The Rudolf Steiner Archive

Sixth Lecture

[ 1 ] The Gospel of John differs from the others in many ways. For instance, nothing is presented there as a [direct] narrative. It always states that one person or another saw something, or that one person or another was seen. How are we to understand this?

[ 2 ] Much of what is described in the Gospel of John should be regarded as abstract, inner experiences—as instances of spiritual clairvoyance. For example, when it is said that Nicodemus “came to Jesus at night,” this should not be taken literally. It is trivial to interpret this as meaning that he came at night because he was ashamed to come during the day. We are dealing here with an astral experience. Nicodemus went to Jesus at night, while his physical body slept, in his astral body, to receive instruction. [This event did not take place as a physical person, not with physical steps, but in the astral world; Nicodemus experienced it while asleep. He had that conversation described to us in the astral realm during the night. Nicodemus became clairvoyant for once. He was able to travel astrally to Christ Jesus and have that conversation. What Christ was could thus unfold in this special experience for those who were to perceive it.]

[ 3 ] Through strange experiences, it became clear to many in this way who Jesus actually was. In the same way, John the Baptist had clairvoyantly perceived Jesus as the Lamb of God—as God’s sacrificial animal—that is, the “I” within the human being. This “I,” symbolized by the lamb, had been ceaselessly sacrificed in pre-Christian times; in other words, human beings had had to sacrifice their “I” in order to do God’s will. This “I,” or Lamb of God, was now to be transformed into the Son of Man through Christ.

[ 4 ] [Based on the pattern of this account of Nicodemus, we must understand why it becomes clear, through the testimony of John the Baptist, that Jesus is the Christ, the God of our cosmos. That is why the Gospel of John does not recount that the Spirit descended upon Jesus, nor does it vividly describe the baptism; rather, it states that John the Baptist describes his experience in such a way that he saw, through clairvoyance, the dove descending. — Otherwise, one will not understand why the Gospels seem to contradict one another unless one interprets them as the accounts of seers describing their spiritual experiences.]

[ 5 ] The Gospel of John does not describe the baptism itself, but only the astral experience of John the Baptist as he, acting as a seer, saw Jesus being inspired by the Spirit in the form of a dove. One must pay particular attention to this if one wishes to understand the spiritual meaning of this Gospel. John the Baptist was clairvoyant only intermittently; he could not look back on his previous incarnations. His mission was to show people that they should now acquire their clear sense of self, for the time for this had come. But John the Baptist had to pay for this mission by having his own sense of self limited to the time between birth and death. Hence his strange answers to the Jews’ questions. When they asked if he were the Christ, he replied, “I am not.” And when they asked him if he were Elijah, he said, “No.” In contrast to his own words, Jesus solemnly testifies that John the Baptist is the reincarnated Elijah.

[ 6 ] What is the basis for this contrast? John did not know people by their past lives; he did not know that he was Elijah returned. In order to fulfill his mission in the world, he had had to sacrifice this dark, half-dreamlike clairvoyance through which people in earlier times had been in direct connection with the spiritual world and could look back on their past forms of existence. True to his mission, he therefore pointed to Jesus as a person in whom a higher consciousness had already developed, and who therefore carried the Kingdom of Heaven within himself and could help people regain the consciousness they had previously possessed.

[ 7 ] For the “I” to develop, it was necessary for people to concentrate their energies and learn to make the most of their earthly life and to understand its great significance. Therefore, a veil had to be drawn over the past so that people could no longer see their earthly life as a small link in a long chain. By the time of John the Baptist, however, ego-consciousness was fully developed and was now to be elevated to an even higher level of consciousness.

[ 8 ] In the Gospel of John, we can follow, step by step, how Jesus himself rises from immediate self-awareness to the awareness of God by uniting himself with all other living beings and becoming one with them. The power of his knowledge and his will comes to meet us here as in no other Gospel; significant in this regard are Jesus’ words to Nathanael when he is brought to him for the first time. Jesus calls him a “true Israelite.” What did he mean by that? To understand this expression, we must go back for a moment to the ancient mysteries.

