Smyrna

Smyrna (Turkey) Smyrna Smyrna Ephesos Ephesos

Smyrna, today's İzmir (Asia Minor); south of it Ephesus

The ancient Agora of Smyrna: view of the columns of the western Stoa

Smyrna (Latin; Greek: Σμύρνη Smyrni), today's Turkish İzmir, situated on the Turkish Aegean coast on the Gulf of İzmir, is the second of the seven churches in Asia Minor to which, in the Apocalypse of John, a epistle is addressed which the Christ dictated to the Evangelist John. According to Rudolf Steiner, Smyrna represents the ancient Persian cultural epoch.

„8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life. 9 “I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’“

– Revelation 2:8–11

Rudolf Steiner explains:

„The representative of the second cultural epoch is the congregation or church of Smyrna. This is addressed by the leader of humanity in his second ancestor, in the inspirer and master of the ancient Persian culture. The attitude of the ancient Persian culture is this: Once there was the God of Light, who had an enemy, the outer matter, the dark Ahriman. At first I was connected with the spirit of light, with the first one who was there. Then I was incorporated into the world of matter, into which was incorporated the enemy force that had remained behind: Ahriman. And now, together with the spirit of light, I shall work on matter and incorporate the spirit into it; then, after the evil deity has been defeated, the good deity, the light-deity, will reappear. - "I am the one who is the first and the last", the one who becomes dead in the material life and again alive in the spiritual resurrection. So we read in the second letter, "I am the first and the last, who am, and who was, and who is to come, who have come to life again" (Revelation 2:8). It would be going too far to go through every sentence in this way, but we have to mention one in more detail, the sentence that exactly characterises how one behaves as a member of the congregation of Smyrna when one transforms it into the Christian principle. It says that one gives life to death, that one spiritualises what is dead. One does not perish in the dead. If one were to perish, then death would be an event for man which would lead him to a spiritual life in which the fruits of this earthly life could not be found. Take a person who has not applied his life in such a way that he can extract the real fruits. He does not take any fruits with him into the spiritual life. But only from these fruits can he live in spiritual existence. If he did not bring any fruits with him, he would experience the "second death". By working this earthly field, he is saved from the "second death": "He who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be harmed by the second death" (Revelation 2:11).“ (Lit.:GA 104, p. 79f)

Literature

• Rudolf Steiner: Die Apokalypse des Johannes, GA 104 (1985), ISBN 3-7274-1040-X English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org

References to the work of Rudolf Steiner follow Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works (CW or GA), Rudolf Steiner Verlag, Dornach/Switzerland, unless otherwise stated. Email: verlag@steinerverlag.com URL: www.steinerverlag.com. Index to the Complete Works of Rudolf Steiner - Aelzina Books A complete list by Volume Number and a full list of known English translations you may also find at Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works Rudolf Steiner Archive - The largest online collection of Rudolf Steiner's books, lectures and articles in English. Rudolf Steiner Audio - Recorded and Read by Dale Brunsvold steinerbooks.org - Anthroposophic Press Inc. (USA) Rudolf Steiner Handbook - Christian Karl's proven standard work for orientation in Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works for free download as PDF.