Star Wisdom, Moon Religion, Sun Religion
GA 353
13 March 1924, Dornach
I. Star Wisdom, Moon Religion, Sun Religion
[ 1 ] We will continue our study of the Mystery of Golgotha. At the very outset it must be realised that happenings on the Earth are not determined by earthly conditions alone but by the whole Universe. It is difficult for the modern mind to grasp what this means, but without the knowledge that influences pour down unceasingly upon the Earth from cosmic space, no event of human life, however simple, can be understood. I have spoken about this on many occasions and I shall speak of it to-day in connection with the Mystery of Golgotha.
[ 2 ] I told you that the Jews—I mentioned them as the fourth people in the evolutionary process 1See the lectures in the first volume of this series: The Birth of Christianity, and Christianity and the Mysteries of Antiquity.—experienced the reality of the fourth member of man's being, namely the “I,” the Ego. This fourth member, which the Jews conceived to be the divine, innermost core of the human being, they called Jahve. And they saw a connection between Jahve and the universe of stars.
[ 3 ] You know, of course, that Palestine was the birth place of Christianity. Jesus of Nazareth lived in Palestine, in a Jewish environment. The Jewish religion prevailed in Palestine and although the Romans were the political rulers, in those far-off lands they were not in a position to abolish the established religion. Jesus of Nazareth, therefore, grew up in the environment of the Jewish religion.
[ 4 ] It will be easier for you to understand the character of the Jewish religion if I say something about the peoples who were living in Mesopotamia, that is to say, further to the East, namely, the Babylonians, the Assyrians. These peoples were neighbours of the Jews and their religion was connected essentially with the stars—it was a Star Religion. One often ears it said that the Assyrians “worshipped” the stars. They did not worship the stars but the instinctive wisdom of those times enabled them to know much more about the stars than is known nowadays, despite the claims of modern scholarship.
[ 5 ] You may have read in the newspapers recently that this hitherto undisputed knowledge of the stars threatens to collapse as a result of the discovery that the Earth is not surrounded by empty, celestial space but that at a height of 400 kilometres there are solid crystals of nitrogen! It would seem, therefore, that science is finding confirmation of the “crystal heavens” spoken of in Greek antiquity. I mention this merely in parenthesis. Such things may bring home to scholars how little is really known about the world of stars.
[ 6 ] And now imagine a being inhabiting the planet Mars. If such a being were to look downwards without a powerful telescope, he would not see any human beings on the Earth: he would simply see the Earth radiating a greenish light into cosmic space. Yet the Earth swarms with human beings who are in turn connected with Spiritual Beings. And just as the physical forces of the stars have an influence upon the Earth, so too the spiritual forces of the stars have an influence upon the Earth, above all upon man. The ancient, instinctive wisdom of the East revealed the existence of Spiritual Beings in the stars and it was to these Spiritual Beings, not to the physical stars, that men looked with veneration. In this sense the religion in Western Asia in those early times was a Star Religion. It was accepted as a matter of course that Spiritual Beings belonging to Saturn, Jupiter and the other heavenly bodies have a certain influence upon men and upon their earthly life. [ 7 ] Now what the Jews had adopted from ancient religions was the teaching concerning the influence of the Moon; they paid little attention to the other heavenly bodies. Jahve or Jehovah was connected with the spirituality of the Moon. The Jewish religion in its earliest, original form taught that Jahve, or Jehovah, as a living reality within the human “I,” was connected with the spiritual forces of the Moon. [ 8 ] This is not a mere legend, neither is it an idea born of religious superstition; it relates to something of which there is scientific evidence. During the pregnancy of the mother—a period of great importance for earthly existence—when the human being is still an embryo, he is essentially dependent on the Moon. This dependency of the human embryo on the Moon has long been known and the period of pregnancy computed as ten lunar months. It is only comparatively recently that the ten lunar months have been changed to nine solar months. But these ten lunar months, which have rightly been connected with the period of pregnancy, are in themselves an indication that the embryonic human being in the body of the mother is dependent on the Moon. What does this mean? [ 9 ] In its earliest condition after fertilisation, the ovum really contains earthly substance that has been broken down, pulverised, and nothing whatever would arise from it if it were exposed to the influence of earthly forces alone! The development into a human embryo is only able to take place because influences from the Moon play down upon the Earth. It can truly be said that the forces of the Moon lead the human being into earthly life. And so in its veneration of Jahve as a Moon God, the Jewish religion was really pointing to this dependency of the human being upon the forces of the Moon when he is entering earthly existence.
[ 10 ] Now the peoples living further to the East, in Asia—the Babylonians, the Assyrians—recognised other planetary influences as well as those of the Moon. They said, for example: Whether a human being subsequently becomes wise or remains a dullard, depends to a certain extent upon the influence of Jupiter. But the Jews did not concern themselves with these other influences. They venerated the one God—a Moon God. The fact that the Jews turned from many Gods to one God is generally regarded as a great step forward in religious life.
[ 11 ] Jesus of Nazareth heard much of the one God, the God Jahve, for the Jewish religion was all around him and He was instructed in its teachings.
[ 12 ] You can understand why a people who venerated only the Moon God, the God whose influence upon the human being works above all during the period while he is in the mother's body, believed that a man brings the whole of his being with him when he comes to the Earth. And this found expression in the ancient Jahve religion. If an ancient Jew who had fallen sick were asked: Why has this befallen you?—he answered: It is the will of Jahve. If his house had been set on fire and he were asked: Why has your house been burnt?—again his answer would have been: It is the will of Jahve ... He attributed everything to the one God, Jahve, through whose power man is led into the earthly world, and he saw the will of Jahve in everything that happened. Hence there was a kind of frozen rigidity about the Jewish religion. Through the whole of his life a man felt that his existence was determined by what he had brought with him to the Earth.
[ 13 ] Other religious teachings, as well as those of the Jews, came to the knowledge of Jesus of Nazareth. These other religions taught that many heavenly bodies—not only the Moon—have an influence upon the human being. There is an indication in the Gospels of a connection between the Star Religions of the East and the country inhabited by the Jews where Jesus of Nazareth was born. For the Gospels tell of the Wise Men from the East who had seen a star and were led by this star to the birthplace of Jesus.
[ 14 ] The story as it stands in modern versions of the Gospels gives rise to misunderstanding. The truth of the matter is that with their knowledge of the heavenly constellations the Wise Men recognised from the position of the stars that a momentous event was about to take place. And so at the very birth of Jesus of Nazareth we have the indication of a link with the Star Wisdom of Asia, of the East. And this link remained.
[ 15 ] The aim of Jesus of Nazareth was to enable man—while he is actually living on the Earth—to become aware of an inner reality of being, an inner selfhood. The Jews said: Everything comes from Jahve.—But in reality it is only until birth that the influence of Jahve holds sway, and once the human being is born, his life on the Earth is not simply a continuation of the Jahve impulse. The great truth brought by Christ Jesus was that during earthly life man is not like a rolling ball, impelled only by the impetus given by Jahve before his birth, but that he possesses an inner power of will by means of which he can ennoble or debase his own nature, his own personality. This was a truly epoch-making teaching. For the Star Wisdom had been kept very secret; nothing was known of it in Palestine, let alone in Rome. The Star Wisdom had been kept strictly secret and it was therefore profoundly significant that Jesus of Nazareth should have taught: It is not only from the Moon that influences pour down upon man; influences also pour down upon him from the Sun.
[ 16 ] This was a momentous teaching. But such things must not be regarded merely as theories; they must be studied in the light of reality. What is it that the influence of the Moon really brings about while the human embryo still rests within the body of the mother? The being of soul, the being of soul-and-spirit comes from the Moon-sphere and passes into the physical body. Man descends as a soul from the heavens by way of the Moon. When the Jews said: Jahve has an influence upon the human being in the womb of the mother—what did this really indicate? It indicated the view: The soul-and-spirit of man comes from the Moon; there, in the Moon, is the Creator of the soul. The physical, material constitution of man comes from the Earth; but the soul-and-spirit comes from the great universe, entering into man by way of the Moon.—The Jews, therefore, maintained that the soul entered into man by way of the Moon and received its endowments and gifts from the Moon God.
[ 17 ] Jesus of Nazareth taught that in truth man has the soul within him but that the soul can change, can be transformed in the course of his life because he has freedom of will.
[ 18 ] What underlay this teaching of Jesus of Nazareth? This question is profoundly significant and in order to find the answer we must consider the following:
[ 19 ] The Jews are always distinguished in a certain way from other peoples of the Earth. The difference is due to the fact that throughout the centuries the Jews have been brought up in the Moon religion and have refused to recognise any other influence. Real understanding of these things requires a knowledge of certain characteristics of Judaism. There is abundant evidence that the Jews have a great talent for music; but on the other hand they have no outstanding gift for sculpture, painting and arts of this nature. The Jews have a flair for materialism but little aptitude for acknowledging the reality of the spiritual world. And this is because their veneration has always been paid to the Moon and the Moon only; the rest of the super-earthly universe has hardly entered their ken. The Jewish character and the Greek character are in complete contrast. The talent and inclination of the Greeks lay above all in the direction of sculpture, pictorial art, architecture—architecture which embodied the art of sculpture. The Jews have always been, and are by nature, a musical people, a sacerdotal people; they unfold more particularly the inner activity which has its source in the talents bestowed during embryonic life. [ 20 ] At the time when Jesus of Nazareth lived, this tendency was very strongly marked. The Jews one meets in Europe to-day have of course been living among other peoples for a long time, and they have assimilated many traits from them. But anyone of discernment can readily distinguish the fundamental character of the Jews from that of other peoples. As I said, the hearts and minds of the ancient Jews were directed entirely to the Moon God. Therefore they developed the traits which are connected with the Moon, not those which are connected with the Sun. The Sun was completely forgotten. If Jesus of Nazareth had remained a Jew, even He could only have taught a Moon Religion. But a different impulse, a spiritual influence proceeding directly from the Sun entered into him in the course of His life.
[ 21 ] As a result of this, He was “born a second time.” Eastern religions all knew what it meant to be born a second time, but to-day it is nothing more than a tradition and is no longer understood. At a certain moment in His life, Jesus of Nazareth knew that he had been born again, that the soul with which he had been endowed by the forces of the Moon while still within the mother's body had been quickened and filled with new life by the Sun ... And from that moment, He who had been Jesus of Nazareth was known among the initiated as Christ Jesus. It was said: Like all other Jews, Jesus of Nazareth became a man through the forces of the Moon; but because at a certain moment in his life the Sun influence poured into him, He has been born a second time—as CHRIST.
[ 22 ] Obviously, an average man of to-day who cannot take these things in their spiritual sense, will never be able to make anything of them. Having no idea that the human being is united with his soul in the mother's body before birth, he thinks that the soul must come in some way from the external world. And he certainly can make nothing of the teaching that a Sun Being, a second “personality” as it were, entered into Jesus of Nazareth. Just as the first personality enters into the mother's body, so did the Sun Being enter into Jesus of Nazareth as a second personality.
