The Christ Impulse

Rudolf Steiner's teachings of Christ are unique. Christ, he says, is an objective universal force, existing independently of Christian churches and confessions, and working for the whole of humanity. The impulse that Christ brought to earth acts for the advancement of all people, irrespective of religion, creed or race. Among the myriad other themes that emerge here are the introduction of the 'I' (or self) in human development and its connection to Christ and the meaning of the Ten.

This is a new release of the original 1926 edition.

The central motif in these lectures relates to the appearance of Christ on earth--knowledge of his historical incarnation, as well as Christs manifestation in the present and future periods of human development. Rudolf Steiner creates an arc from the pre-Christian mysteries through Gnosticism and the older studies of the early Church Fathers, to Scholasticism and neo-Scholasticism. After ancient faculties of clairvoyance had began to fade, he explains, human beings could no longer see beyond the world of outer appearances, and direct perceptions of Christ were therefore no longer possible. And so the question arose as to how limitations on human knowledge could be overcome--a question which remains pertinent in our time. Steiner asserts that only a transformation of thinking, enabling a living and conscious inner conceptual life, can allow for a true understanding of the relationship between the earthly Jesus and the cosmic Christ. Such living thinking leads in turn to direct experience.

‘Christ will reappear but in a higher reality than the physical one – in a reality which we will only see if we have first acquired a sense and understanding of spiritual life. Inscribe in your hearts what anthroposophy should be: a preparation for the great epoch of humanity which lies ahead of us.’ Rudolf Steiner’s teachings of Christ – and in particular what he refers to as the ‘Christ impulse’ – are unique. Christ, he says, is an objective universal force, existing independently of Christian churches and confessions, and working for the whole of humanity. The impulse that Christ brought to earth acts for the advancement of all people, irrespective of religion, creed or race. Speaking in Berlin whilst still a representative of the largely eastern-oriented Theosophical Society, Rudolf Steiner presents multifaceted perspectives on the Christ impulse, based on his independent spiritual research: from the vast cycles of time preceding Christ’s incarnation and the preparation for his coming, to the actual physical embodiment of Christ in Palestine, in Jesus of Nazareth, some two thousand years ago. Steiner also describes how Christ will influence the future development of the earth and humanity. In his opening lecture, Rudolf Steiner discusses the nature of the Bodhisattvas and their role in relation to Christ and human evolution. The Bodhisattvas are the great teachers of humanity, incarnating in human form during their passage through the various cycles of cultural development, and are intimately involved in preparing the work of the Christ impulse. In other lectures Steiner addresses subjects as diverse as the Sermon on the Mount in relation to the development of the faculty of conscience, and the current duality of male and female (microcosm) and its correspondence in the cosmos (macrocosm). The latter phenomenon is related to initiation within the Germanic and Egyptian mysteries, which reach their higher unity in Christian initiation. Among the myriad other themes that emerge here are: the introduction of the ‘I’ (or self) in human development and its essential connection to Christ; the preparation of the Christ impulse through the Jahveh religion and the law of Moses; the meaning of the Ten Commandments; and the new clairvoyance in relation to the appearance of Christ in the etheric.

Islam came into being around AD 600 as a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion revealed through the Prophet Muhammad. Awareness of Islam in the West has grown dramatically in the twenty-first century, but there remains much misunderstanding of the interrelationship between Islam and Christianity, both their commonalities and differences. Andrei Younis elucidates esoteric reasons behind the emergence of Islam from the perspective of Steiner’s Spiritual Science. He draws on more than thirty years of studying Steiner’s works, as well as on first-hand knowledge gained from living in various Islamic countries and cultures. His purpose is to reconcile the origins, beliefs, and meanings of Islam and Christianity. Looking closely at the history and various manifestations of Islam, Younis discusses the spiritual impulses behind Islamic beliefs and practices, grounding his commentary in both the Koran and the Bible. Comprehending this anthroposophic perspective on the emergence of Islam is key to understanding why Islam manifests as it does today. Whereas this book will be enlightening and even surprising to most open-minded Western readers, it is not meant to be a foundation for beliefs (or non-belief), but as a springboard for thought and new avenues of understanding and compassion in a dangerous time.

Moral teaching and moral preaching cannot establish morality. It is only by delving into the hidden secrets of life that we can advance not just to moral doctrines but to the moral sources of life, true moral impulses. At different times, humanity has manifested moral life in different ways. To understand these differences, the evolution of consciousness must also be taken into account. Originally morality was a part of human nature, for in their essence human beings are good. But through evolution, there have come errors, deviations, times of falling away. In this small, much-loved cycle of three lectures Rudolf Steiner indicates the sources for the recovery of a living morality for our time. Rudolf Steiner shows the transformation of the virtues through the evolution of consciousness and, above all, through the incarnation of the Christ in the Mystery of Golgotha. Since then, morality works to build up Christ's being. Synopses: Why morality needs to be studied. Preaching morality v. founding morality: examples of ancient India (devotion to wisdom) and ancient Europe (courage). Leprosy in the Middle Ages. The biography of Francis of Assisi; the transformation of courage into love. The reality of moral forces. The caste system; differentiation as to a law of evolution. The betrayal of the Atlantean Mysteries; the consequences for the European population. Racial evolution v. soul evolution. The demons of leprosy overcome by the Christ impulse in Francis of Assisi. Francis's prior incarnation; the mysteries at Colchis and the Buddha. Francis's faith in the original goodness of humanity. Plato's four virtues. The nature of evil and freedom; the teaching of the mean. Interest as a precondition for understanding and moral conduct. Spiritual Science, as divine wisdom, stimulates interest. During the third post-Atlantean cultural epoch, interest was regulated by the instinctive virtue of "wisdom"; today, interest must be regulated by conscious truthfulness. The lack of truthfulness in modern times; theosophy as an educator of truthfulness. Truthfulness as the virtue of the sentient soul. Courage as the instinctive virtue of the mind soul in the fourth epoch; today, in the fifth epoch, it must become love, based on understanding. This is promoted by a theosophical comprehension of the Christ. Temperance as the virtue of the consciousness soul is still instinctive in the fifth epoch; it will be replaced by "life wisdom" in the sixth epoch. The effect of spiritual-scientific wisdom on the body. The virtue of "justice." Knowledge of the suprasensory world through wonder, astonishment, faith. The evolution of conscience. The Christ impulse is naked; it must be clothed by impulses of wonder, love, conscience. Founding v. preaching morality: the reality of the Christ impulse v. abstract ideals of brotherhood. How goodness builds and evil destroys. This volume is a partial translation of Theosophische Moral (CW 155).