The Rudolf Steiner Archive

19. A Description of the Initiation Process

[ 1 ] Our task will be, in the few hours we have left this winter, to explore as best we can [our reflections on] the mystical views of the Christian era, possibly extending as far as Scotus Eriugena. Starting today, we have six more sessions: March 22, 29; April 5, 12, 19, and 26. I hope to be able to proceed as far as the ninth century A.D. and touch upon the consolidation of Christianity, when St. Augustine deepened Christian doctrine.

[ 2 ] When we look back on what we have allowed to pass before us this winter, we see that these were mystical insights that had their origins in Greek and Egyptian antiquity. We have seen that the most outstanding of the Greek philosophers drew upon what we have called the Mysteries. [We have seen that Greek mythology presents us with mystically deepened experiences; that is to say, what is depicted externally in the myths was experienced internally in the Mysteries.] We have seen how this mystical experience was philosophically recast into the teachings of Heraclitus and into the teachings of Plato. And we have seen how the practical aspect was developed among the Egyptian priests, how a secret path was cultivated within the Egyptian priesthood through which a person could be led more quickly to the goal than if they were to surrender to fate and wait until [initiation] comes.

[ 3 ] The Egyptian mysteries and mystery priests reached their culmination in the initiation. The initiation process was also part of the cults of the Indian religion and was carried out there as well. The process consisted of performing the great Osiris drama as an initiation ritual upon the individual. The individual had to submit to a process through which the sensual and the physical were purified to such an extent that he or she could comprehend the world in a spiritual way. Within the Egyptian priestly mysteries, the process was carried out in such a way that those deemed ready to undergo an “etherization” of the body were placed into a kind of higher hypnosis and laid in a coffin within a tomb. With outstretched hands, they lay there in mystical sleep, from which they were to be awakened on the third day. The awakening from this mystical sleep was to be brought about by the rising morning sun. But this entire process made such a profound impression on him that, once he had gone through it, he truly led a new life. Now he could understand why the Egyptian and Indian worldviews assert that the earthly realm is nothing and that the sensory world no longer has any meaning. Goethe’s words on this were: “Die and become.”

[ 4 ] Anyone who studies the mystical writings will frequently encounter this “Die and be reborn.” This occurs when the spiritual awakens and the lower, the tangible, truly evaporates. The lower, tangible becomes insignificant in comparison to the higher that awakens within us. Hence this mystical creed, expressed in a wide variety of ways. Anyone who studies mystical writings will have frequently encountered this expression. It can be found, for example, in the works of Jakob Böhme, who put it this way: “Whoever does not die before he dies will perish when he dies.” For those who have not achieved this, the reality is that they must undergo the process on higher planes or in a future life.

[ 5 ] It was this process of initiation that was intended to elevate human beings toward their goal, to bring them a step further along the path to divinity. Human beings were destined to transform the grossly material world into a purely ethereal one. We are told that the human being then took on a new body, that he was endowed with a new body, that he had been transfigured. Such an initiation process is described to us as having taken place amid powerful natural phenomena, with thunder and lightning. It was this process that imparted to them the experience and the knowledge of the spiritual. Once they had attained this, they realized that it is not matter that is real, but the spiritual.

[ 6 ] Anyone who has lived a mystical life will always reveal this to us at some point. I would like to illustrate this using Goethe’s Faust. You will find in his work allusions to the dawn. You need only look up the passage where Faust, before summoning the Earth Spirit, utters the words: “Only now do I understand what the sage says: The spirit world is not closed off; your mind is shut, your heart is dead! Come, disciple, bathe your earthly breast undaunted in the dawn.” The dawn is the light by which the initiate awakens anew. When Faust emerges, bathed, from the flood of Lethe, he sees the dawn once more. We also find such a passage in the “Prologue in Heaven”: “The sun resounds, as in times of old, in a song of competition among the brotherly spheres, and it completes its prescribed journey with a thunderous roar,” and so on. All things are, as Goethe put it, to be understood in such a way that they are initially comprehensible even to those who do not delve into the depths. But the initiate will see that there is more to it than meets the eye. These are Goethe’s own words.