[ 23 ] The words used in the rituals of the Roman Catholic Church make no reference to what I have just told you. But at any celebration of High Mass you will see on the altar the Sanctissimum, the Monstrance containing the Sacred Host, and here (sketch on blackboard) rays are depicted. It is a representation of the Sun and the Moon. The very form of the Monstrance tells us that Christianity originates from a religious conception which, unlike that held by the Jews, recognises not only the influence of the Moon but also that of the Sun. Just as the influence working in the process of the birth of a human being is that of the Moon, so the influence working in Christ Jesus is that of the Sun.
[ 24 ] Having heard this, you may imagine that it is possible for every human being to be born a second time and to receive the influence from the Sun during the course of his life. But the truth is rather different. What happened in the case of Christ Jesus was that the influence streamed directly to the “I,” the Ego. Upon which member of man's being does the Moon influence work during embryonic life? As you know, man is composed of physical body, ether-body, astral body, and the “I.” The Moon influence works upon the astral body: the astral body, of which a man is not normally conscious, is influenced by the Moon. But in Christ, the Sun influence poured into the “I”—the free and independent “I”!
[ 25 ] If the Sun influence had ever worked upon man in exactly the same way as the Moon influence, what would have been the result? Think of the following:—As individuals we have no very decisive influence upon our own birth; our birth dispatches us as it were into the world. If the Sun influence were of exactly the same character as the Moon influence, we should simply receive the Sun influence at, say, the age of 30, and we should have no more say in this than we have in our birth. At the age of 30 we should suddenly become different persons, we should actually forget what we had been doing before that time. Just imagine what it would be like if you were to be going about until your 29th year and then, at 30, were to be born again! After this second “birth” you might come across someone not yet 30, who greeted you as an acquaintance. You would say: I know nothing about you ... I have only been here since to-day and I do not know you. That is what would happen if every human being at the age, say, of 30, were actually to receive the Sun influence. All this may seem very questionable but it is true nevertheless. It has simply been forgotten because history has been so greatly falsified. An exactly similar process was at work in very ancient times, although not in quite as drastic a form as I have described to you now ... In the very distant past, about seven or eight thousand years ago in India, men were like new beings when they reached the age of 30, and they knew nothing about their earlier life. Then the people around took charge of them and sent them to some “official” (I am using a modern term) who told them their names and who they were. This transformation was less and less marked as time went on, but in those olden times it did indeed take place. Even the ancient Egyptians who had reached, say, the age of 50, did not remember back to their childhood but only to their thirtieth year; they were told by the people around them about their earlier life, just as we are told to-day what we used to do when we were babies of one or two years old. History says nothing about this change that has come about in the life of man, but it is a fact.
The last human being destined to receive the direct influence of the Sun was Jesus of Nazareth; for others this was no longer possible. There is a hint about this Sun influence in the Gospels but it is always misinterpreted. The Gospels tell us that when Jesus of Nazareth went to the Jordan to be baptised by John, a Dove descended upon Him from heaven. The Dove is the symbol of the Sun influence, of the Sun Being who entered into Jesus. But He was the last, the very last. The bodily constitution of other men in His day was such that they were not able to receive the Sun influence. Jesus was the last.
[ 26 ] In the ancient East, men could say with truth: The Sun influence comes to everyone in the course of his life, and when this happens he becomes a new being. This could no longer be said in the epoch when Christ Jesus lived, and the priests knew of it merely through tradition, not through their own vision.
[ 27 ] In the ancient past, before the days of the Jews, veneration was paid to the Sun, because the Sun was known to be the source of this all-powerful influence during life. When no such influence was received, men ceased to venerate the Sun. By whom, then, was the Sun replaced? By Christ Jesus Himself! Before the founding of Christianity there had been a Sun Religion in which the Sun itself was the object of veneration. Christ Jesus was the last to receive this Sun influence, and thereafter men could do no other than point to Christ, saying: There, within Him, is the Sun Spirit!
[ 28 ] Herein lies the great and fundamental change. It denoted a sheer revolution in thought to be able to say: Christ Jesus brought down upon the Earth that which was formerly in the Sun. In the first Christian centuries, Christ was always called the Sun and in the Gospels we still find the words: “the Sun, the Christ.” Later on, the meaning was entirely forgotten. At every High Mass the truth is visibly portrayed in the Monstrance; but if anyone says in so many words that what is represented there is a fact, he is denounced as a heretic. For the Christian Church has always considered it dangerous to proclaim truths which have to do with the Stars, and therefore also with the Sun.
[ 29 ] Why is this so? Here again we must go back to the ancient Mysteries and compare them with Christianity. You know that the Mysteries were not open to everyone. I told you about the different stages. The Initiates were known as Ravens, Occultists, Defenders, Sphinxes, Spirits of the People, Sun Men, Fathers.3See Christianity and the Mysteries of Antiquity. These men knew that influences come from the stars and the initiated priests were careful to ensure that the knowledge was in the possession only of those who had actually been received into the Mysteries. For knowledge is a power! True, it is often suppressed ... but when the authority of the priesthood is strong, knowledge is certainly a power.
[ 30 ] The Star Wisdom had, however, been lost. And now came Christ Jesus who brought it to life again—but in a new form—teaching that the Sun God must now have his place upon the Earth. If Christ's teaching had gained the victory, knowledge of the Sun influence and indeed of the ancient Star Religion in its entirety would again have been present in the world. Moreover in the early Christian centuries this was in many ways the case. There was a certain revival of the ancient Mystery teachings. But Christ Jesus had brought about the great and fundamental change in that He placed as a reality before all the world what had previously been guarded as a close secret in the Mysteries. Thereafter it would have been within the reach of all human beings, but no effort succeeded in spreading the knowledge.
[ 31 ] A certain Roman Emperor, Julian, called the “Apostate” tried to introduce the ancient Star Religion once again but he was murdered while on a journey to Persia
[ 32 ] What happened in Rome was this. The Star Wisdom that had in truth been brought again to the world by Christ Jesus was denounced as superstition—and not only as superstition but as a creed of the devil. The very means, therefore, of leading men to a real knowledge of the Spiritual was denounced and practically exterminated. People were expected to believe only in the external, historical event of the presence of Christ Jesus in Palestine—in the form in which the Church proclaimed it.
Consequently the Church became the supreme authority for all believers in the matter of how and what they should think. It was not by way of Rome that real Christianity came to Europe; what Rome brought to Europe was a changed Christianity—a Christianity which accepted only the outer event in Palestine and ignored the whole cosmic setting of that event.
Why did it happen so? [ 33 ] As I told you, Rome originated from a band of brigands who had once gathered together,2See Christianity and the Mysteries of Antiquity; also Hegel's Lectures on the Philosophy of History. and echoes of their mode of life persisted for a very long time. Rome has always striven for power in worldly affairs and in the religious life at the same time. And in the course of the Middle Ages, the Pope took the place ... well, not of the ancient High Priest, the “Pontifex Maximus,” for it was only the name that continued ... the Pope assumed the position that had once been held by the Roman Emperors.
At one period—it was at the beginning of the eleventh century—an attempt was made by a certain German Emperor to achieve something in the same direction as Julian who had been called the Apostate. It is a very interesting story. Henry II was a good and faithful advocate of Christianity and was looked upon as a kind of saint. He reigned as Emperor from 1002–24. In history, too, he is known as Henry “the Saint” and he still figures among the saints named in the breviary of Catholic priests. Henry II was one who wished to point to the ancient wisdom, to preserve for Christianity the conception that in Christ Jesus there had lived the Sun Spirit. He wanted to establish an Ecclesia catholica non Romana, that is to say, a Catholic Church that is not Roman. This attempt was made at the beginning of the eleventh century. Lutherism came considerably later. If Henry II's attempt to establish a “Catholic Church that is not Roman” had succeeded at that time, the whole cosmic setting of Christianity would have come to the knowledge of Europe and through the religious life men would have been led to a truly spiritual science. But Rome conquered—that is to say, semi-religious, semi-imperial Rome. No Ecclesia catholica non Romana came into being and the Ecclesia catholica Romana lived on. The aim of Emperor Henry II had been to separate the Catholic Church entirely from the sphere of worldly dominion.
[ 34 ] It would have been a momentous deed, for if it had succeeded, the subsequent, very widespread persecution of heretics and heresies would never have taken place. Such persecutions are simply the outcome of authority exercised over men's thoughts. But in reality, nobody can have permanent authority over thoughts. Authority over thoughts can only be exercised when a human being is subject to the sway of worldly power, when he is obliged to attend particular schools where certain doctrines are inculcated into him, when he is put into a certain class which influences his point of view, and the like. Thoughts, in reality, cannot be made to submit to authority. No Church could ever have worked harmfully without the help of the worldly dominion to which man is subject as a physical being. For the Church can only teach; the response must come from human beings themselves. That is the principle which Henry II tried to establish. But as I said, the victory was won by Rome—by the ancient, imperial power working in the person of the Pope. The power of worldly dominion was very great in the days of Henry II. And if the attempt to establish a “Catholic Church that is not Roman” had succeeded at that time, the teachings of the Church would have remained apart from the sphere of worldly dominion.
[ 35 ] Fundamentally, the Crusades were pursuing the same aim. It is commonly said that the Crusades were undertaken in the service of Rome, that because the wicked Turks had conquered Jerusalem the pilgrims there could no longer perform their devotions in safety. Then Rome intervened and sent Peter of Amiens out into Europe to preach. Numbers of men were urged to come together in a Crusade to the East, to Jerusalem, and a great band of Crusaders gathered as the result of this preaching under the leadership of Peter of Amiens and Walter the “Penniless.” (Perhaps you can guess why he was called the “Penniless.” He was like all of us here, for we could not raise enough money between us to pay the cost of a crusade to Asia!) But this whole band of Crusaders perished on the way and nothing was achieved.
[ 36 ] Then came others, under the leadership of Godfrey of Bouillon. These men were not in the service of Rome but their aim had certain points in common with that of Henry II. They wanted to do away with the element of worldly dominion. (Dr. Steiner makes a sketch on the blackboard.) Here is Italy, here Greece, here the Black Sea, here Asia, here Palestine, here Jerusalem. The aim of the first real Crusade was that Jerusalem, not Rome, should stand as the centre and citadel of the Christian religion. This was again an attempt to make the Ecclesia, the Church, independent of worldly dominion.
[ 37 ] None of these attempts succeeded. Roman princes and nobles again found their way into the later Crusades. The story can be read in any history book.
[ 38 ] And so this basic principle of Christianity, enshrining the great thought that in Christ Jesus the Sun Force itself was brought down to the Earth and that realisation of this makes every human being free ... “Ye shall know the Truth and the Truth shall make you free ...”—this whole conception has remained in oblivion through the centuries and true Christianity must be discovered again to-day through Spiritual Science. It is not surprising that the representatives of Christianity in the form it has now assumed, oppose the Christianity which genuinely adheres to Christ Jesus and teaches the same realities as He Himself taught. This is what Anthroposophy does. Again it is not surprising that those who only know Christianity in its present form often have an aversion to it. This aversion, however, it not to be laid at the door of Christianity itself. Christianity has brought about tremendous progress in the social life. Slavery was gradually abolished, for one thing. And without Christianity there would have been no science as we know it to-day. Most of the really epoch-making discoveries were made by monks (the air-pump produced by the worthy Burgomaster Guericke von Magdeburg is one of the exceptions). Copernicus was a dignitary of the Catholic Church; and the schools and academies of learning were all dependent upon the monks.
