Supersensible Knowledge
GA 55
26 April 1907, Berlin
XIII. The Bible and Wisdom
In a previous lecture,1unknown reference we discussed spiritual science in relation to religious records. Today we shall attempt to enter more deeply into the Bible, at least in a few instances. The Bible is after all a religious document that today is known to every educated person. From the spiritual scientific point of view, it will be easiest if, in our approach, we start with the New Testament. In the earlier lecture, we discussed how certain critical comments concerning the Bible are to be understood in the light of spiritual science, in particular those concerned with the actual writing of the four Gospels and Scriptures in the Old Testament. Today we shall look at more positive aspects and, while bearing in mind what was dealt with in the previous lecture, go straight to the subject from the spiritual scientific viewpoint.
You will be aware that someone who, out of a heartfelt need of his Christian faith, turns to the four Gospels known as the Gospel according to Matthew, to Mark, to Luke and to John, comes up against what appear to be insoluble contradictions. A modern person, however great his faith, can have no notion of how differently one approached the Bible in an earlier more religious age. Nor can a person have any idea of the significance attached to the word Bible or to the expression, the Word of God. We must realize that for centuries the faithful were in no doubt that the writers of the religious records were inspired. Consequently, every word in the Bible was regarded as holy, as from divine inspiration only truth could come. People saw the Bible as dealing with great world questions, and they fastened onto every word, for it was impossible for them to believe that fault could be found in what men of God had written under divine inspiration.
Modern human beings find it difficult to transport themselves into such a mood and attitude. They read the Gospel of Matthew and that of Luke and find two different genealogies of Jesus of Nazareth. Already in the third place, above the name of Joseph, they find in Matthew the name Solomon, in Luke the name Nathan; going further they find many more names that differ, and ask, How is it possible that a document, which for centuries has been considered a source of Truth, can contain such contradictions?
Here we see the seed of all the doubts aroused by disparities in the Gospels and consequently doubt that they were in fact inspired. By subjecting the Gospels to detailed scrutiny we believe to have discovered what can be accepted as more or less genuine. In regard to the fourth Gospel, the conclusion is drawn that as it is so different from the others it cannot be a historical record at all. It is understandable that the modern person becomes critical when faced with contradictions that are impossible to explain away by even the most open-minded individual.
However, we must ask ourselves how it came about that no one for centuries, for millennia, noticed these contradictions that are now criticized. It is difficult to believe that only very stupid people ever handled the Bible. Perhaps it could be argued that only very few people had access to the Bible; before the art of printing, the majority of the faithful did not. Consequently, they could not pass judgment on something about which they were not informed by the leading few who did have access to the Bible. But are we really to believe that those few were all so stupid that they did not notice what is pointed out by today's critics?
Some historians maintain that only slowly, through the power of the church, did these documents come to be appreciated. Reverence for the Bible arose only gradually. It is said that the Bible cannot stand up to close historical investigation. Looking at events that took place in the early Christian centuries, the conclusion is drawn that the Ecumenical Council of Nicea2Council of Nicaea was called by Emperor Constantine. It formulated the Nicene Creed in A.D. 325. decided which Gospels were true, and there it was ordained: “These are the true Holy Scripts.” Unprejudiced investigation does not bear this out. Looking back we come to personalities who lived in the early days of Christendom. From them we learn that, for example, in the year A.D. 160 a so-called harmonizing of the Gospels took place. This meant collating the Gospels and bringing them to present a uniform picture, a procedure that was later repeated. And indeed, careful examination of the Gospels as they were in the second century showed that already then they contained what we know as the New Testament. We find that the early Church Fathers in particular spoke with the deepest reverence about the Bible, which suggests that they certainly had the belief that the Bible had been inspired by a higher spiritual source. Already in Origen3Origen (c. 185–A.D. 254) was an early Christian Church Father and writer. we encounter the same reverent approach to the biblical records as is later to be found in the faithful, whether of learned or of simple faith.
When these things are considered, all prejudice must be set aside. In the early centuries the attitude of learned people towards Christianity was by no means the same as that of modern people. Today one risks being accused of repudiating the true words of the Bible, of being an agnostic and unfit to call himself a Christian by people with orthodox viewpoints. These people should recognize that to interpret the Bible in ways that differ from their own is not the equivalent of doubting its truth. It was the Church Father Augustine4Augustine, Saint (354–430) a Christian theologian and writer. The most prominent of the Latin Fathers of the Church. who said: “What is known today as Christian religion is ancient; in fact, what was the true primordial religion is today called Christianity.”
These words are in great contrast to the usual experience of those who interpret the Bible in the light of spiritual science. The hostility, often coming from family and friends, is nothing short of tragic. Spiritual scientific explanations are harshly rejected as having nothing to do with the Bible. Such reactions are based on complete ignorance of the Bible itself. It is also pretentious, for it proclaims an understanding of the Bible that cannot be faulted. If only such people would recognize that their attitude to the spiritual scientific explanations is in effect like saying: “What I find in the Bible is the only truth.”
Spiritual science, far from having a negative approach to the Bible, seeks to unravel its deep truths. The main concern is that these religious records should be properly understood. Those who simply find it more comfortable to remain within views to which they have become accustomed are not in a position to oppose spiritual science. Rejection of true explanations is often based on deep seated hostility, though sometimes it is simply too much effort to learn something new.
No Christian with any understanding of a certain passage from the Sermon on the Mount, often quoted by me, could maintain that attitude. The passage, when rightly translated reads: "Blessed are those who are beggars of the spirit, for within themselves they shall find the Kingdom of Heaven." No words could better or more beautifully express the inner feeling and disposition of the spiritual scientist than this passage from the Sermon on the Mount.
What do we mean by the inner disposition of the spiritual scientist? We mean an inner impulse to strive to develop the deepest kernel of our being, our spirituality. What builds our body comes from substances that surround us; likewise our inner being comes from the spirit that lives, and always did live all about us. Just as it is true that our body is, as it were, a drop from the sea of material reality, so is it true that our soul, our spirit, is a drop from the sea of the all-encompassing Universal Spirit. As the drop of water is of the same substance as the sea from which it is taken, so is that which lives in the deepest recess of the human soul godlike. Human beings are able to recognize God because God lives within them and human beings are themselves spiritual. Furthermore, if a person truly will, he can attain that spiritual world that is all about him. However, for that to come about something is needed—something which can be simply expressed by saying: Do not ever stand still. Human beings must experience progress, must be conscious of evolving, rather than merely having faith that it will happen. It means never to lose sight of the fact that not only have human beings developed to their present stage from inferior levels, but also that at every moment they can develop further.
In this instance we are not concerned with the fact that a person's external being has altered in the course of evolution, but rather with the fact that the human soul can climb upwards from stage to stage. In striving for perfection, a human being's soul is capable of improving from day to day. Today we may learn something new; we inwardly grasp something we did not know before; through our will we become capable of achieving something we could not manage before. If we remain at what we understand today, at what our will is capable of today, then we do not evolve. We must never lose sight of the fact that as well as the forces that are already developed within us, we possess others still slumbering. It is comparable to the seeds of new plants that slumber within the seed that has already become a plant. If we never forget that we possess such forces, our will grows stronger; it reaches higher stages of development and we become aware that our soul begins to evolve spiritual eyes and ears. We must not think of this as something trivial, but recognize that the development of the human soul and spirit is of universal significance.
When we see in the physical world, a relationship between animal forms and the noble human form, it does not justify the assumption that a person has developed from the animal, even if natural science has established that, as regards the physical structure, there is greater similarity between the lowest developed human being and the highest developed ape, than between the lowest and highest developed ape. This observation, however, led natural science to regard human beings as having descended from the ape. The famous natural scientist Thomas Henry Huxley5Thomas Henry Huxley (1825–1895). He supported Darwin's theory of evolution. He coined the word “agnostic.” He also was a natural scientist. spoke about it as a great heresy in 1859. This view influenced practically everything he wrote. However, those who recognize spiritual development say: Granted that man, in regard to his external bodily form, is closer to the highest evolved ape, than the latter to the lowest of its own species, it is equally true that a human being who has reached a certain stage in spiritual development is further from the lowest developed human being, than the latter from the highest evolved animal.
When evolution is followed through, the higher stages are seen to continue up into spiritual realms where what is described by spiritual science takes place, and which to spiritual sight is as much a reality as physical evolution is to physical sight. Spiritual knowledge has always existed. Natural science today only acknowledges an evolution that starts with the lowest animal form and continues up to that of man. Spiritual science is in hin agreement with that evolution. It also acknowledges the enormous difference between the lowest form of life, barely visible even through the microscope, and the perfect structure of the human organism. A person's physical structure does indeed pass through innumerable evolutionary stages from the most imperfect to the most perfect.
However, the spiritual scientist sees the evolution of soul and spirit as just as real. The difference he sees is just as great between the highly advanced human being, the initiate, and the person who has barely begun to develop his slumbering forces. An initiate is someone who has attained spiritual faculties by developing to ever greater perfection forces that are inherent in every human soul. The difference between the lower stages of soul development and those attained by an initiate is actually greater than the difference between the lowest living structure and that of human beings. A person who knows that initiates exist also knows that the possibility to develop spiritually is a reality.
With this insight there dawns in the human soul a feeling, an attitude that says: I look up to a godlike ideal of man, the seed of which slumbers within me. I know that in the future it will become reality, though as yet it is only slightly indicated. I know also that I must exert all my powers to attain that ideal. With this insight into spiritual development man becomes a “beggar of the spirit”; he feels himself blessed. In the spiritual scientific sense the passage from the Sermon an the Mount is a truly wonderful saying: “Blessed are those who are beggars of the spirit, for within themselves they shall find the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Those acquainted with old linguistic usage will not imagine that what is here meant by heaven is something existing in an unknown beyond. In those days heaven was understood to be wherever man is. Where we are is where heaven is, that is, the spiritual world. A blind person will see the world full of color when successfully operated upon; likewise a person whose spiritual eyes are opened sees around him a new world. What a person sees was actually always about him, but he sees it in a new way. He sees the way he must be able to see if he is to attain his higher humanity. He will know that heaven is not somewhere else, is not in another place or time. He recognizes the Truth when Christ says: “Heaven is in the midst of you.”
Where we are is the Kingdom of Heaven; it penetrates everything physical. As ice swims in water out of which it has condensed, so does matter swim in a sea of spirit out of which it has condensed. Everything physical is condensed, transformed spirit.
In the animal kingdom we see the physically imperfect side by side with the physically more perfect; in the human kingdom we see all stages of spiritual development: One person has forged ahead, another remained at a lower stage. This indicates how in the spiritual scientific sense, human beings are connected with evolution. One person's interest lies in the realm of modern science, another's in the realm of human cultural development from the savage to the highly advanced individual who has attained insight into the spiritual world around him. The initiates always had insight into all the stages of human spiritual development. One spoke of the initiate as of someone who possessed greater knowledge than anyone else. Such initiates were mentioned in every epoch. Let us make it clear in what sense one spoke of those initiated into the spiritual world.
We have often discussed the fact that in ancient times people had clairvoyant consciousness. The term "clairvoyant" did not refer to clarity, but to the fact that it penetrated through the external to the soul. A residue of this dull, dim consciousness can be seen in today's consciousness in dreams. Our clear waking consciousness developed from it. At the time when in general a person's consciousness was dull and dim, though clairvoyant, a few were initiates. In what sense did this consciousness differ from that of the rest of humanity? It differed because those who were initiates already experienced something of the type of consciousness that mankind in general attained today. They reached at an earlier stage something that belonged to the future. Already they saw the world the way humanity in general sees it today. That is to say, they investigated the world through the physical organs, through sight and hearing, and grasped things through the intellect. That is the sense in which they were initiates. An initiate attained ahead of time something that belonged to the future. There are also initiates today; who have already developed the higher clairvoyant consciousness, that is, the higher perception that mankind in general will possess in the future. The initiate was looked up to in ancient times by those who understood. They said to themselves: The initiate's outlook, his understanding of the would, is the outlook and understanding all human beings will possess in the future. He is the embodiment of a future ideal; through what he is, is revealed what we shall become. In the course of time the initiate will lead a great number of human beings to attain what he has attained.
