Christ
The Christ (from Greek: Χριστός Christós; Latin: Christus, as translation of Hebrew: מָשִׁיחַ Maschiach, Aramaic: Meschiah, in Greek transcription Μεσσίας Messiah, "the anointed one") is a supreme cosmic spiritual being who - according to the customary occidental designation - represents the Son principle of the divine Trinity and stands as the great world-I, the macrocosmic I, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit as the primordial source of creation above all spiritual hierarchies.
Jesus Christ (Greek: Ιησούς Χριστός Iesous Christos "Jesus, the anointed one") is the name for the unique and singular earthly embodiment of the Christ in the body of Jesus of Nazareth. According to Rudolf Steiner's research, this incarnation began with the baptism in the Jordan River, which occurred around the 30th year of Jesus' life, and was completed with his death on Golgotha.
Through the Mystery of Golgotha, the Christ Power, which originally worked from the Sun, united with the Earth. This is a spiritual fact that stands above all denominational religious confessions and, as Rudolf Steiner emphasises, is also not bound to the name "Christ" that is in common use among us: "Never will he who recognises the Christ-being insist that the name of the Christ remain." (Lit.:GA 121, p. 197)
The Solar Home of the Christ
The Christ was the supreme leader of the ancient solar evolution, and also during the actual Earth evolution the Sun was initially his home. However, in order to compensate for the consequences of the Fall of man, the Christ descended to Earth for the salvation of mankind. According to Rudolf Steiner's spiritual research, the Christ underwent three preliminary stages to the Mystery of Golgotha in the supersensible world before he incarnated in the body of Jesus of Nazareth with the baptism in the Jordan in the 30th year of his life and lived in it as the Jesus Christ for about three years until his death on the cross at Golgotha.
The Christ and the Karma of Man
The fact that the Christ was to be found in the spiritual world until then did not remain hidden from the initiates of the ancient cultures. And already from this spiritual sphere, the Christ gave people the opportunity to compensate for their mistakes through karma and thus to develop further.
„Even if the Christ only appeared later, he was always present in the spiritual sphere of the Earth. Even in the ancient Atlantean oracles, the oracle priests spoke of the Spirit of the Sun, of the Christ. The holy Rishis in the Indian cultural period spoke of Vishva Karman; Zarathustra in Persia spoke of Ahura Mazdao. Hermes has spoken of the Osiris; and it has spoken of that Power which by its Eternal is the equalizer of all that is natural, of that Power which lives in the "Ehjeh asher ehjeh," the Forerunner of the Christ, the Moses. All have spoken of the Christ; but where was he to be found in those ancient times? Only where the spiritual eye could see, in the spiritual world. He was always to be found in the spiritual world, and he was effective in the spiritual world, effective out of the spiritual world. He is the one who sent down the possibility of karma to man before he appeared on Earth.“ (Lit.:GA 107, p. 250f)
Literature
- Oskar Kürten: Der Sohnesgott, der Logos und die Trinität. Futurum Vlg. 1982 (3. Aufl.) ISBN 3856360174
- Oskar Kürten: Der Sonnengeist Christus in der Darstellung Rudolf Steiners, Vlg. Die Pforte, Basel 1967, ISBN 3856360115
- Valentin Tomberg: Die vier Christusopfer und das Erscheinen des Christus im Ätherischen, Achamoth-Vlg., Schönach 1994, ISBN 3-923302-07-X
- Gerhard Wehr: Der Christus ist der Geist der Erde, Vlg. Die Pforte, Basel 1989, ISBN 3-85636-090-5
- Dirk Schneider: Jesus Christus Quantenphysiker — Warum die moderne Naturwissenschaft Vater, Sohn und Heiliger Geist zur Erklärung der Welt benötigt, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform 2013, ISBN 978-1490310985, eBook ASIN B00DCCP5G2
- Lorenzo Ravagli: Rudolf Steiners Weg zu Christus. Von der philosophischen Gnosis zur mystischen Gotteserfahrung, Akanthos Akademie Edition, Stuttgart 2018, ISBN 978-3746096971, eBook ASIN B079YZH6CX
- Rudolf Steiner: Die Theosophie des Rosenkreuzers, GA 99 (1985) English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
- Rudolf Steiner: Geisteswissenschaftliche Menschenkunde, GA 107 (1988), ISBN 3-7274-1070-1 English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
- Rudolf Steiner: Das Johannes-Evangelium im Verhältnis zu den drei anderen Evangelien, GA 112 (1984), ISBN 3-7274-1120-1 English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
- Rudolf Steiner: Das Ereignis der Christus-Erscheinung in der ätherischen Welt, GA 118 (1984) English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
- Rudolf Steiner: Die Mission einzelner Volksseelen im Zusammenhang mit der germanisch-nordischen Mythologie, GA 121 (1982), 5. Aufl., ISBN 3-7274-1210-0 English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
- Rudolf Steiner: Das esoterische Christentum und die geistige Führung der Menschheit, GA 130 (1995), ISBN 3-7274-1300-X English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
- Rudolf Steiner: Der irdische und der kosmische Mensch, GA 133 (1989), ISBN 3-7274-1330-1 English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
- Rudolf Steiner: Okkulte Untersuchungen über das Leben zwischen Tod und neuer Geburt, GA 140 (2003), ISBN 3-7274-1400-6 English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
- Rudolf Steiner: Aus der Akasha-Forschung. Das Fünfte Evangelium, GA 148 (1992) English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
- Rudolf Steiner: Vorstufen zum Mysterium von Golgatha , GA 152 (1990) English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
- Rudolf Steiner: Esoterische Betrachtungen karmischer Zusammenhänge. Sechster Band, GA 240 (1992), ISBN 3-7274-2401-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. |