of him is Mephistopheles, a spirit who holds the key to the spiritual world but is unable to penetrate it—the dreamer who cannot find everything in nothingness. In the second part of his Faust, Goethe expanded his human problem into a universal one; he knew that every mystery of life must be experienced. Even if the first part of the work is intended to leave the impression of something half-learned, the second part nevertheless testifies that spiritual experiences can take place only within the soul. Faust is not only a testament in the physical sense, but also in the sense of spiritual revelation.