The Rudolf Steiner Archive

Eighth Lecture

[ 1 ] We know that in the Gospel of Mark, the so-called Transfiguration—the scene of the transformation—follows the great monologue on world history described above. I have often hinted that for the three disciples who are taken to the “mountain” where this Transfiguration scene takes place, this is a kind of higher initiation. At this very moment, they are to be led even deeper, as it were, into the mysteries that are successively entrusted to them for the guidance and leadership of humanity. We know that this scene—as is already evident from various earlier descriptions—contains a series of mysteries. The very fact that the “mountain” is mentioned in the Gospels and other occult writings already points to the presence of something mysterious. The mountain as such always signifies, when it comes to an occult matter, that those who are led up the mountain are being guided toward certain mysteries of existence. In the Gospel of Mark, we sense this particularly strongly for a certain reason that can already be noticed when reading the Gospel correctly. One simply has to read the Gospel correctly.

[ 2 ] Here we must refer to the third chapter of Mark, from verses 7 through 23 and 24; strictly speaking, one need only go as far as verse 22, and one need only read with a sensitive understanding for something to strike one. It has often been pointed out that the expression “to lead to the mountain” has an occult meaning. But in the chapter mentioned, we find a threefold pattern—not merely a leading to the mountain—but if we look more closely at the three passages Mark cites, we first hear in verse 7: “And Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake” and so on. So we are first led to a scene by the lake. Then we hear in verse 13: “And he went up the mountain and called to him those whom he favored.” And third, we hear in verses 20–21: “And he came home. And again a crowd gathered, so that they could not even eat bread. And when his own heard this, they went out to seize him; for, they said, ‘He is out of his mind.’”

[ 3 ] We are directed to three places: the lake, the mountain, and the house. Just as the “mountain” is associated with something important happening in an occult context, the same is true of the other two places. When occult writings speak of “being led to the lake” and “being led home,” there is always an occult meaning associated with this. You can infer that this is what is meant in the Gospels from a certain circumstance. Recall that not only in the Gospel of Mark, but in the Gospels in general, a special revelation, a special manifestation, is specifically associated with the “lake”—for instance, when the disciples are crossing the lake and Christ appears to them, they first take him for a ghost, but then realize that he is actually approaching them (6:45–52). And you can also observe that the Gospels frequently speak of an event taking place by the lake or through the lake. On the “mountain” he first appoints the Twelve, that is, he entrusts them with the occult mission. We are dealing here with an occult education. It is again on the mountain where the occult Transfiguration takes place. “At home,” where his own people declare him “out of his mind”—there we have the third. All three events are of the greatest, most far-reaching significance.

[ 4 ] If we want to understand what “by the lake” means in this context, we must recall something we have often explained. We have described how our post-Atlantean epoch on Earth was preceded by the so-called Atlantean period, during which the air was still permeated by dense masses of mist, so that because people lived under altered physical conditions, their inner life was also quite different—as evidenced by the fact that they possessed the ancient gift of clairvoyance during the Atlantean period. But that was bound up with the entirely different nature of the physical body, with its being embedded in the masses of mist. Something of all this has remained with humanity like an old heirloom. If, through some means in the post-Atlantean era, someone is introduced to occult conditions, comes into contact with occult conditions—as was the case with the disciples of Jesus—they become much more sensitive, much more intensely attuned to their surroundings and to the conditions of nature. One might say that with the robust nature of our relationship to the natural world today, in the post-Atlantean era, it does not matter so much whether one is sailing across the sea, staying by a lake, climbing a mountain—we will see shortly what this means—or whether one is at home. How the eyes see, how the mind thinks, does not depend so much on where one is. But when the finer perception begins, when one ascends into the spiritual world, then the ordinary human being proves to be coarsely organized.