[ 39 ] But something else must also be remembered.—The monasteries were not, at first, welcome in the Church, because the monks had preserved a good deal of the ancient knowledge. Among the monks (only they were not allowed to speak) there did indeed exist knowledge of the ancient Star Wisdom. Ample evidence of this can be found by anyone who looks for it. It was through monasticism, not through any external regime that knowledge of the kind of which I gave you an example in the last lecture, had been preserved and it was not until the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries that it was completely swept away. The Middle Ages were by no means as “dark” an epoch as people generally believe. It is only what comes within the range of ordinary observation that is “dark.” In secret there was a great deal of wisdom, only it is not understood to-day.
[ 40 ] We can truly say: The greatest thought enshrined in Christianity is that the Sun Force in all reality came down upon the Earth.
[ 41 ] Not until then did history, as we know it to-day, really come to birth. For whereas in olden times men in the East possessed a glorious Star Wisdom, they attached no value to “history.” Those who were knowers and sages in the East always declared: It is there, in the Heavens, that the act of Creation takes place. They did not concern themselves to any great extent with the life and doings of human beings on the Earth.—True, something in the nature of history appears when the Jews come upon the scene, but it is history that begins with Star Wisdom—for the story of the “seven days of Creation” is pure Star Wisdom. Later on, events become chaotic, a medley. True history—and true history divides the whole process of evolution on the Earth into the pre-Christian and the post-Christian—really begins when Christianity is born.
Sternenweisheit, Monden- und Sönnenrelieion
[ 1 ] Nun, meine Herren, wir wollen in der Betrachtung des Mysteriums von Golgatha fortfahren. Ich sagte Ihnen: die weitere Entwickelung muß nun davon ausgehen, daß dasjenige, was auf der Erde geschieht, nicht allein von der Erde abhängt, sondern von der ganzen Welt. Diese Abhängigkeit der Erdenereignisse von der ganzen Welt, das ist ja eine Vorstellung, die dem gegenwärtigen Menschen besonders schwer eingeht. Aber man kann schon das einfachste menschliche Ereignis nicht begreifen, wenn man nicht weiß, daß vom Weltenraum aus fortwährend Einflüsse auf die Erde geschehen. Nun, das habe ich Ihnen für die verschiedensten Dinge schon dargestellt. Heute muß ich es Ihnen in dem Zusammenhang mit dem Mysterium von Golgatha darstellen.
[ 2 ] Ich habe Sie darauf aufmerksam gemacht, daß die Juden, die ich als das vierte der Völker im Entwickelungsgange angeführt habe, eigentlich das vierte Wesensglied des Menschen, das Ich des Menschen, entdeckt haben. Sie haben diesen vierten Bestandteil, als das göttliche Innere des Menschen aufgefaßt, Jahve genannt. Und sie haben auch diesen Jahve in eine gewisse Beziehung zum Weltenall und Sternenhimmel gebracht.
[ 3 ] Nun wissen Sie ja, daß das Christentum seinen Ursprung in Palästina genommen hat. Jesus von Nazareth hat in Palästina gelebt, und die Umgebung des Jesus von Nazareth war eine jüdische. Die jüdische Religion herrschte dort in Palästina als Religion; die politische Herrschaft war schon die römische, aber die Römer waren in bezug auf diese weit entfernten Länder nicht in der Lage, etwa auch die Religion dort abzuschaffen. Also es herrschte um Jesus von Nazareth herum die jüdische Religion.
[ 4 ] Was war eigentlich die jüdische Religion? Sie werden es noch besser verstehen, wenn ich Ihnen noch einiges sage über dasjenige Volk, das ich vor den Juden genannt habe, das in Mesopotamien gelebt hat, also etwas weiter in Asien drinnen: die Babylonier, Assyrier. Diese Völker, die da weiter in Asien drüben lebten, allerdings Nachbarn der Juden waren, sie hatten eine ausgesprochene Sternenreligion. Nun sagen die Leute jetzt: Ja, die Menschen da in Assyrien haben die Sterne angebetet. - Sie haben aber gar nicht die Sterne angebetet, sondern sie haben nur nach der instinktiven Weisheit der damaligen Zeit mehr noch gewußt von den Sternen, als die heutigen Menschen von den Sternen wissen. Es ist ja so, daß die heutigen Menschen glauben, alles über die Sterne zu wissen.
[ 5 ] Nun werden Sie vielleicht in diesen Tagen gelesen haben, daß sogar dieses sichere Wissen von den Sternen droht zugrunde zu gehen. Es ist in diesen Tagen bekanntgeworden, daß eine Entdeckung gemacht worden ist, wonach tatsächlich die Erde umgeben ist nicht von dem leeren Weltenraum, sondern wenn man hinaufkommt in eine Höhe von vierhundert Kilometern, so ist die Erde umgeben von festen Stickstoffkristallen! So daß man also annehmen muß, daß der alte Kristallhimmel, von dem im griechischen Altertum gesprochen worden ist, heute von der Wissenschaft nach und nach wiederum gerechtfertigt wird. Aber das will ich nur nebenbei erwähnen. An solchen Dingen können die ganz gescheiten Leute der Gegenwart sehen, wie wenig eigentlich über die Sternenwelt bekannt ist.
[ 6 ] Aber Sie brauchen ja nur das Folgende zu bedenken. Denken Sie sich einmal einen Marsbewohner - es wird ja in der Astronomie auch angenommen, daß der Mars bewohnt ist. Nun, wenn der herunterschaut, so sieht er auch nicht die Menschen auf der Erde; wenn der Marsbewohner nicht schon ganz fortgeschrittene Fernrohre hat, sieht er nicht die Menschen, sondern er sieht die Erde mit einem grünlichen Schein in den Weltenraum hinaus leuchten. Aber auf der Erde wimmelt es von Menschen, und diese Menschen stehen in Verbindung mit geistigen Wesenheiten. Ebenso die anderen Sterne. Und geradeso wie die physischen Kräfte der Sterne auf die Erde einen Einfluß haben, so haben natürlich auch die geistigen Kräfte der Sterne auf die Erde einen Einfluß, namentlich auf das Menschenwesen. Das hat nämlich die alte Weisheit, die instinktive Weisheit der Morgenländer gut gewußt, daß die Sterne auch geistige Wesenheiten in sich haben, und diese geistigen Wesenheiten, die haben sie verehrt auf ihre Art, nicht die äußeren physischen Sterne. In diesem Sinne war die Religion dadrüben in Vorderasien eine Sternenreligion. Das heißt, die Menschen haben angenommen, der Saturn zum Beispiel hat geistige Wesenheiten, die haben einen gewissen Einfluß auf die Menschen. Der Jupiter hat geistige Wesenheiten und so weiter, und alle diese Wesenheiten haben einen gewissen Einfluß auf das irdische Menschenleben.
[ 7 ] Nun, die Juden haben sich um die anderen Sterne wenig gekümmert; aber dasjenige, was sie aus den alten Religionen genommen haben, das war der Einfluß des Mondes. Und sie haben ihren Jahve, ihren Jehova in Zusammenhang gebracht mit dem Geistigen im Mond. Das ist also eigentlich die ursprüngliche jüdische Religion, daß der Jahve, der im menschlichen Ich lebt, abhängig ist vom Mond.
[ 8 ] Nun, meine Herren, das ist nicht eine bloße Sage, das ist auch nicht eine bloße religiöse abergläubische Vorstellung, sondern das ist etwas, was sich wissenschaftlich gut nachweisen läßt. Die Sache ist nämlich so, daß der Mensch tatsächlich in der Zeit, die auch wichtig ist für sein irdisches Dasein, in der Zeit während der Schwangerschaft der Mutter, also während er noch ein Menschenkeim, ein Embryo ist, ganz vom Monde abhängig ist. Diese Abhängigkeit des Menschen vom Monde während seiner Embryonalzeit, während seiner Keimeszeit, die hat man lange gewußt, und man hat darnach sogar die Zeit der Schwangerschaft berechnet auf zehn Mondmonate. Erst in der allerletzten Zeit ist es aufgekommen, die Mondenmonate auf Sonnenmonate zu rechnen, auf neun Monate. Aber in diesen zehn Mondmonaten, die man für die Zeit der Schwangerschaft mit Recht angenommen hat, da steckt noch drinnen, daß der Mensch in seiner Embryonalzeit, also als Menschenkeim, im Leibe der Mutter, abhängig ist vom Mond. Nun, inwieferne ist er abhängig vom Mond? Ich habe auch darauf schon aufmerksam gemacht.
[ 9 ] Sehen Sie, die Sache ist so, daß dasjenige, was der erste befruchtete Eikeim ist, eigentlich zerstörte Erdenmaterie enthält, pulverisierte Erdenmaterie, und aus dem würde nie etwas, wenn nur Erdenkräfte auf ihn wirken würden - niemals! Aus diesem Menschenkeim wird lediglich dadurch etwas, daß vom Monde her der Einfluß auf die Erde stattfindet. Und man kann sagen: Der Mensch kommt ins Erdenleben durch die Kräfte des Mondes. - So daß also die Juden, die Jahve als eine Mondgottheit angesehen haben, eigentlich haben hinweisen wollen auf diese Abhängigkeit des Menschen von Mondenkräften, wenn er auf die Erde hereintritt.
[ 10 ] Nun gewiß, die Leute weiter in Asien drüben, Babylonier, Assyrier, die haben auch noch andere Einflüsse als nur Mondeneinflüsse angenommen. Sie haben zum Beispiel gesagt: Der Jupiter, der hat einen gewissen Einfluß darauf, ob der Mensch in seiner weiteren Entwickelung gescheit wird oder dumm bleibt oder dergleichen. Aber auf solche nebensächlichen Einflüsse haben sich die Juden nicht eingelassen. Sie haben nur den einen Gott verehrt, und das war eben eine Mondengottheit. Das wird ja gewöhnlich als ein großer religiöser Fortschritt angesehen, daß die Juden von vielen Göttern zu einem Gotte fortgeschritten sind.
[ 11 ] Diesen einen Gott, den die Juden verehrten, den Jahvegott, den hat auch Jesus von Nazareth angetroffen in der umliegenden jüdischen Religion. Und darin ist er gewissermaßen unterrichtet worden.
[ 12 ] Nun, Sie können sich denken, wenn man nur den Mondengott verehrt, von dem der Mensch abhängig ist in der Zeit, wo er im Mutterleib getragen wird, dann führt man eigentlich alles darauf zurück, daß der Mensch schon sein ganzes Wesen, wie er ist und so weiter, auf die Erde mitbringt. Und das drückt sich auch aus in der alten jüdischen Religion, in der Jahvereligion. Wenn Sie irgendeinen alten Juden gefragt haben, der, sagen wir, krank geworden ist: Warum bist du krank geworden? - dann sagte er: Jahve hat es so gewollt. - Wenn ihm sein Haus angezündet worden ist und man fragte ihn: Warum ist dir dein Haus angezündet worden? - sagte er: Jahve hat es so gewollt - und so weiter. Er hat eben nur diesen einen Gott, durch den der Mensch in die Erdenwelt hereintritt, anerkannt, und alles führte er auf diesen Jahve zurück. Dadurch hat die jüdische Religion etwas von einer starren Religion. Der Mensch fühlte sich sozusagen sein ganzes Leben hindurch abhängig von dem, was er sich da mitgebracht hat auf die Erde.
