CHRISTIANITY AS MYSTICAL FACT

Christianity As Mystical Fact was compiled from a series of lectures Rudolf Steiner gave in 1902 It was an attempt to explain the mystical qualities of Christianity and its evolution from preChristian times to the resurrection The book has become one of Steiners most well known works and it gives us a deeper and richer understanding of the esoteric roots and meaning of Christianity Steiner not satisfied with scratching the surface of traditional Christianity sought to unearth its mysteries and his words are reminiscent of a latter day neardeath experiencer when he writes in chapter 2 He acknowledges the existence of the gods but knows that the ordinary ideas about them do not solve the great problems of existence He seeks a wisdom which is jealously guarded by a community of priestsages His aspiring soul seeks a refuge in this community If he is found by the sages to be sufficiently prepared he is led up by them step by step to higher knowledge in places hidden from the eyes of outward observers What then happens to him is concealed from the uninitiated He seems for a time to be entirely removed from earthly life and to be transported into a hidden world When he reappears in the light of day a different quite transformed person is before us We see a man who cannot find words sublime enough to express the momentous experience through which he has passed Not merely metaphorically but in a most real sense does he seem to have gone through the gate of death and to have awakened to a new and higher life He is moreover quite certain that no one who has not had a similar experience can understand his words Christianity as Mystical Fact is required reading for anyone interested in Christian Mysticism