[ 5 ] When, in times when clairvoyant consciousness is beginning to emerge, a person travels across the sea—where conditions are entirely different, even if they live on the coast—their clairvoyant consciousness is attuned to something quite different than it is on the plain. On the plain, so to speak, the greatest effort is required to bring out the clairvoyant powers at all. The sea makes it easier to bring out the clairvoyant powers, but only those powers that relate to something very specific, not to everything. For there is again a difference between whether the clairvoyant consciousness is active on the plain or whether it ascends the mountain. At high altitudes, the clairvoyant, sensitive consciousness is attuned to something different than on the plain. And what emerges in relation to what the clairvoyant consciousness is attuned to—whether at the lake or up on the mountain—is something very different from one another.

[ 6 ] By the lake—though this can of course be replaced by the city, but only with great effort; what is now being said applies especially to what comes more or less naturally—by the water, amidst the mists, the clairvoyant consciousness is particularly attuned to perceiving imaginations, everything imaginative, and to applying what it has already attained.

[ 7 ] On the mountain, where the air is thinner and the ratio of oxygen to nitrogen is different, the clairvoyant consciousness is more attuned to receiving inspiration and developing new clairvoyant powers. Therefore, the expression “climbing the mountain” is not merely symbolic; rather, the mountain environment fosters the possibility of developing new occult powers within oneself. And the expression “going to the lake” is not merely symbolic either; rather, it is chosen precisely because coming into contact with the lake fosters imaginative vision and the application of occult powers.

[ 8 ] And the occult forces have the hardest time when one is at home, in one’s own house, regardless of whether one is ultimately home alone or whether family members are present. For while it is relatively easy—if all the conditions are right—to believe that a person who has lived by a lake for a long time is experiencing visions through the veil of physicality, and while it is easier to believe that a person living in the mountains is ascending to higher realms, with a person who is at home, one merely has the feeling that they are outside their body, that they are “out of their mind.” Not that they could not develop occult powers, but it does not fit so well with the surroundings; it does not seem as natural in relation to the surroundings as in the corresponding other cases, by the lake or in the mountains.

[ 9 ] It is therefore profoundly meaningful—and entirely in keeping with occult natural laws—that the Gospel strictly adheres to what has just been described. From a strictly occult perspective, the Gospel does indeed adhere to this. Thus, we will always observe the following. Certain forces are already being applied, for example, when healing powers or manifesting powers are deployed, when it is spoken of as “being by the lake,” or when it is mentioned that an event is being transferred to the lake. Therefore, Christ Jesus appears to His own by the lake in the imagination, except that He is actually present in the entire event because He is able to externalize Himself. The disciples see him, yet they do not have him before them in his physical body. But because the difference in location means nothing in such an experience, he is at the same time “with them,” by the lake. — And for this reason, where there is talk of a further development of the apostles’ soul powers, the mountain is mentioned. That is also why, at the appointment of the Twelve, where he, so to speak, destines their souls to receive the group spirit of Elijah, the mountain is mentioned. And where Christ wishes to reveal himself in his full world-historical and cosmic manifestation, the mountain is mentioned again. The Transfiguration thus takes place once more on the mountain.

[ 10 ] Now we must consider the Transfiguration scene precisely from this perspective. The three disciples—Peter, James, and John—prove themselves capable of being initiated into the deeper mysteries of the Mystery of Golgotha. And to the clairvoyant eyes opened to these three, Elijah appears on one side, Moses on the other, and Christ Jesus himself in the middle—but now in a form—as the Gospel imaginatively suggests—through which he can be recognized in his spiritual essence. This is also sufficiently indicated in the Gospel of Mark.

“And he was transfigured before them.

And his clothes became dazzling white, whiter than any bleacher on earth could make them.

And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.” (9:2–4)

[ 11 ] Following God’s great monologue comes a conversation—a conversation among three. What a wonderful dramatic progression! The Gospels are full of such artistic compositions throughout. These Gospels are indeed magnificently composed. After we have just heard God’s monologue, we now have a conversation among three. And what a conversation! First, we see Elijah and Moses on either side of Christ Jesus. What is being suggested to us by Elijah and Moses?