[ 9 ] If we examine, for example, the Persian Mithraic mysteries, we find that the three major stages of initiation were divided into seven degrees. The initiates of the first degree were called the “Messengers of the Raven”—“raven” corresponds to “messenger”;

— the initiates of the second degree, the “occult man”;
— the initiates of the third degree, the “warriors”;
— the initiates of the fourth degree, the “lion”;
— the initiate of the fifth degree, a “true Persian”;
— the initiate of the sixth degree, the “Sun Hero”;
— the initiate of the seventh degree, “Father, Magician.”

[ 10 ] The first-degree initiate had to learn everything there was to learn; he still had one foot in the outer world. Through his studies in the spiritual world, he was able to serve as a messenger between that world and the outer world. That is why it is said of Wotan that he was always accompanied by his ravens.

[ 11 ] The second-degree initiate, the “occultist,” had experiences in the spiritual world through imagery, but he was not permitted to share his occult experiences with others. In general, the various degrees and the legitimacy of the students were strictly observed. For example, the occult human had to mature before he was given the opportunity to share with others what he had learned through occult means. Only after he had matured spiritually was he permitted to enter the third degree and become a “champion”—a herald, an apostle of the spiritual world.

[ 12 ] The initiate of the fourth degree—or of the “Lion”—had to be completely free of all self-assertion; in relation to the truth, he was not allowed to have his own point of view or his own opinion. This view is completely at odds with what is considered correct in our day, since everyone is expected to have their own standpoint and their own opinion. Mathematics is currently the only field in which the individual no longer believes that he can assert his own opinions. The initiate of the fourth degree, on the other hand, was never allowed to let his own thoughts and feelings come into play when it came to spiritual truths; for, as an ancient sage says, only he who has no opinion of his own can penetrate to the truth. Considering himself solely as an instrument of truth, as a vessel of truth, he should not speak what he himself thought, but only what was inspired in him. His standard should be: What does the truth think of this?

[ 13 ] Then he was ready to ascend to a higher degree, the fifth degree. Until then, he had been merely an expression of the feelings and thoughts of individual human beings. The initiate of the fifth degree was to embody within himself the national spirit, the national soul. For the astral, the etheric, and the “I” in the individual human being are, in a sense, embedded in the national spirit, which is a concrete individuality, albeit one without an outer physical body. The national spirit provides an expression of everything that takes place within a single nation—all its feelings and characteristics—just as Buddha’s Nirmanakaya imparts his etheric body to various individualities and lives within them. In the Mithraic Mysteries, such an initiate was called a “true Persian.” He was, in a sense, a mouthpiece for the entire people, and those who heard him knew that the national spirit spoke through him. But once such a high individual has undergone all the experiences possible through a particular people, he withdraws from that people, which then falls into degeneration and decline. The spirit of the people actually lives a more genuine life than the individual human being, but it usually speaks only through the entire people. Yet when it does speak through a single individual, it is always through someone who does not express his own individual opinion. The initiate in Palestine was, in the fifth degree, like Nathanael, called a “true Israelite.”

[ 14 ] The sixth-degree initiate was called a “Sun Hero” because not only the national spirit but also the spirit of an entire solar system spoke through him. Just as the Sun itself could not deviate from its orbit, neither could he, and he was subject to the solar system and the laws of the solar spirit, just as the fifth-degree initiate was subject to the laws of the national spirit.

[ 15 ] Those who advanced the farthest reached the Father of the solar system. Through them spoke the Father Spirit—the Spirit of the Universal Father—and they were an expression of His will and His law. There were places where these initiation methods were strictly followed, but even in Jesus’ time, much of it had degenerated into empty ceremonies. Therefore, when Jesus told Nathanael that he was a true “Israelite,” we learn not only that Jesus knew Nathanael was a fifth-degree initiate, but also that there was a temple of initiation in Israel at the time of Jesus. But in order to know that Nathanael was an initiate, Jesus himself had to be an even higher-ranking initiate, which he confirms when he says that he had seen Nathanael under the fig tree.

