The Gospel of St. John (Basle)
GA 100
16 November 1907, Basle
Translator Unknown
Lecture I
When we carefully study the mental life of the present day we find a deep cleft in many minds. Men now receive, even in earliest youth, not one view of the world only but two: the one from their religious instruction and the other from Natural Science. The result of this is, that from the very outset doubts arise as to the correctness of the religious traditions.
It might be thought that Spiritual Science or Anthroposophy desires to bring in a new religion in addition to those already existing; but that is not the case. Anthroposophy is not a new religion, it is not a new sect.
In these lectures it will be our task, with the aid of Spiritual Science, to show the significance of this religious document, St. John's Gospel, and in so doing we shall be able to point out the relation of Spiritual Science to religious records in general. Spiritual Science enables us to understand the various religions in the world. One who is acquainted with Anthroposophical Spiritual Science takes Christianity as it is, as a fact of the very greatest significance to the whole spiritual life of humanity. It has been made impossible for the mental and spiritual life of the present day to understand the depths of Christianity. This understanding can only be gained through Anthroposophical Spiritual Science. If we make use of what it provides we can penetrate deeply into the wisdom contained in the religious records.
We might compare Spiritual Science with philology. We can also study the Christian documents with the aid of philology; but Spiritual Science leads us into the spirit of these documents. The best expounder of Euclid's Geometry is one who knows Geometry, not one who only knows the Greek language.
Spiritual Science is not to be a new religion for the men of modern times; it is to be the means by which the true contents of Christianity may be brought home to them. Christianity is the zenith and meeting point of all religions. All other religions do but point to Christianity, which is the religion for all the future and will not be followed by any other. The fountain of Truth which springs up in it is abundant and never-ending; it is so plenteous that as the evolution of humanity progresses it will reveal every new aspects of its being. Anthroposophy or Spiritual Science is to present Christianity to man from a new and different side.
Now, the various religious records may be considered from four different points of view:
1. The point of view of the Simple Believer, who holds fast to the words that are giving him. Many people, however, cannot reconcile the standpoint with their modern thought and they then pass on to:
2. The point of view of the Critic, the Doubter, the one who denies. This is the point of view of the “clever, enlightened men”, who have “risen above” religious truths. But many of them search further and discover that a very great deal is nevertheless contained in these religious documents they wrestle through to:
3. The point of view of the Symbolists. These interpret the religious records in their own way and find in them much or little according to their knowledge or acuteness. In Germany many former Freethinkers have come to this point of view. Finally, it is possible through Spiritual Science to arrive at:
4. The point of view where one learns to take the religious documents literally once more. We find many remarkable examples of this in the study St. John's Gospel.
St. John's Gospel takes quite a special place among the four Gospels. The Gospel of Matthew, Mark and Luke give us an historical picture of Jesus, but St. John's Gospel is regarded as a kind of apotheosis, a wonderful poem. There are many contradictions when we compare it with the statements made in the other Gospels, but these contradictions are so apparent that it cannot be supposed that the old defenders of St. John's Gospel did not perceive them also.
At the present time St. John's Gospel is considered to be the least worthy of credence. The reason for this attitude lies in the materialistic frame of mind of the men of our time. In the course of the 19th century humanity became materialistic in feeling, and consequently also in thought; for as a man feels, so does the judge. Materialism is not confined to the view of the world contained in the books of Büchner, Moleschott, and Vogt: even those who explain the religious documents from a certain spiritual standpoint do this in a fully materialistic way. As example of this I might quote the dispute between Karl Vogt and Professor Wagner of Munich. This dispute was fought out at the time in the “Augsburger Zeitung” and ended completely in favor of Karl Vogt. Wagner stood up for the existence of the soul; he did this, however, in an absolutely materialistic way. And as the theologians have materialistic feelings, the three synoptic Gospels please them better, because they more easily admit of a materialistic explanation. It is repugnant to materialistic thinking to accept a Being who towers above all men; it is much more acceptable to them to see in Jesus a noble human being only, “the humble man of Nazareth.” According to St. John's Gospel is quite inadmissible to see in Jesus only that which also lives in any other man. The Christ-soul in the Jesus-body is something quite different. St. John's Gospel represents Christ to us not only as a very great man, but as a Being who embraces the whole earth.
