The Rudolf Steiner Archive

Twelfth Lecture

[ 1 ] Yesterday we proceeded to discuss the transformation that takes place in the human astral body through meditation, concentration, and other exercises taught in the various methods of initiation. We have seen that this process refines the astral body so that it incorporates the organs it needs to perceive the higher worlds, and we have stated that up to this point—although the exercises are entirely tailored to the respective cultural periods—the principle of initiation is essentially the same everywhere. The great difference in principle begins only when the next step—which must now be added—is to take place. For in order for a human being to truly look into the higher worlds, it is necessary that the organs developed in the astral body be imprinted and expressed in the etheric body—that is, that they be imprinted into the etheric body.

[ 2 ] An ancient term is used to describe the process of working on the astral body indirectly through meditation and concentration: “Katharsis,” or purification. The purpose of this catharsis, or purification, is to expel from the astral body everything that prevents it from being harmoniously and regularly organized, so that it may attain higher organs; for it is predisposed to these higher organs—one need only, so to speak, lay bare the powers that lie within it.

[ 3 ] We said that a wide variety of methods could be used to bring about this catharsis. A person can already come very far with regard to this catharsis if, for example, they have internalized and experienced everything in my Philosophy of Freedom to such an extent that they feel: The book was an inspiration to me, but I can now actually reproduce the thoughts exactly as they are presented. If someone approaches this book—for that is how it is written—in the same way that, say, a virtuoso approaches the composer of a piece when playing it on the piano, so that he produces the whole within himself—in the appropriate manner, of course—then the strictly structured sequence of thoughts in this book alone can bring about catharsis to a high degree. For with works such as this book, it is precisely essential that the thoughts be arranged in such a way that they take effect. With many other contemporary books, it is the case that, essentially, if one were to reorganize the structure just a little differently, one could say one thing earlier and another later. With The Philosophy of Freedom, that is not possible. One can no more move page 150, for example, about 50 pages earlier in the text than one can swap a dog’s hind legs for its front legs. For this book is a structured organism, and working through its ideas brings about something like inner training. Thus, there are various methods for bringing about catharsis. Anyone who has not experienced it after working through this book need not think that what I am saying is incorrect, but rather that they have not worked through it correctly or with sufficient energy and thoroughness.

[ 4 ] But now there is something else to consider: namely, that once this catharsis has taken place—once the astral sense organs have developed in the astral body—the whole process must be imprinted in the etheric body. In pre-Christian initiations, this was done as follows: After the student had completed the necessary preliminary exercises—which often took years—it was said: “Now the time has come when the astral body is ready, having developed its astral organs of perception; now these can be imprinted in the etheric body.” — The student in question was then subjected to a procedure that today—at least for our cultural epoch—is not only unnecessary but also impossible to carry out in earnest. He was induced into a lethargic state for three and a half days. He was treated in such a way that during those three and a half days, not only did what occurs every night during sleep take place—namely, the astral body stepping out of the physical body and the etheric body—but the etheric body was also lifted out to a certain degree, and care was taken to ensure that the physical body remained intact and that the person in question did not die in the meantime. Now the etheric body was freed from the forces of the physical body acting upon it. The etheric body was now, so to speak, elastic and malleable, and when the sensory organs formed in the astral body were then immersed into it, the etheric body received an imprint of the entire astral body. When the individual was then brought back to the normal state by the hierophant—when the astral body and the “I” were reunited with the physical body and the etheric body—a procedure the hierophant-initiator understood—then the individual experienced not only catharsis but also what is called “enlightenment,” “Photismos.” The initiate could now perceive, in the world around him, all those things that are not merely physical or sensory; moreover, he could use his spiritual organs of perception—that is, he saw the spiritual realm and could perceive it. These two processes—purification or catharsis and enlightenment—essentially constituted the initiation.

[ 5 ] Now, in the course of human evolution, a phase has been reached in which it has gradually become impossible to separate the etheric body from the physical body without causing a significant disruption of all bodily functions, since the entire post-Atlantean development has led to the etheric body becoming increasingly anchored within the physical body. It was therefore necessary to employ other methods aimed at ensuring that, without separating the physical body from the etheric body, the astral body—if sufficiently developed through the catharsis—would, upon returning of its own accord into the physical and etheric bodies, leave an imprint of its organs in the etheric body despite the obstacle posed by the physical body. What had to happen, therefore, was that stronger forces had to be at work in meditation and concentration so that powerful impulses would arise in the astral body capable of overcoming the resistance of the physical body.

