Three years of Christ Jesus

This topic page provides an overview of and aspects of the whole period period between the Baptism and the Mystery of Golgotha.

The goal is not to cover all that is in the Gospels, rather to illuminate certain aspects for a better understanding of the being of Christ Jesus based on what happened during the three years of Christ-Jesus from a spiritual scientific perspective.

"The being Christ-Jesus who walked the Earth in those years certainly looked like any other human being, but the forces working in him were the cosmic forces coming from the sun and the stars." (1911-GA015 Ch. 3).

The Christ who took hold of the lower physical body of Jesus at the Baptism remained a higher Sun being (Schema FMC00.429) through which streamed in the forces of the Logos itself (Schema FMC00.471).

Aspects

• during the three years on Earth .. Christ-Jesus had the totality of the forces of the cosmic-spiritual hierarchies working in him, the total essence of the cosmos, to which the Earth belongs, with the cosmic forces coming from the sun and the stars. Each event in these three years can be described as cosmic relationships that, through Christ, entered life on Earth. After the Mystery of Golgotha, what had streamed into Christ from the cosmos merged with the spiritual substance of the Earth, and it has been united with the spirit of the Earth ever since. (1911-GA015 Ch. 3)
• the process of adaptation of Christ to the physical body, his weakening and becoming human
• the Lord's Prayer
• why did the MoG happen in terms of timing
  • when it took place (747 years after the start of the fourth Greco-Latin cultural age - see also Christ Module 11 - A new physics), and
  • when Christ-Jesus was aged 33 years old. See: Humanity is getting younger.
  • more on: Q00.002 - timing of the Mystery of Golgotha

Chronological timeline of major events

• temptation
• the seven miracles and gradual increase in power
• transfiguration (and the control of the lower bodies)
• the Sermon on the Mount and the eight/nine beatitudes or blessings
• the Holy or Last Supper, see
  • Holy Supper symbolism - bread and wine
  • Holy Supper symbolism - apostles
  • Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci
• what happened on the cross (including passion and death)
  • Cross at Golgotha
  • Eli Eli Lama Sabachthani - EELS
• Three days descent into Hades
• Vitzliputzli (or 'Uitzilopochtli')
  • was a super-sensible being in human form and physical body that lived between the years 1 and 33 A.D., the time of the Mystery of Golgotha was taking place. He waged and won a violent three year war against most important initiates of the Mexican mysteries, a war won when in the year 33 A.D. in the other hemisphere of the Earth, an event parallel to the Mystery of Golgotha took place, as the greatest black magician of all was crucified by the action of Vitzliputzli who had appeared on the Earth for this purpose. (see also Discussion Note [1])
  • This countered the impulse of these mysteries of black magic for an ahrimanic Postatlantean culture, as they would have led to "the mechanization of the Earth culture and expulsion of all I's, so that the bodies born would no longer have been capable of bearing an I."

Inspirational quotes

1911-GA015 Ch. 3

Christ-Jesus always stood under the influence of the entire cosmos; he did not take a single step without cosmic forces working in him. ... This was possible because the body of the Nathan Jesus had remained susceptible to the influence of the totality of the forces of the cosmic-spiritual hierarchies that guide our Earth.

The being who walked the Earth in those years certainly looked like any other human being. But the forces working in him were the cosmic forces coming from the sun and the stars; they directed his body. The total essence of the cosmos, to which the Earth belongs, determined what Christ Jesus did. This is why the constellations are so often alluded to in the gospel descriptions of Jesus' activities. ...

Thus, the life of Christ Jesus was the earthly expression of a particular relationship between the cosmos and human forces.

The truth is .. that the whole cosmos is expressed in Christ. In other words, we can characterize Christ's life by describing for each of its events the cosmic relationships that, through Christ, entered life on Earth.

... After the Mystery of Golgotha, what had streamed into Christ from the cosmos merged with the spiritual substance of the Earth, and it has been united with the spirit of the Earth ever since.