[ 7 ] It is, therefore, the process of initiation that we find in Christianity as the substance of the Christian creed. From here, we must delve [further]. We will then see that this is the only way we can understand certain aspects of Christianity.

[ 8 ] When we open the Gospel of Matthew, certain passages become comprehensible only from this theosophical vantage point. Last time, I already showed how the Essenes, through their way of life, were the representatives of this [mystical] view. There we find the teaching of the insignificance of the material world. If we know how to read what has been handed down to us about the Essenes, we find that through Essenism this secret teaching was transplanted into Judaism—namely, that human beings can experience inner deepening and that, at the same time, the view arose that this can be fostered through the process of initiation.

[ 9 ] Let us now ask ourselves: Do we also encounter the initiation process in the New Testament? If this were the case, then we would have to conclude that in Jesus of Nazareth we are dealing with a secret teacher who took it upon himself—and who saw this as his primary mission—to no longer exclude anyone from at least a glimpse of this mystical process, and who could not bring himself to practice the depths of this science in secret alone.

[ 10 ] Now let us see if we can find evidence that Jesus belonged to the so-called initiated ones. According to the Gospel of Matthew, there is no question about it. We see that we are dealing with a human being at the highest level of reincarnation, with a “Buddha” or “Christ.” But given the nature of the matter at hand, such a person could be none other than a member of the Essene community. Nor could he be anyone other than one who belonged to the initiates of the Old Testament. Christ saw the [outer] world fade away in comparison to what he saw as a vision. — Visions in the early stages are not realities. At the higher stages, however, this changes completely.—What matters here is the content conveyed in such a vision. Let us take the vision that Christ had with Elijah and Moses at his side, which led him to the perfect transfiguration, where not only he but also his clothing was transfigured. That would be—and was—the highest revelation that could be bestowed upon a human being: participation in divinity itself. From that point on, it also became clear that he was not merely a messenger of God, but God incarnate. The Essene perspective makes it possible to understand that human beings can attain this level. In the New Testament, this is expressed when [Christ] wants to show the disciples what he is experiencing—what he wants them to sense, what he must let them sense—by drawing their attention to the fact that the divine could slip in “like a thief in the night”: The day of the Resurrection will come, an awakening will take place. He wants to awaken this awareness in every human being. And to awaken this awareness—that was his mission. It was what the Essenes themselves sought. But the Essenes wanted to create a select few. Jesus, too, was chosen only as an individual. Yet it was important to him to bring everyone to this realization. But he could show the path only to those who had good will. And this could be done only by one who was the most initiated among the initiated.

[ 11 ] Anyone who studies the writings of the early Christian centuries—especially the earliest period—will see how clear they were on the question of infallibility. Even back then, there was room for different interpretations among a wide variety of individuals. Admittedly, everyone could interpret the nature of Jesus’ personality in their own way. This is understandable when we remember that we are dealing with people who were at different stages of development. Even when we examine the Gnostics, we find that we are dealing with a secret doctrine—just as was the case with the Mystics.

[ 12 ] The priest saw himself as the bearer of a secret teaching. He knew that people could only be led to the secret teachings step by step. He knew that he had to present them in a way that would lift everyone’s spirits, yet still convey their meaning. We can even assume that the one who wrote down these teachings also understood their meaning. Jesus was both a secret teacher and a great orator. One need only consider the parables to recognize a higher truth within them. But the one who spoke the parables could only have been an initiated being. The parables originate from the very depths of the world soul. [Jesus] had insight into the visions of the spiritual world. He knew what the initiation process entailed. He was one who, through his own inner revelation, was able to experience and live the mysteries of the spiritual world. Because he stood on the level of perfect incarnation, he was one who could himself undergo initiation—and indeed did so.