[ 6 ] First came the initiation that is specifically Christian, which requires the individual to submit to the procedures described yesterday as the seven stages. When a person goes through these feelings and sensations, their astral body is so intensely transformed that—perhaps only after years, but sooner or later—it plastically shapes their organs of perception and then presses them into the etheric body, thereby transforming the person into an enlightened being. This type of initiation, which is specifically Christian, could be described in detail only if I could give a lecture on all the particulars not just for several days, but perhaps for two weeks, every day. But that is not the point. — Yesterday’s purpose was to provide you with certain details regarding Christian initiation. After all, we simply want to familiarize ourselves with the principle. — By undergoing such an experience, a person is in fact able to attain initiation without the three-and-a-half-day lethargic sleep, particularly if the Christian student meditates continuously on the verses of the Gospel of John. If he allows the first verses of the Gospel of John— “In the beginning was the Word” up to the passage “full of devotion and truth,” they constitute an immensely significant meditation. They possess this power within them. For the Gospel of John, in its entirety, is not merely meant to be read and understood intellectually, but must be fully experienced and felt inwardly. Then it becomes a power in itself that aids initiation and works on its behalf, and then the “washing of the feet,” the “scourging,” and other inner processes are experienced as astral visions, exactly as they are described in the Gospel of John beginning in chapter 13.

[ 7 ] The Rosicrucian initiation, however, although it is firmly rooted in Christianity, draws more heavily on other symbolic concepts that bring about catharsis, namely on images of the imagination. This, in turn, is a modification that had to be made because humanity had advanced a step further in its development, and because the method of initiation must adapt to what humanity has gradually developed. | Now we must understand that, when a person attains this initiation, he fundamentally becomes a completely different person than he was before. Whereas previously they dealt only with the things of the physical world, they then gain the ability to deal just as readily with the processes and beings of the spiritual world. This presupposes that human beings attain knowledge in a far more real sense than in that abstract, sober, prosaic sense in which one usually speaks of knowledge. For those who attain spiritual knowledge, the process of knowing is something entirely different still. It is something that is entirely a realization of the beautiful saying: “Know thyself!” But the most dangerous thing in the realm of knowledge is to misunderstand this saying; and this happens all too often today. Some people interpret this saying as follows: they should no longer look around in the world, but instead gaze into their own inner being and seek everything spiritual within themselves. This is a very misunderstood interpretation of the saying, for that is not what it means at all. One must realize that true higher knowledge is also a development from a point of view one has already reached to a point of view one had not previously attained. If one practices self-knowledge by merely brooding inwardly, one sees only what one already possessed. Through this, however, one gains nothing new, but only an understanding—in the modern sense—of one’s own lower self. This inner aspect is only one part necessary for knowledge. The other part, which is essential to knowledge, must be added. Without both parts, it is impossible. Through the inner self, a person can come to develop within themselves the organs through which one perceives. But just as the eye, as an external sense organ, would not perceive the sun by looking inward at itself—but must instead look outward toward the sun—so too must the inner organ of perception look outward, that is, toward the spiritual exterior, in order to truly perceive. In times when spiritual matters were still understood as more real, the concept of “knowledge” had a much deeper, more real meaning than it does today. Read in the Bible what it says: “Adam knew his wife” (Genesis 4:1 and 25), or that this or that patriarch “knew his wife.” You need not look far to understand that this refers to conception; and if you consider the saying “Know thyself” in Greek, it does not mean: “Stare into your inner self,” but rather: “Fertilize your self with what flows to you from the spiritual world!” “Know thyself!” means: Fertilize yourself with the contents of the spiritual world!

[ 8 ] Two things are necessary for this: that the person prepare themselves through catharsis and enlightenment, and then freely open their inner self to the spiritual world. In this context of understanding, we may compare the inner self of the human being to the feminine, and the outer self to the masculine. The inner self must be made receptive to the higher self. Once it is receptive, the higher self flows into the human being from the spiritual world. For where is the human being’s higher self? Is it inside the individual human being? No! On Saturn, the Sun, and the Moon, the higher self was poured out over the entire cosmos. At that time, the “I” of the cosmos was poured out over the human being, and the human being must allow this “I” to take effect within them. They must allow this “I” to act upon their previously prepared inner being. This means: Man’s inner being—in other words, his astral body—must be purified, refined, and subjected to catharsis. Only then can he expect the outer spiritual realm to flow into him for his enlightenment. This happens when a person is sufficiently prepared—that is, when he has subjected his astral body to catharsis and thereby developed his inner organs of perception. Then, when the astral body is now immersed in the etheric body and the physical body, it is, under all circumstances, ready for enlightenment—the photismos—to occur. What actually happens is precisely that the astral body imprints its organs onto the etheric body, thereby causing the human being to perceive a spiritual world around himself—that is, his inner being, the astral body, receives what the etheric body is able to offer him, what the etheric body draws out from the entire cosmos, from the cosmic I.

