christianity in the evolution of mankind

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Christianity in the Evolution ofMankind

Leading Individualities and Avatar-Beings

Schmidt Number S-!"#$

%n-line since !&th 'anuary( )*!+

Leading Individualities and Avatar-Beings

By ,udolf Steiner

ranslated by .rances E/ 0a1son 2A !*"

This lecture was originally given in Berlin on February 15, 1909. Thisversion was translated by Frances E. Dawson for the ntro!oso!hic"ress in 19##. $t has since a!!eared as lecture % of 11 in & 109 Das

Prinzip der spirituellen Ökonomie, The "rinci!les of '!iritualEcono(y

This e.Te)t edition is !rovided through the wonderful wor* of+3arious e/ e4t ranscribers

'earch for related titles available for !urchase at (a on.co( -

hanks to a donation by the Los Angeles ,udolf Steiner Library( this Lecture has been made available/

Esoteric 'tudies

"rinted in anuscri!t for the (e(bers only of the 'chool of '!iritual 'cience,&oetheanu(, /lass ne. o !erson is held 2ualified to for( a 3udg(ent on the contentsof these wor*s who has not ac2uired 4 through the 'chool itself or in an e2uivalent(anner recogni ed by the 'chool 4 the re2uisite !reli(inary *nowledge. ther o!inionswill be in so far disregarded, as the authors of the wor*s in 2uestion are not willing to ta*ethe( as a basis for discussion.

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: T <BE$ &' A lecture delivered in Berlin February 15, 1909

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Published from a stenographic report not edited by the lecturer with permission of

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Translated from the original by F /E' E. D ='

19##

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Authorized nglish translation! printed in agreement with "arry #ollison! $%A% &'(on%)

/o!yright+ Anthroposophic Press! *nc. 19##

"rinted in the 6. '. .

/hristianity in the Evolution of odernan*ind

7eading $ndividualities and vatar<Beings

+ecture by ,udolf -teiner Berlin, February 15, 1909

6 will have been able to see fro( the one lecture given here on (oreco(!licated 2uestions of reincarnation that, with further !rogress in the s!iritual<scientific world<view, what we could give in the beginning as ele(entary truths

beco(es (odified 4 we gradually rise to higher and higher truths. 'till it wasright to !resent the general cos(ic truths at first in as si(!le and ele(entary afor( as !ossible. $t is, however, necessary also to advance slowly ste! by ste!

fro( the abc to the higher truths, for only through these higher truths will that gradually

be attained which, a(ong other things, s!iritual science is intended to give+ na(ely, the !ossibility of understanding and !enetrating the world which surrounds us in the !hysical,sense<!erce!tible s!here. ow it is true that we have a long way to go before we shall beable to coordinate the s!iritual lines and forces e)isting behind the sense world. But

because of (uch that has been said in recent lectures. > /o(!are+ &eisteswissenschaftlicheenschen*unde ? various !heno(ena of our e)istence will already have beco(e clearer,(ore understandable. Today we shall !roceed a little farther in this regard, and here alsowe shall s!ea* again about (ore co(!licated 2uestions of reincarnation, of re<e(bodi(ent.

To that end we (ust today clearly reali e first of all that differences e)ist a(ong the beings who occu!y a leading !lace in the earth@s hu(an evolution. =e have to distinguishin the course of our earth evolution those leading individualities who fro( the beginning,



so to s!ea*, have develo!ed with the hu(anity of our earth 3ust as it is 4 only that theyhave (ade (ore ra!id !rogress. =e (ight !ut it this way+ $f we go bac* into the !ast tothe very re(ote 7e(urian ti(e, we find a(ong the hu(an beings then incarnated the(ost varied stages of develo!(ent. ll the souls e(bodied at that ti(e have again and

again e)!erienced reincarnations, re<e(bodi(ents, during the succeeding tlantean andour !ost< tlantean !eriods. These souls have develo!ed with varying ra!idity. 'o(e have(ade relatively slow !rogress through the various incarnations, and still have longdistances to travel in the futureA but there are also souls who have develo!ed ra!idly, who,one (ight say, have utili ed their incarnations to better advantage, and are therefore at astage of soul<s!iritual develo!(ent which will be attained by the nor(al (an only in avery, very distant future. But, continuing to s!ea* of this soul s!here, we (ay saynevertheless that however advanced these individual souls (ay be, however far they (aytower above the nor(al (an, still they have followed the sa(e !ath in our earth evolutionas the rest of hu(anityA they have (erely advanced (ore ra!idly. Besides these leadingindividualities, who in this sense are li*e the rest of hu(anity, only at a higher stage, thereare also in the course of hu(an evolution other individualities, other beings, who have byno (eans gone through various incarnations 3ust as other (en have. =e can !erha!sillustrate what lies at the botto( of this by saying+ There were beings in that very ti(e ofthe 7e(urian evolution to which we have alluded who no longer needed to descend sodee!ly into !hysical e(bodi(ent as other (en, as all the beings who have 3ust beendescribed 4 there were beings who could have acco(!lished their develo!(ent inhigher, (ore s!iritual regions, who, in other words, did not need for their own further