In this sense, the initiate was a prophet or a messiah. He was also called a “first-born.” But those to be initiated had to pass through many stages. Before the stage of initiation was attained, many different degrees of learning and schooling of the will must be passed through. As a plant must go through many stages from root through leaf and blossom before bearing fruit, so a human being strove upwards in stages of ever greater insight, till finally the pupil became an initiate. He attained progress by going through certain schooling that anyone can adopt. Those who deny that such a schooling is possible do so out of ignorance. They have as yet not discovered that through schooling, a person's spiritual eyes and ears can be opened so that he attains a higher kind of perception. It is the task of spiritual science to provide knowledge of such schooling. In my book Knowledge of the Higher Worlds and its Attainment, you will find this subject is dealt with in great detail. There are many reasons why this knowledge is essential in our time. I will mention just one.
It is a tragedy that because human intellect and reasoning power have progressed too far, he is no longer able to believe in the ancient religious records. He no longer experiences them as the embodiment of the words of God. The fact that the human soul no longer receives the ancient knowledge causes it torment and depression. What is needed is the knowledge presented in a new form, and this is what spiritual science wishes to provide. Those who are initiates today are able—as were initiates in ancient times—to foresee humanity's future evolution. However, human development must follow certain rules. Just as one must adopt a definite method if one wishes to become an astronomer, likewise must a certain method be adopted if one is to develop spiritually. No one should wish to attempt to do so without guidance; that would be like wishing to become a mathematician without consulting any authority. Someone needs show the way, but no other kind of authority is required, and it is nonsense to talk about blind faith and dependence in relation to spiritual science.
Throughout the millennia, right back to antiquity, there were always books in existence, or rather not actual books, but traditions handed down by word of mouth, of the rules of initiation. These rules were not permitted to be written down. They consisted of indications that the candidate for initiation had to follow when setting out to attain all the stages of development that lead to initiation. Even today certain indications are not written down, but imparted directly to those worthy to receive them. These indications the neophyte must observe if he is to attain the highest goal. A principle of initiation was always in existence, that is rules for the birth of the spirit in man. He who dedicated himself to spiritual striving was guided through exercises and conduct of life an ever higher levels. Once the highest was attained, the initiate would reveal to him the deepest secrets.
One word more about this codex for initiation. Today things are different; the procedure of initiation also progresses. In ancient times, the neophyte was brought to a condition of ecstasy. This word had a different meaning; it did not indicate "being out of one's mind" but becoming conscious on a higher level. The spiritual guide led the neophyte to this condition of higher consciousness. Strict rules were observed; the prescribed length for the condition to last was three and one-half days. This procedure is no longer followed; today the consciousness is not subdued. But in ancient times a state of ecstasy, of rapture, was produced during which the neophyte knew nothing of what went on about him; to the external world he was like someone asleep. However, what was experienced in this condition differed considerably from the experiences of a contemporary person when the external objects disappear from his consciousness, on falling asleep. The neophyte experienced a world of spirit; all about him there was light, astral light. This is different from physical light; it appears like a sea of spirituality out of which spiritual beings emerge. If a very high stage had been attained, sound would also be experienced. What in the ancient Pythagorean schools was called “the harmony of the spheres” was heard. (What today we understand intellectually as universal laws are experienced as a kind of spiritual music at this level of consciousness. Spiritual forces are revealed as harmony and rhythm, but must not be thought of as ordinary music. The spiritual world, the heavenly world, resounds in the astral light.) In this world into which the neophyte was led, he learned to know stages of godliness that humanity will attain in a far distant future. During the three and one-half days a person experienced all this as reality, as Truth.
These things may sound extraordinary to many, but there are, and always were people who recognize that a spiritual reality exists that is as real as the one perceived through physical senses. After three and one-half days the initiate was guided back to the sense world enriched with knowledge of spiritual existence, and prepared to bear witness of the spiritual world. All initiates on their return to the ordinary world uttered certain words that were always the same: "Oh my God, how thou has glorified me!" These words expressed the sensation felt by the one just initiated as he set foot again in the everyday world. Those who guided the initiation knew all the stages by heart; later when writing came more into use certain things were written down. But there always existed a typical or standard description of the life of an initiate. One said as it were: "He who is accepted into the cult to be initiated must live according to certain rules and pass through the experience which culminates with the words: "Oh my God, how thou hast glorified me!"
If you could depict the way an initiate necessarily had to live, the way you could depict someone wishing to carry out experiments in a chemical laboratory, then you would obtain a picture typical of someone striving to attain a higher development, typical of someone to be awakened to a higher life. Such a codex of initiation always existed or was at least known by heart by those concerned with initiation. Knowing this, we can understand why the descriptions of different initiates of various people are similar This fact contains a great secret, a great mystery. The people always looked up to their initiates, insofar as they knew of them. What was said about initiates was not the kind of thing modern biographers relate about famous people; what was told was the course of the spiritual life experienced by the initiate. We can therefore understand why descriptions of the life of Hermes, Zarathustra, Buddha, Moses and Christ are similar It was because they had to experience a certain life if they were to become initiates. Their lives were typical of that of an initiate.
In the outer structure of the spiritual biography we can always see a picture of the initiate. We can now answer the question: Who were the writers of the gospels? In my book, Christianity as Mystical Fact, you will find this question answered in greater detail from the viewpoint of spiritual science, and also indications of the spiritual authenticity of the Gospels. Here I can only give a few hints! In my book is explained that what is written in the Gospels is derived from ancient records of initiation. Naturally what initiates wrote differs in regard to incidentals, but all essentials were always the same. We must realize that the writers of the Gospels had no other sources than the ancient codex of initiation. When we look into the details, we recognize in the Gospels different forms of initiation. They differ because the writers knew initiation from different regions. This we shall understand when we consider how the writers of the Gospels were connected with Christ.
The best way to form an idea of this connection is to think of the significant words at the beginning of the Apocalypse.6Apocalypse was a prophetic revelation about Armageddon. Jewish and Christian writings appeared in Palestine between 200 B.C. and A.D. 1500. The One who dictates the content to John is named "The First and the Last, the Alpha and Omega." This refers to that Being who is always present, through all changes from generation to generation, from human race to human race, from planet to planet; the Being that endures through all transformations. If we call this Being God, of whom a particle lives within each of us, then we sense our relationship to this Alpha and Omega. Indeed, we recognize it as the ultimate ideal, the ultimate goal of striving human beings.
At this point we must remind ourselves of a forgotten custom. Nowadays, names are bestowed more or less haphazardly. We do not feel any real connection between a person and his name. The further back we go in human history, the greater the importance and significance of the name. Certain rules were observed when a name was given. Even not so very long ago, it was the custom to consult the calendar, and give the newly born the name mentioned on the day of its birth. It was assumed that the child had sought to be born on the day that bore that name. When someone attained initiation he was given a new name, an initiation name that expressed a person's innermost nature, expressed what the spiritual leader had recognized to be his significance to the world.
As you know, we find in the New Testament many sayings attributed to Jesus. Their deeper meaning can be understood only if approached from the viewpoint of initiation and understanding of the significance of bestowing names. For example, if someone had reached an as yet not so high level spiritually, and one wished to give him a corresponding name, it would be one that expressed characteristics of the astral body. If a person had reached a higher level, the name would express characteristics of the ether body. If it was to express something that was typical, it would be derived from characteristics of the physical body. In ancient times, names were related to the person and expressed his essential nature. You will remember that in the Gospels Jesus often describes what He is in words that refer back to the word “I.” This you find particularly in the Gospel according to John.
We must now bear in mind that we distinguish four members in a person's being: physical body, ether body, astral body and “I.” The “I” will increase more and more. It is inherent in a person's “I” to develop towards initiation. In undeveloped people it is imperfect, in the initiate perfect and powerful. You will now understand from the way names were given that Christ did not refer to Himself as an ordinary human being with an ordinary human “I.” In John's Gospel He often indicates that He is identical with the “I am, as in the sentence, "I and the Father are One." He describes Himself as identical with the human being's deepest nature. This He does because He is the Eternal, the Christ, the Alpha and Omega.
Those who lived at the time of Christ saw Him as a Divine Being who carried about Hirn a physical body, a being in whom the spirit is the all-important, whereas in human beings the physical is the all-important. For human beings the outstanding characteristic was expressed in the name. When we ponder this we find that it opens the door to many of the mysteries contained in the Bible. We shall understand what it means when Moses stands before Jehovah as messenger and asks: “Whom shall I tell the people has sent me?” And we hear the significant words: “Tell the people that the ‘I am’ sent thee.” What does Jehovah refer to? He points to the deepest and most significant aspect of a person's being, to that which lies deeply hidden in every human soul, to the human's “I.” We find that when we come to this fourth member, then the “I” is a name we must bestow an ourselves. The godlike within human beings must speak. It begins to speak in what appears to live in human beings as a mere point , aa a tiny insignificant seed, which can however develop to infinite greatness. It is this aspect of a person's being that gave Moses his task and said: “Tell them that the ‘I am’ sent thee.” A divine seed lies within every human soul enveloped inthe physical, etheric and astral bodies. It appears as a mere point to which we say: “I am. But this member of our being, which appears so insignificant, will become by far the most important. The essence of the human being teils Moses: “I am the I am.”
This illustrates the significance connected with the giving of a name. Whenever a reference is made to the “I am” it is also a reference to a certain moment in humanity's evolution that is indicated in the Bible, and often referred to in my lectures: the moment when physical man became an ensouled being. Physical man, as he is today, has developed from lower stages. Only when the Godhead had endowed him with a soul was man able to develop higher stages of his being. What descended from the bosom of the Godhead sank into the physical body and developed it further. In the Bible this moment is indicated in only a few words; it actually stretched over long epochs. Before that time, the human bodies did not possess what is essential—essential also for physical man today—if the “I” is to develop: the ability to breathe through lungs. A human being's physical ancestors did not originally breathe through lungs, which only developed in the course of time from a bladder-like organ. The human being could receive a soul only when he had learned to breathe through lungs. If this whole event is summed up in one sentence, you have the saying in the Bible: "And the Lord God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul." In regard to the name Jehovah, we find that it means something like blowing, or rushing wind. The word Jahve expresses the inrush of breath with which the spirit, the “I” drew into man. The physical breath enabled man to receive his soul.
Therefore, in the name Jahve is expressed the nature of the inrushing breath with which the “I am the I am” poured part of its Being into human beings. What we are told in the Bible truly represents a world event depicting the entry into a human being of the eternal aspect of his nature. Whether we think of man as he is today or as he was thousands of years ago, the nature, the “Being of the I” (Ichwesen) always was. Think of the highest revelation of this “Eternal I,” when all external aspects are irrelevant. Think of a human being in whom can be recognized the most inward nature of the “Eternal I” in all its greatness and might, and you have an idea how the first followers of Christ saw Hirn. What in ancient time was revealed on earth only as a spark, was revealed in Jesus of Nazareth in its highest glory. He was the greatest initiate because He was the most Godly, so that He could say: “Before Abraham was, I was.” He incorporated that which existed before Abraham,7Abraham, the biblical father of the Hebrew people and first of the patriarchs, was regarded as the founder of the ancient Hebrew nation. Isaac8Isaac, the son of Abraham and Sarah. and Jacob.9Jacob of the Old Testament was the son of Isaac and Rebecca and was the father of the twelve patriarchs. He is that to which striving mankind looks up as the greatest ideal. They are those mentioned in the Sermon on the Mount as: “Blessed are those who are beggars of the Spirit, for within themselves they shall find the Kingdom of Heaven.” These words applied to the followers of Christ. But how could they give a description of the life of the highest God incarnated? What description would be worthy of Hirn? Only the one that was contained in the canon of initiation, describing the rules of initiation. There was described the way the one to be initiated must from stage to stage pass through certain experiences which culminated in the words: “Oh my God, how thou hast glorified me!” (The transcript of this lecture ends at this point.)