Illustrations

Schema FMC00.017 provides an overview on the 33 years period of the life of Christ-Jesus, with milestone events and coverage by the four gospels. It also provides a reference for the complementary coverage in the 18 lectures of the Fifth Gospel, read from the akashic records by Rudolf Steiner. See also clairvoyant research of akashic records. With the fifth gospel, confirmation and additional perspective was given of existing passages in the gospels (eg pentecost, temptation). Especially the period before and leading upto the Baptism is key, as it shows the accumulated pains and suffering in the figure of Jesus between age 12 and 30, realizing the state of affairs on Earth and caring for the fate and future of humanity.

Schema FMC00.083: presents the earthly phases of the Christ being, with milestones during these Three years of Christ Jesus, mapping these to the equivalent phases of the current life of a human being on Earth.

Schema FMC00.429: provides various versions of the drawing made by Rudolf Steiner in Q&A sessions in 1909, with a description of how to imagine Christ's 'descent' to Earth, and the working of the cosmic influence of the Christ impulse on Earth and humanity.

Though the Christ being took hold of and lived in the body of Jesus of Nazareth, his being was not physically limited to this. This is described by Rudolf Steiner in various ways, ao the structure of the Christ being on the two Jesus children (see Schema FMC00.080A), the relation between the physical body of Jesus and his working through a wider aura (see ao lectures of the fifth gospel GA148, see Schema FMC00.017), the loosening between the 'Son of Man' and the cosmic Christ (see Fleeting youth in Gospel of Mark), and finally Christ working as the spirit of the Earth.

Lecture coverage and references

1911-GA015 Ch. 3

see also Schema FMC00.429 (and Christ Module 11 - A new physics)

During the time that Jesus of Nazareth pursued his ministry and journeys as Jesus Christ in Palestine in the last three years of his life—from the age of thirty to thirty-three—the entire cosmic Christ-being continued to work in him. In other words, Christ always stood under the influence of the entire cosmos; he did not take a single step without cosmic forces working in him. The events of these three years in Jesus' life were a continuous realization of his horoscope, for in every moment during those years there occurred what usually happens only at birth. This was possible because the entire body of the Nathan Jesus had remained susceptible to the influence of the totality of the forces of the cosmic-spiritual hierarchies that guide our Earth.

Now that we know that the whole spirit of the cosmos penetrated Christ Jesus we may ask:

Who was the being who went to Capernaum and all the other places Jesus went?

The being who walked the Earth in those years certainly looked like any other human being. But the forces working in him were the cosmic forces coming from the sun and the stars; they directed his body. The total essence of the cosmos, to which the earth belongs, determined what Christ Jesus did. This is why the constellations are so often alluded to in the gospel descriptions of Jesus' activities.

• For example, in the Gospel of St. John the time when Christ finds his first disciple is described as “about the tenth hour” (John 1:39). In this fact the spirit of the entire cosmos expressed itself in a way appropriate to the appointed moment. Such indications are less obvious in other places in the gospels, but people who can read the gospels properly will find them everywhere.
• The miracles of healing the sick must also be understood from this point of view. Let us look at just one passage, the one that reads, “Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to him; and he laid his hands on them and healed them” (Luke 5:40). What does this mean? Here the gospel writer points out that this healing was connected with the constellation of the stars, that in those days the necessary constellation was present only after the sun had set. In other words, in those times the healing forces could manifest themselves only after sunset. Christ Jesus is portrayed as the mediator who brings together the sick and the forces of the cosmos that could heal them at precisely that time. These were the same forces that also worked as Christ in Jesus. The healing occurred through Christ's presence, which exposed the sick to the healing cosmic forces. These healing forces could be effective only under the appropriate conditions of space and time, as described above. In other words, the forces of the cosmos worked on the sick through their representative, the Christ.

However, these forces could work in this way only while Christ was on Earth. Only then were the cosmic constellations so connected to the forces in the human organism that certain diseases could be cured when these constellations worked on individuals through Christ Jesus. A repetition of these conditions in cosmic and earthly evolution is just as impossible as a second incarnation of the Christ in a human body.

Thus, the life of Christ Jesus was the earthly expression of a particular relationship between the cosmos and human forces. When sick people remained for a while by Christ's side, their nearness to Christ brought them into a relationship to the macrocosm and this had a healing effect on them.