[ 9 ] Christian esotericism called this purified, refined astral body—which, at the moment it is subjected to enlightenment, contains none of the impure impressions of the physical world, but only the organs of perception of the spiritual world—the “pure, chaste, wise Virgin Sophia.” Through everything that a person takes in during the catharsis, they purify and refine their astral body into the “Virgin Sophia.” And the “Virgin Sophia” is met by the cosmic Self, the World-Self, which brings about enlightenment—that is, which causes a person to be surrounded by light, spiritual light. This second entity, which joins the “Virgin Sophia,” was called—and is still called today—the “Holy Spirit” in Christian esotericism. Thus, in the Christian-esoteric sense, it is entirely correct to say: Through his initiation processes, the Christian esotericist achieves the purification and refinement of his astral body; he transforms his astral body into the “Virgin Sophia” and is illuminated—or, if you will, overshadowed—by the “Holy Spirit,” by the cosmic World-I. And the one who is thus enlightened—who, in other words, in the sense of Christian esotericism, has taken the “Holy Spirit” into himself—speaks from then on in a different way. How does he speak? He speaks in such a way that it is not his own opinion when he speaks of Saturn, the Sun, the Moon, the various members of the human being, or the processes of world evolution. His own views are entirely irrelevant in this context. When such a person speaks of Saturn, Saturn speaks through him. When he speaks of the Sun, the spiritual being of the Sun speaks through him. He is the instrument; his ego has receded—that is, has become impersonal for such moments—and it is the cosmic World-Ego that makes use of him as a tool to speak through him. Therefore, when it comes to the true esoteric teachings that stem from Christian esotericism, one must not speak of views or opinions. That is not correct in the highest sense of the word. There are none there. The one who speaks of the world in the spirit of Christian esotericism with the right attitude says to himself: What matters is not that I tell people, “There were two horses out there; I don’t like one of them very much; I think that one is a lazy horse.” What matters is that I describe the horses to others and recount the facts! That is what it is all about: recounting what has been observed in the spiritual world while excluding all personal opinion. In every system of spiritual science, the sequence of facts must simply be recounted; this must have absolutely nothing to do with the views of the person recounting it.

[ 10 ] Thus, we have first become acquainted with the spiritual meaning of these two concepts. We have come to know the nature of the “Virgin Sophia,” which is the purified astral body, and we have come to know the nature of the “Holy Spirit,” the cosmic World-I, which is received by the “Virgin Sophia” and can then speak from within the astral body in question.

[ 11 ] There is yet another, even higher level to attain, namely: being able to help someone, to give them the impetus to attain both. The people of our evolutionary epoch can receive the “Virgin Sophia,” the purified astral body, and the “Holy Spirit,” enlightenment, in the manner described. Only Christ Jesus could give the Earth what is necessary for this. He instilled in the spiritual part of the Earth the powers that make it possible for what has been described in connection with Christian initiation to happen at all. How did this come about?

[ 12 ] There are two things we must consider in order to understand this. First, we must familiarize ourselves with a purely historical matter: the practice of naming, which was quite different in the time when the Gospels were written than it is today.

[ 13 ] Those who interpret the Gospels today do not understand the principle of naming at the time of the Gospels at all and therefore do not speak as they ought to. It is, after all, extremely difficult to describe what the principle of naming was like back then. But we can still make sense of it if we can at least sketch out a rough outline. Imagine that, when encountering a person, we would not dwell on the name that does not belong to him at all—the name he receives through the abstract processes that are simply customary for naming today—but rather we would listen and pay attention to his most outstanding qualities, the most striking feature of their character, and we would be able to clairvoyantly explore the deeper foundation of their being, and would then give them a name based on the most important qualities we believe they possess.