Bibel und Weisheit
Wir haben gestern versucht, uns den Sinn vor die Seele hinzurücken, durch den dasjenige, was wir Geisteswissenschaft nennen, sich den religiösen Urkunden annähern will. Wir wollen heute versuchen, wenigstens in einigen Beispielen tiefer in diejenige religiöse Urkunde, die der gegenwärtigen Kulturmenschheit doch wohl noch am nächsten liegt, in die Bibel, einzudringen. Vom Standpunkte der Geisteswissenschaft kommt man am leichtesten in die Bibel hinein, wenn man zunächst versucht, von dem Neuen Testament, von den Evangelien auszugehen. Nachdem wir gestern auseinandergesetzt haben, wie wir die sogenannte Kritik, den kritischen Geist auffassen sollen, wie wir uns zu der Niederschrift der verschiedenen einzelnen Teile des Neuen Testamentes und zu der Schriftensammlung des Alten Testamentes vom Standpunkte der Geisteswissenschaft stellen können, wollen wir heute mehr das Positive ins Auge fassen, voraussetzen, was gestern gesagt worden ist und ohne jede Befangenheit vom geisteswissenschaftlichen Standpunkt in diese Sache hineinleuchten.
Sie wissen, daß dem Menschen, wenn er aus dem Bedürfnisse des christlich-gläubigen Herzens heraus an die vier Evangelien herangeht, zunächst eigentümliche Widersprüche begegnen können, welche sich aus den vier Evangelien, die man nach Matthäus, nach Markus, nach Lukas, nach Johannes nennt, ergeben. Derjenige, der sich heute wenn auch noch so gläubig zu diesen Büchern verhält, hat doch keine richtige Vorstellung davon, in welchem Verhältnisse in alten, viel religiöseren Zeiten der Gläubige der Bibel gegenüberstand, was das Wort «Bibel», respektive der Ausdruck «das Wort Gottes» eigentlich für die alten Gläubigen bedeutete. Wir brauchen uns nur an das Wort« Inspiration» zu erinnern und daß durch Jahrhunderte hindurch die gläubigen Gemüter festgehalten haben daran, daß jene, welche die religiösen Urkunden niedergeschrieben haben, inspiriert waren, daß sie unter dem unmittelbaren Einflusse des göttlichen Geistes selbst geschrieben haben. Und so wahr sie den Glauben hatten, daß von diesem göttlichen Geiste nur die Wahrheit ausgehen konnte, so wahr erschien ihnen jedes Wort, das in der Bibel stand, als heilig. Die Bibel war ihnen der Ausdruck für die gewaltigen Welträtsel, die sich vor die Seele des Menschen hindrängten. Wie hätte ein Mensch, der sich vorstellte, daß die alten Gottesmänner Persönlichkeiten waren, die unmittelbar unter der Inspiration des göttlichen Geistes standen, glauben können, daß diese etwas geschrieben hätten, ja etwas hätten schreiben können, an das man Kritik anlegen muß. Dann hätte in den Herzen dieser Gläubigen nicht ein unmittelbares Hängen an jeglichem Wort sein dürfen.
Für den heutigen Menschen ist es schwer, sich in diese Gemütsstimmung hineinzuversetzen. Er liest das erste und er liest das dritte Evangelium. Es werden ihm zwei Abstammungstafeln des Jesus von Nazareth vorgeführt, die eine in dem Evangelium nach Matthäus die andere in dem Evangelium nach Lukas. Er verfolgt die Namen und findet, daß dieselben nicht übereinstimmen, daß schon beim dritten Glied von Joseph aufwärts ein anderer Name auftritt, daß, wo bei Matthäus Salomon steht, bei Lukas Nathan sich findet und so weiter, daß eine ganze Reihe von Namen in den Tafeln verschieden sind, und er frägt sich: Wie ist es möglich, daß dasjenige, was durch Jahrhunderte hindurch den Menschen als ein Quell der Wahrheit gedient hat, solche Widersprüche aufweisen kann? — Im Grunde genommen sehen wir in einer einzigen solchen Erwägung den Keimpunkt zu all den Zweifeln, die, hinsichtlich der Einheitlichkeit der Schrift und zuletzt bezüglich ihrer Inspiration, den Menschen, den Kritikern gekommen sind. Aus solchen Erwägungen heraus, die in komplizierter Weise bis ins feinste Detail durchgeführt worden sind, hat man die Bücher des Neuen Testamentes zerlegt, hat man gefunden, was mehr oder weniger echt ist, hat man gefunden, daß das erste Evangelium von dem vierten abweicht, woraus sich notwendig ergeben mußte, daß man es im vierten Evangelium mit etwas ganz anderem als mit einer historischen Urkunde zu tun hat. Wie könnte man auch unbefangenen Geistes diese Widersprüche hinwegdekretieren? Es ist nur zu natürlich, daß der moderne Mensch, wenn er so etwas sieht, Kritik anlegen muß.
Nun fragen wir uns aber, wie ist es möglich, daß durch Jahrhunderte, Jahrtausende hindurch wahrlich auch nicht gerade dumme Köpfe diese Bücher in der Hand gehabt haben und nicht auch zu einer Kritik, zu einem Sehen dieser Widersprüche gekommen sind? In bezug auf die große Menge der Gläubigen könnte man sich vielleicht darauf berufen und sagen, die Bibel ist bis in die neueste Zeit nur in den Händen einiger weniger gewesen; die Gläubigen haben sie vor der Erfindung der Buchdruckerkunst fast gar nicht in die Hand bekommen. Man kann sagen, die große Menge konnte gar nicht irre werden an etwas, was ihr von den leitenden Persönlichkeiten gar nicht vorgelegt wurde, Aber sollen wir uns vorstellen, daß diejenigen, welche die Bibel in die Hand bekommen haben, nicht gesehen hätten, was die heutige Kritik sagt?
Es wird von einzelnen Historikern eingewendet: langsam, durch die Gewalt der Kirche, habe sich das Ansehen dieser Bücher erst befestigt, nach und nach erst habe sich das herausgebildet, was man das Ehrfurchtsgebietende dieser biblischen Geschichte nennt. Vor einer richtigen geschichtlichen Betrachtung kann der Inhalt der Bibel auch gar nicht bestehen. Wenn wir zurückgehen in die ersten christlichen Jahrhunderte und die Tatsachen prüfen, dann kommen wir zu dem Urteil, daß bei dem Konzil zu Nikäa festgestellt worden ist, welches die richtigen Evangelien sind, und daß durch Machtspruch dekretiert worden ist: Das sind die heiligen Schriften.
Vor einer unbefangenen geschichtlichen Betrachtung kann das nicht bestehen. Wir werden zu Persönlichkeiten geführt, die in den alten Zeiten des Christentums gelebt haben. Wir finden dann in ihren Mitteilungen, daß zum Beispiel im Jahre 160 n. Chr. eine sogenannte Evangelienharmonie gemacht wurde, das heißt eine Zusammenstellung der verschiedenen Evangelien, so daß sie ein einheitliches Bild geben sollten. Später ist dies noch öfters gemacht worden, und wir können finden, wenn wir die Evangelien vom zweiten Jahrhundert sorgfältig prüfen, daß auch dasjenige hineingearbeitet worden ist, was wir jetzt als Inhalt des Neuen Testamentes kennen. Wir können noch weiter zurückgehen, bis zu den ersten Kirchenvätern. Wenn wir gerade diese kritisch prüfen, so zeigt sich uns, wie sie mit ungeheurer Ehrfurcht von der Bibel sprechen, mit einer Ehrfurcht, die die Annahme zuläßt, daß sie geglaubt haben, die Bibel sei von höherer Geistigkeit inspiriert. Wir können bis zu Origines zurückgehen und bemerken dann, wie er in derselben Art und mit derselben Ehrfurcht von den biblischen Büchern spricht. Und wenn wir einzelne Worte nehmen, die sogar nur derjenige mitteilt, von dem nicht mit Unrecht gesagt wird, daß er noch ein Hörer des Apostels Johannes gewesen sei, Matthäus, dann finden wir, daß aus seiner Seele etwas herausspricht, was wir in demselben Sinne zusammenfügen können mit dem, was später die Stimmung der Gläubigen, auch der gelehrtesten Gläubigen, gegenüber den Evangelien war.
Freilich muß sich der Mensch, der so etwas betrachtet, etwas, ja sogar gründlich, frei machen können von gewissen Vorurteilen. So wie spätere Zeiten sich zu dem, was man Christentum nennt, gestellt haben, so haben sich diejenigen, die in den ersten Jahrhunderten als Gelehrte gelebt haben, nicht dazu gestellt. Und wenn heute jemand von irgendeinem orthodoxen Standpunkte aus zu einem kommt, der die Bibel nicht gerade so auffaßt, wie er, und zu ihm sagt, er sei ein Ungläubiger, er dürfe sich nicht Christ nennen, er verstoße gegen das rechte Wort der Bibel-so dürfen wir wohl an solche alten Gläubigen erinnern, an denen zu zweifeln auch die nicht wagen, welche sich die Bibel in willkürlicher Weise zurechtlegen. An ein Wort des Kirchenvaters Augustinus will ich mich anlehnen. Das Wort heißt: Dasjenige, was man heute christliche Religion nennt, ist uralt. Es ist die uralte wahre Religion, und das, was die uralte wahre Religion ist, das nennt man jetzt die christliche Religion.
Man denke an ein solches Wort und stelle dann daneben, was insbesondere ein geisteswissenschaftlicher Erklärer der Bibel sehr häufig erfahren kann. Ist es nicht oftmals geradezu tragisch, wie gegnerische Stimmungen hervorgerufen werden, wie der Geisteswissenschafter bei Bekannten, Freunden und Verwandten herben Widerspruch findet, indem sie ihm sagen: da kommst du wieder mit deinen geisteswissenschaftlichen Phrasen, wo bleibt denn da die Bibel? Einem solchen Ausspruche liegt eine tiefe Unkenntnis der wirklichen Bibel zugrunde und außerdem liegt darin eine große Prätention, der Anspruch, mit seiner Auffassung der Bibel unfehlbar zu sein. Wenn sich nur solche Gläubige ganz klar darüber werden wollten, was es heißt, der geisteswissenschaftlichen Auffassung der Bibel so gegenüberzutreten. Es heißt nichts anderes als: was ich in der Bibel finde, ist das unbedingt Richtige.
Es ist ja nicht so, daß der geisteswissenschaftliche Standpunkt sich etwa weniger positiv zur Bibel verhält, sondern so, daß er gerade die wirkliche Bedeutung, den wirklichen Sachverhalt aus dieser Bibel wiederum herausentwickeln will. Richtiges Verstehen ist es, um was es sich gegenüber den religiösen Urkunden für die geisteswissenschaftliche Weltanschauung handelt. Daher darf derjenige, welcher aus Bequemlichkeit bei irgendeiner anderen Ansicht steht, die gerade zufällig da ist, an die er sich gewöhnt hat, der geisteswissenschaftlichen Anschauung eigentlich nicht entgegentreten. Denn vielfach lebt in der Seele derjenigen, die einer wirklichen Erklärung der Bibel entgegentreten, etwas Gegnerisches, so daß sie sagen: Ihr verleugnet die Bibel, ihr macht euch und eure Familie unglücklich. — Vielfach steckt auch nichts anderes dahinter als der Gedanke: Ich will nicht lernen; ich weiß, was ich weiß.
Lesen wir einem solchen Ausspruch gegenüber die Bergpredigt und verstehen wir sie richtig, dann werden wir uns nicht mehr, auch wenn wir uns Christen nennen, auf einen solchen Standpunkt stellen dürfen. Nur der erste Satz der Bergpredigt sei hier zitiert. Es ist, wie die, welche häufiger hierher kommen, wissen, öfter schon geschehen. Richtig deutsch wiedergegeben heißt er: «Selig sind, welche da sind Bettler im Geiste, denn sie werden in sich selbst finden die Reiche der Himmel.» Man kann das, was man geisteswissenschaftliche Gesinnung nennt, nicht schöner ausdrükken, als es mit diesen Worten die Bergpredigt tut.
