The Rudolf Steiner Archive

Ninth Lecture

[ 1 ] Through the Theosophical Movement of our time, the spiritual content of the Gospel is to become increasingly accessible to humanity. And this is all the more necessary because, especially in our time, the biblical texts are beginning to become increasingly fragmented and disjointed as a result of historical-scientific research, which is, in and of itself, a good thing. Modern man has lost sight of spiritual realities.

[ 2 ] Contemporary historical research has concluded that the three Synoptic Gospels must, to a certain extent, be regarded as historical events. With regard to the contradictions found therein, this research seeks to demonstrate that they arose because these Gospels were not written by eyewitnesses, but rather because the accounts were passed down by word of mouth and were only later put into writing. According to one hypothesis, the Synoptic Gospels are thought to derive from an Aramaic source and to be oral accounts of the events in Palestine. The author of the Gospel of John is said to have intended not to present a historical event, but rather a confession expressed through symbolic imagery.

[ 3 ] But the Gospels will be lost to humanity if this line of criticism continues. Only through spiritual research can we discover the true facts. This research does not seek some fanciful Aramaic source, but rather the actual sources from which the Gospels sprang.

[ 4 ] Only by examining these can we attain a deeper understanding. We must turn not to any external documents, but to the mysteries of antiquity if we are to understand the Gospels. Within these mysteries there was something that could be described as an initiation ceremony. The hierophant knew what a person needed for his development; and the methods used to guide him into the spiritual world were not as well known or described in detail in ancient times as they are today. People at that time were at a different level of development and therefore required methods different from those we use. Careful instruction preceded every initiation for years. The content of the instruction given in both the Egyptian and Pythagorean initiation centers resembled, in a certain way, what we call “Theosophy” today and disseminate exoterically. The student first had to learn what was meant by “Theosophy” in those days. Then came the initiation, which consisted of three degrees.

[ 5 ] The first stage following preparation was called “imagination” or “knowledge.” The second stage was called “enlightenment” or “inspiration,” and the third was called “perfection through ‘intuition’ or ‘direct spiritual vision.’”

[ 6 ] These three degrees were not intimate inner experiences as they were in later times, but purely external acts in which inner development was reflected. The initiate was prepared through certain sensory images—great symbolic figures shown to him in the mystery temples—which were intended to exert a certain magical effect upon him. He was also to experience certain dramatic situations and undergo certain physical trials, the purpose of which was to awaken and liberate powers that still lay dormant within his soul. These symbolic figures and dramatic situations were intended to make him aware of all the temptations a person may encounter in the world and to show him how deeply a person can fall when left to his own devices. To avoid this, the soul must free itself from everything that binds it. By observing external, often quite drastic situations, the student was to be purified of all his “instincts, desires, and passions.” And through this catharsis or purification, everything that is most noble within the soul was to be drawn forth from its innermost depths. Afterward, he was ready to enter the first degree, the world of imagination.

[ 7 ] This catharsis was all the more necessary because, otherwise, the student would have been exposed to all the dangers of the new world that was opening up to him. The outside world was no longer the same; he could no longer rely on his surroundings. He could no longer draw help from all those rules and generally accepted views that form the foundation of a society or a family. Terrifying images rose up in his soul. Had he not been instilled with certain firm principles and guiding ideas through his upbringing, things could have turned out very badly for him. From the depths of his soul arose entirely objective images of all the instincts and desires he harbored within himself—not only those of which he was aware, but also others he did not even know existed. Under their influence, he could have become worse than before, had he not first undergone a process of purification that penetrated to the very core of his soul: catharsis. In this way, the disciple was gradually guided through a series of external means to the second and then to the third degree.

[ 8 ] What interests us most now is the final degree of initiation, which was the same across the various mysteries. Let us first look back at the Egyptian mysteries. There we find that the initiate was placed in a lethargic state for a certain period of time—three and a half days—so that he neither saw nor heard with his external senses. He lay as if dead in his coffin or on a cross. During ordinary sleep, as we know, the etheric body remains within the physical body, while the astral body and the “I” withdraw. But in the cataleptic state, the etheric body unites with the other two, and the physical body is left alone. Thus, there was a literal “killing” of the father principle and a union with the mother principle. This enabled the student to have experiences in the spiritual world that underlies the physical world—that is, the etheric world—and he was then able to speak of it as its messenger based on his own experience.

[ 9 ] But the etheric body was not allowed to stray too far from the physical body, for then it might happen that it could not be recalled at all. The Hierophant had to watch over this and call the initiate back at the right time. The initiate then returned to the world with the memory of everything he had experienced and was able to put into words what he had seen and heard, thus becoming a witness to the spiritual world. This is what took place during the Egyptian initiation.

[ 10 ] The final act of initiation unfolded differently in the lands that stretch like a broad belt from the Persian Gulf, the Black Sea, and the Caspian Sea westward to France and Great Britain. Here it was the Zoroastrian religion that shaped the peoples. For example, after a disciple had passed through the first two degrees of the Druidic or Drotten Mysteries and had been instructed in the Mysteries, he was finally introduced to the actual world of etheric processes—the spiritual world that surrounds us. The events reflected in the cosmos could act directly upon him there. Meanwhile, everything that had previously stirred within him was silenced and, as it were, poured out into the entire cosmos. [Whereas in the Egyptian initiation the initiate completely withdrew from connection with the outer world and entered wholly into his soul, descending to Persephone, the initiate of the Drotten Mysteries was raised up into the cosmic worlds, and could pour out his being as far as the Twelve, as far as the zodiac. He knew that things spoke differently depending on which constellation was above the others. Herein lay the difference from the Egyptian initiation. This path was adapted to the different constitution of human beings.]