[ 14 ] If we were to follow such a naming convention, we would be doing something similar—albeit at a lower, more elementary level—to what those did when they assigned names in the manner of the writer of the Gospel of John. If I wanted to explain clearly how the writer of the Gospel of John went about his naming, I would have to say: This writer of the Gospel of John looked at the outward, historical mother of Jesus in terms of her most striking characteristics and then asked himself: Where can I find a name for her that most perfectly expresses her essence? And because, through the earlier incarnations she had undergone, she had reached the spiritual height at which she stood; because her outer personality appeared, as it were, as an imprint, as a revelation of what is called in Christian esotericism the “Virgin Sophia”—he therefore named the mother of Jesus the “Virgin Sophia.” Thus she has always been known in the esoteric circles where Christianity has been taught esoterically: the “Virgin Sophia.” Exoterically, he leaves her completely unnamed, in contrast to the other evangelists, who chose the profane name Mary for her. He was not permitted to use the profane name. John had to express, through her name, the profound development of world history. He does this by implying that she cannot be called Mary; rather, he places her sister Mary—the wife of Cleophas—beside her and simply calls her “the mother of Jesus.” In doing so, he implies that he does not wish to name her, that her name cannot be publicly revealed. In esoteric circles, she was always called the “Virgin Sophia.” She was the one who, as an external historical figure, represented the “Virgin Sophia.”

[ 15 ] If we now wish to delve deeper into the essence of Christianity and its founder, we must bring yet another mystery before our souls. We must be clear that we need to distinguish between what is called “Jesus of Nazareth” in Christian esotericism and what is called “Christ Jesus”—the Christ within Jesus of Nazareth. What does that mean? It means the following.

[ 16 ] In the historical figure of Jesus of Nazareth, we are dealing first and foremost with a highly evolved human being who had passed through many incarnations and reincarnated after a long period of development, and who was thereby drawn to a mother so pure that the writer of the Gospel of John was permitted to call her the “Virgin Sophia.” We are thus dealing with a highly evolved human being, Jesus of Nazareth, who had already advanced far in his development during his previous incarnation and entered this incarnation at a high spiritual level.

[ 17 ] The other evangelists, with the exception of the author of the Gospel of John, are not as highly enlightened as the author of the Gospel of John. Rather, the sensory, tangible world is open to them, in which they see their Master and Messiah walking as Jesus of Nazareth. In contrast, the more hidden spiritual connections are concealed from them—at least at those heights to which the author of the Gospel of John looks. They must therefore place particular emphasis on the fact that in Jesus of Nazareth is lived out that which has always lived within Judaism—that which has always been passed down in Judaism as the God of the Jews, the Father, who has been present through all generations. That is why they express this as well. They say: If we trace the lineage of Jesus of Nazareth back through the generations, we can prove that the blood flowing through him is truly the same blood that has flowed through the generations. — They therefore cite the genealogical records, in accordance with their own respective stages of development. For Matthew, the most important thing is to show: In Jesus of Nazareth we have before us a human being in whom the Father Abraham lives; the blood of the Father Abraham has flowed down to him. That is why he lists the genealogy all the way back to Abraham (Matt. 1:1–17). He takes a more materialistic standpoint than Luke. For Luke, it is not only a matter of showing that the God who already lived in Abraham lived in Jesus, but it is also a matter of showing that one can trace the lineage, the bloodline, even further back to Adam—and Adam was a son of the Godhead itself, that is, he belonged to the time when human beings first transitioned from the spiritual to the physical (Luke 3:23–38). This is what matters to both Matthew and Luke: to show that this temporal Jesus of Nazareth is fully immersed in that which traces back to the divine Fatherhood itself.

[ 18 ] To the writer of the Gospel of John, who looked into the spiritual realm, this was not the point; for he was not concerned with the words, “I and Father Abraham are one,” but rather wanted to show that in every moment there is something eternal within the human being that existed within the human being even before Father Abraham. In the beginning was the Logos, who is called “I Am.” Before all external things and beings came into being, he was; he was in the beginning.

[ 19 ] For those who wanted to describe Jesus of Nazareth—and could describe only him—the goal was to show how the blood had flowed down through the generations from the very beginning. It was important to them to show that the blood flowing down through the generations lived on in Joseph, the father of Jesus of Nazareth.