[ 16 ] What is meant by this statement? The fig tree, or the tree of Buddha, is a symbol of the family tree of humanity, whose trunks, branches, and leaves represent the individual tribes, families, and human souls. To sit under the fig tree means to identify with its trunk, to feel at one with one’s people, and signifies the initiate’s relationship to his people.

[ 17 ] On the astral plane—that is, through clairvoyance—Jesus had seen Nathanael as a fifth-degree initiate, and that is why he said he had seen him under the fig tree. Nathanael immediately understood that no one other than a high-ranking initiate could have known this about him, and that is why he called Jesus “the Son of God” and “the King of Israel.” But Nathanael was not only to be allowed to see the souls of the people thereafter; he was also to see angels ascending and descending from heaven. In other words, this means that his eyes were to be opened to the spiritual realities and all the mysteries of the cosmos.

[ 18 ] This account thus suggests that spiritual knowledge truly existed in Israel during Jesus’ time, and that this people had its own mysteries, but also that Jesus was aware of them and possessed this spiritual knowledge himself.

[ 19 ] But the Gospel of John shows us not only that Jesus knows everything, but also that his will is strong enough to pass into others and work within them. Essentially, every human being is a limited and isolated being. It was Christ who gave humanity the first impetus toward spiritual brotherhood. Through this impetus, people were to be brought closer together; a bond was to be forged between souls that, over the course of the centuries, would gradually awaken a sense of belonging among the various peoples. Before Christ, such a thing had not been possible. Love certainly existed then as well, but it was rooted in blood ties and never extended beyond the family and the tribe within which all marital bonds were formed. But if self-awareness was to be developed, this perspective had to be abandoned.

[ 20 ] The blood ties that had bound people so strongly to their tribes and peoples began gradually to dissolve as people formed more and more “distant relationships” outside their tribes and peoples. As a result of the fragmentation this caused, people fell more and more into lovelessness and selfishness. The history of Rome provides us with a typical example of the prevailing condition in this case. Had Christ not come at that time and had [He] not given the world a powerful impulse toward spiritual brotherly love, people would have become increasingly separated from one another and would ultimately have become completely estranged from one another. With Christ, however, the world received a new impulse. The blood tie was not to be dissolved, but love for father, mother, and brother was no longer to be the sole bond between people. Something new had been added, something far higher and more powerful than the old, namely, universal love for one’s neighbor—the kinship of souls that unites souls with one another. “Whoever cannot value spiritual love more highly than love for father and mother cannot be my disciple.”

[ 21 ] But in order for this new impulse of love to flow into people and permeate them, it was necessary for Jesus to possess the greatest possible willpower. At the wedding in Cana, he demonstrated this willpower for the first time—a willpower so strong and so pure that it could, as it were, pass into other people and shape the impressions [of those] who received it. How are we to understand this? Let us suppose that two people are standing next to each other, and one of them is drinking a glass of water. If one of them is capable of a powerful impulse of will, he can influence the other person’s sense of taste in such a way that the water in his mouth tastes like something entirely different—for example, like wine. For our experiences do not depend so much on the material aspects that convey the impressions, but rather on the way we react to the impressions we receive. Thus, wine or water becomes something entirely different for us, depending on whether we view it from a materialistic or a spiritual perspective.

[ 22 ] In my book The Foundations of Epistemology, I have thoroughly discussed my thoughts on this question. Behind matter lies the spiritual.

