World History in the Light of Anthroposophy
and as a Foundation for Knowledge of the Human Spirit
GA 233
Humanity now stands in the presence of the guardian of the threshold who challenges us to take a step into a new sphere of activity, into the spiritual world. In these lectures, given concurrently with the Christmas Foundation Meeting, Steiner presents a comprehensive survey of the history of the ancient mysteries and the spiritual guidance of humanity. This prepared and strengthened the founding assembly for his courageous, decisive act of establishing the new mysteries during the Christmas Foundation Meeting.
These nine lectures, translated from the German by George and Mary Adams (the last lecture being translated by Dorothy Osmond), were given in Dornach from December 23rd 1923 to January 1st 1924, during the Foundation Meeting of the General Anthroposophical Society. In the collected edition of Rudolf Steiner's works, the volume containing the German texts is entitled: Die Weltgeschichte in Anthroposophischer Beleuchtung und als Grundlage der Erkenntnis des Menschengeistes.
| I. | Evolution of the Soul and of Memory | December 24, 1923 |
| II. | Mysteries of “Asia” | December 25, 1923 |
| III. | Asiatic Mysteries of Ephesus, Gilgamesh and Eabani | December 26, 1923 |
| IV. | Atlantean Wisdom in the Mysteries of Hibernia, Gilgamesh and Eabani at Ephesus, Logos Mysteries of Artemis at Ephesus | December 27, 1923 |
| V. | Mysteries of the East, West, and of Ephesus | December 28, 1923 |
| VI. | Mysteries of the Ancient Near East Enter Europe | December 29, 1923 |
| VII. | The Fifteenth Century and the Transition from Mind-Soul to Spiritual-Soul | December 30, 1923 |
| VIII. | The Burning of the Ephesian Temple and the Goetheanum | December 31, 1923 |
| IX. | World History in the Light of Anthroposophy | January 01, 1924 |