According to luke, Steiner, Rudolf

The third volume of Peter Selg's comprehensive presentation of Rudolf Steiner's life and work begins with Steiner's invitation to lecture in the Theosophical Society during the summer of 1900. From the outset of his theosophical involvement, Steiner was resolved to serve and develop the Western path to the spirit, traversed in full, conscious clarity of thought. He was therefore critical of the tendency to avoid the modern standards of a sound knowledge process in matters of spirituality and esotericism, and instead emphasized the importance of idealist philosophy as groundwork for understanding spiritual cognition.

Although his approach did not always harmonize with theosophical pursuits, Rudolf Steiner recognized the sincere striving at the basis of this movement and agreed to take on increasingly greater responsibility for the German Section. Marie von Sivers, who would later become his wife, was his most supportive colleague during this time. At a decisive juncture, Steiner broke from the Theosophical Society to found the Anthroposophical Society, through which he would continue the development of modern spiritual science more freely in accord with his original intentions.

This volume covers the period during which Steiner wrote some of his foundational works: Christianity as Mystical Fact (1902); Theosophy (1904); How to Know Higher Worlds (1904); and An Outline of Esoteric Science (1909). Peter Selg also describes the building of the first Goetheanum in Dornach as an artistic embodiment of esoteric wisdom, giving rise to an international working community, as well as the performance of the mystery dramas and Rudolf Steiner's profound Christological lectures known as the Fifth Gospel.

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"What was needed, according to Rudolf Steiner, was a deeper understanding of life and of social questions, an esoteric approach that could, and needed to, become fruitful exoterically. 'Spiritual Science does not and will not educate stay-at-homes or outsiders but rather active, effective people who step out into the world.' A theosophist or anthroposophist in the 'true sense of the word' was someone who was close to the 'nerve of the time, ' he said." --Peter Selg (from the beginning chapter)

Rudolf Steiner gave this complex sequence of dense, subtle, multileveled lectures and seminars to students of economics in Dornach, Switzerland, during the summer of 1922. The course reflects a lifetime of thinking on the subject and marks the conclusion of his intense five-year period of activism in the service of social, political, and economic issues. During this time, which began as World War I was ending in 1917, he worked tirelessly to promote the cause of what he called "threefolding" (Dreigliederung), by which he meant rethinking the social order on the basis of clear separation and independence of the three fundamental spheres of activity that make up a society. He proposed three independent systems:

• an autonomous rights sphere (limited to judicial and political matters)
• an autonomous economic sphere (cooperative or associative by nature)
• and an autonomous spiritual-cultural sphere

CONTENTS:

1. The Transition from Industrial, National Economies to a World Economy
2. The Fluid Nature of Economic Processes
3. Economics and Egotism
4. Labor and Value
5. The Production and Consumption
6. Price, Cultural Activity, and Gift
7. Price Formation
8. Supply and Demand
9. Trade, Loan, and Industrial Capital
10. Associations
11. World Economy
12. Money
13. Spiritual-Cultural Needs
14. World Economy: Living Concepts

1. Points of Method and "The Social Question"
2. Economics, Physical Processes, and Concepts of Work
3. The Division of Labor and the Relationship between Consumers and Producers
4. Value and the Nature of Work
5. Capital and the Monetary System
6. The Use of Money; Threefolding the Human Being and the Social Organism

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