!rogress to descend into bodies of flesh. $t is nevertheless !ossible for these beings, inorder to intervene in the course of hu(an evolution, to descend vicariously, so to s!ea*,into 3ust such hu(an bodies as ours. t any ti(e therefore a being (ay a!!ear of who(,if we (a*e the clairvoyant test, we cannot say, as we can of other hu(an beings, that wetrace the soul bac* in ti(e and find it in a !revious fleshly incarnation, trace it farther

bac* and find it again in another incarnation, and so on 4 but we (ust say instead+ $f wetrace the soul of such a being bac* through the course of ti(e, !erha!s we do not find it atall in any for(er fleshly incarnationA but if we do, it is only because the being in 2uestionis able to descend re!eatedly, at intervals, and incarnate vicariously in a hu(an body. s!iritual being who descends thus into a hu(an body in order to intervene in evolution asa hu(an being, without gaining anything fro( this e(bodi(ent for hi(self, so to s!ea*,without e)!eriencing anything here in the world of s!ecial significance for hi(self 4such a being is called in oriental wisdo( an Avatar . nd this is the distinction between aleading being who has s!rung fro( hu(an evolution itself and one called an vatar+

na(ely, that an vatar<being rea!s no benefits for hi(self fro( his !hysicale(bodi(ents, or fro( the one !hysical e(bodi(ent to which he sub3ects hi(self, for heenters into a !hysical body for the blessing and advance(ent of (an*ind. Therefore, aswe have said, such an vatar<being can either enter into a hu(an body 3ust once, orseveral ti(es in successionA and he is then so(ething entirely different fro( other hu(an

beings.

The greatest vatar<Being =ho has lived on earth, as you can gather fro( the s!irit of allthe lectures given here, is the #hrist 4 that Being =ho( we designate as the /hrist,=ho too* !ossession of the bodies of esus of a areth in the C0th year of his life. ThisBeing, =ho first ca(e in contact with our earth at the beginning of our era, =ho was

incarnated for three years in a body of flesh, and =ho since that ti(e has been connectedwith the astral s!here, that is, with the s!iritual s!here of our su!ersensible world 4 this



beca(e !ossible for nu(berless co!ies of the original to be for(edA and these (anyco!ies could be woven into all the descendants of the tribal ancestor in the successivegenerations. Thus, the descent to earth of an vatar<being has the significance, a(ongother things, that it contributes to the (ulti!lication of one or several (e(bers of the

!erson in 2uestion who is ani(ated by the vatar. There e)isted in 'he(, as you can seefro( this, an es!ecially !recious etheric body, an archety!al etheric body, !re!ared by ane)alted vatar, and then woven into 'he(, so that it could then descend in (any co!iesto all those who were ordained to be related by blood to this ancestor.

ow we have already said in the lecture (entioned at the beginning that there is also as!iritual econo(y consisting in the fact that anything of es!ecial value is !reserved andcarried over into the future. > /o(!are also+ The /ospel of -t% $atthew and The /ospel of -t% +uke about arathustra, oses, and 8er(es. ? =e have heard that not only is the ego re<e(bodied, butthat also the astral body and the etheric body can be re<e(bodied. side fro( the fact thatnu(berless co!ies of 'he(@s etheric body were for(ed, his own etheric body was also

