Holy Supper symbolism - apostles

This page covers various aspects of Symbolism of the Holy Supper, such as the bread and wine, the circle of twelve with Christ as the thirteenth in the middle, and the nature of what the apostles represent, see also Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci.

Aspects

The twelve

• from Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:14-19 and Luke 6:13-16.
  • John the Apostle (also Lazarus-John): brother of James, son of Zebedee; the disciple Jesus loved, wrote Gospel of John. About John and James, see quote on Schema FMC00.021B from 1911-GA264.
    • note: John, the son of Zebedee (or John Zebedaeus), is not an apostle in the real sense. He is with his brother James (“sons of thunder“) as it were a single person as the intellectual soul and mind-soul are two aspects of soul development. He is the 'substitute' of Lazarus who takes his place as John after his raising (see Raising of Lazarus) and is also present at the Last Supper and in Gethsemane. Steiner points to the fact that “the Apostles were able to exchange their bodies under the prevailing, very different soul conditions of that time“ (from RSH, for GA264-L10, page 219)
    • see also: Individuality of Christian Rosenkreutz
  • James (or Jacob): elder brother of James, son of Zebedee, present along with Peter and John when Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead (Mark 5:37),
  • Peter (prev. called Simon, hence also Simon Peter, or Cephas (rock)): Simon became one of the twelve disciples and Jesus changed his name to Peter which means 'rock'. Denied Christ-Jesus three times after his arrest.
  • Judas Iscariot: the 'traitor' who betrayed Christ-Jesus
  • Thomas (also called Didymus, meaning The Twin): nicknamed “doubting Thomas," outspoken skeptic
  • Matthew: the tax collector (re Matthew 9:9) 
  • Judas Thaddeus or (Thaddaeus Judas, son of James)
  • Simon Zelotes or Simon the Zealot (or also The Cananean, the Aramaic 'qanan' meaning 'zealot' or "enthusiast)
  • Andrew, brother of Peter, the first to follow Jesus
  • James (or James 'the less'): son of Alpheus (Luke 6:15).
  • Bartholomew (or Nathanael)
  • Philip
• fishermen during the time of calling: Peter, James, John, Andrew (so two times two brothers)
• the circle of the 'inner three': Simon-Peter, James and John were the three disciples most receptive to the Christ Impulse, on Mount Tabor at the Transfiguration, they got a higher initiation into the spirit world (1910-09-10-GA123 on the Gospel of Matthew with reference to Matth. 17,11-13), they were "were outside space and time" corresponding to "the second stage of initiation where the chela builds huts" (1905-12-03-GA092)

Various

• twelve appearing as seven and five in the Old Testament (seven sons of the Maccabean mother and five sons of Mattathias) and again as their reincarnated souls in the twelve apostles (1912-09-16-GA139)

• symbolism of the circle of twelve in initiation (principle, see 1908-10-29-GA107 below)
  • in ancient mysteries (see 1906-02-03-GA097 – Q&A and more under initiation topic on Druidic and Trotten mysteries#Trotten Mysteries
  • see also: twelve initiators around Christ on Old Sun, around Christian Rosenkreutz's initiation, twelve knights of Arthur.
  • (note: link with the 12 petalled heart chakra and zodiac, see eg Schema FMC00.279 on The human heart)
• Christ and the twelve apostles
  • The twelve apostles as members of the etheric body of Christ (see eg 1905-08-13-GA091 and 1906-07-27-GA244 - Q&A 105.1 below, see also Discussion Note 2) .. Christ also "spoke through" them (1913-12-10-GA148)
  • "Christ was surrounded by the twelve-fold activity of the Bodhisattvas, indicated - though indeed it was a reality - in the twelve Apostles" (1923-08-28-GA227)
  • Twelve apostles and twelve cultural ages (see Schema FMC00.020 and 1906-02-13-GA097, 1909-08-31-GA113 below)