[ 12 ] You are, of course, well acquainted with the figure of Moses, including from that occult perspective from which he has often been examined. We know that, in the wisdom of world history, the transition was chosen from ancient times to the time of the Mystery of Golgotha via the detour through Moses. We know from the reflections on the Gospel of Luke that in that figure of Jesus of whom the Gospel of Matthew speaks in particular, the reincarnated Zarathustra is actually to be seen first and foremost in the boy Jesus. But we also know that this Zarathustra, in regard to what was in and around him, ensured that his later appearance was prepared. I have often mentioned how the etheric body of Zarathustra was shed by him through special occult processes and then passed over to Moses, so that the forces of Zarathustra’s etheric body were at work in Moses. Thus, as it were, by placing Elijah and Moses alongside Christ Jesus, we have in Moses the forces that bridge the gap from the primordial forms of culture to what was to be given to humanity in Christ Jesus and in the Mystery of Golgotha.

[ 13 ] But Moses is also a transitional figure in another sense. We know that Moses not only possessed the etheric body of Zarathustra within himself—through which he also carries the wisdom of Zarathustra, which can then manifest within him—but we know that Moses is also, in a certain sense, initiated into the mysteries of other peoples. We see a particular initiation scene in the encounter with the Midianite priest Jethro. We have also discussed it. It is found in the Old Testament (Exodus 2:16–21). It clearly indicates how Moses comes to this solitary priest and learns not only the initiation mysteries of Judaism but also those of other peoples, and incorporates them into his being, which has received the special strengthening of carrying the etheric body of Zarathustra within itself. Thus, through Moses, the initiation mysteries of the entire surrounding world entered the Jewish people, so that he prepared, as it were, on a subordinate level, what was to be accomplished through Christ Jesus. This was the current that was to lead to the Mystery of Golgotha.

[ 14 ] The other current was the one that came from what has already been hinted at—from what now lived, in a natural way, within the Jewish people as a people in its own right. Moses was the one who, into the stream flowing down through the generations of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, had already allowed the other elements that existed in the world to flow in, as far as was possible in his time. But what was so closely connected with the nature of the ancient Hebrew people was always to be preserved. For what was this people chosen? To form the preparation for that time which we have tried to bring before our souls in our contemplation, for example by referring to Greek culture and, just yesterday, to Empedocles. In doing so, we have pointed to that time when the ancient clairvoyant abilities fade from human beings, when their ability to look into the spiritual world is lost, and when the power of judgment inherent in the ego emerges, when the ego that is self-reliant emerges.

[ 15 ] The ancient Hebrew people were chosen to provide the ego with whatever could be supplied to it from the natural essence of the human being through the human blood system. Everything that could be expressed through the physical constitution of the human being was simply to find its full expression within this people. Intellectuality is, after all, bound to the physical organization of the human being. What was to be drawn from the physical organization of the ancient Hebrew people was precisely that which could nourish the human faculties bound to intellectuality. The other peoples, so to speak, were to allow into their earthly organization that which could enter through initiation—that is, from the outside. What could rise through one’s own human nature from the blood connection was to rise from the connection of the ancient Hebrew people. That is why such strict importance is attached to the blood connection being a continuous one, and to everyone carrying within themselves the faculties that have flowed through the blood since Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The ego is bound to the blood and was to be brought into its organization through the blood of the ancient Hebrew people, and this could only happen through heredity.

[ 16 ] I have already pointed out—as is implied in the Old Testament by the sacrifice and Abraham’s prevention of the sacrifice of Isaac—that this people was specifically chosen by the Deity to be given to humanity, and that thereby the outer physical vessel for the individuality of humanity is provided. That this physical vessel was given to humanity by God through the ancient Jewish people is indicated by Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son. With Isaac, however, Abraham would have sacrificed the very organization that was to provide humanity with the physical foundation for intellectuality and thus for the ego. He receives him back—and with him, the entire organization, a gift from God. That is the grandeur of this return of Isaac. (Genesis 22:1–19.) But this also indicates that on the one hand lies the spiritual current, which is depicted to us in the Transfiguration scene in Moses, all that which is now to flow through the instrument of the Jewish people toward the act of the Mystery of Golgotha. What is depicted to us in Elijah? It is faithfully brought into connection there with how the entirety of God’s revelation, which lives within the Jewish people, unites with what takes place through the Mystery of Golgotha. It is described in Numbers, chapter 25, how Israel is led into idolatry but is saved by a man. Through the resolve of one man, it comes to pass that the Israelites, the ancient Hebrew people, are not completely driven into idolatry at that time. Who is this man? He is the one of whom we are told in this Book of Numbers that he had the strength to stand before the ancient Hebrew people, who were in danger of falling into the idolatry of the surrounding peoples, and to stand up for the God who had been revealed through Moses; a strong soul. This standing up for God is usually translated in German as “eifern”; however, this zeal is not meant in a negative sense, but simply means “to stand up forcefully.” There we read Numbers 25:10–12:

“And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ‘Pinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned my wrath away from the Israelites by his zeal for me, so that I did not, in my zeal, destroy the Israelites.

Therefore say: ‘Behold, I give him my covenant of peace.’

[ 17 ] This is what Yahweh said to Moses. According to ancient Hebrew esoteric teachings, we find something of extraordinary significance precisely in this passage. And recent occult research confirms this. We know that descending from Aaron is the line of those who represent the high priesthood of ancient Israel, in whom thus lives on the essence of what was given to humanity by the Jewish people. At the point in world history to which reference is made there, both ancient Hebrew esoteric teachings and modern occult research point to nothing less than this: that Yahweh informed Moses that He would bestow upon the ancient Hebrew people, through Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, that is, in the grandson of Aaron, a special priest who intercedes for him, who is connected to him, to the ancient Hebrew people. And this esoteric teaching and modern occult research state that the same soul lived in Phinehas’s body that was later present in Elijah. This gives us a continuous line, which we have already indicated for certain points. In the grandson of Aaron we have the soul that matters to us; there it is at work, in Phinehas. We then find it again in Elijah-Naboth, then in John the Baptist, and we know, of course, how it subsequently continues its path through human evolution. — This soul is presented to us on the one hand, and on the other hand the soul of Moses himself.

[ 18 ] Thus, in the Transfiguration—the transformation on the mountain—we truly have before us that which converges there. The spirituality of the entire development of the Earth converges there, that which flows upward through Jewish blood in its essence within the Levitical tradition. For before us stands the soul of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron; before us stands Moses; and before us stands the fulfiller of the Mystery of Golgotha. How the forces, how the spiritual currents flowed together—this was to appear in imaginative insight before the three disciples to be initiated: Peter, James, and John. And if yesterday I attempted to depict something like a call that resounds, as it were, from Greece across to Palestine, and the call that echoes back in response, this was nevertheless something more than a mere, figurative illustration of the facts. It was meant to prepare for the great conversation of world history that has now truly taken place. The disciples Peter, James, and John were to be initiated into what these three souls—one of whom belongs to the Old Testament people, another who carries much within, as we know from the soul of Moses, while the third, as a cosmic deity, unites with the Earth—had to confer upon together. This is what the disciples were to witness. We know that it could not immediately sink into their hearts, that they did not immediately understand the words. But this is how it is with much of what one experiences in the occult realm. One experiences it imaginatively, does not understand it, and often only learns to understand it in subsequent incarnations; yet one understands it all the better the more our own understanding adapts to what was first beheld. But we can feel: above, the three world powers on the mountain; below, the three who are to be initiated into these great cosmic mysteries. From all these things, a sense may arise in our soul—just as the Gospel, when we understand it correctly, and especially when we allow the dramatic climaxes and the artistic composition, which is everywhere an expression of occult facts, to take their proper effect upon us—points to the great turning point that occurred at the time of the Mystery of Golgotha. The Gospel, when it can be explained through occult research, speaks in very, very clear terms. And the point will be that people must learn to understand more and more that, with regard to the individual points of the Gospel, one must always know what really matters, what is particularly important at one point or another; only then does one hit upon the point that is especially important for one parable or another, for one narrative or another. It is curious that, when it comes to the most important aspects of the Gospels, the usual theological or philosophical explanations always actually proceed from the peculiar perspective of someone who does not put the horse before the cart as one usually does, but rather the other way around—what is colloquially called “putting the cart before the horse” .” This is indeed the case with many interpreters and commentators; they fail to grasp what really matters.