!reserved in the s!iritual worldA for it could later be very useful in the (ission of the8ebrew !eo!le. $n this etheric body all the !eculiarities of the 8ebrew !eo!le hadoriginally co(e to e)!ressionA and if at any ti(e so(ething of very es!ecial i(!ortancewas to occur for the ancient 8ebrew !eo!le, if a s!ecial tas*, a s!ecial (ission, was to beassigned to so(e one, it could best be acco(!lished by one who bore the etheric body ofthe ancestor. t a later ti(e a (an who !layed an i(!ortant role in the history of the8ebrew !eo!le actually did bear the etheric body of the tribal ancestor. $n fact, we havehere one of those wonderful co(!lications in hu(an evolution which can e)!lain a greatdeal to us. =e have to do with a very e)alted individuality who was co(!elled tocondescend, as it were, in order to s!ea* to the 8ebrew !eo!le in an a!!ro!riate (anner,and to give the( the strength for a s!ecial (ission 4 in so(ewhat the way a s!irituallyadvanced !erson would have to s!ea* to a lowly tribe. 8e would of course be co(!elledto learn the language of this tribeA but no one should (aintain on this account that thelanguage is so(ething which would serve to advance hi( !ersonally, for the oneconcerned need only ta*e the trouble to learn the language. $n the sa(e way a loftyindividuality had to (a*e the effort to use 'he(@s etheric body, in order to be able to givea very definite i(!ulse to the ancient 8ebrew !eo!le. This !ersonality is the one you findin the Biblical history na(ed elchi ede*. 8e too* u!on hi(self, as it were, the etheric

body of 'he(, in order later to give to braha( the i(!ulse which you find so beautifully described in the Bible. nd so, aside fro( the fact that what was contained inthe individuality of 'he( was (ulti!lied, because an vatar<being was e(bodied in it,

and then beca(e woven into all the other etheric bodies belonging to the 8ebrew !eo!le,'he(@s own etheric body was !reserved in the s!iritual world, so that it could be borne ata later ti(e by elchi ede*, who was to give to the 8ebrew !eo!le an i(!ortant i(!ulsethrough braha(.

Thus delicately interwoven are the facts e)isting behind the !hysical world which alone(a*e e)!licable to us what occurs in that world. =e co(e to understand history onlywhen we are able to !oint to such facts+ to facts of a s!iritual nature which lie behind the

!hysical ones. 8istory can never be e)!lained out of itself, if we consider !hysical factsalone.

=hat we have 3ust been discussing beco(es es!ecially significant+ na(ely, that throughthe descent of an vatar<being the essential soul<s!iritual (e(bers of the !ersonality who



is the bearer of this vatar<being are (ulti!lied and trans(itted to other hu(an beings,and a!!ear in co!ies of the original. This fact assu(es very s!ecial significance throughthe a!!earance of the #hrist on earth. Because the vatar<Being of #hrist dwelt in the

body of esus of a areth, it beca(e !ossible for the etheric body of esus of a areth to

be (ulti!lied innu(erable ti(es, as well as the astral body, and even the ego, 4 that is,the ego as an i(!ulse, as it was *indled in the astral body when the /hrist entered into thethreefold sheath of esus of a areth. But first we will ta*e into account the fact thatthrough the vatar<Being the etheric body and the astral body of esus of a areth could

be (ulti!lied.

ow 3ust through the a!!earance of the /hrist "rinci!le in the earth evolution, thereoccurred in hu(anity one of the (ost significant !heno(ena. =hat $ have told you about'he( is funda(entally ty!ical and characteristic for the !re</hristian ti(e. =hen in thisway an etheric body or an astral body is (ulti!lied, the co!ies of it are trans(itted as arule to those !eo!le who are related by blood to the one who had the originalA hence, theco!ies of 'he(@s etheric body were trans(itted to the (e(bers of the 8ebrew tribe. Thatwas changed by the a!!earance of the /hrist vatar<Being. The etheric body and theastral body of esus of a areth were (ulti!lied, and these co!ies were !reserved as suchuntil, in the course of hu(an develo!(ent, they could be used. They were not, however,li(ited to any one nationality nor to any !articular !eo!leA but when in the course of ti(ea hu(an being a!!eared who 4 irres!ective of nationality 4 was ri!e, was fitted to haveinterwoven with his own astral body an astral co!y of the astral body of esus of

a areth, or an etheric co!y of his etheric body, these could be woven into his being.Thus we see how it beca(e !ossible in the course of ti(e 4 let us say 4 for all sorts of

!eo!le to have woven into the( co!ies of the astral body or of the etheric body of esusof a areth.

