By Rudolf Steiner

Dornach, Oxford, London
Translated by James H. Hindes
Bn/GA 214

The first four lectures deal with the development of theology from a spiritual scientific point of view. Starting with the early Christian “gnostic” understanding of the Christ event from within, Steiner shows how medieval theology came to an “outer” view of the spiritual world that, coupled with the rise of abstract intellectuality, led to the separation of faith and knowledge. Using examples from Dionysius the Areopagite, Scotus Eriugena, Paracelsus, and Goethe, Steiner places the evolution of consciousness and the task of the Michael age in a Christian context.

The last four lectures, given in Oxford (and London) against the background of the Manchester College conference on “spiritual values in education and social life,” demonstrate the presence of theology in the anthroposophical world view.

These eight lectures are from the lecture series entitled, The Mystery of the Trinity and the Mission of the Spirit. They were published in German as, Das Geheimnis der Trinitat. Der Mensch und sein Verhaeltnis zur Geistwelt im Wandel der Zeiten. They are presented here with the kind permission of the Rudolf Steiner Nachlassverwaltung, Dornach, Switzerland. From Bn/GA 214.