The Fifth Gospel

18 lectures held in various cities, October 1913 to February 1914 (CW 148)

Through his intuitive reading of the Akashic Record - the living memory of Earth and cosmos - Rudolf Steiner described dimensions of the life of Jesus Christ that extend beyond the four canonical Gospels. After years of inner struggle and rigorous self-examination, Steiner began presenting these insights publicly in 1913. He spoke with great care and restraint, fully aware of the responsibility involved, yet convinced that such knowledge was necessary for a new, conscious understanding of Christ.

In this series of deeply moving lectures, given in Oslo and five German cities, Steiner unfolds a coherent picture of Jesus's earthly mission. He describes the existence of two Jesus children, the transfer of the Zarathustra-I, Jesus's experience of the Essene community, and the profound inner suffering that prepared the way for the Baptism in the Jordan. Central moments - including the temptations in the desert, the sorrow over the decline of ancient Mystery paths, Jesus's conversations with Mary, and the gradual union of the Christ-Being with the sheaths of Jesus of Nazareth - appear as stages in a cosmic drama of sacrifice and love. The Mystery of Golgotha emerges as the decisive turning point of Earth evolution: not merely an historical event, but the birth of a new cosmic impulse through which Christ united with the Earth.

This complete edition - the first to feature all eighteen lectures on the subject - includes an introduction by Tom Ravetz.