The inti(ate history of /hristian develo!(ent is connected with this fact. =hat isordinarily described as the history of /hristian develo!(ent is a su( of entirely e)ternaloccurrencesA and therefore far too little consideration is given to a fact of very greati(!ortance+ na(ely, to the distinction of actual !eriods in /hristian develo!(ent. nyonewho can loo* (ore dee!ly into the evolutionary !rogress of /hristianity will easily

!erceive that in the early centuries of the /hristian era the (anner in which /hristianitywas s!read was entirely different fro( that of later centuries. $n the first /hristiancenturies the s!read of /hristianity was connected, as it were, with everything that could

be !rocured fro( the !hysical !lane. =e need only to ta*e a loo* at the early teachers of

/hristianity to see how at that ti(e !hysical recollections, !hysical relationshi!s, and !hysical relics are e(!hasi ed. ust consider what great i(!ortance was given by *ren0us, who in the first century contributed (uch to the s!read of /hristian teaching invarious lands, to the fact that recollections e)tended bac* to those who had the(selveslistened to the !u!ils of the !ostles. &reat value was set u!on being able to !rove by(eans of such !hysical recollections that /hrist 8i(self had taught in "alestine. $t wases!ecially e(!hasi ed, for e)a(!le, that "a!ias hi(self had sat at the feet of the !ostles@

!u!ilsA even the !laces were !ointed out and described where those !ersonalities had satwho were still eyewitnesses of the fact that /hrist had lived in "alestine. The !hysicalcontinuance of re(e(brance is what was es!ecially e(!hasi ed in the early /hristiancenturies.

=hat great !ro(inence was given to everything of a !hysical nature that still e)isted can



be seen in the words of the ancient ugustine, who says+ =hy do $ believe in the truthsof /hristianity Because the authority of the /atholic /hurch co(!els (e to.G The

!hysical authority for the e)istence of so(ething in the !hysical world is to hi( thei(!ortant and essential thing+ that a cor!orate body has been (aintained which, lin*ing

!ersonality with !ersonality, reaches u! to one who was a co(!anion of the /hrist 4such as "eter. For hi( that is the deter(ining factor. Thus we can see that in the s!read of/hristianity during the early centuries it was the docu(ents, the i(!ressions of the

!hysical !lane, to which the greatest i(!ortance was attached.

ow the situation changes after the ti(e of ugustine u! to, let us say, the 10th, 11th, or1%th century. During that !eriod of ti(e it was no longer !ossible to a!!eal to the livingre(e(brance, nor to draw u!on the docu(ents of the !hysical !lane, for they lay too farin the !ast. t that ti(e also so(ething entirely different ca(e into e)istence in the whole(ood and dis!osition of the hu(anity which was then e(bracing /hristianity A andes!ecially was this the case a(ong Euro!ean !eo!les. During that ti(e there was actuallyso(ething li*e a direct knowledge that a /hrist e)ists, that a /hrist died on the cross, andthat 8e continues to live. Fro( the #th or 5th century u! to the 10th or 1%th there were alarge nu(ber of !eo!le who would have considered it the greatest folly had they been toldthat the events of "alestine could even be doubted, for they *new better. They had always

been able to e)!erience inwardly a *ind of "auline revelation in (iniature 4 what "aul,who u! to that ti(e was a 'aul, e)!erienced on the road to Da(ascus, and through whichhe beca(e a "aul. 8ow did it ha!!en that in those centuries a nu(ber of !eo!le were ableto receive revelations which were in a certain sense clairvoyant concerning the events in"alestine $t was !ossible because in those centuries the (ulti!lied co!ies of the etheric

body of esus of a areth, which had been !reserved, had been woven into a greatnu(ber of !eo!leA because it was granted to the( to wear these as a gar(ent, so to s!ea*.There was inwoven with their etheric bodies, not esus@ own etheric body, but only a co!yof the inborn original one of esus of a areth. $n these centuries there were those whocould !ossess such an etheric body, and who could thereby have a direct *nowledge ofesus of a areth, and also of the /hrist. This was the reason also that the /hrist !icture

beca(e dissociated fro( e)ternal, historical, !hysical e)istence. nd the (ost e)tre(edissociation is shown to us in that wonderful !oe( of the 9th century, *nown as the "eliand poem, which originated in the ti(e of 7udwig the "ious, who reigned fro( H1#I H#0, and which was written down by an outwardly si(!le (an of 'a)ony. 8is astral bodyand his ego could by no (eans e2ual what his etheric body contained, for into his etheric