Was heißt geisteswissenschaftliche Gesinnung? Es heißt nichts anderes als dasjenige, was in uns liegt, den tiefsten Kern unserer eigenen Wesenheit, die in uns lebendige, geistige Natur zur Entfaltung zu bringen. Ebenso wie dasjenige, was unseren Körper bildet, den Stoffen der umliegenden Welt entnommen ist, so ist dasjenige, was in uns vorhanden ist, dem Geiste, der um uns lebt und zu allen Zeiten gelebt hat, entnommen. Und so wahr es ist, daß unser Körper nur ein Tropfen ist in dem Meere der materiellen Wirklichkeit, so wahr ist es, daß unsere Seele, unser Geist nur ein Tropfen ist in dem Meere des allumfassenden Weltengeistes. Aber so wie der Tropfen, der aus dem Meere genommen wird, seiner Substanz nach dasselbe ist wie das Wasser des ganzen Meeres, so ist dasjenige, was in des Menschen tiefster Seele lebt, substantiell gleich mit dem Wesen des Göttlichen. Weil der Gott im Menschen lebt, kann der Mensch Gott erkennen; weil der Mensch geistig ist, kann der Mensch, wenn er nur will, eindringen in die geistige Welt um ihn herum. Ein zweites gehört aber dazu, wenn der Mensch wirklich eindringen will in diese geistigen Welten, und dieses zweite, das dazu gehört, ist mit dem einfachen Wort gegeben: Niemals stehenbleiben! Man darf eine Entwicklung nicht bloß glauben, sondern man muß die Entwicklung leben. Was heißt es, eine Entwicklung leben? Nichts anderes, als das Bewußtsein in sich tragen, daß der Mensch sich aus einem unvollkommenen Zustande zu seinem jetzigen entwickelt hat, und daß er sich in die Zukunft hinein jederzeit weiter entwickeln kann. Zunächst denken wir nicht daran, daß des Menschen äußere Gestalt sich in dieser Entwicklung umändert, sondern daran, daß die Menschenseele von Stufe zu Stufe hinaufklimmen kann; daß es ein Aufwärtsschreiten dieser Seele gibt, daß es möglich ist, von Tag zu Tag vollkommener zu werden. Heute lernen wir etwas, unsere Seelenkräfte sind imstande, dies oder jenes einzusehen, unser Wille ist imstande, dies oder jenes zu tun. Bleiben wir stehen bei dem, was wir heute einsehen, bei dem, was unser Wille heute zu tun imstande ist, dann entwickeln wir uns nicht. Tragen wir aber das Bewußtsein in uns, daß außer den Kräften, die sich in uns schon entwickelt haben, auch noch andere Kräfte in uns schlummern — so schlummern, wie der Pflanzenkeim, der sich zur Pflanze entwickelt hat, andere Pflanzenkeime in sich schlummernd trägt —, dann werden wir jeden Tag mehr erkennen, daß wir durch eine höhere Entfaltung des Willens aus unserer Seele die geistigen Augen und Ohren herausholen können, und sehen, daß es mit jedem Tag besser werden kann. Dies dürfen wir nicht im trivialen Sinne verstehen, sondern so, daß diese Entwicklung in geistig-seelischer Richtung eine universelle Bedeutung hat.
Wenn wir in der materiellen Welt tierische Gestalten sich körperlich zu einer edien Menschenform entwickeln sehen, so berechtigt das nicht zu der Annahme, daß der Mensch sich aus den Tieren herausentwickelt habe, auch wenn die Naturwissenschaft festgestellt hat, daß in bezug auf die physische Gestalt des Menschen eine größere Ahnlichkeit zwischen den niedrigstentwickelten Menschen und den höchstentwickelten Affen, als zwischen den niederen Affen und den höchsten Affenarten bestehe. Von diesem Verhältnis leitet ja die Naturwissenschaft die Verwandtschaft des Menschen mit dem Affen ab. Dies hat im Jahre 1859 wie eine große Ketzerei der große Naturforscher Huxley ausgesprochen. Ein großer Teil dessen, was Sie in Haeckels Schriften lesen, ist unter dem unmittelbaren Gemütseindruck dieses Satzes geschrieben. Derjenige, der an die geistige Entwicklung glaubt, sagt sich: Wohlan, zugegeben, daß der Mensch in bezug auf seine äußere Form, seine Körperlichkeit dem höchstentwickelten Affen näher steht als dieser dem niedrigsten seiner eigenen Gattung, aber ebenso wahr ist es auch, daß derjenige, der eine bestimmte Stufe der Geistigkeit erreicht hat, dem auf niederen Stufen der Menschheit Stehenden ferner steht als der niedrigste Mensch dem höchstentwickelten Tiere.
Verfolgen wir den Faden der Entwicklung in die höheren Gebiete, so sehen wir ihn sich in geistige Gebiete hinein fortsetzen, und in dem Geistigen sehen wir die von der Geisteswissenschaft geschilderte Entwicklung als etwas ebenso Wirkliches, wie es für die sinnlichen Augen die materielle Entwicklung ist. Theosophie hat es zu allen Zeiten gegeben. Schon . . . sagt, daß das alte indische Atma Vidya dasselbe ist, daß es aber zu den verschiedenen Zeiten mit den verschiedensten Namen benannt wurde. Die heutige Naturforschung anerkennt eine Entwicklung von den niederen tierischen Formen bis zum Menschen. Dagegen sagte die Theosophie zu allen Zeiten: wir erkennen auch eine solche Entwicklung an, wir stehen durchaus auf dem Boden solcher Entwicklung, wir erkennen an, daß es einen gewaltigen Unterschied gibt zwischen der vollkommenen Gestalt des Menschen und einem niederen Tiere, das im Meerschlamme lebt und kaum dem mit dem Mikroskop bewaffneten Auge sichtbar ist. Durch wie viele Zwischenstufen muß der Mensch hindurchschreiten, wenn er vom Unvollkommenen zum Vollkommenen vorrückt! Als ebenso wirklich und real sieht der Geisteswissenschafter die Entwicklung der Seele und des Geistes an. Er sieht ebenso große Unterschiede zwischen solchen Individualitäten, die Eingeweihte geworden sind, die in einem höheren Grade die in der Seele eines jeden Menschen liegenden Eigenschaften zu göttlichem Schauen gebrauchen, und demjenigen Menschen, der kaum die ersten Keime der Seelentätigkeit entwickelt hat. Der Unterschied in der Entwicklung vom Unvollkommensten der niedrigsten Seelenstufe bis zu dem vollkommenen Eingeweihten ist größer als der zwischen dem kleinsten Lebewesen und dem vollkommensten Körper des Menschen. Wer weiß, daß es Eingeweihte gibt, die tief hineinschauen können in die Entwicklung der materielJen Dinge, der weiß, daß es auch geistige Entwicklung gibt.
Wer das weiß, der weiß auch, daß die Stimmung keine andere sein kann, als daß er sich sagt: ich sehe hinauf zu den göttlichen Idealen, zu denen ich den Keim in der Seele trage; ich weiß, daß in der Zukunft sich etwas herausentwickelt haben wird, was heute noch in mir schlummert, nur schwach veranlagt ist. Ich weiß aber auch, daß ich alle Kräfte anwenden muß, um zu diesen Höhen hinaufzukommen. Als ein Bettler im Geiste kommt sich dann der vor, welcher so die geistige Welt ansieht. Und der ist «beseligt», das heißt selig fühlt er sich dann. Und wir haben in der Bergpredigt im geisteswissenschaftlichen Sinne ein so wunderbares Wort das da heißt: «Selig sind die, die da Bettler sind im Geiste, denn sie werden in sich selbst finden die Reiche der Himmel.» — Keiner, der den Sprachgebrauch der alten Zeiten kennt, wird wähnen, daß diejenigen, welche vom Himmel sprechen, einen Himmel im unbekannten Jenseits meinten. Man stellte sich vor, daß überall da, wo man ist, auch der Himmel ist. Wo wir jetzt sind, da ist der Himmel, da ist die geistige Welt. Ebenso wie der Blinde, wenn er operiert wird, den Raum, den er vorher nur tasten konnte, mit Farben erfüllt sieht, so sieht der, dessen geistiger Sinn geöffnet ist, eine neue Welt um sich. Er sieht, was immer um ihn herum ist, in neuer Gestalt, in der Gestalt, in der er sehen muß, wenn er sich zu höherer Menschlichkeit hinaufentwickeln will. Er braucht nicht zu glauben, daß anderswo, an einem anderen Orte oder zu anderer Zeit der Himmel sei. Ihm gilt das Wort des Christus: Das Himmelreich ist mitten unter euch.
Das Himmelreich ist da, wo wir sind, es durchdringt alle körperlichen Dinge. Wie das Wasser das Eis durchdringt, so schwimmt gleichsam im Meere des göttlichen Geistes dasjenige, was sich aus diesem Geist als körperlich materielle Welt verdichtet hat. Alles Körperliche ist verdichtetes, verwandeltes Geistiges. Hinter allem Körperlichen steht das Geistige. Hier werden wir schon zu demjenigen geführt, was in bezug auf geisteswissenschaftliche Auffassung das Verhältnis des Menschen zur Entwicklung ist. Ebenso wie draußen in der tierischen Welt Vollkommenes und Unvollkommenes lebt, so leben in bezug auf das Geistige die verschiedensten Individualitäten: die einen fortgeschritten, die anderen zurückgeblieben, die einen hineinsehend in Gebiete, wohin die moderne Wissenschaft noch leuchtet, die anderen hineinsehend in die tiefsten Untergründe der menschlichen Erkenntnis, vom Wilden bis zu dem zur Göttlichkeit entwickelten Menschen, der befähigt ist, draußen in der Welt das Geistige um sich zu schauen. Alle diese Zwischenstufen glaubten nicht nur, sondern kannten diejenigen, welche Eingeweihte waren. Und wenn man von Eingeweihten sprach, so sprach man von ihnen als von solchen, die mehr wissen als die sie umgebende Menschheit. Immer hat man von solchen Eingeweihten gesprochen, und nun wollen wir uns einmal klarmachen, in welchem Sinne man von den in die geistigen Welten Eingeweihten gesprochen hat.
Wie schon oft hier auseinandergesetzt worden ist, finden wir, wenn wir in uralte Zeiten zurückgehen, daß auch das Alltagsbewußtsein anders war als heute, daß ein mehr hellseherisches Bewußtsein vorhanden war. Hellseherisch wird es nicht genannt, weil es etwa klarer wäre als das Tagesbewußtsein, sondern weil es gleichsam durch die Gegenstände hindurch bis in die Seele hinein sieht, aber es ist ein dumpfes, dämmerhaftes Bewußtsein, dessen Überreste sich im nächtlichen Traumbewußtsein des Menschen erhalten haben. Aus ihm hat sich das heutige taghelle Bewußtsein der Menschheit entwickelt. Wenn wir zurückblicken in jene alten Zeiten, wo die große Masse der Menschen in diesem hellseherischen Bewußtsein lebte, so finden wir, daß es auch da schon Eingeweihte gab. Wodurch unterscheiden sich nun jene alten Eingeweihten von denjenigen, die noch in einem mehr dämmerhaften Bewußtsein um sie herum waren? Sie unterscheiden sich dadurch, daß sie schon etwas wußten von dem Bewußtsein, das die Menschheit bekommen sollte und heute hat, dadurch, daß sie imstande waren, von der Zukunft etwas vorauszunehmen, in der Art in die Welt hineinzuschauen, wie die ganze Menschheit in späterer Zeit es erlangt hat. Es war diejenige Art, welche mit den Augen und Ohren des Leibes wahrnimmt, mit denjenigen Organen, mit denen der Mensch sinnlich untersucht und verstandesmäßig begreift. Wie das heute bei den Menschen im allgemeinen wohl der Fall ist, so war es auch schon bei einzelnen eingeweihten Menschen der Vorzeit. Sie waren eben deshalb Eingeweihte. Der Eingeweihte nimmt etwas von der Zukunft voraus. Ebenso trägt der Eingeweihte unserer Tage etwas von dem erhöhten Hellsehen, von dem erhöhten Schauen, das die Menschheit in Zukunft haben wird, in sich. Er weiß etwas zu sagen von dem, was die jetzige Menschheit in Zukunft haben wird.
