From Jesus to Christ

11 lectures, Karlsruhe, October 4–14, 1911 (CW 131)

Knowledge of the cosmic significance of Christ and his mission, once experienced intuitively, has faded over the centuries. As theologians and historians of the Church critically scrutinized the Gospel records, their focus shifted from a gnostic vision of Christ to the human Jesus of Nazareth, the “simple man.”

In these enlightening lectures, Rudolf Steiner shows how the Mystery of Golgotha (the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ) can be understood as the pivotal event in human history, and the Gospels as “initiation documents” intended to guide us on a path of spiritual development. He contrasts elements of the religious thinking of Jesuitism with Rosicrucianism, especially in connection with effects on the human will, and discusses the characteristics of the two Jesus children according to contrasting accounts of Luke and Matthew. Steiner also shows how the great religious traditions of Zarathustra and Buddha helped prepare the way for the events in Palestine. Along the way, he clarifies certain controversial topics of Christian theology, including the resurrection of the physical body of Jesus Christ.

The priority throughout these lectures is the intention to recover the esoteric path to Christ and to awake to a new revelation manifesting today―Christ as the “Lord of Karma.”

This edition features a revised translation, complemented with editorial notes and appendices contributed by Frederick Amrine and an informative introduction by Robert A. McDermott.

This volume is a translation from German of Von Jesus zu Christus (GA 131).

Rudolf 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. At the beginning of the twentieth century, he began to develop his early philosophical principles into an approach to systematic research into psychological and spiritual phenomena. Formally beginning his spiritual teaching career under the auspices of the Theosophical Society, Steiner came to use the term Anthroposophy (and spiritual science) for his philosophy, spiritual research, and findings. The influence of Steiner's multifaceted genius has led to innovative and holistic approaches in medicine, various therapies, philosophy, religious renewal, Waldorf education, education for special needs, threefold economics, biodynamic agriculture, Goethean science, architecture, and the arts of drama, speech, and eurythmy. In 1924, Rudolf Steiner founded the General Anthroposophical Society, which today has branches throughout the world. He died in Dornach, Switzerland.