[ 13 ] Der Jesus von Nazareth lernte nun außer der jüdischen Religion andere Religionen kennen, die da sagten: Es findet nicht bloß ein Einfluß vom Monde auf den Menschen statt, sondern auch von den anderen Sternen. Sehen Sie, die Sache wird ja in den Evangelien auch angedeutet, daß schon eine Beziehung war zwischen den Sternenreligionen des Ostens, Asiens, und den von Juden bewohnten Ländern, in denen Jesus von Nazareth geboren worden ist. Es wird gesagt, daß die Weisen aus dem Morgenlande einen Stern gesehen haben, der sie hingeführt hat zur Geburtsstätte von Jesus von Nazareth.
[ 14 ] Nun ist das natürlich so, wie es heute in den Evangelien steht, ja ein Mißverständnis. Die Sache ist vielmehr so, daß die Weisen aus dem Morgenlande von ihrer Sternenwissenschaft herkamen und aus der Sternkonstellation, aus der Stellung der Sterne gesehen hatten: ein ganz wichtiges Ereignis tritt ein. Und so kommt schon die Sternenweisheit des Ostens, die Sternenweisheit von Asien, bei der Geburt des Jesus von Nazareth in Berührung mit ihm selber. Diese Verbindung ist ja auch immer aufrechterhalten geblieben.
[ 15 ] Und nun war das Hauptziel des Jesus von Nazareth, dem Menschen auch dann noch, wenn er schon auf der Erde herumgeht, eine innere Wesenheit zu geben. Der Jude sagte: Alles kommt von Jahve. - Aber der Jahve hat eben den entscheidenden Einfluß nur bis zur Geburt, und wenn der Mensch geboren ist, setzt er als ein auf der Erde herumgehender Mensch nicht einfach den Jahve-Impuls fort. Und Christus Jesus brachte vor allen Dingen in die Welt, daß der Mensch während seines Lebens nicht nur so eine abrollende Kugel ist, die gerade nur fortsetzt den Stoß, den Jahve im Mutterleibe gegeben hat, sondern daß der Mensch auch während seines Lebens noch einen inneren Willen hat, durch den er sein eigenes Wesen, seine Persönlichkeit besser oder schlechter machen kann. Das war für die damalige Zeit eine ganz große Idee. Denn, sehen Sie, die Sternenweisheit, die war eigentlich ganz geheimgehalten worden, und in Palästina selber wußte niemand etwas davon; in Rom erst recht nicht. Die Sternenweisheit war ganz geheimgehalten worden. Und es war eine sehr bedeutende Tat, als der Jesus von Nazareth, zunächst auf die Sonne und nicht auf die anderen Sterne hinweisend, sagte: Nicht bloß vom Monde her kommt ein Einfluß auf den Menschen, sondern es kommt ein Einfluß auch von der Sonne.
[ 16 ] Damit war damals außerordentlich viel getan. Aber man muß nur bedenken, daß man solche Dinge nicht bloß als Theorien betrachten kann, sondern man muß sie der Wirklichkeit nach betrachten. Was geschieht denn eigentlich, während der Mensch im Leibe der Mutter ist, durch den Einfluß des Mondes? Ja, meine Herren, da ist es das Seelische, das Geistig-Seelische, das vom Monde her in den physischen Menschen hineinkommt. Der Mensch kommt als Seele aus der Himmelswelt herunter vom Monde her. Und was bedeutete es denn, daß die Juden sagten: Jahve hat Einfluß auf den Menschen während der Schwangerschaft der Mutter? - Das bedeutete, daß die Juden meinten: Alles, was im Menschen seelisch-geistig ist, das stammt vom Monde her; im Monde, da ist der Schöpfer der Menschenseele. - Wenn also die Menschen herumgehen auf der Erde, da sagt der Jude: Nun, das, was physisch am Menschen ist, was stofflich ist, das hat er von der Erde; dasjenige, was geistig-seelisch ist, das hat er durch den Mond aus der weiten Welt. - Da fährt also wirklich der Geist des Menschen durch den Mond in den Menschen hinein. Und damit ist eigentlich das gesagt: Begegne ich einem Menschen, so muß ich der Meinung sein: Deine Seele ist durch den Mond in dich hineingefahren, und was in dieser Seele drinnen lebt, das hast du auf dem Wege durch die Mondengötter erhalten.
[ 17 ] Der Jesus von Nazareth lehrte: Ja, das ist richtig, der Mensch hat diese Seele; aber in seinem späteren Leben kann diese Seele noch verändert werden. Der Mensch hat etwas von einem freien Willen. Die Seele des Menschen kann im späteren Leben verändert werden.
[ 18 ] Wie kam der Jesus von Nazareth dazu, so etwas zu behaupten? Das ist die große Frage. Und wenn man diese Frage beantworten will, dann kommt man auf das Folgende.
[ 19 ] Sie wissen ja, daß man den Juden unterscheidet von der andern irdischen Bevölkerung. Und dieser Unterschied rührt schon davon her, daß durch Jahrhunderte hindurch die Juden in der Mondtreligion erzogen worden sind und jeden anderen Einfluß in ihrer Seele abgewiesen haben. Sehen Sie, man muß da schon auf gewisse Eigentümlichkeiten des Judentums eingehen, wenn man diese Dinge verstehen will. Sie können überall nachforschen: die Juden haben eine große Begabung für Musik, dagegen eine sehr geringe Begabung für Bildhauerei, Malerei und dergleichen. Die Juden haben eine große Begabung für den Materialismus, aber wenig Begabung für die Anerkennung der geistigen Welt, weil sie von der ganzen außerirdischen Welt einzig den Mond eigentlich verehrt haben und das kaum mehr gewußt haben. Der jüdische Charakter und der griechische Charakter sind vollständige Gegensätze. Die Griechen waren vorzugsweise auf die Bildhauerei, Malerei aus, auf die Baukunst wenigstens bildhauerisch aus. Die Juden sind das musikalische Volk, das PriesterVolk, das vorzugsweise das Innere ausbildet, was aus der ursprünglichen Begabung vom Mutterleibe herrührt.
[ 20 ] Nun, in der Zeit, als der Jesus von Nazareth lebte, war diese Eigenschaft ganz außerordentlich stark ausgebildet. Nicht wahr, die Juden, die man heute in Europa kennenlernt, die haben ja schon unter den anderen Völkern gelebt, und da haben sie sich manches angeeignet. Aber derjenige, der unterscheiden kann, kann immer noch die besondere Geistesart der Juden von der Geistesart der anderen Menschen unterscheiden. Damit ist gar nicht gesagt, daß sie schlechter ist, aber sie ist unterscheidend. Nun, wie war das bei den Juden? Das war so: Sie haben ihr ganzes Gemüt, die ganze Seele auf den Mond hingelenkt. Dadurch hat sich bei ihnen alles das ausgebildet, was sich auf den Mond bezieht, aber gar nicht dasjenige, was sich auf die Sonne bezieht. Die Sonne ist vollständig vergessen gewesen. Und wäre der Jesus von Nazareth ein Jude geblieben, so hätte er auch nichts anderes lehren können als die Mondenreligion. Aber er blieb nicht bloß Jude, sondern er bekam im Laufe seines Lebens einen anderen Impuls: ein direkter geistiger Einfluß wurde ihm zuteil von der Sonne her.
[ 21 ] Sehen Sie, dadurch ist er gewissermaßen zweimal geboren. Dieses Zweimal-Geborenwerden, das haben die früheren morgenländischen Religionen alle noch gehabt. Aber es ist vergessen worden; heute ist es nur vorhanden als Nachricht. Da versteht man es nicht mehr. - So daß also der Jesus von Nazareth in einem bestimmten Momente gefühlt hat: Jetzt bin ich gewissermaßen noch einmal geboren; geradeso wie ich im Mutterleib durch den Mond meine Seele bekommen habe, habe ich jetzt eine Auffrischung meiner Seele bekommen von der Sonne her. - Und in Eingeweihtenkreisen nannte man von dem Momente an denjenigen, der Jesus von Nazareth war, den Christus Jesus. Und man sagte: Nun, der Jesus von Nazareth ist eben geradeso Mensch, Jude geworden durch die Mondenkräfte, wie die anderen Juden; aber dadurch, daß er in einem bestimmten Zeitpunkt seines Lebens den Einfluß von der Sonne bekommen hat, ist er ein zweites Mal geboren als Christus.
[ 22 ] Natürlich, der heutige Mensch, der solche Sachen nicht geistig nehmen kann, der kann sich bei all diesen Sachen überhaupt nichts denken. Er denkt sich schon nichts dabei, daß der Mensch vor der Geburt im Mutterleibe durch den Mond mit seiner Seele vereinigt wird, diese also von der Außenwelt bekommt. Und er denkt sich erst recht nichts dabei, daß der Jesus von Nazareth einen Sonneneinfluß bekommen hat, daß gewissermaßen eine zweite Persönlichkeit in ihn hineingezogen ist. Wie die erste Persönlichkeit in den Mutterleib hineinzieht, so zieht in den Jesus von Nazareth als zweite Persönlichkeit eben das Sonnenwesen hinein.
[ 23 ] Sehen Sie, die römisch-katholische Religion, die hat in ihren Worten das, was ich Ihnen jetzt erzählt habe, vollständig vergessen. Aber gehen Sie einmal in eine Messe; da werden Sie, wenn es eine feierliche Messe ist, auf dem Altar stehen sehen und damit auch den Segen erteilen sehen das sogenannte Sanktissimum, die Monstranz (siehe Zeichnung S. 80); hier drinnen die Hostie, hier nun Strahlen. Ja, was ist denn das? Das ist die Sonne, und darin der Mond. Und die ganze Monstranz, das ganze Sanktissimum sagt durch seine Gestalt, daß das Christentum abstamme von einer Anschauung, die nicht, wie die Juden, bloß den Mond anerkannt habe, sondern auch die Sonne. Und wie der Mensch bei seiner Geburt den Einfluß hat vom Monde, so der Christus von der Sonne her.
[ 24 ] Nun kann man sagen: Da könnte ja jeder Mensch nun zweimal geboren werden und den Einfluß von der Sonne auch bekommen im Laufe seines Lebens. - Das ist aber nicht so; die Sache ist doch etwas anders. Die Sache ist nämlich so: Der Christus Jesus hat einen Einfluß bekommen, der direkt auf das menschliche Ich ging. Worauf geht der Einfluß vom Monde her, der im Mutterleibe besteht? Nun, meine Herren, ich habe Ihnen gesagt: Der Mensch besteht aus dem physischen Leib, Ätherleib, Astralleib und Ich. Der Mondeneinfluß, der geht auf den astralischen Leib, und der astralische Leib, der im Menschen unbewußt ist, der wird vom Monde beeinflußt. Dagegen der Sonneneinfluß des Christus, der ging auf das Ich. Aber das Ich, das ist selbständig!