So blickten die Alten, die etwas von diesen Dingen verstanden haben, hinauf zu dem Eingeweihten. Sie sagten sich: Wie er die Dinge ansieht, so werden in Zukunft die Menschen die Dinge auch ansehen. Sehen wir uns ihn an, er ist das lebendige Ideal, er ist derjenige, der uns durch seine Gestalt erkennbar macht, was wir sein werden. — In diesem Sinne war er ihnen ein Prophet, und wenn er noch höher stand, ein Messias. Und so sagten sie sich, der Verlauf der Geschichte wird so sein, daß er die große Zahl der Menschen zu dem, was er erreicht hat hinführen wird. Einen «Erstgeborenen» nannten sie einen solchen. Derjenige aber, welcher in solcher Weise eingeweiht werden sollte, hatte durch verschiedene Stufen hindurchzugehen. Es gibt durch die verschiedenen Stufen bis zu den höchsten Einweihungsstufen hinauf die mannigfaltigsten Erkenntnis- und Willensgrade. Durch viele Stufen kann man durchschreiten. Wie die Pflanze bei ihrer Entwicklung die verschiedenen Stufen durchmacht, von der Wurzel zu Blatt, Blüte und Frucht, so schreitet der Mensch hinauf von Einsicht zu Einsicht, bis er vom Schüler zum Eingeweihten selber wird. Dieser Fortschritt geschieht durch Schulung, und diese Schulung kann man sich aneignen. Derjenige, welcher leugnet, daß es eine solche Schulung gibt, durch die er zu einer höheren Art des Anschauens, zu der Eröffnung von Augen und Ohren des Geistes gelangen kann, der weiß es eben nicht, der hat noch keine Kunde erhalten von solcher Schulung. Das ist die Aufgabe der Geisteswissenschaft: der Menschheit zu sagen, daß es eine solche Schulung der Aufwärtsentwicklung gibt. In meiner Zeitschrift «LuziferGnosis» können Sie lesen, daß jetzt in viel tieferer Weise von dem Prinzip der Einweihung und der geistigen Kultur gesprochen werden kann. Die mannigfaltigsten Gründe sprechen dafür. Einen Grund möchte ich aber anführen. Gerade das ist das Tragische, das so Bedrückende, die Seele Zermarternde für den modernen Menschen, daß er an die alten Urkunden nicht mehr glauben kann, daß ihm dieselben nicht mehr Verkörperungen des Wortes Gottes sein können, weil die Entwicklung von Verstand und Vernunft zu weit vorgerückt ist, so daß er die alte Botschaft nicht mehr brauchen kann. Er braucht aber eine neue Botschaft, und diese will ihm die Geisteswissenschaft bringen. Wir haben gleichsam im Bilde in die Zukunft hineingesehen, und heute noch sieht derjenige, welcher sich zum Eingeweihten entwickelt, die Entwicklung der Menschheit in der Zukunft. Er muß sich aber nach bestimmten Methoden entwickeln. Ebenso wie die Methoden, durch die man astronomische Wahrheiten erfährt, ganz bestimmte sind, so sind die Methoden, durch die man in die höhere Geistigkeit hinaufrückt, auch ganz bestimmte. Niemand darf sich sagen, daß er auf eigene Faust in die höheren Gebiete hinaufsteigen soll. Das ist so, wie wenn man auf eigene Faust Mathematik studieren und nichts auf Autorität hin annehmen wollte. Man braucht aber einen Leiter und Führer, der einem die Wege zeigt. Keine andere Autorität gibt es mehr auf diesem Gebiete. Daher ist es nur Rederei, wenn das Prinzip des gläubigen Hinneigens und Bekennens auf die Geisteswissenschaft angewendet wird. Es ist ein Mißverständnis, wenn in der Geisteswissenschaft von Autorität und Gläubigkeit gesprochen wird.
Nun gab es in den verschiedenen Jahrtausenden immer Bücher — eigentlich nicht Bücher, sondern mehr eine mündliche Tradition, wenn wir in die alten Zeiten zurückgehen, und diese mündliche Tradition umfaßte die Regeln, wie man eingeweiht wird. Wollen wir uns einen Begriff von dem machen, wie solche Tradition war, wie solche Vorschriften waren, die zeigten, was der Mensch zu tun hat, wenn er anfängt sich zu vergeistigen, bis zu den höchsten Einweihungsstufen, so brauchen wir nur daran zu denken, daß bei denen, die als Führer und Leiter wirkten, nichts niedergeschrieben werden durfte. Diese Regeln dürfen auch heute noch nicht niedergeschrieben, sondern nur mündlich denjenigen übertragen werden, die dazu würdig sind. Es gab einen Einweihungskanon. Er enthielt die Regeln der Geburt des Geistesmenschen; er zeigte die Regeln, die der Mensch erfüllen muß, um zu den hohen Zielen zu kommen. Wer sich dem geistigen Streben widmete, der mußte von einer Stufe der Übungs- und Lebensweise zur anderen, höheren geführt werden. Bist du auf der höheren Stufe, dann kommt der Eingeweihte und zeigt dir die höheren Geheimnisse.
Nur noch ein Wort über die Art und Weise, wie ein solcher Einweihungskodex gehandhabt worden ist. Das ist heute nicht mehr so üblich wie in alten Zeiten. Die Einweihungsprozesse schreiten auch vorwärts. Der Schüler wurde in alten Zeiten in eine Art Ekstase gebracht. Das Wort hatte damals eine andere Bedeutung als heute, es bedeutete nicht Außer-sich-Sein, sondern ein Bewußtwerden in höheren Bewußtseinszuständen und dahin hatte der geistige Führer den Schüler geführt. Es war vorgeschrieben, wie lange man in solchem Bewußtseinszustande gehalten werden mußte; es waren dreieinhalb Tage. Heute ist es nicht mehr so, daß das Bewußtsein herabgedämpft wird. Damals aber war der Betreffende in Ekstase und Entrückung, da wußte er nicht, was um ihn herum in der Sinnenwelt vorging, da war der Einzuweihende auf dem Gebiete der sinnlichen Welt wie einer, der schläft. Er wurde also hingeführt zu einem Bewußtseinszustand, in dem die äußere Sinnenwelt schwand. Aber was er erlebte, unterschied sich beträchtlich von dem, was der heutige Mensch erlebt, wenn beim Einschlafen die äußeren sinnlichen Gegenstände um ihn herum verschwinden. Die äußeren sinnlichen Dinge verschwanden, aber der Mensch lebte in einer Welt des Geistes; licht wurde es um ihn herum. Das, was man Astrallicht nennt, ging ihm auf: ein Licht, das ein anderes Licht ist als das physische, das uns erscheint wie ein Meer von geistiger Substanz, in dem geistige Wesenheiten eingebettet sind und aus dem sie sich herausentwickeln. Und wenn er noch höher stieg, hörte er aus dieser Welt erklingen, was in den alten pythagoräischen Schulen die Sphärenharmonie genannt wird. Dasjenige, was der Verstand als Weltgesetz in Begriffen erkennt, das nimmt der, welcher auf solcher Stufe sich befindet, wie eine Art Klang, wie geistige Musik wahr. Die geistigen Kräfte äußern sich in Harmonie und Rhythmus. Es ist aber dabei nicht an die äußere Musik zu denken. Die geistige Welt, die Welt der Himmel klingt und tönt für das astrale Licht. In diese Welt wurde der Einzuweihende eingeführt. Da lernte er die Stufen der menschlichen Göttlichkeit kennen, die die Menschheit erst in fernen Zeiten erklimmen wird. Das alles wurde für ihn Wahrheit, das durchlebte er in dreieinhalb Tagen.
Unzählige Menschen haben in der Welt gelebt und leben noch, die wissen, daß das, was dem Menschen heute grotesk erscheint, ebenso eine Welt der Wirklichkeit ist, wie die, welche das äußere Ohr und das äußere Auge wahrnehmen kann. Wenn dann der Betreffende nach dreieinhalb Tagen wieder in die Sinnenwelt zurückgeführt war, wenn er bereichert mit dem Wissen vom geistigen Leben wieder einging in diese Welt, wenn er vorbereitet war dafür, ein Zeuge der geistigen Welt zu sein, dann war es immer nur ein einziges, ein gleiches Wort, das alle Eingeweihten beim Wiederbetreten der sinnlichen Welt sagten: O du mein Gott, wie herrlich hast du mich gemacht! Dies war die Empfindung, in die die Seele sich aushauchte nach der Einweihung, beim Wiederbetreten der gewöhnlichen sinnlichen Welt. Dies alles lebte in den Köpfen derjenigen, die die Einweihung zu leiten hatten. Später wurde, als das Schreiben nach und nach mehr Sitte wurde, auch manches aufgeschrieben. Es gab aber eine typische Beschreibung des Lebens eines Eingeweihten. Man sagte ungefähr: Derjenige, welcher eingeweiht, aufgenommen werden soll in die Kultstätten der Einweihung, hat sein Leben so und so einzurichten, und er hat die Erfahrung zu machen, die schließlich mit den Worten: O du mein Gott, wie herrlich hast du mich gemacht, ihren Abschluß fand.
Wenn Sie sich das Leben, wie es ein Eingeweihter durchmachen muß vor die Seele hinstellen können, so wie Sie sich das Leben eines Menschen vorstellen können, der in einem chemischen Laboratorium experimentieren will, dann würden Sie ein typisches Bild von dem Menschen, der sich höher entwickelt, bekommen. Dann würden Sie ein typisches Bild bekommen dessen, der auferweckt werden soll. Solche Einweihungsbücher hat es gegeben, oder sie haben wenigstens in den Köpfen derjenigen gelebt, die die Einweihung geJleitet haben. Wenn wir verstehen, daß es solche Bücher gegeben hat, dann werden wir uns nicht mehr wundern, wenn wir die verschiedensten Eingeweihten der verschiedenen Völker in ähnlicher Weise beschrieben finden. Darin liegt ein großes Geheimnis, darin ruht ein wunderbares Mysterium. Zu ihren Eingeweihten haben die Völker immer aufgesehen, soweit sie von ihnen gewußt haben. Was sie von ihnen erzählt haben, war nicht das, was der heutige Biograph von den großen Männern erzählt. Was sie erzählten, war der geistige Lebensgang, den der Eingeweihte erlebte. So werden wir verstehen, warum — wenn wir den Lebensgang von Hermes, Buddha, Zarathustra, Moses und Christus verfolgen — wir bei diesen Gestalten zu einem ähnlichen Lebensbilde kommen. Und warum? Weil sie dieses Leben leben mußten, wenn sie zum Eingeweihten werden wollten. Einfach das Lebensbild des Eingeweihten steht vor uns in dem Leben des Hermes, Zarathustra, und so weiter.
In dem, was die äußere Struktur der Lebensbeschreibung ist, können wir überall das Bild des Eingeweihten sehen, und von hier aus können wir uns die Frage beantworten: Wer waren diejenigen, welche die Evangelien geschrieben haben? Sie finden auf diese Frage eine geisteswissenschaftliche Antwort in meinem Buche «Das Christentum als mystische Tatsache». Was ich hier nur mit kurzen Worten andeuten kann, finden Sie dort ausführlich dargelegt, und damit auch hingewiesen auf die geistige Glaubwürdigkeit der Evangelien, Es ist dargelegt, daß das, was in den Evangelien steht, alten Einweihungsbüchern entnommen ist. Natürlich unterschieden sich die Bücher, welche Eingeweihte über diese Dinge schrieben, durch Nebensächliches. In der Hauptsache aber kam der Inhalt immer auf dasselbe hinaus. Nur müssen wir uns klarmachen, daß die, welche die Evangelien geschrieben haben, nichts anderes hatten als solche alten Einweihungsbücher. Wenn wir dann das wirklich Darinstehende ansehen, dann können wir in den verschiedenen Evangelien verschiedene Formen der Initiation oder Einweihung erblicken. Und warum unterscheiden sie sich? Weil ihre Schreiber die Einweihung von verschiedenen Orten her kannten. Verstehen werden wir dies, wenn wir das Verhältnis der Männer, die die Evangelien verfaßt haben, zum Christus Jesus ansehen. Wir erlangen die beste Vorstellung, wenn wir uns an die schönen Worte erinnern, mit denen die Apokalypse beginnt. Der, welcher die Schrift des Johannes diktierte, wird genannt: das Erste und das Letzte, das Alpha und das Omega. Nichts anderes ist damit gemeint, als dasjenige, was — trotzdem die Zeiten und Formen der Welt sich wandeln von Menschengeschlecht zu Menschengeschlecht, von Menschenrasse zu Menschenrasse, von Planet zu Planet — als eine einheitliche, geistige Wesenheit immer vorhanden bleibt. Wenn wir dies immer vorhandenbleibende Wesen als das Göttliche bezeichnen und sehen, daß wir einen Funken davon in uns haben, so fühlen wir uns mit diesem Alpha und Omega verwandt, ja wir fühlen dieses als das letzte Ideal, zu dem sich das sich Entwickelnde immer mehr hinaufhebt. So wurde uns dieses Ewige in allen Zeiten, dieses Dauernde in allem Wechsel vorgeführt.
