Who is the Christ? What is the 'Sun-spirit'? How should we understand the person of Jesus in relation to the Cosmic Christ, or even to the Holy Trinity? --- In a majestic overview of Rudolf Steiner's extensive references to Christ and Jesus, originally dispersed throughout his many writings and lectures, Oskar Kurten creates a mutually reconcilable and coherent text. We are invited to accompany the author as he attempts to comprehend the unimaginably vast enigma of Christ's appearance on Earth. The results of his work can sometimes be overwhelming, but as Kurten points out: 'humanity is always advancing in its intellectual and spiritual culture, and each step poses higher demands on our capacity to understand'. --- In a volume comprising three previously-untranslated booklets, composed originally as study material for people conversant with the fundamentals of anthroposophy, Mystery of the Christ gives numerous pointers to great mysteries, inviting readers to penetrate ever more deeply into the inexhaustible subject-matter. As Kurten states, this approach enables us 'again and again to find surprisingly new insights into the mysterious interconnections in which Christ's entry into earth-existence and the Mystery of Golgotha are placed'.
OSKAR LAMBERT KUERTEN PhD was born in Anleur, Belgium, in 1886. He lost his hearing during his student years, becoming almost completely deaf. Despite this, he held a senior position in the Berlin State Statistical Office for over 50 years. Kurten developed an interest in spiritual world-views and had an inner experience that anthroposophy was his personal path. He lived for and out of anthroposophy, especially Rudolf Steiner's Christ-impulse, penning the trilogy contained in Mystery of the Christ. Kurten is also the author of Symphonies of Creation, The Primal Elementary Kingdoms in the Work of Rudolf Steiner (Temple Lodge 2018). He died in Berlin in 1973.
Foreword by Paul King - Part One: CHRIST THE SUN SPIRIT IN THE WORK OF RUDOLF STEINER - Introduction - 1. The Enigma of Christ's Appearance on Earth - 2. The Logos and Christ - 3. The Christ Archangel - 4. Christ the High Sun-Spirit - Christ as Cosmic-being - Christ and the Spirits of Wisdom - Christ and the Upper Gods - Christ as the Mystical Lamb - Christ among the Twelve Apostles - Christ as the Thirteenth among the Bodhisattvas - Christ as God of the Future - 5. Christ in Jesus - 6. Other Bearers of the Christ-Impulse - 7. Jesus of Nazareth - 8. Conclusion - Part Two: THE SUN GOD, THE LOGOS AND THE TRINITY - Preface - 1. Introduction - 2. The Father-God Creation and the Son-God Creation - 3. The Trinity and its Representatives in the Lower Worlds - 4. The Primal Trinity and the Trinity of our World - 5. Christ and the Holy Spirit - 6. Conclusion - Part Three: JESUS OF NAZARETH-A CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE MYSTERY OF JESUS - Preface - 1. Introduction - 2. The Jesus-soul as the Representative of the Primordial Soul of Humanity - 3. The Preliminary Stages of the Mystery of Golgotha - 4. The Rescue of the Human I through the Mystery of Golgotha - 5. The Jesus-soul in Krishna - 6. The Jesus-soul in the Mysteries - 7. The Union of Buddha-forces with Jesus of Nazareth - 8. The Earthly Life of Jesus of Nazareth - a. The Life of Jesus after the Union with the Zarathustra-I - b. The Life of Jesus after the Union with the Christ-I - 9. The Resurrection - 10. Christ Jesus - 11. Dates Relating to the Life of Jesus - 12. Conclusion - Addendum to Part Three: THE SON OF MAN AND THE COSMIC CHRIST - 1. The young man who fled at the arrest of Christ Jesus - 2. Jesus of Nazareth as Son of Man - 3. Christ as Son of Man - 4. 'Son of Man' as a Mystery Expression - 5. The young man who fled as Cosmic Christ - Notes and References