[ 25 ] Wenn der Sonneneinfluß auf den Menschen ebenso wäre wie der Mondeneinfluß, was würde da geschehen? Nun, meine Herren, auf unsere Geburt haben wir als einzelner Mensch nicht gerade einen sehr starken Einfluß; wir werden halt in die Welt hereingeschickt durch unsere Geburt. Wenn nun der Sonneneinfluß genau so wäre wie der Mondeneinfluß, da würden wir, sagen wir, mit dem dreißigsten Lebensjahr diesen Sonneneinfluß erfahren, und wir würden gar nichts dazu machen können, geradeso wie wir zu unserer Geburt nichts machen können. Wir wären mit dreißig Jahren plötzlich ein anderer Mensch, würden sogar das vergessen, was wir früher getan haben. Denken Sie sich, wenn Sie als junge Leute bis zum neunundzwanzigsten Jahre alle herumgehen würden, und dann käme meinetwillen Ihr dreißigstes Jahr, und da würden Sie alle wiedergeboren. Nun begegnet Ihnen einer, der noch nicht das dreißigste Jahr erreicht hat, wenn Sie wiedergeboren worden sind, und sagt zu Ihnen: Guten Morgen, Erbsmehl! - Was? Ich, ich weiß nichts von dem! Ich bin ja erst seit heute da! Was gehst du mich an? - So würde es sein, wenn tatsächlich auf jeden Menschen der Sonneneinfluß, sagen wir, im dreißigsten Jahre stattfinden würde. Ja, meine Herren, es wird Ihnen ganz unwahrscheinlich erscheinen, und dennoch ist es wahr. Es ist nur vergessen worden, weil fortwährend eine Geschichtsfälschung stattfindet; daher erfährt man nichts davon. Etwas ganz Ähnliches war nämlich in älteren Zeiten vorhanden, wenn auch nicht so drastisch stark, wie ich es Ihnen jetzt geschildert habe. Aber in ganz alten Zeiten, sagen wir, vor sieben- bis achttausend Jahren, wenn wir hinsehen zum Beispiel nach Indien, da ist es wirklich so gewesen, daß die Menschen dreißig Jahre alt geworden sind, nichts mehr gewußt haben von ihrem früheren Leben, ganz neue Menschen geworden sind. Und dann nahm sich ihrer ihre Umgebung an und sagte ihnen: Jetzt mußt du zum «Amt» gehen - ich gebrauche moderne Ausdrücke -, und da wurde dem Betreffenden erst wiederum gesagt, wie er heißt, wer er ist. Das ist natürlich immer schwächer und schwächer geworden, diese Umwandlung, aber sie war doch eben vorhanden. Und noch bei den Ägyptern war es zum Beispiel so, daß einfach die Menschen, wenn sie fünfzig Jahre alt waren, sich nicht zurückerinnerten an ihre Kindheit, sondern sich nur zurückerinnerten bis zu ihrem dreißigsten Jahr; das andere erfuhren sie von ihrer Umgebung, wie wir heute erfahren von unserer Umgebung, was wir getrieben haben, als wir ein Baby waren oder zwei Jahre alt. - Daß sich die Menschheit auf der Erde so verändert hat, das erzählt eben die Geschichte nicht, aber das ist dennoch so. Nun war der Jesus von Nazareth durch besondere Ereignisse der letzte Mensch, der, während die anderen alle schon keinen Sonneneinfluß mehr erlangt haben, noch den Sonneneinfluß erlangt hat. Es steht auch dieses von dem Sonneneinfluß in den Evangelien, nur legen das die Menschen immer falsch aus. Sehen Sie, es wird in den Evangelien erzählt, daß der Jesus sich im Jordan taufen ließ von Johannes. Dabei kam eine Taube herab. Diese Taube deutet eben den Sonneneinfluß an. Und da kam dieses Sonnenwesen in den Jesus. - Und jetzt war Schluß; er war der letzte, der dieses Sonnenwesen in sich bekam. Die anderen waren schon zu seiner Zeit durch ihre körperliche Beschaffenheit nicht mehr dazu reif. Er war der letzte.
[ 26 ] Gehen wir zurück zu den Menschen im alten Orient; da konnte ein jeder sagen: Im Laufe des Lebens hat die Sonne einen Einfluß auf den Menschen; da kommt ein neues Wesen in den Menschen hinein. - In der Zeit, in der der Christus Jesus lebte, konnte man das im allgemeinen nicht mehr sagen, und die Priester wußten es nur aus der äußeren Wissenschaft, nicht durch innere Anschauung.
[ 27 ] Nun, was mußte denn jetzt an die Stelle der Verehrung der Sonne treten? In alten Zeiten haben die Leute die Sonne verehrt, vor der Judenzeit, weil sie gewußt haben: Von der Sonne kommt dieser große, mächtige Einfluß während der Zeit des Lebens. - Jetzt konnten sie die Sonne nicht mehr verehren, weil sie ja keinen Einfluß mehr bekamen. Wer trat denn an die Stelle der Sonne? Der Christus Jesus selber! Und so wurde das Christentum so begründet, daß man mit der Sternenreligion auch eine Sonnenreligion hatte und direkt auf die Sonne hindeutete; als der Christus Jesus als der letzte diesen Sonneneinfluß erlangt hatte, konnte man nur auf den Christus hindeuten und konnte sagen: In dem steckt ja der Sonnengeist.
[ 28 ] Und das ist nämlich der große Umschwung. Das ist die ungeheuerlichste Revolution im Denken, daß der Christus Jesus dasjenige, was man früher auf der Sonne gesehen hat, auf die Erde heruntergeholt hat. Und in alten Zeiten oder in den ersten Zeiten des Christentums hat man deshalb den Christus immer die Sonne genannt. Sie finden noch in den Evangelien überall den Ausdruck: «die Sonne, der Christus», weil man eben gewußt hat, um was es sich handelt. Das ist später ganz und gar vergessen worden. Bei jeder feierlichen Messe kann man es in dem Sanktissimum, in der Monstranz sehen. Aber wenn irgendeiner das dann auch wirklich sagt, daß es so ist, was man ja sehen kann, dann ist er ein großer Ketzer, dann wird er verfolgt als ein Irrgläubiger. Denn man hat es in der christlichen Kirche immer als gefährlich betrachtet, die Wahrheiten über die Sterne, also auch über die Sonne zu verkündigen.
[ 29 ] Ja, meine Herren, warum ist denn das? Da muß man wiederum zurückgehen auf die alten Mysterien und sie vergleichen mit dem Christentum. Sehen Sie, in den alten Mysterien wurden ja nicht alle Leute zugelassen. Ich habe Ihnen gesagt, wie die Grade waren; die Eingeweihten waren Rabe, Okkulter, Verteidiger, Sphinxe und so weiter. Die wußten, daß von den Sternen der Einfluß kommt; die wußten das. Und deshalb hat auch die eingeweihte Priesterschaft streng gewacht darüber, daß nicht alle Leute gescheit wurden, daß nur bei ihnen in den Mysterien die Gescheitheit vorhanden sei. Denn Wissen ist schon eine Macht, wenn es auch oftmals unterdrückt wird. Aber wenn die Priesterschaft noch mächtig ist, dann ist eben das Wissen eine Macht.
[ 30 ] Diese Sternenweisheit war aber zugrunde gegangen. Und nun kam der Christus Jesus. Der brachte sie neuerdings auf, allerdings in der verwandelten Gestalt, daß er sagte: Man muß den Sonnengott auf die Erde herunterholen. - Er brachte die Sonnenreligion neuerdings auf. Und wenn das nun geschehen wäre, daß der Christus ganz durchgedrungen wäre mit seiner Lehre, dann wäre die ganze alte Sternenreligion wiederum dagewesen als Sonnenwirkung! Das war auch in den ersten Zeiten des Christentums vielfach der Fall. Die alten Mysterien haben wieder aufgeblüht. Aber nun kam das, daß der Christus Jesus die ungeheure Revolution durchführte: Dasjenige, was früher eingeschlossen in den Mysterien war, hat er vor alle Welt hingestellt. Es wäre also für alle Menschen dagewesen. Nun, keine Bemühung konnte durchdringen, das, was ich Ihnen jetzt sage, unter die Menschen zu bringen.
[ 31 ] Da war im 4. Jahrhundert ein römischer Kaiser, Julianus, den man den Abtrünnigen, den Apostaten nennt; der wollte seine alte Sternenreligion wiederum einführen. Er ist auf einem Zuge nach Persien ermordet worden! Dasjenige, was in Rom geschehen ist, das kann man nur in der folgenden Weise erzählen.
[ 32 ] In Rom geschah das, daß der Sternendienst, der eigentlich mit dem Christus Jesus wiederum gegeben war, verleumdet wurde als Aberglaube, ja, nicht nur als Aberglaube, sondern als Teufelsglaube verleumdet wurde. Also gerade das, was zum wirklichen Erkennen, zur Erkenntnis des Geistigen in der Welt führt, das wurde verleumdet, das wurde gewissermaßen sogar abgeschafft. Dagegen sollte man nur an das äußere geschichtliche Ereignis mit dem Christus Jesus in Palästina glauben, so wie die Kirche es verkündet. Dadurch wurde die Kirche für alle diejenigen, die die Gläubigen wurden, die höchste Macht in dem, was man denken soll. Sehen Sie, das Christentum als solches ist eigentlich nicht über Rom nach Europa gekommen, sondern ein verändertes Christentum, das nur dieses äußere Ereignis von Palästina genommen hat, nicht den ganzen Weltzusammenhang. Und wodurch ist das gekommen?
[ 33 ] Nun, sehen Sie, eigentlich stammt Rom ab von einer Schar von Räubern, die ursprünglich sich da zusammengesammelt haben. Und etwas von dieser Gesinnung ist eben lange eingeflossen damals. Und so hat Rom immer darnach gestrebt, mit der weltlichen Herrschaft zugleich die religiöse Herrschaft an sich zu reißen. Das ist geradezu ein Zug von Rom, mit der weltlichen Herrschaft auch die geistige Herrschaft an sich zu ziehen. Und an die Stelle des alten, noch heidnischen Hohepriesters, des Pontifex Maximus, von dem er nur den Namen angenommen hat, ist der Papst getreten. Der Papst ist eigentlich im Laufe des Mittelalters an die Stelle der römischen Cäsaren, der römischen Kaiser getreten, hat die Weltherrschaft angetreten zugleich mit der Herrschaft über die Gedanken. Nur einmal war es, im Anfange des 11. Jahrhunderts, als in Mitteleuropa ein sehr bedeutender deutscher Kaiser etwas ähnliches machen wollte wie damals Julian, den man den Apostata, den Abtrünnigen nannte; das war Heinrich II. Es ist sehr interessant! Heinrich II. wurde zunächst angesehen wie eine Art Heiliger, weil er die christliche Anschauung sehr gut vertrat. Von 1002 bis 1024 regierte er. Wie eine Art Heiliger regierte er. Er hat auch in der Geschichte den Beinamen: der Heilige. Ja, sehen Sie, wenn man heute noch bei katholischen Priestern das Brevierbuch, wo alle Heiligen drinnenstehen, sich anschaut, so steht auch dieser Heinrich II., der Heilige, drinnen. Aber dieser Heinrich II. war eben auch einer, der auf so etwas wie die alte Wahrheit hindeuten wollte. Er wollte retten für das Christentum die Anschauung, daß in dem Christus Jesus der Sonnengeist gelebt hat. Und da hat er angestrebt eine Ecclesia catholica non romana, das heißt, eine katholische Kirche, die nicht römisch ist. Bedenken Sie die Jahreszahl: anfangs des 11. Jahrhunderts! Erst später ist das Luthertum gekommen. Wäre das dazumal gelungen, was Heinrich II. angestrebt hat, eine katholische Kirche, die nicht römisch ist, so wäre das Christentum in seiner Weltbedeutung in Europa aufgetreten, und man hätte durch das religiöse Leben dazumal schon eine wirkliche Geisteswissenschaft bekommen. Aber Rom hat dazumal gesiegt, das heißt das religiös-cäsaristische Rom. Es kam eben keine Ecclesia catholica non romana, sondern es lebte die Ecclesia catholica romana weiter. Ganz trennen wollte der Kaiser Heinrich II. die katholische Kirche von der weltlichen Herrschaft.