Nun müssen wir uns an den Sprachgebrauch erinnern, der ganz aus unserem Bewußtsein verschwunden ist. Ich möchte Ihnen das, worum es sich handelt, mit ein paar Worten vorführen. Heute ist der Name, den wir dem Menschen geben, mehr oder weniger gleichgültig. Wir fühlen keinen rechten Zusammenhang zwischen dem Menschen und seinem Namen. Je weiter zurück man geht, desto bedeutungsvoller und wesentlicher wird der Name, man legte Wert auf gewisse Gesetze, durch die der Mensch einen Namen bekommt. Ich brauche nur zu erinnern, daß es nicht sehr lange her ist, als noch die Gepflogenheit bestand, daß man in den Kalender schaute und dem neugeborenen Kinde den Namen gegeben hat, der am Tage seiner Geburt im Kalender stand. Man nahm an, daß das Kind sich hingedrängt fühlte zur Geburt an dem Tage, der diesen Namen trug. Derjenige, welcher die Einweihung durchgemacht hat, die ich beschrieben habe, hat einen neuen Namen erhalten, den Einweihungsnamen, und dieser bezeichnete seine innere Wesenheit, bezeichnete das, was er bedeutet in der Welt, das als was ihn der Führer erkannte. Dieser Name war mit seinem Wesen verknüpft und drückte das aus, was nur die innere Wesenheit angeht.
Nun erinnern Sie sich, daß in der Bibel, im Neuen Testamente, die mannigfaltigsten Aussprüche Jesu angeführt werden. Derjenige nur dringt tiefer in diese Schriften ein, der vom Gesichtspunkte des Eingeweihten an dieselben herangeht und der von der Namengebung auch etwas versteht. Man bezeichnete zum Beispiel jemanden, wenn man ihn geistig bezeichnen und ausdrücken wollte, daß er noch auf niederer Stufe steht, mit einem Ausdrucke, der hergenommen war von den Eigenschaften des Astralleibes; wenn er höher stand, mit Ausdrücken, die hergenommen waren von Eigenschaften des Ätherleibes. Wollte man das Typische ausdrücken, dann nahm man Ausdrücke, die von Eigenschaften des physischen Leibes hergenommen sind. So hatten die alten Namen eine Beziehung zu den Menschen und drückten so recht eigentlich das Wesen aus. Erinnern wir uns jetzt, wie oft in den Evangelien Worte des Jesus vorkommen, wo er sich als etwas Bestimmtes bezeichnet — namentlich im Johannes-Evangelium können Sie solches finden. Wir können sie vielfach zurückführen auf ein Wort, auf das Wörtchen Ich. Erinnern Sie sich an das, was ich schon öfter in diesen Vorträgen ausgeführt habe:
Man unterscheidet vier Glieder der menschlichen Wesenheit: physischer Leib, Ätherleib, Astralleib und Ich. Dieses Ich wird immer größer und größer, dieses Ich ist so, daß es sich zur Einweihung hinaufentwickelt, dieses Ich ist unvollkommen beim wenig entwickelten Menschen, gewaltig und vollkommen beim Eingeweihten. Wenn nun Christus im Johannes-Evangelium oftmals hindeutet darauf, daß er identisch sei mit dem «Ich-bin», wenn er sich bezeichnet als denjenigen, der da eins ist mit der tiefsten Wesenheit des Menschen in dem Satze «Ich und der Vater sind eins», wenn Sie das nehmen, so werden Sie es nun verstehen können von dieser Namengebung aus, weil er das Ewige in sich schließt, nicht weil er ein gewöhnlicher Mensch war und er mit diesem Ich den gewöhnlichen Menschen bezeichnete, sondern weil er etwas war, das über den gewöhnlichen Menschen hinausging, weil er Christus, das Alpha und Omega war. So sahen die, welche in jener Zeit lebten, in ihm ein göttliches Wesen, das den physischen Leib trug, ein Wesen, für das ebenso gleichgültig ist der physische Leib und ebenso wichtig das Geistige, wie für den physischen Menschen der physische Leib höchst bedeutsam und unwichtig das Geistige ist. Das Hervorstechende beim Menschen wurde sein Name, und wenn wir dieses noch weiter bedenken, dann verstehen wir noch etwas anderes — Sie werden von da den Weg finden in manches Mysterium der Bibel —, wir verstehen, was es zu bedeuten hat, als Moses dem Jehova gegenüberstand und Jehova ihn zum Gesandten für das Volk machen will und Moses erwiderte: Was soll ich ihnen sagen, wer mich gesandt hat? - Und wir hören die bedeutungsvollen Worte: Sage, der «Ich-bin» hat dich gesandt. — Auf welche Wesenheit deutet hier Jehova selbst hin? Auf das, was im wesentlichen im tiefsten Inneren jeder Menschenwesenheit liegt. Gelangen wir an das vierte Glied der menschlichen Wesenheit, so sehen wir, daß dasIch ein Name ist,den wir uns selbst geben müssen.Das Göttliche muß selbst sprechen, das Göttliche, das an einem Punkte zu sprechen beginnt, das als kleiner, unbedeutender Keim im Menschen lebt und zu unendlicher Größe entwickelt werden kann. Das ist es, was gemeint ist, was dem Moses den Auftrag gab und sagte: Sage ihnen, «Der Ich-bin» hat dich gesandt. Das, was wie ein göttlicher Keim in jeder menschlichen Seele liegt, das, was im physischen, Äther- und Astralleib eingehüllt ist wie ein Punkt, zu dem wir «Ich-bin» sagen, das, was noch unbedeutend über sie emporwächst und was noch unbedeutend in uns emporlebt, werden wir nicht als das Geringe in unserer Wesenheit bezeichnen, sondern als das Wichtigste. Das Wesentliche ist es, das im Menschen lebt und das den Moses schicken will, indem es sagt: «Ich bin der Ich-bin.»
So sehen Sie, welch tiefer Sinn in solcher Namengebung steckt, und wenn hingedeutet wurde auf dieses «Ich bin», dann wurde zu gleicher Zeit auch immer hingedeutet auf denjenigen Punkt in der Menschheitsentwicklung, den ich auch schon in diesen Vorträgen erwähnt habe und der auch in der Bibel angedeutet wird, nämlich den Punkt, wo der physische Mensch beseelt wird. Ofter habe ich schon auseinandergesetzt, wie das, was heute der physische Mensch ist, sich von niederen Stufen heraufentwickelt hat, wie er sich dadurch, daß er mit einer Seele, die von der Gottheit herunterstieg, begabt wurde, sich weiterentwickeln konnte. Was aus dem Schoße der Gottheit herunterstieg, hat sich hineingesenkt in den physischen Leib und hat den physischen Leib weiterentwickelt. Dieser Moment ist auch in der Bibel angedeutet. Sie lehrt ihn mit ein paar Worten. Vor jenem Momente, der sich in Wirklichkeit über lange Zeiträume erstreckt hat, hatte jener menschliche Körper nicht das, was man brauchte, um das Ich zur Entfaltung zu bringen, nicht das, was man als physischer Mensch auch heute notwendig gebraucht. In jener Zeit atmeten die Menschenvorfahren noch nicht durch Lungen, in jener Zeit entwickelte der Mensch aus einem schwimmblasenartigen Organ heraus seine Lunge. Er lernte da erst die Lungenluftatmung, und von diesem Vorgange ab gab es erst die Beseelung des menschlichen Körpers. Denken Sie sich diesen Vorgang zusammengedrängt in einen Satz, so haben Sie das biblische Wort: Und Gott blies dem Menschen den Odem ein und er ward eine lebendige Seele. Dadurch, daß der Mensch als physisches Wesen atmen lernte, war er befähigt, die Seele aufzunehmen. Gehen wir auf die Bedeutung des Jehovah-Namens zurück, dann finden wir, daß Jehovah soviel heißt wie «Wehen», daß die Luft dahinweht. Es ist im Worte Jahve nichts anderes ausgedrückt als der wehende Atem, mit dem der Ichgeist in den Menschen einzieht. So wird in diesem Namen dargestellt, wie der wehende Atem seine Wesenheit in dem Satze ausdrückt: «Ich bin der Ich-bin», der einen Teil seiner Wesenheit hineingießt in den Menschen. Es wird uns ein wahrer Weltenvorgang da vorgeführt. So wird uns zur wahren Tatsache jenes Ewige, das in der Menschennatur lebt. Ob wir den Menschen von heute oder den Menschen vor tausenden von Jahren nehmen, das Ichwesen war da vor allen Zeiten. Denken Sie sich das Ichwesen in seiner höchsten Offenbarung, wo alles Außere unwesentlich ist, denken Sie sich, daß ein Mensch das Innerste so groß und gewaltig erkennt, dann haben Sie die Vorstellung, die sich die alten Christus-Anhänger von dem Christus machten. Was da in den ältesten Zeiten nur als Funke lebte, in höchster Glorie lebte es in Jesus von Nazareth. Er war, weil er der höchste Göttliche war, der höchste Eingeweihte, daher das Wort: «Ehe denn Abraham ward, bin Ich.» Er ist in körperlicher Gestalt dasjenige, was da ist, ehe Abraham war, was da ist, ehe Abraham, Isaak und Jakob waren, er ist das, was als das größte Menschheitsideal vor dem steht, der sich entwickeln will, vor dem, der die Worte der Bergpredigt befolgt: «Selig sind diejenigen, die da sind Bettler im Geist, denn sie werden in sich finden die Reiche der Himmel.» Nehmen wir dieses Wort so, dann haben Sie die Vorstellung, die sich die Christus-Anhänger damals machten. Was konnten sie von diesem höchsten inkarnierten Gott für eine Lebensbeschreibung geben? Wo war eine Lebensbeschreibung, die seiner würdig war? Das war die Lebensbeschreibung, die man im Einweihungskanon gab, demjenigen Kanon, der die Regeln enthielt, nach denen der Einzuweihende initiiert werden sollte. Wie man sieht, war es so: Willst du eingeweiht werden, dann hast du von Lebensstufe zu Lebensstufe das und das durchzumachen bis zur höchsten Stufe, die angedeutet ist mit den Worten: Mein Gott, mein Gott, wie hast du mich verherrlicht! . . .
(Hier bricht die Nachschrift ab.)
The Bible and Wisdom
Yesterday we attempted to bring to the fore the meaning through which what we call Spiritual Science seeks to approach religious documents. Today we will try, at least in a few examples, to delve deeper into the religious document that is still closest to contemporary culture, the Bible. From the standpoint of Spiritual Science, the easiest way to approach the Bible is to start with the New Testament, with the Gospels. After discussing yesterday how we should understand so-called criticism, the critical spirit, and how we can approach the writing of the various individual parts of the New Testament and the collection of writings in the Old Testament from the standpoint of Spiritual Science, today we want to focus more on the positive, building on what was said yesterday and examining this matter from the perspective of Spiritual Science without any preconceptions.
You know that when people approach the four Gospels out of the needs of their Christian hearts, they may initially encounter peculiar contradictions arising from the four Gospels, which are named after Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Even those who are still very devout in their approach to these books today have no real mental image of the relationship that believers had to the Bible in ancient, much more religious times, or what the word “Bible” or the expression “the Word of God” actually meant to the ancient believers. We need only remember the word “inspiration” and that for centuries, believers held fast to the belief that those who wrote down the religious documents were inspired, that they wrote under the direct influence of the divine spirit itself. And as true as they believed that only truth could come from this divine spirit, so true did every word in the Bible appear to them to be sacred. For them, the Bible was the expression of the great mysteries of the world that pressed upon the human soul. How could a person who had a mental image of the ancient men of God as personalities who stood directly under the inspiration of the divine Spirit have believed that they had written something, indeed could have written something, that could be criticized? Then there should not have been an immediate attachment to every word in the hearts of these believers.
