The Gospel of John and the Other Three Gospels: (CW 117a) (The Collected Works of Rudolf Steiner)

The Gospel of John and the Other Three Gospels: (CW 117a) (The Collected Works of Rudolf Steiner)

Thirteen lectures, Stockholm, January 1910 (CW 117a) ‘ What is the Christ-event? It is a confluence of all preceding philosophies and religious streams of humanity… united in Palestine; and they were expressed in the Gospels according to the different types of initiation of the one or other Evangelist. ’ – Rudolf Steiner Speaking two years after his main lecture course on the Gospel of John, Rudolf Steiner discusses initiation traditions in the course of human history, and how the Christ Event unified them all – in particular, those connected to the Western and Eastern mysteries. In addition to esoteric interpretations of passages in the Gospels, Steiner also presents many new and complementary insights on the world-historic significance of Christ’s mission, including his initial reference to the Second Coming in the etheric realm. Dense in content, these thirteen lectures – delivered to an audience at the Royal Swedish Academy of Science, Stockholm – enrich our understanding of Rudolf Steiner’s Christology. Only recently published in German, and here in English for the first time, the lectures are accompanied with an introduction by Hans-Christian Zehnter, an appendix of photos and facsimiles, extensive notes and an index. ‘ The voice rose and the speaking took on a more rapid tempo, while it flowed without stopping in perfectly formed, beautiful sentences, as only a born speaker can produce. ’ (From a contemporary newspaper review.)   Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) was born in the small village of Kraljevec, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now in Croatia), where he grew up. As a young man, he lived in Weimar and Berlin, where he became a well-published scientific, literary, and philosophical scholar, known especially for his work with Goethe's scientific writings. At the beginning of the twentieth century, he began to develop his early philosophical principles into an approach to systematic research into psychological and spiritual phenomena. Formally beginning his spiritual teaching career under the auspices of the Theosophical Society, Steiner came to use the term Anthroposophy (and spiritual science) for his philosophy, spiritual research, and findings. The influence of Steiner's multifaceted genius has led to innovative and holistic approaches in medicine, various therapies, philosophy, religious renewal, Waldorf education, education for special needs, threefold economics, biodynamic agriculture, Goethean science, architecture, and the arts of drama, speech, and eurythmy. In 1924, Rudolf Steiner founded the General Anthroposophical Society, which today has branches throughout the world. He died in Dornach, Switzerland.