body was woven a co!y of the etheric body of esus of a areth. The si(!le 'a)on

!astor who wrote this !oe( had the certainty through direct clairvoyant vision that the/hrist e)ists on the astral !lane, and that 8e is the sa(e as 8e who was crucified on&olgotha- nd because this was a direct certainty for hi(, he no longer needed to cling tothe historical docu(ents. 8e no longer needed the !hysical (ediation to assure hi( thatthe /hrist e)isted. 8e described 8i(, therefore, as detached fro( the whole "alestiniansetting. 8e described 8i( as so(ething li*e a leader of a iddle<Euro!ean or &er(anictribeA and those who surrounded 8i( as 8is followers, the !ostles, he described asvassals of a &er(anic !rince. ll the e)ternal scenery was changedA only the actuallyessential, the eternal, in the /hrist Figure re(ained, 4 only what constitutes the structureof the events. 8aving such a direct *nowledge, built u!on such an i(!ortant foundationas the co!y of the etheric body of esus of a areth, it was not necessary to hold hi(self

rigidly to the i((ediate historical events when he was s!ea*ing of the /hrist. 8e investedwhat was for hi( direct *nowledge with a different e)ternal setting. nd 3ust as in the



case of this writer of the 8eliand !oe( we have been able to describe one of the strange !ersonalities who had a co!y of the etheric body of esus of a areth interwoven with hisetheric body, so we could find other !ersonalities in this !eriod who had si(ilar co!ies.Thus we see how the (ost i(!ortant occurrences of all, which are able to e)!lain history

to us in an inti(ate way, ta*e !lace behind the !hysical events.

$f we now follow /hristian develo!(ent farther, we co(e, let us say, into the !eriod between the 11th or 1%th century and the 15th. 8ere there was an entirely different(ystery, which now carried the whole evolution forward. First it was, so to s!ea*, thememory of what had ta*en !lace on the physical !laneA then it was the etheric element which was directly inwoven with the etheric bodies of the bearers of /hristianity iniddle<Euro!e. $n the later centuries, fro( the 1%th to the 15th, it was es!ecially theastral body of esus of a areth which in nu(erous co!ies was woven into the astral

bodies of the (ost i(!ortant bearers of /hristianity. 'uch !eo!le then had an ego whichas ego was ca!able of for(ing very false notions of all sorts of thingsA but in their astral

bodies there e)isted i((ediate sources of strength, of devotion, a direct certainty ofsacred truths. There e)isted in such !eo!le dee! fervor, absolutely direct conviction, andalso in so(e circu(stances the ability to !rove this conviction. =hat (ust so(eti(essee( so strange to us in these very !ersonalities is that in their ego their develo!(ent byno (eans e2ualled what their astral body contained, because the latter had a co!y of theastral body of esus of a areth woven into it. =hat their ego did often see(edgrotes2ueA but the world of their (oods and feelings, of their fervor, was grand ande)alted. 'uch a !ersonality, for e)a(!le, was Francis of Assisi. nd when we, as !eo!leof the !resent ti(e, study Francis of ssisi and are not able to understand his consciousego, but are nevertheless co(!elled to have the dee!est !ossible reverence for the entireworld of his feelings and for all that he did, 4 that fact beco(es e)!licable fro( such a

!oint of view. 8e was one of those who had a co!y of the astral body of esus of a arethinwoven. Because of this he was able to acco(!lish 3ust what he did acco(!lish, and(any of his adherents fro( the rder of Franciscans, with its servants and (inorites, hadsi(ilarly such co!ies interwoven with their astral bodies.

ll the strange and otherwise (ysterious !heno(ena of that ti(e will beco(e lu(inousand clear to you, if you bring !ro!erly before the eyes of your soul this (ediation inworld evolution between !ast and future. The i(!ortant 2uestion was whether what waswoven into these !eo!le of the iddle ges fro( the astral body of esus of a arethwas (ore what we call the sentient soul, or (ore the intellectual soul, or (ore what we

call the consciousness soul. For the astral body of (an (ust of course be considered in acertain sense as so(ething containing all thisA that is, it (ust be thought of as enclosingthe ego, and containing sentient soul, intellectual soul, and consciousness soul. ll thatwas in Francis of ssisi was wholly sentient soul of esus of a areth, so to s!ea*.=holly sentient soul of esus of a areth was contained in that re(ar*able !ersonalitywho( you will follow biogra!hically with the soul when you *now the secret of her life+ lizabeth of Th1ringen, born in 1%0J. 8ere we have a !ersonality who had a co!y of theastral body of esus of a areth woven into the sentient soul. The riddle of the hu(an

being is solved for us by (eans of 3ust such *nowledge.