It is difficult for people today to put themselves in this frame of mind. They read the first and third Gospels. They are presented with two genealogies of Jesus of Nazareth, one in the Gospel according to Matthew and the other in the Gospel according to Luke. They follow the names and find that they do not match, that already in the third link from Joseph upwards a different name appears, that where Matthew has Solomon, Luke has Nathan, and so on, that a whole series of names in the tables are different, and they ask themselves: How is it possible that what has served as a source of truth for people throughout the centuries can contain such contradictions? — Basically, we see in a single consideration such as this the seed of all the doubts that have arisen in people, in critics, regarding the uniformity of Scripture and, ultimately, its inspiration. Based on such considerations, which have been carried out in a complicated manner down to the finest detail, the books of the New Testament have been dissected, what is more or less authentic has been found, and it has been found that the first Gospel differs from the fourth, from which it necessarily follows that the fourth Gospel is something quite different from a historical document. How could one, with an unbiased mind, simply decree these contradictions away? It is only natural that modern man, when he sees something like this, must apply criticism.
But now we ask ourselves, how is it possible that over centuries, over millennia, truly not exactly stupid minds have held these books in their hands and have not also come to a criticism, to a seeing of these contradictions? With regard to the great multitude of believers, one could perhaps refer to this and say that until very recently the Bible has been in the hands of only a few; believers had almost no access to it before the invention of printing. One could say that the great masses could not have been misled by something that was not presented to them by their leaders. But are we to imagine that those who did have access to the Bible did not see what today's critics point out?
Some historians argue that the prestige of these books was only gradually established through the power of the Church, and that what we call the awe-inspiring nature of biblical history only developed over time. The content of the Bible cannot stand up to proper historical scrutiny. If we go back to the first centuries of Christianity and examine the facts, we come to the conclusion that the Council of Nicaea determined which gospels were correct and decreed by force that these were the holy scriptures.
This cannot stand up to an unbiased historical examination. We are led to personalities who lived in the early days of Christianity. We then find in their communications that, for example, in 160 AD, a so-called Gospel harmony was created, that is, a compilation of the various Gospels so that they would present a uniform picture. This was done frequently later on, and if we carefully examine the Gospels from the second century, we can see that what we now know as the content of the New Testament was also incorporated into them. We can go back even further, to the early Church Fathers. If we examine them critically, we see how they speak of the Bible with tremendous reverence, a reverence that suggests they believed the Bible was inspired by a higher spirituality. We can go back to Origen and see how he speaks of the biblical books in the same way and with the same reverence. And if we take individual words, even those communicated by Matthew, who is not wrongly said to have been a listener of the Apostle John, we find that something speaks from his soul that we can combine in the same sense with what later became the attitude of believers, even the most learned believers, toward the Gospels.
Of course, anyone who considers such things must be able to free themselves, even thoroughly, from certain prejudices. Just as later times have taken a stance on what is called Christianity, so those who lived as scholars in the first centuries did not take a stance on it. And if today someone from an orthodox standpoint approaches someone who does not interpret the Bible in exactly the same way as he does and tells him that he is an unbeliever, that he should not call himself a Christian, that they are violating the true word of the Bible—then we may well remind them of those ancient believers whom even those who interpret the Bible arbitrarily do not dare to doubt. I would like to refer to a saying of the Church Father Augustine. The words are: What is called the Christian religion today is ancient. It is the ancient true religion, and what is the ancient true religion is now called the Christian religion.
Consider such words and then compare them with what a spiritual scientist who interprets the Bible can very often experience. Is it not often downright tragic how hostile feelings are aroused, how the spiritual scientist encounters bitter opposition from acquaintances, friends, and relatives, who say to him: “There you go again with your spiritual scientific phrases, where is the Bible in all this?” Such a statement is based on a profound ignorance of the real Bible and also contains a great deal of pretension, the claim to be infallible with one's own interpretation of the Bible. If only such believers would become clear about what it means to oppose the spiritual-scientific interpretation of the Bible in this way. It means nothing other than: what I find in the Bible is absolutely correct.
It is not that the spiritual scientific point of view is any less positive towards the Bible, but rather that it wants to develop the real meaning, the real facts, from this Bible. Correct understanding is what matters to the spiritual science worldview in relation to religious documents. Therefore, those who, out of convenience, hold to some other view that just happens to be there and to which they have become accustomed, should not actually oppose the spiritual science worldview. For in many cases, those who oppose a true interpretation of the Bible have something antagonistic living in their souls, so that they say: You deny the Bible; you make yourselves and your families unhappy. In many cases, there is nothing behind this other than the thought: I do not want to learn; I know what I know.
If we read the Sermon on the Mount in response to such a statement and understand it correctly, then we will no longer be allowed to take such a position, even if we call ourselves Christians. Only the first sentence of the Sermon on the Mount will be quoted here. As those who come here more often know, this has already happened many times. Translated correctly into English, it means: “Blessed are those who are beggars in spirit, for they will find within themselves the kingdom of heaven.” There is no more beautiful expression of what is called a spiritual scientific attitude than these words in the Sermon on the Mount.
What does spiritual scientific attitude mean? It means nothing other than to bring to fruition that which lies within us, the deepest core of our own being, the spiritual nature that lives within us. Just as that which forms our body is taken from the substances of the surrounding world, so that which is present within us is taken from the spirit that lives around us and has lived at all times. And just as it is true that our body is only a drop in the sea of material reality, so it is true that our soul, our spirit, is only a drop in the sea of the all-encompassing world spirit. But just as the drop taken from the sea is, in substance, the same as the water of the whole sea, so that which lives in the deepest soul of man is substantially the same as the essence of the divine. Because God lives in man, man can recognize God; because man is spiritual, man can, if he so desires, penetrate the spiritual world around him. But there is a second requirement if man really wants to penetrate these spiritual worlds, and this second requirement can be summed up in one simple phrase: never stand still! One must not merely believe in development, but must live development. What does it mean to live development? Nothing other than to carry within oneself the awareness that human beings have developed from an imperfect state to their present state, and that they can continue to develop at any time in the future. First of all, we do not think of the external form of human beings changing in this development, but of the human soul being able to climb from stage to stage; that there is an upward progression of this soul, that it is possible to become more perfect from day to day. Today we learn something, our soul forces are capable of understanding this or that, our will is capable of doing this or that. If we remain at what we understand today, at what our will is capable of doing today, then we do not develop. But if we carry within us the awareness that, in addition to the powers that have already developed within us, other powers also lie dormant within us — just as the plant seed that has developed into a plant carries other plant seeds dormant within it — then we will recognize more and more each day that through a higher development of the will from our soul, we can bring out the spiritual eyes and ears and see that things can get better with each passing day. We must not understand this in a trivial sense, but rather in such a way that this development in a spiritual-soul direction has a universal significance.
When we see animal forms developing physically into a human form in the material world, this does not justify the assumption that humans evolved from animals, even if natural science has established that, in terms of physical form, there is a greater similarity between the least developed humans and the most highly developed apes than between the lower apes and the highest ape species. It is from this relationship that natural science derives the kinship of humans with apes. In 1859, the great naturalist Huxley expressed this as a great heresy. Much of what you read in Haeckel's writings is written under the direct impression of this statement. Those who believe in spiritual development say to themselves: Well, admittedly, in terms of their external form, their physicality, humans are closer to the most highly developed apes than the latter are to the lowest of their own species, but it is equally true that those who have reached a certain level of spirituality are further removed from those at the lower levels of humanity than the lowest human is from the most highly developed animal.
If we follow the thread of development into the higher realms, we see it continuing into the spiritual realms, and in the spiritual we see the development described by Spiritual Science as something just as real as material development is to the sensory eyes. Theosophy has existed at all times. Already . . . says that the ancient Indian Atma Vidya is the same, but that it has been given different names at different times. Today's natural science recognizes a development from the lower animal forms to the human being. In contrast, theosophy has always said: we also recognize such a development, we stand firmly on the ground of such a development, we recognize that there is a tremendous difference between the perfect form of man and a lower animal that lives in the sea mud and is barely visible to the eye armed with a microscope. How many intermediate stages must man pass through as he advances from the imperfect to the perfect! The spiritual scientist regards the development of the soul and spirit as equally real and genuine. He sees equally great differences between those individuals who have become initiates, who to a higher degree use the qualities inherent in the soul of every human being for divine vision, and those human beings who have barely developed the first seeds of soul activity. The difference in development from the most imperfect of the lowest soul level to the perfect initiate is greater than that between the smallest living creature and the most perfect human body. Anyone who knows that there are initiates who can look deeply into the development of material things also knows that there is spiritual development.
Those who know this also know that their mood cannot be other than to say to themselves: I look up to the divine ideals, the seeds of which I carry in my soul; I know that in the future something will have developed that is still dormant in me today, only weakly predisposed. But I also know that I must use all my strength to reach these heights. Anyone who looks at the spiritual world in this way feels like a beggar in spirit. And he is “blessed,” that is, he feels blessed. And in the Sermon on the Mount, we have such a wonderful saying in the spiritual-scientific sense: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they shall find the kingdom of heaven within themselves.” No one familiar with the language of ancient times would imagine that those who speak of heaven meant a heaven in the unknown beyond. People formed the mental image that heaven was everywhere they were. Where we are now, there is heaven, there is the spiritual world. Just as the blind man, when he undergoes surgery, sees the space that he could previously only feel filled with colors, so too does the person whose spiritual sense is open see a new world around him. They see everything around them in a new form, in the form in which they must see if they want to evolve toward a higher humanity. They do not need to believe that heaven is somewhere else, in another place or at another time. The words of Christ apply to them: The kingdom of heaven is among you.
The kingdom of heaven is where we are; it permeates all physical things. Just as water permeates ice, so too does that which has condensed from this spirit as the physical material world float, as it were, in the sea of the divine spirit. Everything physical is condensed, transformed spirituality. Behind everything physical stands the spiritual. Here we are already led to what, in terms of spiritual science, is the relationship of human beings to development. Just as in the animal world there are perfect and imperfect beings, so too in the spiritual realm there are the most diverse individualities: some advanced, others backward, some looking into areas where modern science still shines, others looking into the deepest foundations of human knowledge, from the savage to the human being developed to divinity, who is able to see the spiritual around him in the world outside. All these intermediate stages not only believed, but knew those who were initiates. And when one spoke of initiates, one spoke of them as those who knew more than the humanity surrounding them. Such initiates have always been spoken of, and now let us clarify in what sense one spoke of those initiated into the spiritual worlds.
As has often been discussed here, when we go back to ancient times, we find that everyday consciousness was different from today, that there was a more clairvoyant consciousness. It is not called clairvoyant because it is clearer than everyday consciousness, but because it sees through objects into the soul, as it were. However, it is a dull, dim consciousness, the remnants of which have been preserved in people's nighttime dream consciousness. Today's clear consciousness of humanity has developed from this. When we look back to those ancient times when the great mass of people lived in this clairvoyant consciousness, we find that there were already initiates even then. How did those ancient initiates differ from those around them who were still in a more dim consciousness? They differed in that they already knew something of the consciousness that humanity was to acquire and has today, in that they were able to anticipate something of the future, to look into the world in the way that all humanity has later attained. It was the kind of perception that takes place with the eyes and ears of the body, with those organs with which human beings investigate sensually and comprehend intellectually. As is generally the case with people today, so it was also with individual initiated people of ancient times. That is precisely why they were initiates. The initiate anticipates something of the future. Likewise, the initiate of our day carries within himself something of the heightened clairvoyance, of the heightened vision that humanity will have in the future. He has something to say about what present-day humanity will have in the future.