• twelve apostles and gemstones
  • in certain Christian traditions the apostles are symbolically associated with gemstones, associations that stem from historical interpretations and connections to other biblical texts (eg twelve stones mentioned in the Breastplate of the High Priest (Exodus 28:15-21) and the New Jerusalem described in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 21:19-21 and 21:14)). For more info, see Friedrich Benesch 'Apocalypse - Transformation of the Earth'.
    • example: Peter (Jasper), Andrew (Sapphire), James the Greater (Chalcedony), John (Emerald), Philip (Carnelian), Bartholomew / Nathanael (Chrysolite, also called Peridot or Olivine), Matthew (Topaz),Thomas (Beryl), James the Lesser (Amethyst), Thaddeus / Jude (Chrysoprase), Simon the Zealot (Jacinth or Hyacinth), Judas Iscariot (replaced by Matthias) (Onyx (for Judas) and Ruby (for Matthias)
    • example source: Bible Exodus 28:15 re the 12 stones on the breast plate of the high priestess, see "You shall make a breastpiece ... you shall mount on it four rows of stones; the first row shall be a row of ruby, topaz and emerald; and the second row a turquoise, a sapphire and a diamond; and the third row a jacinth, an agate and an amethyst; and the fourth row a beryl and an onyx and a jasper; they shall be set in gold filigree. The stones shall be according to the names of the sons of Israel: twelve, according to their names; they shall be like the engravings of a seal, each according to his name for the twelve tribes."
• evangelists
  • the four gospels map to four cultural ages: Matthew to fourth, Mark to current fifth, Luke sixth, John's gospel to the seventh (1905-08-14-GA091, 1911-03-07-GA124, see Gospels#1911-03-07-GA124)
• the bread and wine - see also Holy Supper symbolism - bread and wine
  • how it was used in ancient Mysteries
  • .. as it relates to the (redeeming of) the mineral and plant kingdoms
  • and also to the nourishment 'food for spiritual travellers' (Ganganda Greida) in The Holy Grail
• Last Supper painting by Leonardo da Vinci

Illustrations

Schema FMC00.430: is a drawing made by Rudolf Steiner, recorded by Mathilde Scholl in a private conversation where she asked Rudolf Steiner how the aftereffects of an important Individuality such as the apostle Paul were related to the effects of the Earth's inner layer called the 'shatterer'. See also Schema FMC00.004 on Earth's inner layers.

More comments under the 1905-08-13-GA091 and Holy Supper symbolism - apostles#Note 2 - The Apostles and the Christ - Schema FMC00.430

For another example of what is depicted, see Sig-Wotan on Spiritual guidance of mankind#Sig - Wotan

Schema FMC00.020 gathers clues from various lectures stating that [1] each apostle represents a cultural age (or sub-race), [2] the first and last of the sequence of twelve is given, and [3] certain apostles are mapped to certain cultural ages.

Compare with Schema FMC00.092 on Development of the chakras

Schema FMC00.021A: shows an attempt towards interpretation (by DL) of the symbolism of the apostles in Da Vinci's Last Supper painting.

It includes FMC00.169A and FMC00.020 for ease of reference. See also with Schema FMC00.021B on Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci.

Additional notes: On the right of Christ-Jesus on the painting, apostle number 7 puts the finger in the air. One might relate that with the egyptian obelisks, and the relation to the third Lemurian epoch where Man became erect. Apostle number 8 has the arms open, representing duality. One may relate this with the ancient persian cultural age where this duality arose in the culture. On the left, apostle 2 connects and puts his hand on apostle 4, this might depict that the new Sixth epoch connects with the sixth cultural age. In other words, we see an impulse being carried on, similar as what is happening on the outer right with apostles 12->11->10. Also apostle 4 himself connects with his hand to apostle 6. The intriguing element is that apostle 4 representing John is shown next to and symmetrical with Christ-Jesus (and so not in position of the sixth cultural age), whereas apostle 6 representing Peter does not stay in his place but is in movement behind apostle 5 (Judas), and we have the mystery hand and knife at his position. More on the mystery hand and knife on Schema FMC00.021E.

Schema FMC00.233A is a horizontal timeline variant of Schema FMC00.233 focusing on the I-development.

It shows at the bottom the two interpretations of the apostles as representatives of the cultural ages on the Last Supper painting by Da Vinci.

• Option A is the most common version, certainly with regards to the figures of John, Peter, Judas etc. (see FMC00.020 and FMC00.021A above). However it does also raise questions such as a) why does the sequence stop early, in the second age of the Sixth epoch, and b) what is happening on the painting on the left of Christ with Peter and Judas and the famous hand and knife.
• Option B has a (different) underlying rationale (also) based on statements in certain lectures. The resulting schema for Option B then correlates regarding the end goal in the Sixth epoch with Schema FMC00.373A or FMC00.373B on Christ in the future cultural ages and next epochs (as well as with the statement in 1909-05-21-GA104A that the spiritualization will happen in the fourth, fifth and sixth ages of that epoch). The outer left apostle rises, is upright. When reading the interpretation of the apostles (rectangles on the schema represent the triads on the painting), one notices that sequence number 8 below maps to the Judas figure (Schema FMC00.373 mentions evil comes to power in that second age of the sixth epoch) whereas John maps as sequence number 6 to the golden sixth cultural age of the current epoch. For more on this, see Sixth epoch#Father impulse and spiritualization.

Schema FMC00.401A is a study scheme that combines various perspectives that show the impulse from the Lemurian to the Sixth epoch, for the development of the I-principle in Man and the spiritualization through the Christ impulse.