bove all, one !heno(enon will be understandable when you *now that during this ti(e

the (ost diverse !ersonalities had sentient soul, intellectual soul, or consciousness soulwoven into the( as co!ies of the astral body of esus of a areth. ou will be able to



understand that science, otherwise so little understood, which we ordinarily designate as scholasticism. =hat *ind of a tas* did the scholastics set for the(selves The tas* offinding, on the basis of 3udg(ent and intellect, verifications, !roofs, for that with whichthere was no historical connecting lin*, and concerning which there was no direct

clairvoyant certainty, such as e)isted in !revious centuries because of the interwovenetheric body of esus of a areth. These !eo!le had to set the(selves the tas* in thisway+ They said to the(selves+ $t has been co((unicated to us through tradition that inhistory that Being a!!eared =ho is *nown as /hrist esusA that other s!iritual beings ofwho( the religious docu(ents bear witness have intervened in hu(an evolution. 4 Fro(their intellectual soul, fro( the intellect ele(ent of the co!y of the astral body of esus of

a areth, they set the(selves the tas* of !roving with subtle and clearly develo!edconce!ts all that e)isted in their literature as (ystery truths. Thus arose that strangescience which tried to achieve what was !erha!s the ulti(ate in sagacity, in intellect, thathas ever been reached by hu(anity. ne (ay thin* of the content of scholasticis( as onewishes, but through several centuries, si(!ly by (eans of this very delicatediscri(ination and e)act outlining of conce!ts, the ca!acity for hu(an reflection wasdevelo!ed and i(!ressed u!on the culture of the !eriod. $t was between the 1Cth and 15thcenturies that hu(anity had i(!lanted into it through scholasticis( the ca!acity to thin*with acute and searching logic.

(ong those who, in turn, were (ore i(bued with the consciousness soul 4 that is, theco!y of what had constituted the consciousness soul of esus of a areth 4 therea!!eared the s!ecial conviction 4 because the ego functions in the consciousness soul 4that the /hrist can be found in the ego. nd because they the(selves had within the( theele(ent of the consciousness soul fro( the astral body of esus of a areth, the inner/hrist rose res!lendent in their souls. These are the individuals who( you *now as $eister ckhart , .ohannes Tauler , and all the bearers of (ediKval (ysticis(.

Thus you see how the very diversified !hases of the astral body were (ulti!lied becausethe e)alted vatar<Being of /hrist had entered into the body of esus of a arethA andthey wor*ed on in the following age and brought about the real develo!(ent of/hristianity. $n other res!ects also this was an i(!ortant transition. =e see how in thecourse of its develo!(ent hu(anity is de!endent in other ways also u!on havingincor!orated within it these frag(ents of the esus of a areth being. $n the earlycenturies there were !eo!le who were entirely de!endent u!on the !hysical !laneA then inthe following centuries ca(e those who were accessible to the interweaving with their

etheric bodies of the ele(ent of the etheric body of esus of a areth. 7ater !eo!letended (ore, so to s!ea*, toward the astral bodyA hence the co!y of the astral body ofesus of a areth could now li*ewise be incor!orated in the(. The astral body is the

bearer of the !ower of 3udg(ent, which awa*ened !articularly between the 1%th and the1#th centuries. ou could observe this fro( another !heno(enon also.

6! to that ti(e it was es!ecially well understood what de!ths of (ystery the "oly#ommunion contained. t (ost there was only slight discussion about it, but it wasacce!ted in a (anner that enabled one to feel all that lay in the words + This is y bodyand this is y blood, 4 because the /hrist indicated that 8e would be united with theearth, would be the !lanetary '!irit of the Earth. nd because the (ost !recious thing

co(ing out of the !hysical earth is grain, bread beca(e for (an the body of /hristA andthe sa! which flows through the !lants beca(e for hi( so(ething fro( the blood of



/hrist. Through this *nowledge the value of the 7ord@s 'u!!er was not di(inished, butwas on the contrary heightened. 'o(ething of these li(itless de!ths was felt in thesecenturies, u! to the ti(e when the !ower of 3udg(ent awa*ened in the astral body. $t wasonly fro( then on that dis!utes began about the 7ord@s 'u!!er. ust consider how a(ong