[ 13 ] This, however, is something that only mystical teaching can uphold. Only mystical teaching can interpret certain passages of Scripture correctly. You can follow along with these passages. They will always remain a mystery unless one understands them in a mystical sense, in connection with the Egyptian initiation process. Jesus emerged from the deep spiritual cradle of the Essenes to work in the spirit of Essene wisdom. He was also able to undergo the initiation as it undoubtedly belonged to the Essene cult. But to do so, one must know how to read the Gospel—specifically the Gospel of John, who was also an initiate [of the Essenes]. He tells us this in a highly veiled form.

[ 14 ] Those who have understood the Gospel will always find the point—indeed, they will find it highlighted—that must have been the cause of Jesus’ death. It is at this point—as Renan notes in a rather materialistic way—that a certain uneasy feeling arises as the narrative approaches the crucifixion, and he cannot explain why the most important miracle, the raising of Lazarus, should have had such a profound effect, or why it might be connected to the crucifixion of Jesus. The story of the raising of Lazarus is incomprehensible—at least on a superficial level—to anyone who takes it as it is presented [in the Gospel]. Anyone who were to view the raising of Lazarus as a mere parable would get nowhere. Nor would anyone who interprets it as a realistic account, as was the case with the fig tree. One [—Luke—] understood it as a parable and recounted it as such; the other, Mark [—and also Matthew—], recounts it as a real miracle. The raising of Lazarus—which is undoubtedly the most important of the miracles Jesus performed—had nothing in common with all these other miracles. And this raising of Lazarus can only be understood if it is interpreted esoterically. It is an initiatory process that is described to us in a veiled manner. When we consider the raising of Lazarus and realize that it is an initiation process described to us only in a somewhat veiled manner, we also see the reason why the commentators are so moved from the moment this initiation process is proclaimed to the whole world. It became a great symbol. From then on, people believed in Jesus. People now knew what it was all about: a great secret teacher who wanted to proclaim the Gospel to the whole world.

[ 15 ] Now let us consider the initiation process itself. Such things reveal themselves to us when the notes are struck that signify mystical symbols. And if one knows how to understand mystical symbols, if one is accustomed to reading mystical writings, then one is made aware—just as a Freemason is made aware that he is dealing with another Freemason—one is made aware when a deeply mystical theme is introduced, just as the raising of Lazarus is recounted in the Gospel of John.

[ 16 ] Lazarus is bedridden with an illness. This refers only to his previous life. It is the initiation process that Christ himself is to perform on him. We are dealing with a sick person who has already succumbed to death. The translation isn’t bad. But it is also about the fact that the two sisters, Mary and Martha, are presented to us. “Mary” is not just a proper name; “Mary” is the same as “Maya” in the Indian worldview. It signifies nothing other than matter—virginal matter—into which the spirit must pour itself in order to pass through the various stages of incarnation: through the stages of inorganic nature, plant and animal life, and humanity, back to divinity. This Mary is [the being] from whom the spirit must be born—from matter that has not yet been mingled.

[ 17 ] So, on the one hand, we have Mary, and on the other, her sister Martha. We will see that both sisters are portrayed to us in a special way; we will see the striking contrast between them. “It came to pass as they were walking along... There was a woman named Martha. She welcomed him into her home. And she had a sister named Mary, who sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to his words.” - Mary is the symbol of material existence, that from which the spirit must be reborn, and “Martha” is the one who serves, who guides the spirit further along the path—the sister of the material, the very symbol of the spiritual. Just as human beings walk in a state of limbo between the material and the spiritual, so Lazarus walks between the two sisters—not with his sisters. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord and dried Him with her hair.

