The Fifth Gospel
The lectures on the Fifth Gospel given in various places in 1913 and 1914 occupy a very special place for spiritual research. Rudolf Steiner himself described the effort it took for him to speak about this material. He did so out of a deep sense of responsibility, and in his awareness of the great necessity for these facts to infuse the development of the world at this very moment.
In the year 1948, the decision was made to publish the first five Oslo lectures in German. This arose from an insight and conviction that the world of that day virtually demanded that these messages be made accessible and entrusted to a wider circle of searching individuals. May they treat the secrets of the Fifth Gospel in the right way, as did Rudolf Steiner!
Five Lectures delivered at Oslo, Norway, and two lectures at Cologne, Germany, in 1913 and 1914. From stenographic transcripts not revised by the speaker. Translated by Frank Thomas Smith. From GA 148.
About the Author
Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925) was born in the small village of Kraljevec, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now in Croatia), where he grew up (see right). As a young man, he lived in Weimar and Berlin, where he became a well-published scientific, literary, and philosophical scholar, known especially for his work with Goethe’s scientific writings. At the beginning of the twentieth century, he began to develop his early philosophical principles into an approach to systematic research into psychological and spiritual phenomena. Formally beginning his spiritual teaching career under the auspices of the Theosophical Society, Steiner came to use the term Anthroposophy (and spiritual science) for his philosophy, spiritual research, and findings. The influence of Steiner’s multifaceted genius has led to innovative and holistic approaches in medicine, various therapies, philosophy, religious renewal, Waldorf education, education for special needs, threefold economics, biodynamic agriculture, Goethean science, architecture, and the arts of drama, speech, and eurythmy. In 1924, Rudolf Steiner founded the General Anthroposophical Society, which today has branches throughout the world. He died in Dornach, Switzerland.
Frank Thomas Smith is an American expatriate writer, editor, and translator who has been a long-time and active proponent of anthroposophy, the spiritual philosophy founded by Rudolf Steiner. He has dedicated a significant portion of his life to translating Steiner’s works and writing his own fiction and non-fiction books that explore anthroposophical themes.
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