If we translate St. John's Gospel according to the spirit and not only according to the words, the first 14 verses run approximately as follows:—
1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a God
2. The same was in the very beginning with God
3. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.
4. In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men.
5. And the Light shone in the darkness, but the darkness did not comprehend it.
6. There was a man sent from God whose name was John.
7. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that through him all men might believe.
8. He was not that Light, that came to bear witness of the Light.
9. For the true Light, which enlighteneth all men, was to come into the world.
10. He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, but the world did not recognize Him.
11. It came into the several human beings, even into the ego-men; but the individual human beings, the ego-men, did not receive Him.
12. But those that did receive Him, to them gave He power to manifest that they were Sons of God.
13. Those who trusted in His Name were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we have heard His teaching, the teaching of the only begotten Son of the Father, full of devotion and truth. (in St. John's Gospel truth—aletheia—is Spirit Self, devotion—charis—is Life Spirit, and wisdom—sophia—is Spirit Man.)
Even the very first words are taken in an abstract sense by the modern man. The “Very Beginning” is thought of as an abstract beginning; but to grasp the true significance of this word we must recall what was taught on this point in the Christian Secret School of Dionysius the Areopagite.
Mineral, plant, animal, and man make up the series of being in evolution which require the physical body. Above them are beings who do not need the physical body, namely, the Angels, Archangels, Very Beginnings, the Powers, Virtues, Dominions, the Thrones, Cherubim and Seraphim, and Beings were still higher.
Thus the Very Beginnings are real Beings. They are those who, at the beginning of the evolution of our world, were already at the stage humanity will only reach at the end of its evolution (in the Vulcan Period.) If in the light of this we study the first verse, “In the very beginning was the word,” we might represent the state of affairs pictorially by the following comparison. Before we utter a word, this word lives in us as thought. It lives within us. When the word is uttered the air around us is set in motion; vibrations are produced. If we imagine these vibrations condensed and hardened in some way, we should see the words fall to the ground as forms and figures; we should perceive the creative power of the word with our eyes. If the word is already creative now, it will be much more so in the future.
Man already possesses organs which will only attain their full significance in the future; he also possesses others which are already in decline. To the latter belong the organs of reproduction, to the former the heart and the larynx, for these are only at the beginning of their development. At the present time the heart is an involuntary muscle, although it has transverse fibers like all voluntary muscles. These transverse fibers are an indication that the heart is in the process of transition from an involuntary to a voluntary organ. The larynx is destined to be the human organ of reproduction in a distant future, strange as this may sound at present. Just as man, by means of speech, can already transpose his thoughts into vibrations of the air, he will in the future be able to create his own image by means of the word.
The Very Beginnings already possessed this creative power at the outset of the evolution of our world and can therefore be rightly looked upon as divine Beings. At the beginning of the evolution of the Earth a divine Word was uttered, and this has become mineral, plant, animal and man.
Erster Vortrag
[ 1 ] Wer das moderne Geistesleben aufmerksam betrachtet, der wird finden, daß ein tiefer Zwiespalt in vielen Seelen vorhanden ist. Sie bekommen schon in frühester Jugend statt einer einheitlichen Weltanschauung deren zwei: eine durch den Religionsunterricht und eine andere durch die Naturwissenschaft, wodurch sich bei ihnen von Anfang an Zweifel an der Richtigkeit der religiösen Überlieferungen einstellen.
[ 2 ] Man könnte glauben, daß die Theosophie ein neues Religionsbekenntnis zu den bereits bestehenden alten hinzubringen will. Dies ist aber nicht der Fall. Theosophie ist keine neue Religion, keine neue Sekte, sie ist mehr als Religion.
[ 3 ] Es wird die Aufgabe dieser Vorträge sein, mit Hilfe der Theosophie zu zeigen, welche Bedeutung eine religiöse Urkunde wie das JohannesEvangelium besitzt. Gerade bei der Betrachtung dieses Evangeliums wird sich das Verhältnis der Theosophie zu den Religionsurkunden im allgemeinen zeigen. Sie dient zum Verständnis der in der Welt bestehenden religiösen Strömungen. Derjenige, welcher die Theosophie kennt, nimmt das Christentum wie es ist, als eine Tatsache, welche für das gesamte Geistesleben der Menschheit von höchster Bedeutung ist. Nur das moderne Geistesleben ist in die Unmöglichkeit versetzt, die Tiefe des Christentums verstehen zu können. 'Theosophie ist dasjenige Instrument und Mittel, ohne welches nichts auszurichten ist. Wenn wir dieses Instrument benutzen, können wir tief hineindringen in die Weisheiten der religiösen Urkunden. Man könnte die Theosophie mit der Philologie vergleichen. Auch die Philologie erlaubt uns, die christlichen Urkunden zu studieren. Die Theosophie jedoch führt uns in den Geist dieser Urkunden ein. Nicht derjenige ist der richtige Ausleger der Euklidischen Geometrie, der nur die griechische Sprache versteht, sondern derjenige, welcher die Kenntnis der geometrischen Tatsachen besitzt.