Thus, the ancients who understood something of these things looked up to the initiate. They said to themselves: The way he sees things is the way people will see things in the future. Let us look at him; he is the living ideal, he is the one who, through his form, makes us recognize what we will become. — In this sense, he was a prophet to them, and if he stood even higher, a Messiah. And so they said to themselves that the course of history would be such that he would lead the great number of people to what he had achieved. They called such a person a “firstborn.” But the one who was to be initiated in this way had to pass through various stages. There are many different degrees of knowledge and will through the various stages up to the highest levels of initiation. One can pass through many stages. Just as a plant goes through various stages in its development, from root to leaf, flower, and fruit, so man progresses from insight to insight until he becomes an initiate himself. This progress is achieved through training, and this training can be acquired. Those who deny that such training exists, through which they can attain a higher way of seeing, the opening of the eyes and ears of the spirit, simply do not know; they have not yet received any knowledge of such training. That is the task of Spiritual Science: to tell humanity that such training for upward development exists. In my magazine “LuziferGnosis” you can read that it is now possible to speak in a much deeper way about the principle of initiation and spiritual culture. There are many reasons for this. But I would like to mention one reason. It is precisely this that is so tragic, so oppressive, so soul-tormenting for modern man, that he can no longer believe in the ancient documents, that they can no longer be embodiments of the word of God for him, because the development of intellect and reason has progressed too far, so that he can no longer use the old message. But he needs a new message, and Spiritual Science wants to bring it to him. We have, as it were, looked into the future in images, and even today, those who develop themselves into initiates can see the development of humanity in the future. But they must develop themselves according to certain methods. Just as the methods by which one learns astronomical truths are very specific, so too are the methods by which one ascends to higher spirituality. No one should say that they will ascend to the higher realms on their own. That is like wanting to study mathematics on your own and not accept anything on authority. But you need a leader and guide to show you the way. There is no other authority in this field. Therefore, it is mere rhetoric when the principle of faithful adherence and confession is applied to Spiritual Science. It is a misunderstanding to speak of authority and faith in Spiritual Science.
Now, throughout the millennia, there have always been books — not books, actually, but more of an oral tradition, if we go back to ancient times, and this oral tradition included the rules of how to be initiated. If we want to get an idea of what such a tradition was like, what such rules were like, which showed what a person had to do when they began to spiritualize themselves up to the highest levels of initiation, we need only remember that nothing was allowed to be written down by those who acted as guides and leaders. Even today, these rules may not be written down, but only transmitted orally to those who are worthy. There was a canon of initiation. It contained the rules for the birth of the spiritual human being; it showed the rules that a person must fulfill in order to reach the high goals. Those who devoted themselves to spiritual striving had to be led from one stage of practice and way of life to another, higher one. Once you are on the higher stage, the initiate comes and shows you the higher secrets.
Just one more word about the way in which such an initiation code was handled. This is no longer as common today as it was in ancient times. The initiation processes are also progressing. In ancient times, the student was brought into a kind of ecstasy. The word had a different meaning then than it does today; it did not mean being beside oneself, but rather becoming conscious in higher states of consciousness, and that is where the spiritual guide had led the student. It was prescribed how long one had to be kept in such a state of consciousness; it was three and a half days. Today, consciousness is no longer suppressed in this way. But in those days, the person concerned was in a state of ecstasy and rapture, unaware of what was going on around him in the sensory world; the initiate was like someone asleep in the realm of the sensory world. He was thus led to a state of consciousness in which the outer sensory world disappeared. But what he experienced differed considerably from what people today experience when the outer sensory objects around them disappear as they fall asleep. The external sensory objects disappeared, but the person lived in a world of spirit; it became light around them. What is called astral light dawned on them: a light that is different from physical light, which appears to us like a sea of spiritual substance in which spiritual beings are embedded and from which they develop. And when he rose even higher, he heard from this world what in the ancient Pythagorean schools was called the harmony of the spheres. What the mind recognizes as the law of the world in concepts is perceived by those who are at such a level as a kind of sound, like spiritual music. Spiritual forces express themselves in harmony and rhythm. But this is not to be thought of as external music. The spiritual world, the world of the heavens, sounds and resonates for the astral light. The initiate was introduced into this world. There he learned about the stages of human divinity that humanity will only ascend in distant times. All this became truth for him; he experienced it in three and a half days.
Countless people have lived and still live in the world who know that what seems grotesque to people today is just as much a world of reality as that which the outer ear and the outer eye can perceive. When the person concerned was then brought back into the sensory world after three and a half days, when he re-entered this world enriched with the knowledge of spiritual life, when he was prepared to be a witness to the spiritual world, then it was always only one single, identical word that all initiates said upon re-entering the sensory world: O my God, how wonderfully you have made me! This was the feeling that the soul breathed out after the initiation, upon re-entering the ordinary sensory world. All this lived in the minds of those who had to conduct the initiation. Later, as writing gradually became more common, some things were also written down. But there was a typical description of the life of an initiate. It said something like this: The one who is to be initiated, who is to be admitted into the places of worship of initiation, must arrange his life in such and such a way, and he must have the experience that ultimately culminates in the words: O my God, how wonderfully you have made me.If you can picture in your mind the life that an initiate must go through, just as you can form a mental image of the life of a person who wants to experiment in a chemical laboratory, then you would get a typical picture of the person who is developing higher. Then you would get a typical picture of the one who is to be raised up. Such books of initiation have existed, or at least they have lived in the minds of those who have conducted the initiation. When we understand that such books have existed, we will no longer be surprised to find the most diverse initiates of different peoples described in similar ways. Therein lies a great secret, therein rests a wonderful mystery. Peoples have always looked up to their initiates, insofar as they knew about them. What they told about them was not what today's biographers tell about great men. What they told was the spiritual life journey that the initiate experienced. Thus we will understand why — when we follow the life course of Hermes, Buddha, Zarathustra, Moses, and Christ — we arrive at a similar picture of life for these figures. And why? Because they had to live this life if they wanted to become initiates. Simply put, the picture of the initiate's life stands before us in the lives of Hermes, Zarathustra, and so on.
In the external structure of the biography, we can see the image of the initiate everywhere, and from here we can answer the question: Who were those who wrote the Gospels? You will find a spiritual scientific answer to this question in my book “Christianity as Mystical Fact.” What I can only hint at here in a few words is explained in detail there, and with it the spiritual credibility of the Gospels is also pointed out. It is explained that what is written in the Gospels is taken from ancient books of initiation. Of course, the books that initiates wrote about these things differed in minor details. But in essence, the content always amounted to the same thing. We must realize, however, that those who wrote the Gospels had nothing else but such ancient books of initiation. When we then look at what is actually written in them, we can see different forms of initiation or initiation in the various Gospels. And why do they differ? Because their writers knew initiation from different places. We will understand this when we look at the relationship of the men who wrote the Gospels to Christ Jesus. We get the best mental image when we remember the beautiful words with which the Apocalypse begins. The one who dictated the writing of John is called: the First and the Last, the Alpha and the Omega. This means nothing other than that which — despite the changing times and forms of the world from generation to generation, from race to race, from planet to planet — always remains present as a unified, spiritual entity. When we call this ever-present being the Divine and see that we have a spark of it within us, we feel connected to this Alpha and Omega; indeed, we feel it to be the ultimate ideal toward which all that is developing is ever striving. Thus, this eternal, this enduring in all change, has been presented to us in all ages.
Now we must remember the use of language that has completely disappeared from our consciousness. I would like to demonstrate what this is about in a few words. Today, the name we give to a person is more or less indifferent. We feel no real connection between the human being and his name. The further back you go, the more meaningful and essential the name becomes; importance was attached to certain laws by which a person was given a name. I need only remind you that it was not so long ago that it was customary to look at the calendar and give a newborn child the name that appeared in the calendar on the day of its birth. It was assumed that the child felt compelled to be born on the day that bore this name. Those who underwent the initiation I have described received a new name, the initiation name, and this name designated their inner being, designated what they meant in the world, what the guide recognized in them. This name was linked to their being and expressed what concerned only their inner being.
Now remember that in the Bible, in the New Testament, the most varied sayings of Jesus are quoted. Only those who approach these writings from the point of view of the initiate and who also understand something about the giving of names can penetrate more deeply into them. For example, if one wanted to describe and express someone spiritually, if one wanted to express that they were still on a lower level, one used an expression taken from the characteristics of the astral body; if they were on a higher level, one used expressions taken from the characteristics of the etheric body. If one wanted to express something typical, one used expressions taken from the characteristics of the physical body. Thus, the old names had a relationship to people and really expressed their essence. Let us now remember how often words of Jesus appear in the Gospels where he describes himself as something specific — you can find such examples in the Gospel of John in particular. We can often trace them back to one word, the little word “I.” Remember what I have often said in these lectures:
There are four parts to human nature: the physical body, the etheric body, the astral body, and the I. This I gets bigger and bigger, and it's like this I develops toward initiation. This I is imperfect in people who aren't very developed, but it's powerful and perfect in people who are initiated. When Christ in the Gospel of John often indicates that he is identical with the “I am,” when he describes himself as the one who is one with the deepest essence of the human being in the sentence “I and the Father are one,” if you take that, you will now be able to understand it from this naming, because he encompasses the eternal within himself, not because he was an ordinary human being and he designated ordinary human beings with this I, but because he was something that transcended ordinary human beings, because he was Christ, the Alpha and Omega. Thus, those who lived at that time saw in him a divine being who carried the physical body, a being for whom the physical body is just as indifferent and the spiritual just as important as the physical body is highly significant and the spiritual unimportant for physical human beings. What stood out in man was his name, and if we consider this further, we understand something else — you will find your way from there into many mysteries of the Bible — we understand what it means when Moses stood before Jehovah and Jehovah wanted to make him the messenger for the people, and Moses replied: What shall I say to them who sent me? And we hear the meaningful words: Say, ‘I Am’ has sent you. — To what entity is Jehovah himself referring here? To that which lies at the very core of every human being. When we come to the fourth member of the human being, we see that the I is a name we must give ourselves. The divine must speak for itself, the divine that begins to speak at a certain point, that lives as a small, insignificant seed in human beings and can develop into infinite greatness. That is what is meant, what gave Moses his mission and said: Tell them, “I Am” has sent you. That which lies like a divine seed in every human soul, that which is enveloped in the physical, etheric, and astral bodies like a point to which we say “I am,” that which still grows insignificantly above them and which still lives insignificantly within us, we will not call the least in our being, but rather the most important. The essential is that which lives in human beings and which wants to send Moses by saying, “I am the I am.”
So you see what deep meaning lies in such naming, and when reference was made to this “I am,” at the same time reference was always made to that point in human development which I have already mentioned in these lectures and which is also indicated in the Bible, namely the point where the physical human being is animated. I have often explained how what is now the physical human being developed from lower stages, how it was able to develop further by being endowed with a soul that descended from the Godhead. What descended from the bosom of the Godhead sank into the physical body and developed the physical body further. This moment is also hinted at in the Bible. It teaches it in a few words. Before that moment, which in reality stretched over long periods of time, the human body did not have what was needed to develop the ego, not what is necessary for the physical human being even today. At that time, human ancestors did not yet breathe through lungs; at that time, humans developed their lungs from a swim bladder-like organ. It was only then that they learned to breathe through their lungs, and it was only from this process onwards that the human body became animated. If you condense this process into one sentence, you have the biblical word: And God breathed into man the breath of life, and he became a living soul. By learning to breathe as a physical being, man was enabled to receive the soul. If we go back to the meaning of the name Jehovah, we find that Jehovah means “to breathe,” that the air blows there. The word Yahweh expresses nothing other than the blowing breath with which the I-spirit enters into human beings. Thus, this name represents how the blowing breath expresses its essence in the sentence: “I am the I am,” which pours a part of its essence into human beings. A true world process is presented to us here. Thus, the eternal that lives in human nature becomes a true fact for us. Whether we take the human beings of today or those of thousands of years ago, the I-being was there before all time. Imagine the I-being in its highest revelation, where everything external is insignificant; imagine that a human being recognizes the innermost self as so great and powerful, and then you will have the mental image that the ancient followers of Christ had of Christ. What lived only as a spark in the earliest times lived in highest glory in Jesus of Nazareth. Because he was the highest divine, the highest initiate, he said: “Before Abraham was, I am.” In physical form, he is that which was there before Abraham, that which was there before Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He is that which stands as the greatest ideal of humanity before those who want to develop themselves, before those who follow the words of the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are those who are poor in spirit, for they shall find the kingdom of heaven within themselves.” If we take this word at face value, then you have the mental image that the followers of Christ had at that time. What kind of description of life could they give of this highest incarnated God? Where was a description of life that was worthy of him? It was the description of life given in the initiation canon, the canon that contained the rules according to which the initiate was to be initiated. As we can see, it was like this: if you want to be initiated, then you have to go through this and that from stage of life to stage of life until you reach the highest stage, which is indicated by the words: My God, my God, how you have glorified me! ...
(Here the postscript breaks off.)