[ 19 ] Since it is very significant for the course of our discussion, let us now draw your attention to a passage found in the fourteenth chapter of the Gospel of Mark.

“While he was in Bethany, at the home of Simon the leper, a woman came in as he was reclining at the table. She had an alabaster jar of very costly pure nard; she broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.

But there were some there who quarreled among themselves, saying, ‘Why this waste of ointment?’

‘This ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.’ And they rebuked her.

But Jesus said, “Leave her alone! Why are you bothering her? She has done a good deed for me.

For you always have the poor with you, and you can do good for them whenever you want; but you do not always have me.

She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial.

Truly, I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.” (14:3–9.)

[ 20 ] It would only be right to always admit that there is something quite striking about such a passage. And most people, if they are honest, should admit to themselves that they must sympathize with those who are quarreling, that the ointment has been wasted, that it is indeed quite unnecessary to pour it over someone’s head. Most will truly believe that it would have been better to sell the ointment for three hundred denarii and give the money to the poor. And if they are honest, they may find it harsh of Christ to say: It is wiser to let them be than to give the three hundred denarii one would get by selling the ointment to the poor. — One must tell oneself: There must be certain things behind this, if one is not to be put off by the whole story. The Gospel does something more; it is not even polite at this point. For if there are a number of people who admit to themselves that it would have been better to give the three hundred denarii that one could get for the ointment to the poor, the Gospel wants to say that those who think this way think similarly to a certain other person. For it continues:

“Wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

And Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray him to them.

But they were glad when they heard this, and promised to give him money. And he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.” (14:9–11.)

[ 21 ] For Judas Iscariot took particular offense at the pouring out of the ointment! Those who took offense at the pouring out of the ointment are likened to Judas Iscariot. The Gospel is therefore not even polite, for it makes it quite clear that those who took offense at the pouring out of the ointment are just like Judas Iscariot, who later sold the Lord for thirty pieces of silver, by saying: See, these are the kind of people who would sell the ointment for three hundred denarii; for Judas is attached to money. The Gospel should not be sugarcoated in any way, for sugarcoating prevents an objective, accurate explanation. One must find the point that matters. And we will find even more examples that show us that the Gospel even adheres to presenting secondary points in a somewhat offensive manner at times, when the main point is to be brought into particularly clear light.

[ 22 ] What is the point here? It is that the Gospel seeks to say: It is not merely the sensory realm that human beings must regard; it is not merely that which can have value and meaning within the sensory realm, but rather the supersensory world is what human beings must above all else take into themselves; and it is also important to regard that which no longer has any meaning within the sensory realm. The body of Christ Jesus, whose anointing before the burial is here merely anticipated by the woman, has no significance when it is lifeless; but one should do something for that which has value and significance beyond the sensory realm. This should be particularly emphasized. Therefore, to emphasize this, something is used here that even natural human consciousness believes it must attach the greatest value to in the realm of the senses.

[ 23 ] The Gospel chooses a particular example here to illustrate that one must sometimes withdraw something from the sensory realm in order to give it to the spirit—to give it to that place into which the self enters when it is freed from the body. It chooses precisely here one that seems quite irreverent: that what is given to the spirit, what is given to the I when it is freed from the body, is taken away from the poor. It does not look to what makes earthly existence worthwhile, but to what can enter into the I and from which the I can radiate. This is presented here in a particularly forceful manner. Hence it is associated with Judas Iscariot, who commits the betrayal because he feels his heart particularly drawn toward the sensory realm, because he mingles with those whom the Gospel here describes, in a rather blunt manner, as the true philistines—yet what is pointed to here is profound. Judas is concerned only with doing what has significance in the realm of the senses, like those who believe that what one can get for the three hundred denarii has more significance than what transcends the realm of the senses.