What I have said so far allows us to understand how the guidance of humanity has been placed under the influence of Christ. Nevertheless, the other forces whose development was held back in the Egypto-Chaldean epoch also continue to work alongside those that are Christ-filled, as we can see in many contemporary interpretations of the gospels. Books are published that take great pains to show that the gospels can be understood astrologically. The greatest opponents of the gospels cite this astrological interpretation, claiming, for example, that the path of the archangel Gabriel from Elizabeth to Mary represents the movement of the sun from the constellation of Virgo to another one.

To a certain extent, this astrological interpretation is correct; however, in our time, ideas of this sort are instilled into people by the beings whose development was arrested during the Egypto-Chaldean epoch. Under their influence there are some who would have us believe that the gospels are merely allegories representing certain cosmic relationships.

The truth is, however, that the whole cosmos is expressed in Christ. In other words, we can characterize Christ's life by describing for each of its events the cosmic relationships that, through Christ, entered life on Earth.

As soon as we understand all this correctly, we will inevitably and fully accept that Christ lived on earth. The false view mentioned above, however, claims that, because Christ's life is expressed in the gospels through cosmic constellations, it follows necessarily that the gospels are only an allegory of these constellations and that Christ did not really live on earth.

Allow me to use a comparison to make things clear. Imagine every person at birth as a spherical mirror reflecting everything around it. Were we to trace the outlines of the images in the mirror with a pencil, we could then take the mirror and carry the picture it represents with us wherever we went. Just so, we carry a picture of the cosmos within us when we are born, and this one picture affects and influences us throughout our lives. Of course, we could also leave the mirror clean as it was originally, in which case it would reflect its surroundings wherever we took it, providing us with a complete picture of the world around us.

This analogy explains how Christ was in the time between the Baptism in the Jordan and the Mystery of Golgotha. What enters our earthly life only at our birth flowed into Christ Jesus at each moment of his life. After the Mystery of Golgotha, what had streamed into Christ from the cosmos merged with the spiritual substance of the Earth, and it has been united with the spirit of the Earth ever since.

1919-12-13-GA194

translation A

Therefore we have to set up at the east end of the building what is intended to cause the human being to feel this struggle for balance. That is to be represented in the plastic wood group mentioned yesterday, with the Christ-Form as the central figure—the Christ-Form which we have tried to fashion in such a way that one may imagine: It was really thus that the Christ went about in Palestine at the beginning of our era in the man Jesus of Nazareth. The conventional pictures of the bearded Christ are actually only creations of the fifth or sixth century, and they are really not in any way true portraits, if I may use the expression. That has been attempted here: to produce a true portrait of Christ, Who is to be at the same time the Representative of the seeking human being, the human being striving for balance.

translation B

That is to be represented in the plastic wood group mentioned yesterday, with the Christ-Form as the central figure — the Christ-Form which we have tried to fashion in such a way that one may imagine: It was really thus that the Christ went about in Palestine at the beginning of our era in the man Jesus of Nazareth. The conventional pictures of the bearded Christ are actually only creations of the fifth or sixth century, and they are really not in any way true portraits, if I may use the expression. That has been attempted here: to produce a true portrait of Christ, Who is to be at the same time the Representative of the seeking human being, the human being striving for balance."

Daskalos (from MoS)

Q: What is the truth about the events that led to the betrayal of Christ by Judas?

What was his relationship with the divine and why did he commit suicide?

The other disciples knew Judas as an ambitious aristocrat, a Hebrew patriot, a zealot one might say, who wished to expel the Romans from Judaea. He was enchanted with Jesus and dreamt about the liberation of Israel from Roman rule.

Judas the Iscariot was influenced by circumstances that made him behave in an irrational manner. Some called it betrayal, yet others applauded his actions.

Judas, along with the other disciples, sought and competed for the love of the Most Beloved One. On many occasions he even pushed aside the others in order to embrace the master who often reciprocated with a kiss.

Pay attention to the fact that Judas kissed the master and expressed his love to him. Only John and the more genteel disciples expressed their love to Jesus in this manner. For example, Peter never kissed the Master. It was awkward for a tough man like Peter to exchange embraces and kisses with Jesus.

