Letters on John's Gospel

“These Letters . . . aim to make John’s Gospel accessible to people today as their own Gospel, both as a whole and in the details; to illuminate it with the spiritual knowledge of the age and to make it fruitful for life, not only for meditation but also for practical ordering of destiny.” ― Friedrich Rittelmeyer

Revitalized Johannine Christianity stands at the heart of the work of Christian renewal as inspired by Rudolf Steiner during the early twentieth century. Friedrich Rittelmeyer, a Lutheran minister and theologian who helped found The Christian Community in 1922, was a leading figure in this new Johannine movement. He described John’s Gospel as encapsulating “an indescribable glory of revelation of love. This glory has such purity, delicacy, and spiritual power that in it one has the material with which a marvelous new world may be built.”

One of Rittelmeyer’s most powerful works, Letters on John’s Gospel first appeared in a series of publications by the Stuttgart seminary of The Christian Community between 1930 and 1932. Although the Letters were written with students and local congregations in mind, they provide manifold insights for anyone seeking a glimpse of the majesty of John’s Gospel.

Margaret Mitchell’s translation from 1937 had never been published as a book. Revised here and expanded by the editors, Alan Stott and Neil Franklin, this volume features additional contributions by Rudolf Frieling and Emil Bock.

This volume is a translation from German of Briefe uber das Johannes-Evangelium (Verlag Urachhaus, Stuttgart, 1938).

Friedrich Rittelmeyer (1872–1938) was a Lutheran German minister, theologian, and the principal founder and first leader of The Christian Community. He came to prominence in the early 20th century as a leading academic liberal theologian and priest in Germany and wrote several books that advocated for a socially engaged "Christianity of deeds" (Tatchristentum). During World War I, he became one of the most high-profile clergy in Germany to publicly oppose the war. From the 1910s, his thinking was gradually influenced by Rudolf Steiner, and in 1922 a group of mainly Lutheran priests and theology students led by Rittelmeyer founded The Christian Community as an ecumenically oriented Christian community inspired by Steiner's writings. The Christian Community is primarily a liturgical community with a loose creed that rejects Christian dogmas. Rittelmeyer saw it as a continuation of the liberal Christian tradition of which he was the foremost representative in Germany in the early 20th century.

Rudolf Frieling (1901–1986) was one of the founders of The Christian Community. Before becoming the leader of this movement for religious renewal in 1957, his work took him to Leipzig, Vienna, New York and Stuttgart. He is the author of many books on Christian thinking.

Emil Bock (1895–1959) was born in Wuppertal, Germany, in 1895. He studied German and modern languages at the University of Bonn and, after joining the army, was wounded at the war front in Flanders. In 1916, while still in the army, he met the famous evangelical preacher, Friedrich Rittelmeyer, in Berlin. After his release from the military, he studied Protestant theology in Berlin and later attended priest courses with Rudolf Steiner in Stuttgart and Dornach. With Rittelmeyer, Bock helped establish the Christian Community (the movement for religious renewal) in 1922 and soon became its leader, a position he held until his death. In November, 1922, Bock married Grete Seumer, with whom he had four children. He remained a priest, writer, and lecturer until his death in Stuttgart. Bock's many books include Genesis; Moses; Kings and Prophets; Caesars and Apostles, The Three Years; Saint Paul; and The Childhood of Jesus.