[ 20 ] Here, of course, if we could speak in entirely esoteric terms, it would be necessary to discuss the concept of the so-called “Immaculate Conception,” the “Conceptio immaculata”—a topic that can, however, only be discussed within the very narrowest circle. But it is one of the deepest mysteries that exist at all; and the misunderstandings associated with this concept stem from the fact that people do not know what the Conceptio immaculata actually means. People believe it means that there is no paternity. That is not the case; rather, a much deeper, more mysterious reality lies behind it. And what lies behind it is precisely compatible with what the other evangelists seek to demonstrate: that Joseph is the father. If they were to deny this, what they are striving to show would be completely meaningless. They want to show that the ancient God lives in Jesus of Nazareth. Luke, in particular, wants to make this clear. That is why he traces the entire genealogy all the way back to Adam and then to God. How else could he arrive at this conclusion if he actually only wanted to say: “I am showing you that this genealogy exists, but in reality, Joseph has nothing to do with it at all.” It would be strange, after all, if people went to such lengths to portray Joseph as such an important figure, only to then sideline him from the entire narrative.

[ 21 ] However, in the case of the events in Palestine, we are not merely dealing with this highly evolved personality, Jesus of Nazareth—who had undergone many incarnations and had evolved to such a high degree that he needed such an outstanding mother—but we are also dealing with a second mystery.

[ 22 ] When Jesus of Nazareth was thirty years old, he had, through what he had experienced in his previous incarnation, reached a point where he was able to undergo a process that can be accomplished only in exceptional cases. We know that the human being consists of a physical body, an etheric body, an astral body, and the I. This fourfold human being is the one who lives among us. When a human being reaches a certain level of development, it becomes possible for them, at a specific moment, to extract their I from the three bodies and leave these behind intact as perfectly whole bodies. This “I” then enters the spiritual world, and the three bodies remain behind. We occasionally encounter this process in the course of world evolution. For some people, there comes a particularly elevated, transcendent moment that, under certain circumstances, may even extend over a longer period of time. Then the “I” departs, entering the spiritual world; and because the three bodies have been so highly developed by the “I” that was within them, they become useful instruments for an even higher being who takes possession of them. In the thirtieth year of Jesus of Nazareth’s life, the being we have called the Christ takes possession of his physical body, etheric body, and astral body. This Christ-being could not incarnate in an ordinary child’s body, but only in a body that had first been prepared for this by a highly developed “I.” For this Christ-being had never before been incarnated in a physical body. From the age of thirty onward, then, we are dealing with the Christ in Jesus of Nazareth.

[ 23 ] What had actually taken place? In truth, the physical body of Jesus of Nazareth, which he had left behind, was so mature, so perfected, that the Solar Logos—the essence of the six Elohim, as we have described it as the spiritual essence of the sun—could enter into it. It was able to incarnate in this physical form for three years, to become flesh. The Solar Logos, which can shine into human beings through enlightenment—the Holy Spirit Himself—enters; the World-I, the cosmic I, enters; and from then on, for these three years, the Solar Logos speaks from the body of Jesus. Christ speaks from the body of Jesus throughout these three years. This process is alluded to in the Gospel of John and also in the other Gospels as the descent of the dove, the Holy Spirit, upon Jesus of Nazareth. In esoteric Christianity, it is said that at this moment the I of Jesus of Nazareth leaves his body and that from then on the Christ Spirit is within him, speaking through him to teach and work. This is the first event that takes place, according to the Gospel of John. Now we have the Christ in the astral body, etheric body, and physical body of Jesus of Nazareth. The Christ works in the manner we have described up to the Mystery of Golgotha. What happens on Golgotha?

[ 24 ] The following takes place on Golgotha. Let us focus on the moment that is truly significant—the moment when blood flows from the wounds of the Crucified One. Now I would like to compare what is happening there to something else, so that you may understand me better.

[ 25 ] Imagine you have a container of water here. A salt would be dissolved in this water, so that the water would be fairly clear. By heating the water, you have created a salt solution. Now let the water cool. The salt precipitates, and you see how the salt condenses from the bottom up and settles there. This is the process for those who see only with their physical eyes. But for those who see with spiritual eyes, something else happens as well. While the salt condenses at the bottom, the spirit of the salt flows upward through the water and fills it. The salt can only become denser when the spirit of the salt leaves the salt and spreads throughout the water. Those who understand these things know that wherever condensation occurs, spiritualization always takes place as well. Thus, what condenses downward has its spiritual counterpart upward. Just as when this salt seeps downward and condenses there, the spirit of the salt flows out and spreads upward, so too was there not merely a physical process when the blood flowed from the Savior’s wounds; rather, as the blood flowed, it was truly accompanied by a spiritual process. And this spiritual process consists in the Holy Spirit, who was received at baptism, uniting with the Earth—in Christ Himself flowing into the very essence of the Earth. From that moment on, the Earth was transformed. For this lies at the heart of what was told to you in earlier lectures: if one had looked down upon the Earth from a distant star, one would have seen that the entire appearance of the Earth changed with the event at Golgotha. The Solar Logos was to commune with the Earth, to enter into a covenant with the Earth, to become the Spirit of the Earth. The way in which he did this was by entering into the body of Jesus of Nazareth in his thirtieth year, working within it for three years, and then being preserved for the Earth.

