During the fall and winter of 1901 - 1902, Steiner gave a series of lectures called ""Christianity As Mystical Fact"" to members of the Theosophical Society. The lectures were rewritten and issued as a book later that year. They mark a watershed in the development of Western esotericism. Stiener wrote of the idea behind his book:
The title Christianity As Mystical Fact was one I gave to this work eight years ago, when I gathered together the content of lectures given in 1902. It was meant to indicate the special approach adopted in the book. Its theme is not just the mystical side of Christianity in a historical presentation. It was meant to show, from the standpoint of a mystical awareness, how Christianity came into being.
""Behind this was the idea that spiritual happenings were factors in the emergence of Christianity, which could only be observed from such a point of view. It is for the book itself to demonstrate that, by ""mystical,? I do not in any way imply a vague intuition rather than strict scientific argument. In many circles, mysticism is understood as just that, and therefore it is distinguished from the concerns of all 'genuine' science."" In this book, however, I use the term to mean a presentation of spiritual reality - a reality accessible only to a knowledge drawn from the sources of spiritual life itself. Anyone who denies the possibility of such knowledge in principle will find its contents hard to comprehend; any reader who accepts the idea that mysticism may coexist with the clarity of the natural sciences, may acknowledge that the mystical aspect of Christianity must be described mystically.
This is a fundamental book, in Stiener's own development, in that of Western esotericism, and for our understanding of the Christ event. Readers will find the evolutionary development from the ancient Mysteries through the great Greek philosophers to the events portrayed in the Gospels.
By:
Rudolf Steiner
Translated by:
A. Welburn
Imprint: SteinerBooks, Inc
Country of Publication: United States
Edition: 4th Revised edition
Dimensions:
Height: 230mm,
Width: 150mm,
Spine: 18mm
Weight: 340g
ISBN: 9780880104364
ISBN 10: 0880104368
Series: The Collected Works of Rudolf Steiner
Pages: 240
Publication Date: 19 October 1998
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
,
A / AS level
,
Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
CONTENTS:Introduction by Christopher Bamford Translator's Preface by Andrew Welburn The Mysteries and Mysteriosophy The Mysteries and Pre-Socratic Philosophy Platonic Mysteries Myth and Mysteriosophy The Egyptian and Other Eastern Mysteries The Evidence of the Gospels The 'Miracle'? of Lazarus The Apocalypse of John Jesus in His Historical Setting The Essence of Christianity Christian and Pagan Wisdom Augustine and the Church Original Prefaces and Additional Materials Afterword by Michael Debus Translator's Notes This Collected Works edition contains a new introduction, a chronology of Rudolf Steiner's life, and an index.
RUDOLF STEINER (1861-1925) called his spiritual philosophy 'anthroposophy', meaning 'wisdom of the human being'. As a highly developed seer, he based his work on direct knowledge and perception of spiritual dimensions. He initiated a modern and universal 'science of spirit', accessible to anyone willing to exercise clear and unprejudiced thinking. From his spiritual investigations Steiner provided suggestions for the renewal of many activities, including education (both general and special), agriculture, medicine, economics, architecture, science, philosophy, religion and the arts. Today there are thousands of schools, clinics, farms and other organizations involved in practical work based on his principles. His many published works feature his research into the spiritual nature of the human being, the evolution of the world and humanity, and methods of personal development. Steiner wrote some 30 books and delivered over 6,000 lectures across Europe. In 1924 he founded the General Anthroposophical Society, which today has branches throughout the world.