[ 4 ] Theosophie soll dem modernen Menschen nicht eine neue Religion sein, sondern das Mittel, welches ihm das Christentum in seinem wahren Gehalte wieder näher bringt. Das Christentum ist der Gipfel aller Religionen. Alle andern Religionen weisen nur auf das Christentum hin. Das Christentum ist die Religion aller Zukunft und wird von keiner andern abgelöst. Der in ihm sprudelnde Quell der Wahrheit ist unversieglich. Es ist so stark, daß es mit der fortschreitenden Entwickelung der Menschheit immer neue Seiten seines Wesens offenbaren wird. Die Theosophie soll uns das Christentum von einer neuen Seite zeigen.
[ 5 ] Gegenüber den Religionsurkunden können vier verschiedene Standpunkte eingenommen werden: Erstens der Standpunkt des naiven Glaubens, wobei der Mensch sich nur an die Worte hält, die ihm gegeben werden. Viele können diesen Standpunkt nicht mit ihrem modernen Denken vereinbaren, und sie nehmen dann den zweiten Standpunkt ein: den des Kritisierens, des Zweifelns, des Verwerfens. Dies ist der Standpunkt der gescheiten, aufgeklärten Menschen. Religionswahrheiten sind ihnen ein überwundener Standpunkt. Viele von diesen aufgeklärten Menschen forschen weiter und finden, daß doch merkwürdig viel in diesen Religionsurkunden enthalten ist. Sie ringen sich durch zum dritten Standpunkt: dem der Symboliker. Diese Leute deuten viel oder wenig in die Religionsurkunden hinein, je nach ihrem Geist und Wissen. Viele ehemalige Freidenker in Deutschland haben sich zu diesem Standpunkt durchgerungen. Durch die Theosophie endlich wird der vierte Standpunkt ermöglicht. Man lernt dieReligionsurkunden wieder wörtlich nehmen. Merkwürdige Beispiele dafür finden wir bei der Betrachtung des Johannes-Evangeliums.
[ 6 ] Unter den vier Evangelien nimmt das Johannes-Evangelium einen ganz besonderen Platz ein. Während die drei Evangelien des Matthäus, Markus und Lukas uns ein geschichtliches Bild des Jesus von Nazareth geben, wird das Johannes-Evangelium als Apotheose, als ein wundervolles Gedicht angesehen. Es zeigt mehrfache Widersprüche gegenüber den Angaben der drei andern Evangelien; aber diese Widersprüche sind so offenbar zutage liegend, daß nicht angenommen werden kann, die alten Verteidiger des Johannes-Evangeliums hätten dieselben nicht wahrgenommen.
[ 7 ] Gegenwärtig wird das Johannes-Evangelium am wenigsten als glaubwürdig angesehen. Der Grund dazu liegt in der materialistischen Gesinnung unseres Zeitalters. Im 19. Jahrhundert ist die Menschheit materialistisch im Fühlen geworden und als Folge davon auch im Denken; denn wie der Mensch fühlt, so urteilt er. Materialismus ist nicht allein diejenige Weltanschauung, die in den Büchern von Büchner, Moleschott und Vogt zum Ausdruck kommt, sondern sogar diejenigen, die als Erklärer der religiösen Urkunden sich auf einen gewissen geistigen Standpunkt stellen wollen, tun dies in völlig materialistischer Weise. Als Beispiel könnte man anführen den Streit zwischen Karl Vogt und dem Göttinger Professor Wagner. Dieser Streit ist seinerzeit in der «Augsburger Zeitung» ausgefochten worden und völlig zugunsten des Karl Vogt ausgefallen. Dabei vertrat Wagner die Existenz der Seele, tat dies aber auch in völlig materialistischer Weise.
