Knowledge of the higher worlds and its attainment, Steiner, Rudolf

For many centuries, the teaching of Mani was hidden behind the distorted picture that had been created by the adversaries of Manichaeism in East and West. In the course of the twentieth century, new light was shed on Manichaeism by the discovery of several Manichaean scriptures. These have shown that Manichaeism was a true, distinct world religion that, in the question of good and evil, for instance, offers insights that complement and deepen Christianity.

Also in the twentieth century, Rudolf Steiner brought Anthro-posophy, Spiritual Science, which is a continuation of a stream of esoteric Christianity that has run through human history ever since the resurrection of Christ. Anthroposophy is centered on a new, deepened idea of Christianity that, as indicated by Rudolf Steiner, is so great and all-encompassing that it can be understood in its full depth only gradually.

In this book, Christine Gruwez explores the essence of Mani's revelation and then shows what Rudolf Steiner has communicated regarding Mani and his teaching. This generates an image of two spiritual streams that, each from its own beginning, are moving toward a future when a Christianity of the deed shall become reality.

C O N T E N T S:

Introduction

1. Mani and Manichaeism: The Historical Dimension

Manichaeism Rediscovered
Mani, the Apostle of Jesus Christ
Mani's Scriptures:
-- The Organization of a Manichaean Community
-- Liturgy and Prayer
-- The Message of Mani
-- The Creation Story
-- The Figure of Jesus

2. Rudolf Steiner and Manichaeism

Rudolf Steiner's approach to Manichaeism
Rudolf Steiner's Sources:
-- St. Augustine and Other Church Fathers
-- Standard Works in German
Rudolf Steiner and Manichaean Teaching
-- The Question of Dualism
-- Characteristics of Mani's Dualism
-- Mani's View of Matter
-- Rudolf Steiner on the "Spirit-Matter Principle" in Manichaeism
-- Rudolf Steiner on the Manichaean Cosmogony
-- The Manichaean Creation Myth and Its Rendering by Rudolf Steiner
-- Rudolf Steiner on Dualism and Manichaean Dualism
-- Rudolf Steiner and the Individuality of Mani
-- Rudolf Steiner and the Acta Archelai
-- A Second Version
-- The Son of a Widow
-- Mani and the Paraclete
-- Mani's Spiritual Stature and Rank

3. The Mission of Evil: Rudolf Steiner and the Mani Intention

Evil as Ill-Timed Good
Manichaeism and the Future of Christianity: Form and Life
The "I" as Double-Edged Sword
Initiation into the Mystery of Evil

4. Mani as Artist and the Significance of Art in Manichaeism

Mani, All-around Artist:
-- The Ritual Meal as Prototype of Manichaean Art
-- The Significance of the Picture
-- Rudolf Steiner on the Source of Art and Artistry
-- Conclusion

Epilogue: Anthroposophy and Manichaeism as Deed

Appendix 1: Manu and Mani
Appendix 2: The Manichaean View of Jesus and Christ

In these exciting lectures given in 1922, Rudolf Steiner explores the practical consequences of Christian theological spiritual facts as they unfold in human consciousness. Starting with the early Gnostic understanding of the Christ event from within, Steiner shows how medieval theology reached an exoteric view of the spiritual world. It was this view that, coupled with the rise of abstract intellectuality, led to the separation of faith and knowledge that denied humanity access to suprasensory worlds. Using examples from Dionsyius the Areopagite, John Scotus Eriugena, Paracelsus, and Goethe, Steiner then lays the foundations for a path to the suprasensory that would unite faith and knowledge, through the spirit, in a full trinitarian understanding of the human being and the cosmos.

Part two consists of lectures given in England that deepen our understanding of the Trinity as this may be known through the spirit. The first lecture deals in a remarkable way with practice and stages of meditation. On the basis of such meditation, Steiner shows how we can begin to understand the cosmic origin of the human being and the meaning of The Mystery of Golgotha for humanity and the cosmos. Above all, he stresses, meditation will allow us to realize the foundations of true knowledge: Ex deo nascimur (We are born of God); In Christo morimur (In Christ we die); Per spiritum sanctum reviscimus (Through the Holy Spirit we are reborn).

This work is a translation of lectures 1 to 4 and 8 to 11 of Das Geheimnis der Trinit t: Der Mensch und sein Verh ltnis zur Geisteswelt im Wandel der Zeiten (GA 214).

These accounts by Hella Wiesberger (1920-2014) offer an overview of the nature, background, and history of Rudolf Steiner's esoteric teaching activity. This book is the result of her lifelong study of this aspect of Steiner's work, including documents she oversaw as an editor of Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works. Wiesberger's collegial relationships with certain esoteric students also helped her shine a light on some of Steiner's less accessible documents.

Hella Wiesberger's writings were published over two decades as introductions and commentaries in relevant volumes of Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works, placing them in biographical and historical context. The essays were edited in various degrees for this volume in consideration of more recent context, insights, and knowledge. Also included are commentaries and contributions related to the Esoteric School from Rudolf Steiner, Marie Steiner, and Adolf Arenson, as well as several letters to and from Rudolf Steiner.

We are fortunate to have these records from a devoted and diligent student of Rudolf Steiner and Anthroposophy. They provide valuable insights into the story and substance of Spiritual Science and its esoteric school and teaching.

CONTENTS

Introduction

1. Rudolf Steiner in the History of the Esoteric Movement
2. Rudolf Steiner as a Teacher of Esotericism
3. Research into Occult History
4. Rudolf Steiner on the First Section of the Esoteric School, 1904-1914
5. The Structure of the Esoteric School
6. The Movement, the Esoteric School, and the Society
7. Separation of the Esoteric School from the Theosophical Society
8. The Second Section of the Esoteric School, 1904-1914
9. Establishing the Cognitive-Ritual Section
10. Ritual in Rudolf Steiner's Esoteric Work
11. The Meaning and Spiritual Origin of the Cognitive Ritual
12. Esoteric Research into the Hiram-John Individuality
13. Was Rudolf Steiner a Freemason?
14. Clarifying Rudolf Steiner's Connection with Theodor Reuss
15. The Esoteric School and a New Beginning after the War
16. Adolf Arenson: A Circular to the Members and a Letter to Albert Steffen
17. Concluding Remarks