Schema FMC00.021E compares several versions of the 'mystery hand with the knife' from some of the most well-known reference copies of Da Vinci's painting. For more info, see Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci#Note 1 - Copies of Da Vinci's Last Supper

It illustrates how the 16th century copies clearly show a combination of (1) a hand holding the knife and (2) a wrist from the vertical arm that connects with that hand.

In fact careful comparison of copies, considering the full painting, shows many nuances. Note for example the auras above the head on Giampietroni, the changes to the colours of the clothing as certain copies keep and others change those colours. Or note the vertical arm on the Ponte Capriasci copy. Although this has been subject of sensation (re the popular novel by Dan Brown, 'The Da Vinci code' (2003)), which we do not want to support here in any way, one has to remark that the Bianchi version, although dark, maybe has a more feminine version of the apostle John left of Christ-Jesus than other copies.

The copies below were taken from maximum resolution copies available in the public domain on the internet. Certain digital copies were adapted to improve clarity of details, eg the Bianchi version is too dark. Click twice to maximize.

Lecture coverage and references

1905-12-03-GA092

not on rsarchive

states the three apostles at the transfiguration on mount tabor "were outside space and time" (so in the spirit world), "the second stage of initiation where the chela builds huts"

1907-04-01-GA096

I must now describe one thing to you before we can understand the Mystery of the Son. In the Gospel we find a description of the last Easter-supper. This was not an ordinary meal.

Christos Jesus was surrounded by twelve human figures. He sat among them as if at table.

And as what did they appear, these twelve human figures?

Each one who as an Initiate had gone through the experiences of the higher worlds, had experienced the same.

By these twelve Apostles are to be understood twelve of the Initiate’s own embodiments, twelve of his own lives through which he himself had passed. And these twelve lives were nothing else than that which he bore within himself as the parts of his body.

In an occult sense the body is divided into twelve parts, and this is also meant to be nothing else than the representation of twelve incarnations. Each incarnation signifies an ascent; a human being is gradually purified in this ascent through his incarnations. Thus a human being is surrounded by the forms through which he himself has passed.

They surround him as on the occasion of a meal; he himself, the human being, is the host. This is a picture which comes before the soul of each one in the Mystery of the Spirit. The one who comes last is the Son of Man; this is the Man who through the series of his incarnations is so purified from egoistic love that he no longer feels himself as the son of a family, tribe or nation, but as the son of all humanity. This is the thirteenth among the twelve, who represents the highest perfection, he who loves all; this is the Initiate, he himself. That which was experienced by each one who was initiated into the higher world was repeated by Christos Jesus on the physical plane in this Easter meal.

Let us now trace this repetition. It is enveloped as if by a veil. Just as everything esoteric is given externally, exoterically, hidden as with a veil, so also was this Easter meal which Christos Jesus gave. This is not an ordinary meal; that which the Initiates of the Spirit had formerly experienced so often on the higher plane was to be repeated on the physical plane as an external, physical gathering.

In St. Luke’s Gospel, Chapter 22, v. 8-20, we read: ‘His disciples asked Him: Where wilt Thou that we prepare the Pascal Lamb? He sent His disciples, saying: Go into the city and you will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water, follow him. And where he goes in, say to the householder, the Master saith unto thee, where is the guest-chamber where I may eat the Pascal Lamb with My disciples? And he will show you a large room furnished with cushions and ready, there make ready for us.’ (Also Mark 14, v. 12-25.)

During the Easter meal he explains once more that he is the Spirit of the Earth, that the bread is his body and the wine his blood. As the Spirit of the Earth he may say of all the fluids which course through the Earth, ‘This is my blood,’ and with regard to all the materials which make up the body of the Earth he may say, ‘This is my body.’

1910-09-10-GA123

Christ Jesus was to initiate in a particular way those of His disciples who were specially fit for it, so that they would be able not only to see the spiritual worlds with Imaginative vision, as it were in astral pictures, but actually to hear what was taking place in those realms—this, as we know, indicates ascent into Devachan.

Hence, having been transported into the higher worlds, these disciples would now be able to find in those worlds the personality known to them on the physical plane as Christ Jesus. They were to become clairvoyant in regions higher than the astral plane. This was not possible for all the disciples; it was possible only for those who were the most receptive to the power that could stream from Christ: these disciples were Peter, James and John. The Gospel of St. Matthew therefore relates how Christ led the three disciples to surroundings where He could guide them beyond the astral plane into the world of Devachan, where they could behold the spiritual Archetypes, first that of Christ Jesus Himself and—in order that they might be aware of the conditions under which He was working—also of two Beings who were connected with Him: Elias and Moses. Elias was the ancient prophet who, reincarnated as John the-Baptist, was also the forerunner of Christ Jesus. The scene takes place after the beheading of John, when he was already in the spiritual worlds. The disciples also beheld Moses, another spiritual forerunner of Christ.