the 8ussites, a(ong the 7utherans and the dissenting winglians and /alvinists, therewas discussion as to what the 7ord@s 'u!!er is intended to be. 'uch discussion would nothave been !ossible earlier, because there was still a direct *nowledge of the 7ord@s'u!!er. But we see verified here a great historical law which should be of s!eciali(!ortance for s!iritual scientists+ na(ely, that as long as people knew what the +ord2s-upper was they did not discuss it% *n general you can consider it a sign that peoplereally have no knowledge of a certain matter %when they begin to discuss it% 3here thereis knowledge! knowledge is imparted! and no particular desire for discussion e(ists%3here there is desire for discussion! there is as a rule no knowledge of the truth% Discussion begins only when there is a lack of knowledge! and it is always andeverywhere the sign of a decline as regards the seriousness of a sub4ect when discussionbegins% Disintegration of a particular trend is always proclaimed by discussions% *t isvery important that in the spiritual5scientific field we come to understand more and morethat the wish for discussion may really be taken as a sign of ignorance6 on the otherhand! that which is the opposite of discussion! the will to learn! the will gradually tocomprehend what is in 7uestion! should be cultivated .

8ere we see a great historical fact verified by the develo!(ent of /hristianity itself. Butwe can learn so(ething else besides, if we see how in these centuries of /hristendo( 3ustdescribed the !ower of 3udg(ent 4 which resides in the astral body 4 this acuteintellectual wisdo(, is develo!ed. $ndeed, if we fi) our attention u!on realities, notdog(as, we can learn how (uch /hristianity has acco(!lished in the course of its

!rogress. =hat has beco(e of scholasticis(, if we consider it, not as to its content, but asa (eans of cultivating and disci!lining the faculties Do you *now what beca(e of it $t

beca(e (odern natural science. odern natural science is entirely unthin*able withoutthe /hristian natural science of the iddle ges. $t is not only that /o!ernicus was acanon, and &iordano Bruno a Do(inican, but that all the thought<for(s e(!loyed in thenatural sciences since the 15th and 1Lth centuries are nothing but what was develo!ed andnurtured by the scholastic science of the iddle ges. Those !eo!le do not live in reality,

but in abstractions, who loo* u! !assages in the boo*s of the scholastics, co(!are the(with the state(ents of (ore recent natural science, and then say+ 8aec*el and others(aintain so(ething entirely different. ealities are what (atter-

8aec*el, a Darwin, a DuBois< ey(ond, a 8u)ley, and others, would all have beeni(!ossible if the /hristian scholastic science of the iddle ages had not !receded the(.For the very fact that these (odern scientists were able to thin* as they did they owe tothe /hristiani ed science of the scholastics of the iddle ges. That is the reality. By this(eans hu(anity has learned to thin* in the true sense of the word. 4 The (atter goesfurther still. ead David Friedrich 'trauss. Try to observe the (ode of his thin*ingA try toanaly e his thought !ictures+ 8ow he insists u!on re!resenting the whole life of esus of

a areth as a (yth. > /o(!are+ udolf 'teiner, #osmic and "uman "istory , :ol. $llA *nner volutionary *mpulses of "umanity M7ecture $$N Mnot yet available in English translationN.? Do you *nowwhence he has the *eenness of his thin*ing 8e gets it fro( the /hristian scholasticis( of

the iddle ges. Everything by (eans of which /hristianity is so radically co(batedtoday has been learned fro( the /hristian scholastic science of the iddle ges. ctually



there could not be today an o!!onent of /hristianity concerning who( it could not easily be !ointed out that he would not be able to thin* as he thin*s at all, had he not learned thethought<for(s fro( the scholastic science of the iddle ges. This, indeed, would (eanto observe world history in its reality.

=hat then has ha!!ened since the 1Lth century 'ince the 1Lth century the ego itself hasco(e (ore and (ore into !ro(inence, and with it hu(an egotis( also, and with egotis(,(aterialis(. =hat the ego had ac2uired as content has been unlearned and forgotten. $twas therefore necessary for (an to li(it hi(self to that which the ego can observe 4 tothat which the !hysical sense<instru(ent is able to give to the ordinary intelligence 4 andthat alone could it ta*e into the inner sanctuary. The civili ation since the 1Lth century isa civili ation of egotis(. =hat (ust now enter into this ego /hristian evolution has

!assed through a develo!(ent in the e)ternal !hysical body, a develo!(ent in the etheric body, and also in the astral body, and has !enetrated as far as the ego. ow it (ust ta*einto this ego the mysteries and secrets of #hristianity itself. Following a ti(e when theego learned to thin* through /hristianity, and a!!lied the thoughts to the outer world, it(ust now be !ossible for the ego to be (ade into a /hrist<rece!tive organ. This ego (ustnow rediscover the wisdo( which is the !ri(ordial wisdo( of the &reat vatar, of /hrist8i(self. nd by what (eans (ust this co(e to !ass By a !rofounder understanding of/hristianity through s!iritual science. /arefully !re!ared through the three stages of