[ 34 ] Nun werden Sie ja alle zugeben müssen: Es wäre eine ungeheuer große Tat gewesen, denn all dasjenige, was dann nachgekommen ist an Verfolgungen von Ketzern, von Irrgläubigen, hätte dann nicht kommen können. Denn alle diese Verfolgungen kommen nur von der Herrschaft über die Gedanken. Aber in Wirklichkeit kann man ja die Gedanken nicht beherrschen. Denken Sie nur einmal nach darüber! Kann man denn Ihre Gedanken in Wirklichkeit beherrschen? Nein, man kann sie nicht beherrschen! Man kann sie nur beherrschen, wenn man den Menschen beherrscht von der weltlichen Seite her, wenn man den Menschen dazu zwingt, in bestimmte Schulen zu gehen, ihm da gewisse Dinge eintrichtert, wenn man ihn dazu bestimmt, in eine gewisse Klasse zu gehören. Mit der Klasse bekommt er dann seine Anschauung und so weiter. Die Gedanken lassen sich nicht beherrschen! Niemals hätte eine Kirche schädlich werden können, wenn ihr die weltliche Herrschaft nicht geholfen hätte, indem sie die Herrschaft über den Menschen als physisches Wesen ausübt. Denn die Kirche kann nur lehren, und der Mensch muß das, was sie lehrt, selber annehmen. Und das wollte Heinrich II. herstellen. Nur eben, wie gesagt, siegte der alte Cäsar, der alte Kaiser in dem Papst damals. Und Sie wissen ja: damals war die weltliche Herrschaft sehr stark. Man mag das schlimm finden, aber jedenfalls war die weltliche Herrschaft in der Zeit, als Heinrich I. wirkte, sehr stark. Und würde es damals gelungen sein, eine katholische Kirche einzurichten, die nicht römisch ist, so wäre eben außerhalb der weltlichen Herrschaft die Lehre der Kirche dagewesen.
[ 35 ] Sehen Sie, im Grunde genommen verfolgten ja die Kreuzzüge dasselbe. Von den Kreuzzügen wird immer gesagt, daß sie im Dienste von Rom geführt worden seien. Die Kreuzzüge werden gewöhnlich so geschildert: Weil diese entsetzlichen Türken Jerusalem erobert hatten, da konnten die Pilger in Jerusalem nicht mehr in Ruhe ihre Gebete verrichten, wenn sie dahin wallfahrteten. Da setzte sich Rom ein, schickte den Peter von Amiens überall hin; der predigte in Europa den Kreuzzug. Das heißt, es sollten viele Leute zum Kreuzzug zusammenströmen, sollten hinüberwandern nach Asien, nach Jerusalem. Nun kam ja allerdings auch durch die Predigten des Peter von Amiens ein großes Kreuzfahrerheer zustande, stand auch unter dem Kommando des Peter von Amiens und des Walther von Habenichts. Warum er von Habenichts geheißen hat, können Sie sich vielleicht denken. Nun, er war eben solch ein Habenichts wie wir alle. Wir könnten auch nicht aufbringen das ganze, was ein Kreuzzug nach Asien hinüber kostet. - Dieses ganze Kreuzzugheer ging aber schon auf dem Wege zugrunde. Es hat gar nichts erreicht.
[ 36 ] Dagegen machten sich dann andere Leute auf unter der Führung des Gottfried von Bouillon. Die waren nicht im Dienst von Rom, sondern die wollten wiederum etwas Ähnliches wie Heinrich II. Die wollten die weltliche Herrschaft ausschalten. - Hier ist Italien (es wird gezeichnet), hier Griechenland, das Schwarze Meer, Asien, hier Palästina, hier Jerusalem: und da sollte das Kreuz ja hinübergehen, und Jerusalem sollte der Hauptsitz der christlichen Religion werden. Rom sollte abgesägt werden von dem wirklichen ersten Kreuzzug an. Es waren die Kreuzzüge eigentlich gegen Rom geführt. Und wiederum wollte man die Ecclesia, die Kirche, unabhängig machen von der weltlichen Herrschaft.
[ 37 ] Nun, alle diese Dinge sind ja nicht gelungen. In die späteren Kreuzzüge haben sich wiederum die romanischen Fürsten hineingemischt. Die Sache ist ja auch in der Kreuzzugsgeschichte zu lesen.
[ 38 ] So ist es eigentlich dann gekommen, daß diese ganze Grundlage des Christentums, die die großartige Idee enthält, daß die Sonnenkraft heruntergeholt worden ist durch den Christus Jesus auf die Erde, und daß jeder Mensch, der das einsieht, dadurch frei werden kann - «Ihr werdet die Wahrheit erkennen, und die Wahrheit wird euch frei machen», aber es wurde nicht die Wahrheit erkannt -, diese ganze Sache, die ist im Grunde genommen durch die ganze menschliche Entwickelung hindurch unbekannt geblieben, und erst heute muß man wieder durch Geisteswissenschaft das wirkliche Christentum entdecken. Es ist gar nicht wunderbar, daß diejenigen, die das heute bestehende Christentum vertreten, sich wenden gegen das Christentum, das nun wirklich an den Christus Jesus anknüpft und dasselbe lehrt, was der Christus Jesus gelehrt hat. Aber das geschieht in der Anthroposophie. Daher ist es auch nicht zu verwundern, daß bei denjenigen, die das Christentum heute nur kennen von dem, was da ist, eine große Abneigung gegen das Christentum ist. Aber die Abneigung bezieht sich nicht auf das Christentum. Das Christentum hat ja in sozialer Beziehung einen ungeheuren Fortschritt gebracht, nämlich den, daß die Sklaverei nach und nach verschwunden ist. Gäbe es kein Christentum, ja, meine Herren, dann wäre auch die ganze Wissenschaft von heute nicht da. Denn schauen Sie nach: Die meisten wirklich großen Entdeckungen sind ja eigentlich von den Mönchen gemacht worden. Bloß die Luftpumpe ist vom braven Bürgermeister Guericke von Magdeburg; aber die meisten großen Entdeckungen sind von Mönchen gemacht worden. Und derjenige, der das Kopernikanische System gefunden hat, Ko‚pernikus, das war ja ein Domherr, ein katholischer Domherr. Und die Schulen waren eigentlich alle abhängig von den Mönchen.
[ 39 ] Aber da kommt eben etwas anderes dazu. Sehen Sie, die Sache ist ja so, daß man die Klöster eigentlich nicht gern gesehen hat in der alten Kirche, weil die Mönche noch viel bewahrt hatten von der alten Wissenschaft. Und bei den Mönchen - die durften nur nicht den Mund aufmachen - findet man schon ein Wissen von der alten Sternenweisheit. Das ist schon durchaus zu finden, wenn man es nur suchen will. Dinge, die ich Ihnen erzählt habe - ich habe Ihnen das letzte Mal aufgezeichnet, wie man Weib und Mann noch im 17. Jahrhundert unterschieden hat -, ja, die haben sich fortgepflanzt in alten Zeiten über das Mönchtum, nicht über das äußere weltliche Regiment, sondern über das Mönchtum, und im Grunde ist es erst im 17., 18. Jahrhundert gelungen, damit vollständig aufzuräumen. Das Mittelalter ist gar nicht so finster, wie man gewöhnlich glaubt. Nur dasjenige ist finster, was die Leute gewöhnlich sehen. Aber im Geheimen haben die Leute viel Weisheit gehabt; nur versteht man sie heute nicht, selbst wenn man in alten Schriften liest. Ich habe Ihnen ja beim Ausdruck «Mumie» gezeigt, daß kein Mensch heute bedenkt, was Mumie ist. Ich habe es Ihnen erklärt.
[ 40 ] Und so ist es schon, daß also die größte Idee des Christentums diese ist von dem Herunterfahren der Sonnenkraft auf die Erde.
[ 41 ] Sehen Sie, meine Herren, dadurch ist eigentlich erst das gekommen, was man Geschichte nennt. Denn im Morgenlande drüben hat man eine große Sternenweisheit gehabt, aber auf die Geschichte hat man nichts gegeben. Diejenigen, die im Morgenlande die Gelehrten, die Wissenden waren, die haben immer darauf hingewiesen: In den Himmelsweiten ist die Schöpfung. Aber was die Menschen auf der Erde gemacht haben, darum haben sie sich nicht viel gekümmert. Bei den Juden tritt etwas ein von Geschichte, aber das ist eine Geschichte, die ja auch mit der Sternenweisheit beginnt, denn die «sieben Schöpfungstage» sind Sternenweisheit. Und dann wird es chaotisch, dann geht es durcheinander. Eine richtige Geschichte, die die ganze Entwickelung auf der Erde einteilte in das Vorchristliche und das Nachchristliche, trat eben erst mit dem Christentum ein.
[ 42 ] Das ist dasjenige, was ich Ihnen heute sagen konnte. Einige Ergänzungen dazu will ich dann noch am nächsten Samstag geben.
Star Wisdom, Moon and Sun Religion
[ 1 ] Now, gentlemen, we shall continue our meditation on the Mystery of Golgotha. I told you that the further development must now proceed from the fact that what happens on earth depends not only on the earth but on the whole world. This dependence of earthly events on the whole world is a concept that is particularly difficult for modern man to accept. But one cannot understand even the simplest human event if one does not know that influences are constantly being exerted on the earth from the cosmic space. Now, I have already explained this to you for the most diverse things. Today I must present it to you in connection with the Mystery of Golgotha.
[ 2 ] I have drawn your attention to the fact that the Jews, whom I have mentioned as the fourth of the peoples in the course of development, have actually discovered the fourth essential element of the human being, the I of the human being. They have conceived this fourth component as the divine inner being of man, and called it Jahve. And they have also brought this Jahve into a certain relationship with the universe and the starry sky.
[ 3 ] Now you know that Christianity originated in Palestine. Jesus of Nazareth lived in Palestine, and the environment of Jesus of Nazareth was Jewish. The Jewish religion prevailed there in Palestine as a religion; the political rule was already the Roman, but the Romans were not in a position to abolish the religion there in relation to these distant countries. So the Jewish religion prevailed around Jesus of Nazareth.
[ 4 ] What exactly was the Jewish religion? You will understand it even better if I tell you a little more about the people I mentioned before the Jews, who lived in Mesopotamia, a little further inland in Asia: the Babylonians, Assyrians. These peoples, who lived further inland in Asia, were neighbors of the Jews, and they had a distinct star religion. Now people say: Yes, the people there in Assyria worshiped the stars. But they did not worship the stars at all. Rather, they only knew more about the stars according to the instinctive wisdom of that time than people today know about the stars. It is the case that today's people believe they know everything about the stars.