[ 8 ] Dadurch, daß unsere Theologen ebenfalls materialistisch fühlen, entsprechen ihnen die drei Evangelien der Synoptiker besser, weil bei denselben eine materialistische Auslegung eher zulässig ist. Dem materialistischen Denken widerstrebt es, ein Wesen anzunehmen, welches alle Menschen überragt. Mehr sagt es ihnen zu, in Jesus von Nazareth nur einen edlen Menschen, den «schlichten Mann» von Nazareth, zu sehen. Beim Johannes-Evangelium ist der Standpunkt ganz unzulässig, in Jesus nur das zu sehen, was in jedem andern Menschen auch lebt. Die Seele des Christus in dem Leibe Jesu ist etwas ganz anderes. Das Johannes-Evangelium zeigt uns Christus nicht nur als überragendes menschliches Wesen, sondern als solches, das die ganze Erde umfaßt.
[ 9 ] Wenn man das Johannes-Evangelium nicht dem Wortlaute, sondern dem Geiste nach übersetzt, so lauten die ersten vierzehn Verse folgendermaßen:
«Im Urbeginne war das Wort, und das Wort war bei Gott, und ein Gott war das Wort.
Dieses war im Urbeginne bei Gott.
Alles ist durch dasselbe geworden, und außer durch dieses ist nichts von dem Entstandenen geworden.
In diesem war das Leben, und das Leben war das Licht der Menschen.
Und das Licht schien in die Finsternis, aber die Finsternis hat es nicht begriffen. Es ward ein Mensch, gesandt war er von Gott, mit seinem Namen Johannes.
Dieser kam zum Zeugnis, auf daß er Zeugnis ablege von dem Lichte, auf daß durch ihn alle glauben sollten.
Er war nicht das Licht, sondern ein Zeuge des Lichtes.
Denn das wahre Licht, das alle Menschen erleuchtet, sollte in die Welt kommen.
Es war in der Welt, und die Welt ist durch es geworden, aber die Welt hat es nicht erkannt.
Zu den einzelnen Menschen kam es, bis zu den Ich-Menschen kam es; aber die einzelnen Menschen, die Ich-Menschen, nahmen es nicht auf.
Die es aber aufnahmen, die konnten sich durch es als Gottes Kinder offenbaren.
Die seinem Namen vertrauten, sind nicht aus Blut, nicht aus dem Willen des Fleisches und nicht aus menschlichem Willen, sondern aus Gott geworden.
Und das Wort ist Fleisch geworden und hat unter uns gewohnert, und wir haben seine Lehre gehört, die Lehre von dem einigen Sohne des Vaters, erfüllt von Hingabe und Wahrheit.»
[ 10 ] Bei Johannes ist Wahrheit — ἀλήθεια aletheia - Manas, Hingabe — Χάρις charis - Buddhi und Weisheit - σοφία sophia — Atma.
[ 11 ] Schon das erste Wort wird von einem modernen Menschen in einem abstrakten Sinn genommen. Man denkt sich den Urbeginn als einen abstrakten Anfang. Um aber die richtige Bedeutung dieses Wortes zu erfassen, muß man sich vergegenwärtigen, was in der christlichen Geheimschule des Dionysius Areopagita darüber gelehrt wurde: Mineral, Pflanze, Tier und Mensch bilden die Entwickelungsreihe derjenigen Wesenheiten, welche den physischen Körper benötigen; darüber stehen Wesenheiten, die ohne einen solchen existieren. Dies sind die Engel, Erzengel, die Uranfänge oder Urbeginne, die Mächte, Gewalten, Herrschaften, Throne, Cherubim und Seraphim und immer höher hinauf.