Such an experience was only possible when the three chosen disciples were transported to the level of spiritual vision higher than that of astral vision. And the fact that they rose into Devachan is clearly indicated in St. Matthew's Gospel, for it is said that they not only beheld Christ filled with the power of the Sun but extra words are added: ‘And His face did shine as the Sun.’ It is also said that the three figures—Christ, Elias, Moses—were talking together. An ascent has therefore taken place into the realm of Devachan; the disciples hear the three talking together. (Matt. XVII, 1-13.)

Everything, therefore, is faithfully described and tallies with the characteristics of the spiritual world revealed to spiritual-scientific investigation. There is never any contradiction between the findings of this investigation and true accounts of the deeds of Christ. It was He Himself who led the disciples into the astral world and then into Devachan, the realm of spirit.

1912-09-16-GA139

Twelve apostles as reincarnated sons of Mattathias and sons of the widow. Judas Iscariot as Judas Maccabaeus and in unnamed later incarnation.

A man must first become accustomed to being a specific individuality. This he cannot easily do when he is transferred from the element of the nation in which his soul had taken root into a condition of being dependent upon himself alone. The Twelve were deeply rooted in a nationality which had constituted itself in the grandest form. They stood there as if they were naked souls, simple souls, when Christ found them again. There had been a quite abnormal interval between their incarnations. The gaze of Christ Jesus could rest upon the Twelve, the reincarnated souls of those who had been the seven sons of the Maccabean and the five sons of Mattathias, Judas and his brothers; it was of these that the apostolate was formed. They were thrown into the element of fishermen and simple folk. But at a time when the Jewish element had reached its culminating point they had been permeated by the consciousness that this element was then at the peak of its strength, but strength only — whereas, when the group formed itself around Christ, this element appeared in individualized form. We might conceive that someone who was a complete unbeliever might look upon the appearance of the seven and the five at the end of the Old Testament, and their reappearance at the beginning of the New Testament, as nothing but an artistic progression. If we take it as a purely artistic composition, we may be moved by its simplicity and the artistic greatness of the Bible, quite apart from the fact that the Twelve are the five sons of Mattathias and the seven sons of the Maccabean mother. And we must learn to take the Bible also as a work of art. Then only shall we develop a feeling for the artistic element in it, and acquire a feeling for the realities from which it springs.

Symbolism of the twelve in initiation in ancient mysteries

1906-02-03-GA097- Q&A

A specific part of the old form of initiation consisted in the pupil being taken to the temple, and in a `three-day death', which meant that the ether body was also loosened and taken through astral and spirit world experiences.

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One of these was that every part of the body became a human figure. There were twelve parts, and the pupil would see twelve figures, with himself the thirteenth, the soul of the twelve.

The twelve apostles as members of the etheric body of Christ

The twelve apostles are the etheric bodies of Christ as a group soul, and Christ worked through them (1905-08-13-GA091 explains this on the basis of a twelvefold etheric body). It is described how Christ acted and spoke through the various apostles at different times, Jesus himself not saying so much or even not being around (1913-11-18-GA148).

1905-08-13-GA091

The source below are handwritten notes and typoscript transcription by Olga von Sivers with double quotes addition by Marie von Sivers who both attended the private lessons in Haubinda in the summer of 1905 (pictures on page 320 in GA091 volume)

An intriguing statement in 1905-08-13-GA091 goes (translated by DL editor):

At his birth, Christ emanated new physical matter, and he was able to previously emanate the twelve ether bodies, the twelve separates members of the Christ that preceeded.

[ [ The twelve ether bodies of the apostles are the twelve separated members of the preceeding ether body of Christ.] ]

He kept control over these twelve. What is the consciousness that directs them? That is Christ. Christ is the group soul of the twelve apostles. Christ is the consciousness, the twelve apostles are his limbs, the twelve ether bodies.

Jesus is a single Personality that gave his physical body to Christ. The body of Christ are the twelve apostles and Christ really worked through these twelve limbs.

Regarding the last phrase, see also 1913-10-06-GA148. The extract is so astounding that the german phrasing is added here

Christus strahlte bei seiner Geburt neue physische Materie aus, also ist er imstande gewesen, vorher die zwölf Ätherleiber auszustrahlen, die zwölf getrennten Glieder der vorhergegangen Christus. [ [Die zwölf Ätherleiber der Apostel sind die zwölf getrennten Glieder des vorhergegangen Christus-Ätherleibes.] ]

The 'vorhergegangen Christus-Ätherleibes' may be read as the etheric body for the Christ that preceeded, and Schema FMC00.430 then may position what is meant.