[ 5 ] Now you may have read in recent days that even this certain knowledge of the stars is in danger of being lost. It has become known in these days that a discovery has been made according to which the Earth is not actually surrounded by empty space, but when you get up to a height of four hundred kilometers, the Earth is surrounded by solid nitrogen crystals! So one must assume that the old crystal sky, which was spoken of in ancient Greece, is gradually being justified by science today. But I only mention this in passing. From such things, the very clever people of the present can see how little is actually known about the world of the stars.
[ 6 ] But you only need to consider the following. Imagine you are an inhabitant of Mars – after all, it is assumed in astronomy that Mars is inhabited. Now, when he looks down, he also does not see men on earth; when the Martian does not already have very advanced telescopes, he does not see men, but he sees the earth with a greenish shine radiating out into space. But the earth is teeming with men, and these men are in contact with spiritual entities. Likewise the other stars. And just as the physical powers of the stars have an influence on the earth, so too, of course, do the spiritual powers of the stars have an influence on the earth, especially on the human being. The ancient wisdom, the instinctive wisdom of the Orientals, knew full well that the stars also have spiritual entities within them, and these spiritual entities they worshipped in their own way, not the external physical stars. In this sense, the religion over there in the Near East was a star religion. That is, people assumed that Saturn, for example, has spiritual entities that have a certain influence over people. Jupiter has spiritual entities and so on, and all these entities have a certain influence on earthly human life.
[ 7 ] Now, the Jews paid little attention to the other stars; but what they took from the old religions was the influence of the moon. And they associated their Yahweh, their Jehovah, with the spiritual in the moon. So that is actually the original Jewish religion, that the Yahweh who lives in the human ego is dependent on the moon.
[8] Well, gentlemen, this is not just a myth, nor is it just a religious superstition, but something that can be scientifically proven. The fact of the matter is that during the period that is also important for his earthly existence, during the time of his mother's pregnancy, that is, while he is still a human germ, an embryo, man is actually completely dependent on the moon. This dependence of the human being on the moon during his embryonic period, during his germination period, has been known for a long time, and it was even used to calculate the time of pregnancy based on ten lunar months. Only recently has the practice emerged of calculating the lunar months as nine solar months. But in these ten lunar months, which have rightly been assumed to be the duration of pregnancy, there is still the fact that during his embryonic period, that is, as a human germ in his mother's womb, man is dependent on the moon. Now, to what extent is he dependent on the moon? I have already pointed this out.
[ 9 ] The fact of the matter is that the first fertilized egg, the ovum, actually contains destroyed earthly matter, pulverized earthly matter, and nothing would come of it if only earthly forces were at work on it – never! Something comes of this human germ only through the influence from the moon. And one can say: Man comes into earthly life through the forces of the moon. - So the Jews, who regarded Yahweh as a moon deity, actually wanted to point out this dependence of man on lunar forces when he enters the earth.
[ 10 ] Now, the people further in Asia, Babylonians, Assyrians, they also assumed other influences than just lunar influences. For example, they said: Jupiter has a certain influence on whether a person becomes clever or stupid or the like in his further development. But the Jews did not accept such secondary influences. They worshiped only the one God, and that was a moon deity. This is usually seen as a great religious advance, that the Jews have progressed from many gods to one God.
[ 11 ] This one God, whom the Jews worshiped, the God Yahweh, was also encountered by Jesus of Nazareth in the surrounding Jewish religion. And in this, he was, so to speak, educated.
[ 12 ] Now, you can imagine that if you only worship the moon god, on whom man depends when he is carried in the womb, then you actually attribute everything to the fact that man already brings his entire being, as he is, and so on, to Earth. And this is also expressed in the old Jewish religion, in the religion of Yahweh. If you asked any old Jew who, let us say, had fallen ill: 'Why have you fallen ill?' he would say: 'Yahweh willed it so.' If his house was burnt down and you asked him: 'Why was your house burnt down?' he would say: 'Yahweh willed it so' – and so on. He recognized only this one God through whom man enters the world, and he traced everything back to this Yahweh. As a result, the Jewish religion has something of a rigid religion. Man felt, so to speak, dependent throughout his life on what he brought with him to earth.
[ 13 ] Now, the Jesus of Nazareth got to know other religions besides the Jewish religion, which said: Not only does an influence take place from the moon to man, but also from the other stars. You see, the matter is also hinted at in the Gospels, that there was already a relationship between the star religions of the East, Asia, and the countries inhabited by Jews, where Jesus of Nazareth was born. It is said that the wise men from the East saw a star that led them to the birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth.
[ 14 ] Now, of course, the way it is written in the Gospels today is a misunderstanding. The fact of the matter is that the wise men from the East came from their star science and from the constellation of the stars, had seen from the position of the stars: a very important event is taking place. And so the star wisdom of the East, the star wisdom of Asia, comes into contact with itself at the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. This connection has always been maintained.
[ 15 ] And now the main goal of Jesus of Nazareth, even when he was already walking around on earth, was to give people an inner essence. The Jew said: Everything comes from Yahweh. But Yahweh has the decisive influence only until birth, and when the human being is born, he does not simply continue the Yahweh impulse as a human being walking on earth. And Christ Jesus brought into the world, above all, the fact that man during his life is not just a rolling ball that only continues the push that Jahve gave in the mother's womb, but that man also has an inner will during his life, through which he can make his own being, his personality, better or worse. At that time, this was a very big idea. You see, the wisdom of the stars had actually been kept very secret, and in Palestine itself nobody knew anything about it; in Rome, certainly not. The wisdom of the stars had been kept very secret. And it was a very significant deed when Jesus of Nazareth pointed first to the sun and not to the other stars and said: Not only does influence come to man from the moon, but also from the sun.
[ 16 ] An extraordinary amount was done with that at the time. But one must only consider that such things cannot be regarded merely as theories, but must be observed in reality. What actually happens, through the influence of the moon, while the human being is in the mother's body? Yes, gentlemen, it is the soul, the spiritual soul, that comes from the moon into the physical human being. Man comes down from the heavenly world as a soul from the moon. And what did it mean that the Jews said: Yahweh has influence on man during the pregnancy of the mother? - It meant that the Jews thought: Everything in man that is soul and spiritual comes from the moon; in the moon is the creator of the human soul. - When people walk around on the earth, the Jew says: Now, what is physical in man, what is material, he has from the earth; what is spiritual and soul-like, he has through the moon from the wide world. So the human spirit really does enter the human being through the moon. And that actually says it all: when I meet a person, I have to think: your soul has entered you through the moon, and what lives in this soul you have received through the moon gods.
[ 17 ] Jesus of Nazareth taught: Yes, that is correct, man has this soul; but in his later life this soul can still be changed. Man has something of a free will. The soul of man can be changed in later life.
[ 18 ] How did Jesus of Nazareth come to claim this? That is the big question. And if you want to answer this question, then you come to the following.
[ 19 ] You know that the Jew is distinguished from the rest of the earthly population. And this difference stems from the fact that for centuries the Jews have been educated in the moon religion and have rejected every other influence in their souls. You see, you have to go into certain peculiarities of Judaism if you want to understand these things. You can investigate everywhere: the Jews have a great talent for music, but a very limited talent for sculpture, painting and the like. The Jews have a great talent for materialism, but little talent for recognizing the spiritual world, because of all the extra-terrestrial world they have only really worshiped the moon and hardly even knew that anymore. The Jewish character and the Greek character are complete opposites. The Greeks were mainly interested in sculpture, painting, and architecture, at least in a sculptural sense. The Jews are the musical people, the priestly people, who mainly develop the inner being that comes from the original gift of the mother's womb.
[ 20 ] Now, in the time when Jesus of Nazareth lived, this quality was extremely well developed. Not the Jews that one gets to know in Europe today, they have already lived among the other peoples, and there they have adopted many things. But anyone who can distinguish can still tell the difference between the particular mentality of the Jews and that of other people. That is not to say that it is worse, but it is distinctive. Now, what about the Jews? It was like this: they directed their whole mind, their whole soul, towards the moon. As a result, they developed everything that relates to the moon, but not at all what relates to the sun. The sun was completely forgotten. And if Jesus of Nazareth had remained a Jew, he would not have been able to teach anything other than the religion of the moon. But he did not remain just a Jew. In the course of his life, he received another impulse: a direct spiritual influence from the sun.
[ 21 ] You see, in a sense he was born twice. All the earlier oriental religions had this 'being born twice'. But it has been forgotten; today it is only known as a piece of information. It is no longer understood. - So that at a certain moment Jesus of Nazareth felt: Now I have, as it were, been born again; just as I received my soul through the moon in my mother's womb, I have now received a refreshment of my soul from the sun. And in initiates' circles, from that moment on, the one who was Jesus of Nazareth was called Christ Jesus. And they said: Now, Jesus of Nazareth has become a human being, a Jew, through the powers of the moon, just like the other Jews; but because he received the influence of the sun at a certain point in his life, he was born a second time as the Christ.
[ 22 ] Of course, today's man, who cannot take such things spiritually, cannot imagine anything at all about all these things. He does not think about the fact that the human being's soul is united with his soul before birth in the mother's womb through the moon, and that it thus receives it from the outside world. And he certainly does not think anything of the fact that Jesus of Nazareth received an influence from the sun, that, so to speak, a second personality was drawn into him. Just as the first personality draws into the mother's body, so the sun being draws into Jesus of Nazareth as the second personality.
[ 23 ] You see, the Roman Catholic religion has completely forgotten what I have just told you. But go to a mass sometime; if it is a solemn mass, you will see the so-called Santissimum, the monstrance (see drawing on page 80), standing on the altar and also giving the blessing; inside it, the host; and now, rays of light. Yes, what is that? That is the sun, and within it the moon. And the whole monstrance, the whole Blessed Sacrament, says through its form that Christianity is descended from a view that did not, like the Jews, merely recognize the moon, but also the sun. And just as man at his birth has the influence of the moon, so Christ of the sun.
[ 24 ] Now one could say that every person could be born twice and also receive the influence of the sun in the course of his life. But that is not the case; the matter is somewhat different. The fact of the matter is this: the Christ Jesus received an influence that went directly to the human ego. What is the source of the influence from the moon, which exists in the mother's womb? Well, gentlemen, I have told you: the human being consists of the physical body, the etheric body, the astral body and the I. The lunar influence is directed at the astral body, and the astral body, which is unconscious in man, is influenced by the moon. In contrast, the solar influence of Christ was directed at the I. But the I is independent!
