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.