[ 18 ] The whole story is then recounted to us as a kind of medical history. The sisters sent word to him: “Lord, behold, the one you love is sick.” When Jesus heard this, he said, “This illness is not unto death, but for the glory of God.” On the contrary, it leads to new life. He therefore intends to carry out the initiation process on Lazarus. The illness is for the glory of God, so that the human being may be led to divinity. “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ... When he heard that he was ill. ... He remained where he was for two days.” The initiation process was to last three days, and on the fourth day, the one who was sleeping as if dead was to be awakened. “Then he said to the disciples, ‘Lazarus, our friend, is asleep’—the one whom Jesus loved—‘but I am going there to wake him up.’” The disciples misunderstood this. Jesus said: “He is sleeping the death that passes through true death. Lazarus has died; he has lived through the mystical death.” “Thomas said to the disciples: ‘Let us go with him, that we may die with him.’” — Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. [Gap in the transcript].

[ 19 ] Such a secret teacher could, of course, only be persecuted by Orthodox Jewish doctrine. As mentioned, the entire narrative is veiled. It does, however, attest to the fact that we are dealing with a process of initiation and with the resurrection on the fourth day. If we trace these secret teachings, it becomes clear that people in the early Christian centuries knew exactly what they were dealing with.

[ 20 ] The one who has been initiated through the initiation process is also initiated into the Apocalypse. There, too, we are given ample hints in a wide variety of ways as to what we are dealing with. When we read it under the conditions that have now been established, we are told literally that we are dealing with Christ as an initiator. [Gap in the transcript]

[ 21 ] The animal is the sensual nature of man. “Their corpses will lie in the streets. ... After three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet.” Here you have the initiation process presented in a more dogmatic way. To quote a [passage] from the Book of Revelation, this is what is shown to us. “I am the root of the house of David, the bright Morning Star.”

[ 22 ] Understanding all of this is essential if we are to understand how Jesus performed the raising of Lazarus—the initiation process. If you consider all that is involved, you will see for yourself that it cannot be anything else—given the entire atmosphere that surrounds this initiation process.

[ 23 ] I would like to raise the question once again: What was the most serious crime according to the views of the Jewish court? We know from references in Greek history—from Plutarch, for example, and so on—what an immense guilt was incurred by anyone who made the mysteries public. Plutarch says that he will be careful not to reveal anything about the mysteries publicly. [Jesus] was the first to form the view that these intuitions must be awakened in every human being. The Jews could not do this; they had the Law and faith. The Mysteries were regarded as evil, since they robbed people of their faith. That was [in the eyes of the Pharisees] the great crime: that Jesus taught the process of initiation publicly.

[ 24 ] What was the main issue in his conviction? They asked whether he had a secret teaching. He said it was not a secret teaching, but rather that it was his duty to teach it to the whole world. He was explicitly questioned about whether he had taught his doctrine to the whole world or whether he had kept it a mystery. In the view of those who were to judge Jesus, it was a kind of betrayal that he had revealed what, in the view of his accusers, he should not have revealed to people. Thus we see that the unease felt by various commentators did indeed have a deep-seated reason, and we also see that in the raising of Lazarus as described in John, we are dealing with Jesus as an outstanding initiator.

FAQ:

[ 25 ] The Church has transformed the initiation process into a process of inspiration. In doing so, the Church has made its mission possible for millennia.

[ 26 ] Christianity is a religion for the masses as well as for the initiated.

[ 27 ] The mystics believe that revelation is within them.

[ 28 ] When science makes inroads into the laws of nature, there comes a time when faith is no longer effective, and science ultimately leads back to theosophy.

[ 29 ] The Church should carry out this work of initiation and make it accessible to the masses.

[ 30 ] The Church can no longer understand Theosophy, but Theosophy can understand the Church.

[ 31 ] In Judaism, only the pure law was permitted to be taught, although the Talmud also contains esoteric teachings.

[ 32 ] What Christ says about himself [and his] mission: “I know that you always hear me, but I say this for the sake of the people.” The raising of Lazarus.