[ 25 ] If the influence of the sun on man were the same as the influence of the moon, what would happen? Well, gentlemen, we as individuals do not have much influence over our birth; we are simply ushered into the world through our birth. If the influence of the sun were exactly the same as the influence of the moon, we would experience this solar influence at the age of thirty, say, and we would be unable to do anything about it, just as we are unable to do anything about our birth. We would suddenly be a different person at the age of thirty, we would even forget what we had done earlier. Imagine if you young people all went around until the age of twenty-nine, and then, for my sake, your thirtieth year would come and you would all be reborn again. Now, if you have been reborn, you meet someone who has not yet reached their thirtieth year and says to you: “Good morning, Erbsmehl!” What? I don't know anything about that! I've only been here since today! What do you care about me? - That's how it would be if the influence of the sun actually took place on every human being, let's say, in the thirtieth year. Yes, gentlemen, it will seem quite unlikely to you, and yet it is true. It has only been forgotten because there is a constant falsification of history; that is why we do not learn about it. Something very similar existed in older times, although not as drastically as I have described it to you now. But in very old times, let us say seven to eight thousand years ago, if we look, for example, to India, it really was the case that people lived to be thirty years old, no longer knew anything of their previous life, became completely new people. And then their environment took care of them and said to them: Now you have to go to the “office” - I am using modern expressions - and there the person in question was first told again what his name was and who he was. Of course, this transformation has become weaker and weaker, but it was there in the first place. And still with the Egyptians, for example, it was the case that when people reached the age of fifty, they did not remember back to their childhood, but only remembered back to their thirties; they learned about the rest from their surroundings, just as we today learn from our surroundings what we did when we were a baby or two years old. The fact that humanity on Earth has changed so much is not told in history, but it is nevertheless the case. Now, through special events, Jesus of Nazareth was the last person to receive the influence of the Sun, while all the others had already lost it. This is also mentioned in the Gospels with regard to the influence of the Sun, but people always interpret it wrongly. You see, it is told in the Gospels that Jesus was baptized in the Jordan by John. At that time a dove descended. This dove indicates the influence of the sun. And then this sun being came into Jesus. - And now that was it; he was the last to receive this sun being. The others were no longer ripe for it in his time because of their physical condition. He was the last.
[ 26 ] Let us go back to the people of the ancient Orient; there everyone could say: In the course of life, the sun has an influence on man; a new being comes into man. In the time when Christ Jesus lived, this could no longer be said in general, and the priests only knew it from external science, not from inner vision.
[ 27 ] So what had to take the place of the worship of the sun? In ancient times, before the time of the Jews, people worshipped the sun because they knew that the sun has this great, powerful influence during the time of life. Now they could no longer worship the sun because they no longer had any influence over it. Who took the place of the sun? The Christ Jesus Himself! And so Christianity was founded in such a way that with the star religion they also had a sun religion and pointed directly to the sun; when the Christ Jesus, as the last, had attained this sun influence, they could only point to the Christ and say: The sun spirit is in him.
[ 28 ] And that is the great turning point. That is the most tremendous revolution in thinking, that the Christ Jesus has brought down to earth what was formerly seen in the sun. And in ancient times or in the early days of Christianity, the Christ was therefore always called the sun. You will still find the expression “the sun, the Christ” everywhere in the Gospels, because people knew what it meant. This was later completely forgotten. During every solemn mass, you can see it in the Blessed Sacrament, in the monstrance. But if anyone actually says that this is the case, which can be seen, then he is a great heretic and is persecuted as a misbeliever. For it has always been considered dangerous in the Christian church to proclaim the truths about the stars, and thus also about the sun.
[ 29 ] Yes, gentlemen, but why is that so? We must go back to the ancient mysteries and compare them with Christianity. You see, not everyone was admitted to the ancient mysteries. I have told you what the degrees were; the initiates were Ravens, Occultists, Defenders, Sphinxes, and so on. They knew that influence came from the stars; they knew that. And that is why the initiated priesthood strictly guarded that not all people became wise, that only in the mysteries was wisdom present. Because knowledge is already a power, even if it is often suppressed. But if the priesthood is still powerful, then knowledge is a power.
[ 30 ] But this star wisdom had been lost. And now came Christ Jesus. He revived it anew, albeit in a transformed form, saying, “One must bring the sun god down to earth.” He revived the sun religion. And if this had now happened, that the Christ had fully penetrated with his teaching, then the whole old star religion would have been present again as a solar effect! This was also the case in the early days of Christianity. The old mysteries blossomed again. But then came the tremendous revolution wrought by Christ Jesus. He brought out into the open for all the world that which had formerly been locked up in the mysteries. It would thus have been there for all men. Now, no endeavor could penetrate to bring that which I am now telling you to men.
[ 31 ] In the fourth century there was a Roman emperor, Julianus, who was called the apostate; he wanted to reintroduce his old star religion. He was murdered on a trip to Persia! What happened in Rome can only be told in the following way.
[ 32 ] In Rome, the star service, which had actually been restored with the Christ Jesus, was defamed as superstition, yes, not only as superstition, but as devil worship. So exactly that, what leads to real recognizing, to cognition of the spiritual in the world, that was defamed, that was as it were even abolished. On the other hand one should just believe in the outer historical event with Christ Jesus in Palestine, as the church proclaims it. Through this the church became for all those who became believers, the highest power in that, what one is supposed to think. You see, Christianity as such did not actually come to Europe via Rome, but an altered Christianity that took only this external event from Palestine, not the whole world context. And how did that come about?
[ 33 ] Well, you see, Rome actually originated from a band of robbers who originally gathered together. And something of this attitude has been incorporated for a long time. And so Rome has always striven to seize religious rule at the same time as secular rule. It is a characteristic trait of Rome to seize spiritual as well as temporal power. And in place of the old, still pagan high priest, the Pontifex Maximus, from whom he has taken only the name, the Pope has stepped forward. In the course of the Middle Ages, the Pope actually took the place of the Roman Caesars, the Roman emperors, and assumed world domination at the same time as domination over thought. Only once, at the beginning of the 11th century, did a very important German emperor in Central Europe want to do something similar to what Julian, who was called the Apostata, the apostate, did back then; that was Henry II. It is very interesting! Henry II was initially regarded as a kind of saint because he represented the Christian view very well. He reigned from 1002 to 1024. He ruled as a kind of saint. He also has the nickname “the saint” in history. Yes, you see, when Catholic priests today look at the breviary book, where all the saints are listed, Henry II, the saint, is also listed. But Henry II was also someone who wanted to point to something like the ancient truth. He wanted to rescue for Christianity the view that the spirit of the sun lived in Jesus Christ. And so he strove for an Ecclesia catholica non romana, that is, a Catholic Church that is not Roman. Consider the date: the beginning of the 11th century! Lutheranism only came later. If Henry II had succeeded in his endeavor, a Catholic Church that is not Roman, then Christianity would have taken on a global significance in Europe, and a real spiritual science would have been obtained through religious life at that time. But Rome triumphed in those days, that is, religious-Caesarist Rome. It was not the Ecclesia catholica non romana that came into being, but the Ecclesia catholica romana that lived on. Emperor Henry II did not want to separate the Catholic Church completely from secular rule.
[ 34 ] Now you will all have to admit: It would have been an incredibly great act, because all the persecutions of heretics that followed could not have happened. Because all these persecutions come only from the domination of thoughts. But in reality you cannot control thoughts. Just think about it! Can your thoughts really be controlled? No, they cannot be controlled! They can only be controlled if you control the person from the worldly side, if you force the person to go to certain schools, where you instill certain things into him, if you determine that he belongs to a certain class. With the class he then gets his outlook and so on. Thoughts cannot be controlled! A church could never have become harmful if the secular power had not helped it by exerting its power over man as a physical being. For the church can only teach, and man must accept for himself what it teaches. And Henry II wanted to establish that. Only, as I said, the old Caesar, the old emperor in the pope at that time, triumphed. And you know: in those days, secular rule was very strong. One may find that bad, but in any case, secular rule was very strong in the time when Henry I was active. And if it had been possible at that time to set up a Catholic Church that was not Roman, then the Church's doctrine would have existed outside of secular rule.
[ 35 ] You see, basically the Crusades had the same purpose. It is always said that the Crusades were waged in the service of Rome. The Crusades are usually described as follows: Because these terrible Turks had conquered Jerusalem, pilgrims in Jerusalem could no longer say their prayers in peace when they went there on a pilgrimage. So Rome got involved, sent Peter of Amiens everywhere; he preached the crusade in Europe. That is, many people were to flock to the crusade, to migrate to Asia, to Jerusalem. Now, of course, a large crusader army was also formed through the sermons of Peter of Amiens, and was also under the command of Peter of Amiens and Walther of Habenichts. You can probably guess why he was called von Habenichts. Well, he was just as poor as the rest of us. We couldn't afford the cost of a crusade to Asia. But the whole crusading army perished along the way. It achieved nothing.
[ 36 ] In contrast, other people then set out under the leadership of Gottfried of Bouillon. They were not in the service of Rome, but wanted to do something similar to Henry II. They wanted to eliminate secular rule. Here is Italy (it is drawn), here Greece, the Black Sea, Asia, here Palestine, here Jerusalem: and that is where the cross should go, and Jerusalem should become the headquarters of the Christian religion. Rome was to be cut off from the real first crusade. The Crusades were actually waged against Rome. And again they wanted to make the Ecclesia, the church, independent of the secular rule.
[ 37 ] Well, all these things did not succeed. In the later crusades, the Roman princes interfered again. This can also be read in the history of the crusades.
[ 38 ] So it actually happened that this whole foundation of Christianity, which contains the great idea that the power of the sun was brought down to earth by Christ Jesus, and that every person who understands this can become free thereby – “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” – but the truth was not known. This whole matter has basically remained unknown throughout human evolution, and only today must we discover real Christianity through spiritual science. It is not at all surprising that those who represent today's Christianity are turning against the Christianity that really ties in with Christ Jesus and teaches the same as Christ Jesus taught. But that is happening in anthroposophy. Therefore, it is not surprising that those who only know of the Christianity that exists today have a great aversion to it. But the dislike is not directed at Christianity. In social terms, Christianity has brought about tremendous progress, namely the fact that slavery has gradually disappeared. If there were no Christianity, gentlemen, then all of today's science would not exist either. Because look it up: Most of the really great discoveries were actually made by monks. Only the air pump was the work of the good mayor Guericke of Magdeburg; but most of the great discoveries were made by monks. And the person who found the Copernican system, Copernicus, was a canon, a Catholic canon. And the schools were actually all dependent on the monks.
[ 39 ] But there is something else. You see, the thing is that the monasteries were actually not welcome in the old church, because the monks had preserved much of the ancient science. And with the monks - they were just not allowed to open their mouths - one can find a knowledge of the old wisdom of the stars. It can certainly be found if you just want to look for it. The things I have told you – I showed you last time how man and woman were still distinguished in the 17th century – yes, they were handed down in ancient times through monasticism, not through the external secular regime, but through monasticism, and it was only in the 17th, 18th century that it was finally completely done away with. The Middle Ages are not as dark as one usually believes. Only that which people usually see is dark. But secretly people have had a lot of wisdom; only today we do not understand it, even when we read old writings. I have already shown you with the term “mummy” that no one today considers what a mummy is. I have explained it to you.
[ 40 ] And so it is that the greatest idea of Christianity is this: that the power of the sun is waning on Earth.
[ 41 ] You see, gentlemen, only through this has what we call history actually come into being. For in the Orient, they had a great wisdom of the stars, but they did not give much importance to history. Those who were the scholars in the Orient, the knowing ones, always pointed out: Creation is in the heavens. But they did not pay much attention to what people did on earth. The Jews do have some history, but it is a history that also begins with stellar wisdom, for the “seven days of creation” are stellar wisdom. And then it becomes chaotic, confused. A real history that divided the whole development on earth into the pre-Christian and the post-Christian era only began with Christianity.
[ 42 ] That is what I was able to tell you today. I will give some additions to it next Saturday.