!hysical, etheric, and astral develo!(ent, the (atter of concern should now be that theorgan within (an be o!ened, so that he (ay henceforth see into his s!iritual environ(entwith that eye which the /hrist can o!en for hi(. s the greatest vatar<Being, the /hristdescended to earth. 7et us get a !ers!ective view of thisA let us try to loo* at the world aswe shall be able to see it when we shall have received the /hrist into ourselves. =e thenfind the whole !rocess of our world<beco(ing illu(inated and !ervaded by the /hrist<Being. That is to say, we describe how u!on 'aturn (an@s !hysical body gradually ca(einto e)istence, how on the 'un the etheric body (ade its a!!earance, on the oon theastral body, and then on the Earth the ego is addedA and we find how everything tendstoward the goal of beco(ing ever (ore inde!endent and individual, in order toincor!orate in the Earth evolution that wisdo( which !asses over fro( the 'un to theEarth. $n other words + for the liberated ego of (odern ti(es the /hrist and /hristianity(ust beco(e the !ers!ective center of the cos(ic view.

Thus you see how /hristianity gradually !re!ared itself for what it is to beco(e. $n theearly centuries the /hristian received /hristianity with his !hysical ca!acity for

*nowledgeA then later with his etheric ca!acityA and throughout the iddle ges with hisastral ca!acity for *nowledge. Then for a ti(e /hristianity in its true for( was re!ressed,until the ego had been trained by the three bodies in the course of /hristian develo!(ent.But since this ego has learned to thin* and to direct its vision to the ob3ective world, it isnow ca!able also of seeing in all !heno(ena in this ob3ective world s!iritual facts whichare inti(ately connected with the /entral Being, with the /hrist Being+ it is ca!able of

beholding the /hrist everywhere in the (ost various for(s as the foundation.

=ith this fact we stand at the starting !oint of s!iritual<scientific co(!rehension and*nowledge of /hristianity. =e begin to understand what tas*, what (ission, has beenassigned to this ove(ent for '!iritual ;nowledge, and we reali e at the sa(e ti(e the

reality of this (ission. ust as the individual hu(an being has !hysical body, etheric body, astral body, and ego, and gradually rises to ever (ore lofty heights, so is it also in



the historical develo!(ent of /hristianity. =e (ight say that /hristianity has also a !hysical body, an etheric body, an astral body, and an ego 4 an ego which can even denyits origin, as in our ti(e, since the ego can in any case beco(e egotistic 4 but still an egowhich can at the sa(e ti(e receive the true /hrist Being into itself, and can gradually rise

to ever higher stages of e)istence. =hat the hu(an being is in !articular, the great worldis in its totality, as well as in its course of historical develo!(ent. $f we observe the (atterin this light, there o!ens before us fro( the s!iritual<scientific view!oint a !ers!ective farinto the future. nd we *now how this can lay hold u!on our heart and fill it with(eaning. =e co(!rehend (ore and (ore what we have to do, and we *now also that weare not gro!ing in the dar*A for we have not devised any ideas which we intend arbitrarilyto !ro3ect into the future, but we intend to harbor and to follow only those ideas whichhave been gradually !re!ared through the centuries. ust as it is true that the ego (ust firsta!!ear and be develo!ed little by little u! to '!irit 'elf, 7ife '!irit, and '!irit an, afterthe !hysical body, the etheric body, and astral body were already in e)istence, so is it truethat the (odern (an with his ego<for(, with his !resent<day thin*ing, could only bedevelo!ed out of the astral, the etheric, and the !hysical for( of /hristianity. /hristianityhas beco(e go . s it is true that this was the develo!(ent in the !ast, 3ust so true is itthat the ego<for( of hu(anity can a!!ear only after the astral and etheric for( of/hristianity has been develo!ed. /hristianity will develo! on into the futureA it will offerhu(anity far greater things, and the /hristian develo!(ent and the /hristian standard oflife will arise in new for(+ the transformed astral body will a!!ear as the /hristian -pirit-elf A the transfor(ed etheric body as the /hristian +ife -pirit . nd in a radiant !ers!ectiveof the future of /hristianity, -pirit $an glea(s forth before our souls li*e a star towardwhich we strive, illu(inated and glowing through and through with the s!irit of/hristianity.

christianity in the evolution of mankind

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