1906-07-27-GA244 - Q&A 105.1

see summary on Schema FMC00.430

1908-10-29-GA107

The following quote from 1908-10-29-GA107 puts the above in perspective. This quotes follows a description of the entry of the I into Man in the (last third of the) Atlantean epoch when the etheric body was still, to a certain extent, outside the physical body.

All the other members gradually developed out of a soft mass, so that we can say: Where was the human I then, in reality? Where was the present I? It was not really within man at that time but still in his environment. We can say: the upper members of man harden through the entry of the I's. Because the I was outside Man, it was still endowed with a quality which later became different. Through entering the physical body, the I was enabled to become an individual I, whereas before it was still a kind of group soul.

I will here give a picture of the facts of the case. Imagine a circle of twelve men are sitting somewhere. These twelve men are sitting in a circle. Through evolution as it is today, each of these men has his I within himself. Thus twelve I's are sitting in this circle.

Let us consider such a circle of men in the Atlantean age; then the physical bodies sat thus around, but the I is only in the etheric body which is still outside. The I is thus to be found in front of each one.

This I, however, has another characteristic. It is not so centralized.

It develops, as it were, its forces and unites with the I's of the other men so that they form a ring which again sends its forces towards its centre. Thus we have here an etheric circular body which forms a unity in itself, and within it, the I's.

Thus there is a circle of physical bodies, and within an etheric circular surface, which forms a unity because the I's are caught up in it, and the single I is enclosed. Through this image we come to a pictorial idea of the group souls.

See also to the concept of Nirmanakaya. For example, at the birth of the Jesus child, Buddha operated through his Nirmanakaya (1910-01-04/05-GA117A or 1909-09-18-GA114). His working the astral body of the Nathan Jesus-child is what was seen by the shepards. But he also worked also worked through John Baptist (1909-09-20/21-GA114).

An opportunity to learn more about this is the feeding of the five thousand in the Gospel of Matthew and Mark, when Christ-Jesus expects the apostles to see the relationship between cultural ages (fourth and fifth, hence the feeding of the four and five thousand) and the zodiac constellations (seven day and five night) with the fishes as the dividing line between five and seven.

1912-09-20-GA139

He reproaches them severely because they cannot understand the meaning of these revelations. Why does He do this? Because the thought was in His mind, “Now that the spirit of Elijah has been freed, he lives in you, and you must gradually prove yourselves worthy of his penetration into your souls, so that you may understand things that are higher than what you have hitherto been able to understand.” When Christ Jesus spoke to the crowd, He spoke in parables, in pictures, because there was still in their souls an echo of what had formerly been perceived in the super-sensible world in imaginations, in imaginative knowledge. For this reason He had to speak to the crowd in the way used by the old clairvoyants. To those who came out of the Old Testament people and became His disciples He could interpret the parables in a Socratic manner, in accordance with ordinary human reasoning capacities. He could speak to the new sense that had been given to mankind after the old clairvoyance had died out. But because Elijah's spirit as a group soul came near to the Twelve and permeated them like a common aura, they could, or at least it was possible for them to become in a higher sense clairvoyant. Enlightened as they were through the spirit of Elijah-John they could, when the Twelve were united together, perceive what they could not attain as individual men. It was for this that Christ wished to educate them.

Schema FMC00.041 (see also Feeding five thousand) provides the relationships and references, more on this on the topic page for zodiac streams: seven and five

1913-12-10-GA148

machine translation

The Akasha Chronicle shows us yet more significant events: Since the Christ Being was not immediately closely connected with the bodies of Jesus, but only loosely and externally, the following could occur in the early days:

At times the Christ-entity was externally connected with the three bodies of Jesus of Nazareth, was in such connection among the disciples and nearest followers, spoke with them. But that was not always necessary. The outer covers could be in any place and the Christ-entity could go away from them; it could then appear as a spiritual entity far away here or there.

Many appearances of Christ are such that only the Christ-being appears to the disciples, the followers and also to others. Later, he often walked around the country with the disciples, teaching, speaking, healing.