[ 26 ] And now the point is that this event must have an effect on the true Christian; there must be something through which the true Christian gradually acquires the potential for an astral body purified in the Christian sense. There had to be something for the Christian through which he could gradually make his astral body similar to a “Virgin Sophia,” in order thereby to receive the “Holy Spirit” within himself—a Spirit that might otherwise be spread out over the earth but could not be received by one whose astral body is not similar to the “Virgin Sophia.” There had to be something that contained within itself the power to transform the human astral body into a “Virgin Sophia.”

[ 27 ] Where does this power lie? This power lies in the fact that Christ Jesus entrusted the disciple whom he loved—that is, the author of the Gospel of John—with the mission to record the events in Palestine truthfully and faithfully from his enlightenment, so that people might allow them to take effect within themselves. If people allow what is written in the Gospel of John to take sufficient effect upon them, then their astral body is on the path to becoming a “Virgin Sophia,” and it will then become receptive to the “Holy Spirit.” Through the strength of the impulses emanating from the Gospel of John, it gradually becomes capable of sensing and, later, recognizing true spiritual reality. This is what Christ Jesus gave to the writer of the Gospel of John—this mission, this commission. You need only read the Gospel; you will find it there: At the foot of the cross stood Jesus’ mother—the “Virgin Sophia” in the esoteric sense of Christianity—and from the cross, Christ speaks to the disciple whom he loved:

“From now on, she is your mother! And from that moment on, the disciple took her into his home.” (19:27)

[ 28 ] That is to say: The power that was in my astral body and enabled it to become a vessel for the Holy Spirit—that power—I am transferring to you; you are to write down what this astral body was able to attain through its development! - “And the disciple took her into his home”—that is, he wrote the Gospel of John. And the Gospel of John is the one in which the writer has concealed the forces necessary for the unfolding of the “Virgin Sophia.” On the cross, he is given the mission to accept her as his mother and to be the true, authentic interpreter of the Messiah. In essence, this means: Immerse yourselves fully in the spirit of the Gospel of John; recognize it spiritually; it has the power to lead you to Christian catharsis; it has the power to give you the “Virgin Sophia”; then the Holy Spirit, united with the Earth, will also bestow upon you enlightenment—photismos in the Christian sense! - And what the closest disciples had experienced back then in Palestine was so powerful that from then on they at least possessed the potential within themselves to see in the Spirit. The closest disciples had absorbed this capacity within themselves. For this “seeing in the spirit” in the Christian sense consists in the human being transforming his astral body through the power of the event in Palestine to such an extent that what the human being is to see need not be present outwardly, in a physical-sensory sense.

[ 29 ] Human beings also possess something that enables them to glimpse into the spiritual realm. There were such intimate disciples. The woman who anointed Christ Jesus in the village of Bethany had received the powerful ability to see into the spiritual realm from the events in Palestine, and she is, for example, one of those who first perceive that what lived within Jesus continues to exist after death—that He has risen. She possessed this ability. Where did she get this ability? Because her inner sense organs had opened up. — Is this told to us? Yes. We are told that Mary Magdalene is led to the tomb, that the body is gone, and that she sees two spiritual figures there at the tomb. These two spiritual forms are always visible when a body has been there for some time. On the one hand, one sees the astral body, and on the other, one sees what gradually detaches itself as the etheric body and passes into the world ether. Quite apart from the physical body, there are two spiritual forms present that belong to the spiritual world.

“Then the disciples went home again.

But Mary stood outside the tomb, weeping. As she wept, she looked into the tomb.

And she saw two angels sitting there in white robes.” (20:10–12)

[ 30 ] She saw this because the power and intensity of the events in Palestine had given her clairvoyant vision. And she saw even more: she saw the Risen One. Was it really necessary for her to have clairvoyant powers to do so? Do you really think that if you saw a person in physical form just a few days ago, you wouldn’t recognize him exactly when he stood before you again after a few days?

