Raising of the Dead

The Raising of Lazarus, 1630–1631, Rembrandt van Rijn (Los Angeles County Museum of Art)

The raising of the dead or awakening of the dead (Greek: εγειρω egeiro "to wake up, to raise, to erect"), which is often mistakenly equated with resurrection, is possible under suitable circumstances within a period of about three days after death, provided that the physical body has not been irreparably destroyed and the etheric body has largely but not yet completely detached itself from the physical body and dispersed in the general etheric world. At least by a narrow band, often called the so-called silver cord or similar, the astral body must also still be connected with the physical body. This is also how it is described in a passage of the Old Testament, where it says:

„... because all must go to their eternal home, and the mourners will go about the streets; 6 before the silver cord is snapped, and the golden bowl is broken, and the pitcher is broken at the fountain, and the wheel broken at the cistern, 7 and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the breath returns to God who gave it.“

– Ecclesiastes 12:5–7

Through the raising of the dead, unlike the resurrection, the dead person returns to his original mortal body. So by raising the dead, death is by no means finally defeated.

Literature

• Rudolf Steiner: Kosmogonie, GA 94 (2001) English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
• Rudolf Steiner: Zur Geschichte und aus den Inhalten der ersten Abteilung der Esoterischen Schule 1904 bis 1914, GA 264 (1987), ISBN 3-7274-2650-0 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.