Rosicrucianism and Modern Initiation: Mystery Centres of the Middle Ages: The Easter Festival and the History of the Mysteries (Cw 233a)

by Rudolf Steiner, Andrew J Welburn (Introduction), Mary Adams (Translator), Frederick Amrine (Editor)

Overview

In the immediate aftermath of the 'Mystery-act' of the Christmas Foundation Conference, Rudolf Steiner chose to speak on the subject of 'Rosicrucianism and Modern Initiation, Mystery Centres of the Middle Ages'. Clearly connected to the events that had just taken place in Dornach - in which he not only refounded the Anthroposophical Society but took a formal position within it - Steiner begins by exploring the intellectual life of the Middle Ages and the role that Mystery culture played within it. He throws new light on the foundations of Rosicrucianism, its principles of initiation and its inherent impulse for freedom. Steiner also discusses the secret teachings of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and the dawn of the age of the Archangel Michael. In the second series of lectures, entitled 'The Easter Festival and the History of the Mysteries' (April 1924), Steiner describes how festivals grew out of the Mysteries themselves. He speaks of Mysteries connected to Spring and Autumn, Adonis and Ephesus, and the significance of Sun and Moon. Throughout the volume he discusses the roles of Alexander the Great and Aristotle in world history and the significance of Aristotle's 'Categories'. Published for the first time as a single volume, the freshly revised text is complemented with an extensive introduction by Dr Andrew Welburn, detailed notes and appendices by Professor Frederick Amrine and an index.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781855845787
Publisher:	Rudolf Steiner Press
Publication date:	09/01/2020
Series:	Collected Works of Rudolf Steiner , #233
Edition description:	Enlarged ed.
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Rudolf Steiner (b. Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner, 1861-1925) was born in the small village of Kraljevec, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now in Croatia), where he grew up. As a young man, he lived in Weimar and Berlin, where he became a well-published scientific, literary, and philosophical scholar, known especially for his work with Goethe's scientific writings. Steiner termed his spiritual philosophy anthroposophy, meaning "wisdom of the human being." As an exceptionally developed seer, he based his work on direct knowledge and perception of spiritual dimensions. He initiated a modern, universal "spiritual science" that is accessible to anyone willing to exercise clear and unbiased thinking. From his spiritual investigations, Steiner provided suggestions for the renewal of numerous activities, including education (general and for special needs), agriculture, medicine, economics, architecture, science, philosophy, Christianity, and the arts. There are currently thousands of schools, clinics, farms, and initiatives in other fields that involve practical work based on the principles Steiner developed. His many published works feature his research into the spiritual nature of human beings, the evolution of the world and humanity, and methods for personal development. He wrote some thirty books and delivered more than six thousand lectures throughout much of Europe. In 1924, Steiner founded the General Anthroposophical Society, which today has branches around the world.

Dr. Andrew J. Welburn is a fellow of New College, Oxford. He has written, translated, and edited numerous books on spiritual science and early Christianity, including The Beginnings of Christianity: Essene Mystery, Gnostic Revelation and the Christian Vision (1991); Gnosis: The Mysteries and Christianity (1994); and Myth of the Nativity: The Virgin Birth Re-examined (2006).

Frederick Amrine is associate professor of German at the University of Michigan. He holds advanced degrees from Cambridge University and Harvard. His publications include Goethe and the Sciences: A Reappraisal, The Bildungsroman, and Literature and Science as Modes of Expression. He has translated several works by Rudolf Steiner.

Table of Contents

Publisher's Note viii

Introduction Andrew Welburn ix

Rosicrucianism and Modern Initiation Mystery Centres of the Middle Ages

Lecture 1 4 January 1924 3

Lecture 2 5 January 1924 17

Lecture 3 6 January 1924 31

Lecture 4 11 January 1924 44

Lecture 5 12 January 1924 56

Lecture 6 13 January 1924 71

The Easter Festival and the History of the Mysteries

Lecture 1 19 April 1924 87

Lecture 2 20 April 1924 99

Lecture 3 21 April 1924 116

Lecture 4 22 April 1924 130

Appendices:

Appendix 1 Representation 146

Appendix 2 The Hierarchies 147

Appendix 3 The Etheric and the Astral Bodies 149

Appendix 4 Cosmic Evolution 151

Appendix 5 Raymond Lull 153

Appendix 6 Eurythmy 155

Appendix 7 Amos Comenius 156

Appendix 8 Ahriman and Lucifer 159

Appendix 9 Emil Du Bois-Reymond 161

Appendix 10 Eliphas Lévi 163

Appendix 11 Ernst Haeckel 165

Notes 167

Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works 181

Significant Events in The Life of Rudolf Steiner 195

Index 211