“And as she said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?’ She thought he was the gardener.” (20:14–15)

[ 31 ] And so that this might be made as clear as possible to us, it is not merely told to us once, but also at the next appearance of the Risen One, when Jesus appeared at the Sea of Gennesaret.

“When morning came, Jesus was standing on the shore, but the disciples did not realize it was Jesus.” (21:4)

[ 32 ] The esoteric students find him there. Those who had absorbed the full power of the events in Palestine were able to find their way there and see that it was the risen Jesus, whom one could see in the spiritual realm.

[ 33 ] Although the disciples and Mary Magdalene also saw him, there were still some among them who were somewhat less gifted when it came to developing clairvoyant powers. Thomas, for example, was one of them. You are told that Thomas was not present the first time the disciples saw the Lord; and he himself says that he must first place his hands into His wounds, that he must first have physical contact with the Risen One. What happens? An attempt was now made to help him so that he might gain spiritual vision. How does this happen? It happens in accordance with the words:

“Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, even though the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, ‘Peace be with you!’
Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands; reach out your hand and place it in my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believe.’” (20:26–27)

And you will see something if you do not rely solely on outward appearances, but allow yourself to be permeated by the inner power! ^{1“Jesus said to him, ‘Because you have seen me, Thomas, you believe. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’” (20:29).}

[ 34 ] This inner power, which is to emanate from the event in Palestine, is called “faith.” This is not a trivial power, but an inner, clairvoyant power. - Imbue yourself with this inner power, and then you will no longer need to regard as real only what you see externally; for blessed are those who can know what they do not see externally!

[ 35 ] This demonstrates that we are dealing with the full reality and truth of the Resurrection, and that this Resurrection can be fully understood only by those who first equip themselves with the inner strength to look into the spiritual realm.

[ 36 ] This will help you understand the last chapter of the Gospel of John, where it is emphasized more and more how even the closest disciples of Christ Jesus came to the “Virgin Sophia” precisely because the event had taken place before their very eyes. But when they were first called upon to endure this—to truly witness a spiritual event—they were still blinded and had to find their bearings. They did not know that it was the same One who had been with them before. — Here is something we must grasp with the most subtle concepts; for the crudely materialistic mind would say: “Then the Resurrection is called into question!” — The miracle of the Resurrection must be taken quite literally, and even as He said:

“I am with you always, even to the end of the age, the age of the world!” (Matt. 28:20)

[ 37 ] He is here, and he will return—not in a physical form, but in such a form that those who have developed themselves by that time through the power of the Gospel of John will be able to see him, truly perceive him, and will no longer be unbelievers if they possess the spiritual power to see him. This is the mission of the anthroposophical movement: to prepare that part of humanity that is willing to be prepared for the return of Christ to Earth. This is the world-historical significance of anthroposophical spiritual science: to prepare humanity and to keep its eyes open when Christ appears again in the sixth cultural epoch, active among human beings, so that what is hinted at to us in the Wedding at Cana may come to pass for a large part of humanity.

[ 38 ] Thus, the anthroposophical worldview appears to be the fulfillment of Christianity’s legacy. In order to be led to true Christianity, people will in the future have to embrace those spiritual teachings that the anthroposophical worldview is able to offer. Many people may still say today: “Oh, anthroposophy is something that actually contradicts true Christianity!” But these are the little popes who want to decide matters about which they know nothing, who want to turn into dogma the idea that what they do not know does not exist.

[ 39 ] This intolerance will continue to grow in the future, and Christianity will face its greatest danger precisely from those who currently believe they can call themselves good Christians. Through these nominal Christians, Christianity will face severe attacks in spiritual science. For all concepts will have to change if a true spiritual understanding of Christianity is to take hold. Above all, the legacy of the author of the Gospel of John—the great school of “Virgin Sophia”—and the Gospel of John itself will have to take root more and more in people’s souls and be understood. But only spiritual science can lead us deeper into the Gospel of John. These lectures are intended merely to offer a sample of how spiritual science can introduce us to the Gospel of John; for it is impossible to explain the entire Gospel of John. It is even stated in the Gospel of John itself:

“There are also many other things that Jesus did; but if they were all written down one by one, I suppose the world could not contain the books that would be written.” (21:25)

[ 40 ] Just as the Gospel of John itself could not go into every detail regarding the events in Palestine, so too the longest series of lectures cannot convey all the spiritual content contained in the Gospel of John. Therefore, let us be content with the hints that could be given on this occasion. But let us be content in the sense that through such hints, the true testament of Christianity is carried out in the course of human development. And let us allow all this to take effect upon us in such a way that we have the strength to stand firm on the ground of what we recognize in the Gospel of John when others come who say: “You are giving us concepts that are too complicated—many concepts that one must first master in order to understand the Gospel—for the Gospel is meant for the simple and the naive, and one must not burden them with many concepts and ideas!”—This is what many say today. They may refer to another saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 5:3)

[ 41 ] One can only invoke such a statement as long as one does not understand it correctly. For what it really means is:

“Blessed are the beggars in spirit, for they will attain the kingdom of heaven within themselves.”

