by
Rudolf Steiner
Five Lectures given in Bern and Dornach 1919
A Book Review by Bobby Matherne ©1998
In Christian theology the forces of Christ are set against the forces of the devil who represents in one figure all that is evil, and one is exhorted to abjure all that is of the devil. This might lead one to wonder, "How is the knowledge of good and evil bad? Isn't that what the devil in the Garden of Eden wanted to share with Adam and Eve?"
Steiner divides the devil into two beings, Lucifer and Ahriman, and shows us how neither is bad per se, each provides gifts to human beings that further our evolution, and that it is us who must learn to balance these gifts in our individual lives. His recommendation for a solution to the problem of the devil is to transcend the tendency towards either Luciferic frenzy or Ahrimanic tedium by creating a spirit-filled synthesis of the two in our lives from now on.
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frenzy, hyperactivity
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tedium, boredom
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unification, generalization
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diversity, particularization
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one language
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many languages
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gnosis, speaking and thinking
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statistics, proof, literal Gospel reading
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qualitative
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quantitative
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fantasy, illusion, superstition
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concrete sensory-based, materialism
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spirit-permeated cosmology
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mathematical astronomy
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eating & drinking w/o spirituality
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un-read knowledge stored in libraries
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unified vision [United Nations]
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individual vision [Chauvinism]
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flexibility, airy
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solidification, granite-like
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the high flight of Icarus
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the humility of Francis Bacon
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pagan wisdom
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technological advances
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Luciferic Traits, Attributes
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Ahrimanic Traits, Attributes
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