[ 24 ] Everywhere, the focus must be not on the secondary, but on the main point. The Gospel will be recognized everywhere when the value of the spiritual is recognized. Where the spiritual is correctly recognized, this example will be seen as applicable. That is why people everywhere will speak of the wasting of the ointment as something significant wherever one wishes to emphasize the value of the supersensible for the ego. A particular passage where one can again become acquainted with the methodological and artistic aspects of what the Gospel contains regarding the occult facts of human evolution is the following, which again presents a kind of crux for the interpreters.

“And the next day, as they were leaving Bethany, he was hungry.

And he saw from a distance a fig tree that had leaves, and he went to see if he could find anything on it. But when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.

And he began to say to it, ‘May no one ever eat fruit from you again!’ And his disciples heard it.” (11:12–14.)

[ 25 ] Now, to be honest, everyone should ask: Isn’t it strange, according to the Gospel, that God would go to a fig tree, look for figs, but find none—and that, on top of that, the reason why he found none is given—for it explicitly states, “It was not the season for figs,” which means that at a time when there are no figs, he goes to the fig tree, looks for figs, and finds none—and then says: “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!”? Now consider the explanations usually given for this story, whereas, taken dryly and soberly, it says nothing other than that, in a strange way, Jesus Christ feels hungry, goes to a fig tree at a time when no figs are growing, finds no figs, and then curses the tree so that no figs shall ever grow on it again for all eternity. Yes, what then is the fig tree, and why is the whole story told here? Anyone who can read occult writings will first recognize in the “fig tree”—as we shall yet see from the context in the Gospel—the very same thing spoken of regarding the Buddha, who sat beneath the “Bodhi tree” and received enlightenment for the sermon at Benares. Under the “Bodhi tree”—which also means: under the “fig tree.” In terms of world history, at the time of the Buddha, with regard to human clairvoyance, it was still the “age of the figs,” that is, one attained enlightenment—as was the case with the Buddha—under the Bodhi tree—under the fig tree. Now this was no longer the case. This was what the disciples were to learn. Now the historical fact had come to pass that the fruits were no longer present on that tree under which the Buddha had received enlightenment.

[ 26 ] And what was happening throughout all of humanity was reflected at that time in the soul of Christ. If we see in Empedocles of Sicily a representative of humanity—a representative of many people who were similarly starving because their souls could no longer find the revelation that had once been given to them and now had to content themselves with the abstractions of the ego—then we can speak of the starving Empedocles; we can speak of the hunger for the spirit that all people of the approaching age felt. And all of humanity’s hunger was laid upon the soul of Christ Jesus before the Mystery of Golgotha drew near.

[ 27 ] And the disciples were to share in this mystery and know of it. Christ leads them to the fig tree and tells them the mystery of the Bodhi tree. He omitted the fact that the Buddha had also found the fruit of this fig tree, because it was irrelevant. But now was no longer the time of the “figs” that the Buddha had from the Bodhi tree at the time of the sermon at Benares; rather, the Christ had to acknowledge that for all eternity, on the tree from which the light of Benares flowed down, the fruits of knowledge would no longer ripen, but that they would now come from the Mystery of Golgotha.

[ 28 ] What fact do we have before us? The fact that Christ Jesus is walking with his disciples from Bethany to Jerusalem, and that on this occasion a particularly strong feeling, a particularly strong power is aroused in the disciples, which evokes clairvoyant powers in their souls, so that they are particularly inclined toward imagination. Clairvoyant, imaginative powers are awakened in the disciples. They see the Bodhi tree and the fig tree clairvoyantly, and Christ Jesus brings about in them the realization that the fruits of knowledge can no longer come from the Bodhi tree; for it is no longer the time of the figs, that is, of the old knowledge. For all eternity this tree will be withered, and a new tree must grow, the tree consisting of the dead wood of the cross, on which do not ripen the fruits of the old knowledge, but rather the fruits that can ripen for humanity from the Mystery of Golgotha, which is connected with the cross of Golgotha as a new symbol. In place of that scene in world history which we see in the Buddha sitting beneath the Bodhi tree, the image of Golgotha has taken its place, where another tree, the tree of the cross, is exalted, upon which hung the living fruit of the revealing God-man, so that from it might radiate the new knowledge of the tree now continuing to grow, which is to bear fruit for all eternity.