[ 11 ] Intended for various peoples, these paths—both the outer and the inner—led to the same result. In Christ, they were to unite, merge into a single path, and form the unified Christian initiation. Therefore, anyone who reads the Gospel correctly will find the most important mysteries within it. Christ himself had initiated Lazarus and led him through the final act of the Egyptian initiation drama, but he had also caused him to experience the most important part of the Nordic initiation. This is evident from a passage in the Gospel of John, where something is recounted that the evangelist could not have seen with his physical eyes, and which only one who has been initiated by Christ himself can recount. “The next day,” it says, “John the Baptist was standing there with two of his disciples, and he saw Jesus coming and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God,’ and the”—other—“two disciples heard him speak and followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned around …” and so on, whereupon the evangelist adds: “And it was the tenth hour.”

[ 12 ] How are we to understand this? Spiritual research takes a much more realistic approach than historical research, which, for example, interprets this passage to mean that the evangelist was standing nearby and observing everything. But that is not correct. The words “It was the tenth hour” indicate that the author of the Gospel of John was clairvoyant, so that the positions of the constellations had an effect on him. He himself was far away, but a certain constellation enabled him to direct his clairvoyant gaze toward this event. It is impossible to explain this addition in any other way—“It was the tenth hour.” Only at that hour was a certain constellation aligned in such a way that he could see this through clairvoyance.

[ 13 ] There is nothing in the Gospels that does not have a reason, and the more closely one examines them, the clearer they become. And if we could allow ourselves to be imbued with the general sense of the unheard-of depth of the Gospels, we would gain a great deal.

[ 14 ] Now, however, Lazarus and the one who wrote the Gospel of John are the same man. The fact that he becomes clairvoyant through the influence of the constellations indicates that he has undergone the Nordic initiation, and through his resurrection from the dead, he is also an Egyptian initiate. Partly because of this dual initiation, and partly because Jesus himself had initiated him, his Gospel holds such special significance. The evangelists have all described the drama of initiation in their own special way, as it takes place in the various temples. Through preparatory scenes and symbolic images—which varied from temple to temple—the disciples were introduced to the spiritual world.

[ 15 ] But in addition to this, something else was taught. What is symbolically represented in the mysteries, so the teaching went, was to become a reality in the outer physical world. The initiation drama was to be lived through one day by a Son of God, and it was precisely by this that he would be recognized. When Ahura-Mazdao descends and incarnates as a human being, he will experience in real life everything that until then had been performed only within the temple. When this happens, the Son of God has come to us. The evangelists knew that this had come to pass with Christ Jesus. They knew that the mysteries performed within the temple had become reality through the event in Palestine. That is why they were also able to describe the initiation ceremony. At the same time, they described it as it had actually taken place. For the event in Palestine corresponds to the ancient mysteries and reflects them. It is here, in the ancient mysteries of antiquity—and not in any Aramaic documents—that we must seek the true source of the Gospel.

[ 16 ] The evangelists understood and acknowledged that a man once lived on Earth whose entire outward life was, in every respect, a reflection of what was proclaimed in the temples; and that is why they were able to write about this at the same time that they [also] described the ancient methods of initiation.

[ 17 ] There was no question here of writing a biography in the same sense as we do today. One can never uncover the essence of a person’s life through letters and notes that the individuals in question carelessly left behind—and which are the primary focus of research today. That was not how the story of Jesus was written back then. The evangelists followed a better method. What mattered most to them were the events in his life that corresponded to the drama of initiation, and the fact that, as a historical figure, he had truly lived through it. To them, he was the greatest among the initiates because he had been brought to life by the power of his own divine Self—not by the hierophant in an underground temple.

[ 18 ] The first three evangelists recorded all of this and described it in the context of their various initiations. Lazarus, who had been initiated by Christ Jesus himself, had experienced everything as a spiritual eyewitness; and therefore he, who knew the innermost causes of the great drama best, was able to provide the most intimate accounts of it. He had no need of Egyptian documents; the document he followed had been given to him by Christ Jesus himself. We find, therefore, that the Gospels, on the one hand, provide us with historical reality and, on the other hand, offer images of the initiation dramas of the Mysteries.

[ 19 ] When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, he was in fact performing an initiation ceremony before [all] the people, and this is the reason for the fierce persecution by the Jewish authorities. Otherwise, it is impossible to understand why they wanted to kill him—precisely because he had raised a man who was thought to be dead—and indeed, [why they] even wanted to have the one who had been raised put to death. “This man performs many signs,” they said among themselves, “we cannot live with him.” Conservative as they were regarding their ancient teachings, they wanted to preserve the secrets of the Mysteries.

[ 20 ] Until now, only a few had known the path that led to the spiritual world, but now the secrets of the temple had been brought to light. [Now it would be possible to reenact the initiation process. The process was to be presented to the whole world—first, in an exemplary manner through the raising of Lazarus, then on the cross.] The great initiation drama had taken place outside the temple, and in full view of the people, the initiate had been called to life; this was clear to all who understood what had happened. In the eyes of the conservatives, this was a betrayal of the Mysteries and should be punished by death. It was therefore not surprising that the priests said they could not live with this man.

[ 21 ] One might object: If the initiation process involves dangers, should it have been made public? As it happened, yes. — Had it been described only up to the Lazarus incident, it would have been dangerous; but after the twelfth chapter comes the account of what had to happen so that making it public would not be dangerous.

[ 22 ] When we understand the entire Gospel of John, we find within it what made it possible to allude to the initiation process.