While he was walking with ten or fifteen or even more followers, and the Christ-being pressed more and more into his bodies, another phenomenon emerged. It was repeatedly observed that one or other of the disciples would suddenly feel inspired. His face would change so that it was obvious to everyone that he had taken on a completely different physiognomy. And when this happened and he spoke the most glorious words of Christ, the outward appearance of Christ Jesus would change so that he looked like the most ordinary person in the group.

from original in DE

Noch anderes Bedeutsames zeigt uns die Akasha-Chronik: Da die Christus-Wesenheit nicht gleich eng verbunden war mit den Leibern des Jesus, sondern nur lose und äußerlich, so konnte in der ersten Zeit folgendes vorkommen: Zuweilen war die Christus-Wesenheit äußerlich verbunden mit den drei Leibern des Jesus von Nazareth, war in solcher Verbindung unter den Jüngern und nächsten Anhängern, sprach mit ihnen. Aber das war nicht immer notwendig. Es konnten die äußeren Hüllen an irgendwelchen Orten sein und die Christus-Wesenheit konnte sich von ihnen entfernen; sie konnte dann als geistige Wesenheit da oder dort weit weg erscheinen. Viele Erscheinungen des Christus sind so, daß nur die Christus-Wesenheit den Jüngern, den Bekennern und auch anderen erscheint. Später wandelte er mit den Jüngern vielfach im Lande umher, lehrend, sprechend, heilend. Während er so mit zehn oder fünfzehn oder noch mehr Anhängern wandelte, und die Christus-Wesenheit sich immer mehr in seine Leiber hineinpreßte, kam wieder eine andere Erscheinung zum Vorschein. Da zeigte es sich mehrfach, daß der eine oder andere der Jünger sich plötzlich von Inspiration ergriffen fühlte. Dann verwandelte sich sein Gesicht, so daß man auch von außen sehen konnte, wie er eine ganz andere Physiognomie bekam. Und wenn so etwas eintrat und er die herrlichsten Christus-Worte sprach, da verwandelte sich die wirkliche äußere Erscheinung des Christus Jesus so, daß er wie der Schlichteste im Kreise ausschaute.

1914 - James Morgan Pryse in 'The restored new testament'

Ch II The initiation by air, 1. Iesous appoints forty eight disciples

Editor note: important to read the preface for positioning what Pryse brings

The Twelve Companions Are Chosen and Assigned to Their Thrones—

The Zodiacal Constellations and Their Signs

..

Commentary

....

In the historicized text the twelve companions and the seventy-two messengers have been intentionally confused. The twelve are wrongly called "apostles." An apostolos is simply a messenger, "one who is sent forth." Now, the twelve disciples, as regents of the zodiacal signs, may be said to accompany the Sun-God, while the seventy-two disciples, as regents of the Hermes paranatellons, are very properly called messengers, as they go out into the extra-zodiacal spaces.

Twelve apostles and twelve cultural ages

The twelve apostles also represent the twelve stations that humanity still has to go through, and the apostles can thus be mapped to cultural ages. Judas being the first, representing humanity having to fight egotism in the current fifth root race in the Postatlantean epoch.

1906-02-13-GA097

We are now in the fifth epoch or root race of our Earth existence. This has seven cultural ages, the ancient Indian, the ancient Persian, the Egypto-Babylonic-Chaldean, the Graeco-Roman-Semitic, the Germanic, the Slavonic and the seventh age. The last three sub-races of the fourth root race, which was the Atlantean one, were particularly important. From the third from last, the ancient Semitic race, has come the fifth root race. This sub-race dwelt in the region where Ireland is today. lt migrated from there, letting itself be guided to the Gobi desert or Shamo. This is the region where the present, the fifth root race originated.

Three sub-races of the Atlanteans, seven sub-races of the Aryan root race and two of the sixth root race, belong together in some respect. When humanity has gone through all these races it will have reached a point where a great part of humanity will have achieved what it is meant to achieve. The twelve apostles are symbols of those twelve sub-races.

Jesus has evolved from the twelve apostles. In the washing of the feet he bows before the races to whom he must bring salvation.

In the parable of the vine, the Christ feels himself to be connected with all races; he provides them with the spiritual life blood.

Many different images also come into this in the higher world. We are told of Judas Iscariot's betrayal. He represents one of the races, the race which is now bringing everything down on to the material level, our own fifth sub-race, which is materialistic.

In the process of evolution in which humanity first lived in direct spiritual perception and then had to be taken into the physical world it was perfectly natural for the representative of this fifth sub-race to be the betrayer. Judas Iscariot represented the race that descends deeper than any other. The gospel of John continues to be valid beyond space and time for the very reason that it must be seen in symbolic terms. The act of Judas forms an organic part of the Christ's mission. Judas went through a form of martyrdom. He was the traitor and in a sense also a martyr. He brought about the sacrifice of the Christ. ..

.. The historical betrayal of the Christ was to happen in the future in the race of which Judas was the representative.

1909-08-31-GA113

Christ is surrounded by twelve Apostles in whom we see the prototypes of man living side by side, co-existing in space.