[ 42 ] In other words: Those who are like beggars for the Spirit, who wish to absorb more and more of the Spirit, will find the kingdoms of heaven within themselves!

[ 43 ] These days, people are all too quick to assume that everything religious is identical to everything primitive and simple. They say: We acknowledge that science has many complex concepts; but we do not grant the same to faith and religion. Faith and religion—so say many “Christians”—must be simple and naive! That is what they demand; and some may invoke a view that is perhaps rarely mentioned, but which nevertheless haunts many minds today and which Voltaire, one of the great teachers of materialism, expressed: “Whoever wishes to be a prophet must find faith, for what he puts forward must be believed, and only that which is simple—repeated again and again in its simplicity—finds faith.”

[ 44 ] This is often the case today with many prophets, both true and false. They strive to say something and repeat it over and over again, and people come to believe it because it is repeated so often. The representative of spiritual science should not and does not wish to be such a prophet. He does not wish to be a prophet at all. And no matter how much people may say to him: “Yes, you do not merely repeat things, but time and again you shed light on them from different angles, time and again you discuss them in different ways”—when such things are said of him, he does not admit to any fault. A prophet wants people to believe in him; spiritual science, however, does not seek to lead to belief, but to knowledge. That is why we take Voltaire’s saying in the opposite sense: “The simple is believed and is the province of the prophet,” he says. “But the manifold is known,” says spiritual science.

[ 45 ] Let us strive to become increasingly familiar with the fact that spiritual science is multifaceted—not a creed, but a path to knowledge—and that it therefore embraces diversity. That is why we do not shy away from bringing in a wide variety of material to help us understand one of the most important texts of Christianity, the Gospel of John. That is why we have sought to bring together the most diverse materials, which enable us to understand the profound truths of the Gospel of John more and more deeply; to understand how the physical mother of Jesus is an outward manifestation, an image of the “Virgin Sophia ”; what the “Virgin Sophia” signifies spiritually for the initiate whom Christ loved; and how, for the other evangelists who focus on physical descent, the biological father plays a role—his significance lies in the external expression of the concept of God through blood; furthermore, for John, this signifies the “Holy Spirit,” through whom Christ was begotten in Jesus during the three years—the Spirit symbolically indicated to us by the dove descending at John’s baptism.

[ 46 ] If we understand, then, that the “Holy Spirit” is the Father of Christ Jesus, who was born into the body of Jesus the Christ, then—if we are able to grasp a matter from all sides—we will easily find that those disciples who were less initiated could not give us as profound a picture of the events in Palestine as the disciple whom the Lord loved. And when people today speak of the Synoptic Gospels—which they regard as their sole and definitive authority—this only proves that they lack the will to rise to an understanding of the true nature of the Gospel of John. For everyone resembles the spirit they comprehend!

[ 47 ] If we try to transform what we can learn through anthroposophical spiritual science about the Gospel of John into a feeling, into a sensation, we will discover that the Gospel of John is not merely a doctrinal text, but a force that can work within our souls.

[ 48 ] If these short lectures have given you the feeling that the Gospel of John contains not only what has been expressed here, but also—through the circuitous path of words—the power that carries the soul itself forward, then you have correctly understood what these lectures are actually meant to convey. For these lectures are not intended merely as food for the mind or for intellectual comprehension; rather, what takes its circuitous path through intellectual comprehension is meant to condense into feelings and sensations, and these feelings and sensations are to arise from the details that have been presented. If this is understood correctly in a certain sense, then one will also understand what it means that the anthroposophical movement has the mission to elevate Christianity to wisdom—to understand Christianity correctly through the detour of spiritual wisdom. One will understand that Christianity is only at the beginning of its work and will fulfill its true mission only when it is understood in its true, that is, spiritual form. The more these lectures are understood in this sense, the more they are grasped in the way they were intended.