[ 12 ] Die Urbeginne sind also wirkliche Wesenheiten. Man bezeichnete mit diesem Namen diejenigen Wesenheiten, die im Anfang unserer Weltentwickelung so weit waren, wie die Menschheit in ihrer Entwickelung in der Vulkanphase sein wird. Betrachtet man im Lichte dieser Anschauung den ersten Vers: «Im Urbeginne war das Wort Logos...», so könnte man sich den Sachverhalt durch folgendes Gleichnis bildlich darstellen: Bevor man das Wort ausspricht, lebt dieses Wort in uns als Gedanke. Wird das Wort ausgesprochen, so wird die uns umgebende Luft in Schwingungen versetzt. Denken wir uns diese Schwingungen durch irgendeinen Vorgang zum Erstarren gebracht, so würden wir die Worte als Formen und Gestalten zu Boden fallen sehen. Wir würden die schöpferische Macht des Wortes mit unseren Augen wahrnehmen. Wirkt das Wort also bereits jetzt schöpferisch, so wird dies in Zukunft noch in viel stärkerem Maße der Fall sein. Der heutige Mensch besitzt Organe, die erst in der Zukunft zu ihrer vollen Bedeutung gelangen werden, und auch solche, die sich bereits in Dekadenz befinden. Zu den letzteren gehören die Fortpflanzungsorgane, zu den ersteren das Herz und der Kehlkopf, die beide erst im Anfange ihrer Entwickelung stehen. Das Herz ist gegenwärtig ein unwillkürlicher Muskel, obwohl es quergestreift ist wie alle willkürlichen Muskeln. Diese Querstreifung ist bereits ein Fingerzeig, daß sich das Herz im Übergang aus einem unwillkürlichen in ein willkürliches Organ befindet. Der Kehlkopf ist bestimmt, in einer fernen Zukunft das Fortpflanzungsorgan des Menschen zu werden, so paradox das auch klingen mag. So wie der Mensch durch die Sprache jetzt schon seine Gedanken in Luftschwingungen umsetzen kann, wird er dereinst sein eigenes Ebenbild durch das Wort schaffen können.
[ 13 ] Die Urbeginne besaßen diese schöpferische Kraft bereits zu Beginn unserer jetzigen Weltentwickelung und können daher mit Recht als göttliche Wesenheiten angesehen werden. Zu Beginn der Erdenentwikkelung wurde ein göttliches Wort ausgesprochen, und dies ist zu Mineral, Pflanze, Tier und Mensch geworden.
First Lecture
[ 1 ] Anyone who takes a close look at modern intellectual life will find that many people are deeply conflicted. Instead of a unified worldview, they receive two in their earliest youth: one through religious education and the other through science, which from the outset gives rise to doubts about the correctness of religious traditions.
[ 2 ] One might think that Theosophy wants to add a new religious confession to the already existing old ones. But this is not the case. Theosophy is not a new religion, not a new sect, it is more than religion.
[ 3 ] The purpose of these lectures is to show, with the help of Theosophy, the significance of a religious document such as the Gospel of John. It is precisely in the consideration of this Gospel that the relationship of Theosophy to religious documents in general will become apparent. It serves to understand the religious currents that exist in the world. Those who know about Theosophy take Christianity as it is, as a fact that is of the utmost importance for the entire spiritual life of humanity. Only modern spiritual life is unable to understand the depth of Christianity. 'Theosophy is the instrument and means without which nothing can be achieved. If we use this instrument, we can penetrate deeply into the wisdom of the religious documents. One could compare theosophy with philology. Philology also allows us to study the Christian documents. Theosophy, however, introduces us to the spirit of these documents. Not only the one who understands the Greek language is the right interpreter of Euclidean geometry, but also the one who has knowledge of geometric facts.
[ 4 ] Theosophy is not meant to be a new religion for modern man, but the means by which Christianity in its true content is brought closer to him again. Christianity is the summit of all religions. All other religions point only to Christianity. Christianity is the religion of the future and will not be replaced by any other. The wellspring of truth that flows from it is inexhaustible. It is so strong that it will reveal more and more of its essence as humanity continues to develop. Theosophy should show us Christianity from a new perspective.
[ 5 ] Four different points of view can be taken regarding the religious texts: Firstly, the point of view of naive faith, whereby a person adheres only to the words that are given to him. Many cannot reconcile this point of view with their modern thinking, and they then take the second point of view: that of criticizing, doubting, and rejecting. This is the standpoint of clever, enlightened people. To them, religious truths are a viewpoint that has been overcome. Many of these enlightened people continue their research and find that there is, after all, a remarkable amount contained in these religious documents. They struggle through to the third point of view: that of the symbolists. These people interpret a lot or a little into the religious documents, depending on their mind and knowledge. Many former freethinkers in Germany have come to this point of view. Finally, the fourth point of view is made possible by theosophy. One learns to take the religious documents literally again. We find strange examples of this when we look at the Gospel of John.