1923-08-28-GA227

In the ancient days of Earth evolution, the Moon-influence was closely connected with the Earth, and cared for its spiritual element, with the participation, direct or indirect, of the Bodhisattvas.

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Then, when the time was ripe, after the first third of the fourth Postatlantean age had expired, the effects of the Mystery of Golgotha, the working of the Christ, came in. This work of the Christ was surrounded by the twelve-fold activity of the Bodhisattvas, indicated — though indeed it was a reality — in the twelve Apostles. Thus the Christ, incorporated in the body of Jesus, is the power who, coming from spiritual existence in the Sun, has now united Himself with the Earth.

Discussion

Note 1 - Man's pathway for development of the I and the working of the Christ Impulse

This note explores the sub-races and cultural ages that are 'counted together' for the pathway that Man has to go through for the development of the I, and the working of the Christ Impulse upto spiritualization.

The whole trajectory goes from the Lemurian to the Sixth epoch, but not all sub-races are ages are counted along, or matter to the same degree.

There are two main perspectives (or flagpole statements) that can be considered:

a) the twelve apostles representing each one such sub-race or cultural age

1906-02-13-GA097

Three sub-races of the Atlanteans, seven cultural ages of the [current Postatlantean or] Aryan epoch and two of the sixth epoch, belong together in some respect. When humanity has gone through all these races it will have reached a point where a great part of humanity will have achieved what it is meant to achieve. The twelve apostles are symbols of those twelve sub-races.

b) the sixteen paths of perdition, or the different ways that the normal ideal development can go 'off-track' because a developmental goal is not reached in one of the substation sub-races or cultural ages. Indeed the ideal scenario is that the soul leverages the development capabilities of each period to fully develop the bodily principle goal for that period, but it cannot be expected that this always goes right.

.

1917-01-01-GA174

If spiritual life is possible, it must also be possible to go astray.

see Human races#Note .5B1.5D - The sixteen paths of perdition or better: Sixteen paths of perdition

Enter the schemas

• Schema FMC00.021A basically depicts the 1906-02-13-GA097 quote literally. This interpretation of the Da Vinci painting was already intuited by the author before reading this statement. Indeed the dynamics and symbolism in the apostles position conveys such messages. For example, in the first three cultural ages of the current epoch, don't we see apostle 9 pointing to '1', apostle 8 expressing '2', and apostle 7 illustrating 'uprightness'. This maps to the concepts of divinity, going from one to three in these cultural ages, and the third one recapitulating the Lemurian 'uprightness' of the I also seen in the Egyptian obelisk.
• Schema FMC00.401A broadens the perspective especially based on FMC00.377 (see lecture references) and the picture skeched in the 1904-5 lectures on the Book of Revelation in GA090A and GA090B. This coverage can be found on:
  • Mysteries of the Spirit, the Son and the Father#.5B2.5D - About the Father impulse and
  • D00.004 - Book of Revelation
• Note Schema FMC00.377 developed on:
  • Christ in the future cultural ages and next epochs#.5B1.5D - The Christ Impulse in the starry script

The schemas can form a basis for discussing how the multiple perspectives contained and represented in them go together in a single consistent line of development. Some examples:

1. Whereas the 1906-02-13-GA097 ends with the second cultural age of the great Sixth epoch, the Book of Revelation lectures clearly stipulate the sixth cultural age in that epoch. How do these two views relate?
2. How to understand the sixteen paths of perdition specifically taking into account the relationship with animalistic passions (1909-05-17-GA104A on Human races#Note .5B1.5D - The sixteen paths of perdition), re the way these sixteen are drawn on Schema FMC00.233 (tentatively, based on Heindel)?
3. What does the previous point imply for the current fifth cultural age, considering what Rudolf Steiner wrote about the link between this age and the betrayal of Judas as representative of this age, and the task of the age being to come to grips with evil?

Additional commentary notes

• if, left of Christ-Jesus, John represents the fourth age, and Judas the betrayal in the fifth, then the sixth is really the key one for this epoch. Petrus is trying to get closer to Christ-Jesus (to defend him, hence the knife). He has one hand on John, who represents the message of Christ, and leaves the other arm and hand behind. It's interesting to contemplate the sixth age apostle (said to be Peter): how should Da Vinci paint him to give expression to his relation to the message and impulse by Christ. He is the only one who flies into action, who moves - action of the will. Also the outer left two apostles are standing upright and awaiting reaching for the Christ Impulse. Compare this with the outer right three apostles, even the most outer right - representing the atlantean semite stream .. does not have his eyes on Christ, indeed seems ignorant or doesn't have his attention on Christ. The three apostles right of the Christ are clearly looking, focuses, those ages were awaiting. The most intriguing one is the sixth cultural age.

