Solomon Jesus

El Greco: The Adoration of the Magi, , 1568 Museo Soumaya, Mexico City

Codex Egberti, fol. 15v: The Bethlehemite Infanticide (Master of the Registrum Gregorii)

Marcantonio Raimondi (after Raphael): The Massacre of the Innocents, copperplate engraving, c. 1509

Solomon Jesus or Solomonian Jesus is called the Jesus boy of whom we are told in the Gospel of Matthew. Rudolf Steiner's spiritual-scientific research led him to the view that not only one, but two Jesus boys were born at the turn of time. In fact, on closer examination, the Gospels also point in this direction. The birth narrative in the Gospel of Matthew differs in essential points from that in the Gospel of Luke; in particular, both Gospels also indicate significantly different lines of descent.

The descent line of the Solomon Jesus

The Jesus boy described in the Gospel of Matthew comes from the Solomonic line of the House of David, which is traced back over 42 generations to Abraham. The Gospel of Luke, on the other hand, reports the birth of the Nathanian Jesus boy.

The Genealogy of Jesus

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. 12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. 17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

– Matthew 1:1–17

The deeper significance of this generational sequence was known especially to the Essenes.

„They underwent an initiation which was particularly suitable to bring about an understanding, an understanding through clairvoyant vision, of the significance of Hebraism, of Abrahamism for the Christ event [...] Such an Essaean should first learn to understand the whole significance of what had happened through Abraham for the Hebrew people, so that he could appreciate that in Abraham there is really to be seen a kind of progenitor of the Hebrew people [...]

Since Abraham was destined to play such an important role in the evolution of humanity, it was necessary for that spirit to penetrate into the interior of his organisation which humanity had previously perceived in the Atlantean times as that spirit which weaves through and lives through the outer world. This happened for the first time with Abraham, and with it it was possible for the first time that a change of spiritual perception could take place. However, for this to happen, the influence of a divine-spiritual being was necessary. A divine-spiritual being laid the seed, as it were, in the organisation of Abraham for all the organisations that were to descend from him in the succession of generations.

So an Essene of that time said to himself: What could actually form the Hebrew people, through which it could become the bearer of the Christ mission, was first brought about in the plant by that mysterious being which one can only find if one ascends through the whole succession of generations up to Abraham, where it slipped, as it were, into the inner organisation of Abraham, in order then to work through the blood as a kind of national spirit in the Hebrew people. If, therefore, one wishes to understand this, so to speak, last secret of the evolution of humanity, one must ascend to this spirit which has transplanted that disposition, and seek it out where it had not yet slipped into the organisation of Abraham. Therefore the Essaean said: If man wants to ascend to this actually inspiring or inaugurating spirit of the Hebrew people and recognise it in its purity, he must, as an Essaean or therapist, go through a certain development whereby he purifies himself of all that has come to the human soul from the physical world since the Abraham event. For the Essaean said to himself: The spiritual being that man carries within himself, and all the spiritual entities that contribute to the becoming of humanity, can only be seen in their purity in the spiritual world; as they dwell in ourselves, they are contaminated by the forces of the physical-sensual world [...]

Now it is a law of spiritual science which the Essenes were able to fulfil, preferably through their research and clairvoyant vision: that the influence of heredity only really ceases when one ascends through forty-two steps in the ancestral line. Only then has one thrown everything out of one's soul when one ascends these forty-two steps. That is to say, you inherit something from your father and mother, something from your grandfather and grandmother, and so on. But one has less and less of the impurities of the inner being which have arisen through heredity, the further one ascends in the ancestral line, and one has nothing more when one ascends through forty-two generations. There the influence of heredity is lost [...].