[ 6 ] Among the four Gospels, the Gospel of John occupies a very special place. While the three gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke give us a historical picture of Jesus of Nazareth, the gospel of John is regarded as an apotheosis, as a wonderful poem. It contains multiple contradictions to the statements of the other three gospels; but these contradictions are so obvious that it cannot be assumed that the ancient defenders of the gospel of John did not perceive them.
[ 7 ] At the present time, the Gospel of John is regarded as the least credible. The reason for this lies in the materialistic attitude of our age. In the 19th century, humanity has become materialistic in feeling and, as a consequence, also in thinking; for as man feels, so he judges. Materialism is not only the world view expressed in the books of Büchner, Moleschott and Vogt, but even those who, as interpreters of religious documents, want to take a certain spiritual point of view, do so in a completely materialistic way. As an example, one could cite the dispute between Karl Vogt and the Göttingen professor Wagner. This dispute was fought out in the Augsburger Zeitung and ended completely in favor of Karl Vogt. Wagner argued for the existence of the soul, but he did so in a completely materialistic way.
[8] Since our theologians also feel materialistic, the three gospels of the synoptics suit them better, because a materialistic interpretation is more likely to be accepted by them. Materialistic thinking resists the idea of a being that towers above all people. They are more inclined to see in Jesus of Nazareth only a noble human being, the “simple man” of Nazareth. In the Gospel of John, the point of view is quite inadmissible to see in Jesus only what lives in every other human being. The soul of Christ in the body of Jesus is something quite different. The Gospel of John shows us Christ not only as an outstanding human being, but as one who embraces the whole earth.
[ 9 ] If one translates the Gospel of John not according to the wording, but according to the spirit, the first fourteen verses read as follows:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came into being through him, and without him nothing came into being that has come into being.
In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
And the light shone in the darkness, but the darkness did not comprehend it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
He came for a witness, to bear witness about the Light, so that through him all might believe.
He was not the Light, but a witness of the Light.
For the true light that enlightens all men was coming into the world.
It was in the world, and the world was made through it, but the world did not recognize it.
It came to individual men, it came to the I-men; but the individual men, the I-men, did not receive it.
But those who accepted it were able to reveal themselves as children of God through it.
Those who trusted in his name did not come from blood, not from the will of the flesh and not from human will, but from God.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we have heard his teaching, the teaching of the only Son of the Father, full of devotion and truth.
[ 10 ] In John, truth is—ἀλήθεια aletheia - manas, devotion—Χάρις charis - buddhi and wisdom - σοφία sophia - atma.
[ 11 ] The first word is taken in an abstract sense by a modern person. One imagines the primal beginning as an abstract beginning. But in order to grasp the correct meaning of this word, one must visualize what was taught in the Christian secret school of Dionysius the Areopagite: Mineral, plant, animal and human form the developmental series of those entities that require a physical body; above them are entities that exist without one. These are the angels, archangels, the primeval beginnings or origins, the powers, authorities, dominions, thrones, cherubim and seraphim, and ever higher up.
[ 12 ] The Primordial Beginnings are therefore real entities. This name was given to those entities that were as far advanced in the beginning of our world development as humanity will be in the volcanic phase of its development. If we consider the first verse in the light of this view: “In the beginning was the Word Logos...”, we can visualize the facts by means of the following parable: Before a word is spoken, it lives in us as a thought. When the word is spoken, the surrounding air begins to vibrate. If we imagine these vibrations being solidified by some process, we would see the words falling to the ground as forms and figures. We would perceive the creative power of the word with our own eyes. If the word is already having a creative effect, then this will be even more the case in the future. Today's man possesses organs that will only reach their full potential in the future, and also organs that are already in a state of decline. The reproductive organs belong to the latter, and the heart and larynx belong to the former, both of which are only at the beginning of their development. The heart is at present an involuntary muscle, although it is striated like all voluntary muscles. This striation is already a pointer to the fact that the heart is in transition from an involuntary to a voluntary organ. The larynx is destined to become the reproductive organ of man in the distant future, however paradoxical that may sound. Just as man can already transform his thoughts into air vibrations through speech, he will one day be able to create his own image through the word.
[ 13 ] The Primordial Beginnings already possessed this creative power at the beginning of our present world development and can therefore rightly be seen as divine beings. At the beginning of the earth's development, a divine word was spoken, and this has become mineral, plant, animal and human.