Note 2 - The Apostles and the Christ - Schema FMC00.430

Introduction

This note discusses 1905-08-13-GA091 and 1906-07-27-GA244 - Q&A 105.1 (Schema FMC00.430)

• On the side, please note that the first edition of GA091 was published in 2018, for GA244 this was 2022. So it is only more than 110 years later that students of spiritual student got access to these to re-integrate these elements of the puzzle by concatenating statements of 1905 and 1906.

Commentary

Materials - puzzle pieces

Please first read the comments on the original German phrase in 1905-08-13-GA091.

To contemplate this mystery, the following schemas may be studied as context:

• Schema FMC00.004 on Earth's inner layers. Read the descriptions for the 'earth-mirror' layer. The archetypes of the human bodily principles are in the lower spirit world. Lorenzen maps the lower spirit world to the layers 7 and 8, but how is debatable; from descriptions one may intuit that it would be more the nature of the chemical ether forces that are at work in the shatterer layer eight.
• Schema FMC00.128 on Human 'I' and
• Schema FMC00.141 on Overview Golden Chain.

Furthermore:

• Human physical body#1906-04-16-GA096

Intuitive draft notes

Below follow some intuitive draft notes that might be used to 'feel oneself into' this matters. They come with the disclaimer that they are not to be taken literally or factually, but hypothetically, as projections that invite the reader to follow along in one's imagination what is described.

First: from M. Scholl's question, we learn there is a correlation between Schema FMC00.430 and the description of the Earth's inner layers as in Schema FMC00.004.

The eight layer called the 'shatterer' layer carries a relation to the ether, and the morality of Man. This morality may be mapped to the astral intuitively, and interestingly this is how Lorenzen maps the spiritual archetype of the astral body in the lower spirit world in Schema FMC00.004.

As a spirit incarnates, it requires the building material to gather and constitute one's Personality (manas of spirit-self, higher spirit world) and threefold soul (three lowest levels of lower spirit world).

Therefore for a high being (a spirit of the highest purity) to incarnate, a certain 'purity' has to exist also in the available 'layers' populated by humanity .. from which the building materials are gathered to descend (as per the image of the Golden Chain, see Schema FMC00.141).

With high beings we refer to beings such as Bodhisattvas that operate on the budhi and nirvana planes, with high purity we refer to the budhi and atma principles of Man's higher triad, part of the monad, which can be related to the highest levels of the spirit world.

Link

Using our imagination, we may intuitively feel the link between the above exposition to what is said about the cellular multiplication process. See Principle of spiritual economy#Aspects and The being of Elijah#Note 4 - Elijah cellular multiplication into human heart.

When we imagine the Golden Chain and the streaming down of the spiritual influences through the Cosmic fractal to what we find on physical Earth, we can see that the building materials are available at each level, eg the layers of the higher and lower spirit world. Imagine that a wide variety of snippets exist, that can be and are combined ('association' on Schema FMC00.430). One might imagine that a higher being assembles an etheric body from twelve parts like this, say the best parts available.

This lateral mental jump is made to connect with what is mentioned under 'Aspects' on this topic page:

• The twelve apostles as members of the etheric body of Christ (see eg 1905-08-13-GA091 and 1906-07-27-GA244 - Q&A 105.1 below, see also Discussion Note 2)
• "Christ was surrounded by the twelve-fold activity of the Bodhisattvas, indicated - though indeed it was a reality - in the twelve Apostles" (1923-08-28-GA227)

One can also see then, that the descent of the pure Nathan soul therefore was a unique one-off event that gave an 'anchor' for further useage, one that had never been there before.

From these thoughts one feels how the above is closely connected with Principle of spiritual economy, but also with the fact the Christ became the spirit of the Earth. This last statement is one that is difficult to imagine or understand without an in-depth appreciation of the above and the aspects described in the various modules for the study of Christ and the Mystery of Golgotha.

Impact of MoG

When one has studied those materials, many a quote by Rudolf Steiner can be put in that contextual frame. Meaning: trying to understand the concrete impact, what it means, that the Christ 'replaced' what was there before as the spirit of the planet Earth. What changed, what effects did it bring, how we can we relate to those from (based on, using) our spiritual scientific understanding?

One example where Rudolf Steiner is actually describing this is Greco-Latin cultural age#1912-09-15-GA139, though this extract reads very differently when put in the context above. As always it is advised to read the full lecture as part of study.

Another way to shed light on this question about 'becoming the spirit of the Earth' is described here: Planetary spirit#Note 1 - Christ as planetary spirit of the Earth

Related pages

• Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci
• Holy Supper symbolism - bread and wine
• Christ Module 5 - Initiation and spiritualization
• Initiation
• Twelve as seven and five