Genesis

Genesis: Secrets of Creation

11 lectures, Munich, August 16–26, 1910 (CW 122)

How was the world created? From a direct spiritual perception of the facts, Rudolf Steiner presents a new perspective that transcends the bipolar arguments of both the creationists and the scientific reductionists. He affirms that clairvoyant research accords with the biblical descriptions, but he emphasizes that the text of Genesis has to be interpreted in a special way.

In this extraordinary document, Steiner speaks of the six days of creation as a reawakening of the previous phases of the Earth’s development. He describes the work of spiritual hierarchies in the creation of Earth and clarifies the relationship of the Elohim and the biblical Jehovah. In addition, Steiner discusses themes of light and darkness, the meaning of Adam and Eve, the “day of rest” on the seventh day, the stages of human development on Earth, and the special character of the Hebrew language. Also featured in this new edition is a previously unpublished introductory lecture on the meaning of mystery drama.

This book is a translation from German of Die Geheimnisse der biblischen Schöpfungsgeschichte. Das Sechtagwerk im 1. Buch Moses (GA 122).

C O N T E N T S:

Introduction by Baruch Luke Urieli

1. The Mystery of the Primordial Word
2. Ha’aretz and Hashamayim
3. The Seven Days of Creation
4. The Forming and Creating of Beings by the Elohim
5. Light and Darkness, Yom and Laila
6. Elemental Existence and the Spiritual Beings behind It
7. The Structure of the First and Second “Days” of Creation
8. Stages of Human Development up to the Sixth “Day” of Creation
9. The Moon Element in Man
10. The Way the Bible Accords with Clairvoyant Research
11. The Portal of Initiation

Notes

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.

Baruch Luke Urieli is a retired priest of the Christian Community and a long-standing member of the Camphill movement, which has many centers around the world for people with special needs.