[ 23 ] If, therefore, a powerful will imbued with love were to inspire people to believe that the water in a well tastes like wine, they would drink this water just as gladly as they would drink wine. Matter is merely a maya—an illusion. The spiritual content we imbue matter with is the essential thing. In everything that surrounds us, we therefore find not only gross matter, but also the spirit that is the content of the world. [Changing sensations—that is the content of our world.]

[ 24 ] This cannot merely be observed by anyone who is clairvoyant; it can also be proven entirely logically through theosophy. In the Gospel of John, this spiritual nature is particularly emphasized. The Spirit working within Christ Jesus, the God-man, is so powerful that it can not only influence other people but also command their sensations. That is why it is recounted that Jesus, through the power of his will, influenced the water poured into the jars in such a way that it had the same effect on the guests as wine. For the guests, the sensation was real—to them, what they were drinking was wine. This account shows us what a powerful will, transformed into love, was at work in Christ, for only such a will can shine forth in this way in other people.

[ 25 ] In a certain sense, it can be said that the Gospel of John is full of mysteries and that it can only be fully understood with the help of occult research. For example, it never mentions who wrote [the Gospel]; it only refers to him as “a disciple of the Lord.” Nor does it reveal the name of Jesus’ mother.

[ 26 ] The account of the wedding at Cana states that Jesus’ mother was there; and she is also referred to in other passages by the name “Mother of Jesus.” She is never called Mary. If we read the passage about the crucifixion carefully, it states that three women stood at the foot of the cross: Jesus’ mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. Jesus’ mother’s sister was therefore named Mary, and it is hardly plausible that two sisters would have borne the same name.

[ 27 ] If we then turn to the Christian mysteries, we do not find “Mary” there either as the name of Jesus’ mother. There she was always called “Sophi,” which means “Wisdom.” There is a mystery behind this fact. At the wedding in Cana, Jesus makes a curious remark to his mother: “Woman,” he says, “what is this between you and me?” The common translation—“Woman, what do I have to do with you?”—is incorrect and directly offensive to Christian sensibilities.

[ 28 ] Jesus’ words point to a mysterious bond that existed between him and his mother, which he felt strongly at that very moment. His mother’s words as well—“Do whatever he tells you”—point to a mutual understanding. Just as it takes only a hint for two friends to understand one another when there is a secret between them that no one else knows, so it was in Jesus’ relationship with his mother.

[ 29 ] We have already heard how a transformation took place within Jesus of Nazareth through baptism. The words spoken there—“This is my beloved Son; in him I am revealed”—mean, in the occult language—which is probably the only language that offers a reasonable explanation of this passage—that the individuality of Christ emerged at that moment in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.

[ 30 ] Meanwhile, a change was also taking place at the same time in the life of Jesus’ stepmother, the mother of the Solomonic child. The father of this child had died at an early age. When Zarathustra’s “I” then passed into the Nathanic child and the Solomonic child died, the mother of the Nathanic child also died shortly thereafter. The mother of the Solomonic child then moved with her children to live with the father of the Nathanic child and thereby became Jesus’ stepmother. At the very moment when the individuality of Christ took possession of the body of Jesus, a transformation also took place within this mother of his. She was enlightened and radiant through the deceased, spiritualized mother, who entered the Solomonic mother as a spiritual individuality. Through this, she regained her virginity. This mother, who lives without having given birth, is Sophia.” The Virgin Mary—is the Sophia of the Mysteries, divine wisdom, or the Virgin Mary—Madonna.

[ 31 ] This is the mystery of the Mother of Jesus. It was this Mother Sophia, divine wisdom, who was present at Cana. Between her and Jesus there was a bond of love, a power of love that could be transmitted to others and exert an influence upon them. Through this bond between Jesus and his spiritualized mother, his own life force and willpower could be transferred to other people. The Madonna is thus the union of the “I” of the Solomonic Mother with the pure and spiritualized etheric and astral bodies of the Nathanic Mother. The old masters were therefore correct in depicting the Madonna as childlike and absolutely pure, as in Michelangelo’s Pietà, for example.