But the Essaeans knew something else. They knew: Just as man must ascend through forty-two steps, which are the correspondences of the forty-two generations, in order to come to this divine being, so this divine being, if it wants to penetrate down to the human blood, must descend through forty-two steps, must therefore take the opposite path. If man needs forty-two steps to ascend to the God, the God needs forty-two steps to descend to become man among men.“ (Lit.:GA 123, p. 94ff)

The birth of the Solomon Jesus

The birth of the Solomon Jesus is not announced to Mary, but to Joseph:

The Birth of Jesus

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

– Matthew 1:18–25

The Wise Men from the East

Furthermore, the Gospel of Matthew tells of the visit of the Wise Men from the East, led by the star of Bethlehem, and of the infanticide ordered by Herod the Great (* around 73 BC; † probably in March 4 BC in Jericho), from which the Solomon Jesus could only be saved by fleeing to Egypt. A similar narrative is not found in the Gospel of Luke. According to Rudolf Steiner, the Jesus boy of Luke's Gospel, the Nathan Jesus, was born some time after the Solomon Jesus, when this infanticide was already over.

The Visit of the Wise Men

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: 6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” 7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

The Flight to Egypt

13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

Herod Kills the Children

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: 18 “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

The Return to Nazareth

19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” 21 And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.

– Matthew 2:1–23

The Adoration of the Magi, who bring gold, frankincense and myrrh as symbols for the three soul powers of thinking, feeling and willing, has been a popular motif in Christian art since late antiquity. The Star of Bethlehem is usually seen in the sky. Some astronomers and historians assume that the Star of Bethlehem could have been a Great Conjunction of the planets Saturn and Jupiter in the years 7 to 6 B.C.[1][2] Occasionally, the scene is also mistakenly mixed with the Adoration of the Shepherds, which, however, refers to the Nathanian Jesus who was born much later. If one follows the astronomical-astrological interpretation of the Star of Bethlehem as the Great Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter, it would have been a good six years between the birth of the two boys. This is also indicated by the following reference by Rudolf Steiner:

„The Akasha Chronicle tells us that in the time approximately as it is stated in the Bible - a few years' difference is not important - Jesus of Nazareth was born, that in the body of Jesus of Nazareth lived an individuality which in earlier incarnations had already experienced high stages of initiation, had gained high insights into the spiritual world. Yes, the Akasha Chronicle tells us something more, and for the time being I will only go into the outer outlines of what it says. The Akasha Chronicle, which provides the only real history, tells us that the one who appeared in this Jesus of Nazareth had undergone the most diverse initiations in his earlier embodiments in the most diverse regions. And it leads us back to the fact that this later bearer of the name Jesus of Nazareth had originally attained a high, significant level of initiation and a high, significant effectiveness within the Persian world. Thus the Akasha Chronicle shows us how this individuality, which was in the body of Jesus of Nazareth, had also already worked within the spiritual world of ancient Persia, how it had looked up to the sun and addressed the great Sun-Spirit as Ahura Mazda.“ (Lit.:GA 112, p. 141)

== The reborn Zarathustra and the Nathan Jesus

According to Rudolf Steiner, in the Solomon Jesus was reborn the individuality of Zarathustra (Greek: Ζωροάστηρ Zōroastēr "gold star"), who is one of the great initiates of humanity. In the twelfth year of life, with the onset of sexual maturity, the I of Zarathustra, that is, of the Solomon Jesus, passed into the very specially prepared body-shells of the Nathan Jesus. This is indicated by the story of the twelve-year-old Jesus in the temple, handed down in the Gospel of Luke.

The Boy Jesus in the Temple

41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. 43 And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, 44 but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 45 and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” 49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” 50 And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. 51 And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.

– Luke 2:41–52

Literature

• Rudolf Steiner: Die geistige Führung des Menschen und der Menschheit, GA 15 (1987), ISBN 3-7274-0150-8 English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
• Rudolf Steiner: Das Lukas-Evangelium, GA 114 (2001), ISBN 3-7274-1140-6 English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
• Rudolf Steiner: Das Matthäus-Evangelium, GA 123 (1988), ISBN 3-7274-1230-5 English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
• Rudolf Steiner: Aus der Akasha-Forschung. Das Fünfte Evangelium, GA 148 (1992), ISBN 3-7274-1480-4 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.