Judas was close to Jesus daily. He was perhaps closer to Jesus than any of the other disciples with the exception of John. Consequently he witnessed most of Jesus' miracles.

What was Judas' ambition?

To enthrone Jesus as King of Israel and stand beside Him. Judas had money and ordered a golden crown. Who do you think set up the refrain, "Blessed be the Kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord"?

Who do you think urged the masses to give Jesus that tumultuous reception into Jerusalem?

Judas the Iscariot. When Jesus was in the middle of a group of Pharisees, one of them challenged him to state whether he was the Son of God. Jesus responded, "You said it." Judas was there with two other disciples and witnessed what followed. The Pharisees accused Jesus of blasphemy and took rocks and began throwing them at the master. But just before the first stone reached Jesus He disappeared from their midst and the stones fell in an empty space right at the spot where Jesus had been standing.

Judas witnessed this phenomenon and he began thinking of a plan on how to crown Jesus King of Israel. He once gathered the disciples and the crowds together and raised the crown he had brought with him in order to place it on the head of the Beloved One. At that very moment Jesus disappeared again, and the royal crown remained in the hands of Judas the Iscariot. It was the second time that Jesus disappeared in that manner.

Judas then thought, "I will force you to accept. When they begin to abuse and curse you, you will change your mind. When they attack you, what else can you do? You will be forced to raise your hand and show your Glory, your Power. You will be tired of the affectations of the sinful and the beastly, and you shall become the King."

So the aim of Judas the Iscariot was not to betray Christ but to force Him to become leader of the Jews in order to expel the Romans. And yet Jesus explained Himself clearly. "My kingdom, Judas, is not of this world. Understand this." That is what Judas did not want to understand, that Christ was not interested in worldly power.

Judas was not a traitor, he was an imprudent beloved. Jesus washed and kissed Judas' feet just as he washed and kissed the feet of the other disciples. Then he told Judas to go and do what he was supposed to do. Christ loved Judas. But Judas could not understand Jesus' teachings. In fact only very few of his disciples understood Him, specifically John, Philip and James. Philip understood Jesus because he had been previously involved with the Greek mysteries at Delphi. The others understood Jesus only after the descent of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus expected His Crucifixion and prophesied his Resurrec¬tion in front of Judas by saying, "I can destroy the temple and in three days I shall rebuild it." What did He mean by this? He was speaking in parables. Judas was hearing only those things he wanted to hear and that he could interpret as benefitting his patriotic plans and ways of thinking.

When Judas realized that the Master was about to be crucified, to be put to death, he began doubting Christ. He thought the Master had lost His powers and could not prevent Himself from being slapped, insulted and kicked. When he saw Jesus carrying the Cross with a thorny wreath on His head, blood dripping from His forehead, Judas began doubting the Resurrection. He became desperate and in his anguish he committed suicide.

It is too harsh a term to call Judas a traitor. I would call the condition that led him to act the way he did a state of unreason or confusion. Judas loved Jesus pathologically, foolishly and egotistically. He also loved an imaginary country. The world is full of such nationalist zealots. Do you realize that the confusion and troubles in Israel today that have led to the spilling of so much blood between Arabs and Israelis are to a large extent the product of the thoughts and desires of the zealots and other patriots of the time? Those of them who have come to their senses by now are beginning to be able to see the evil that they themselves have caused.

So we are facing such conditions that must be dissolved, and obliterated because there are personalities that are sensitive and receptive to such conditions. Judas the Iscariot was such a person. We must not call him a traitor. When one of Jesus' disciples sighed once and said harsh words about the Iscariot, Jesus said, "Be aware, because every time you say the word traitor for some Judas, at that moment you are crucifying me." `Judas has incarnated many times since then, as a rich man, as a poor man, as a troubled man, as a common man, just like every other human being. Today he is incarnated within a Jewish body and he is a great mystic.

Q: Could it be argued that for Judas the betrayal of Christ was an experience that he had to go through?

It was a bitter experience, and a tragic role he played, for which, nevertheless, he was responsible since he vibrated on that level. The role of Judas is something within the Divine Plan because it facilitates its unfolding.

Q: Was it necessary for Jesus to be betrayed or was it possible for Him to be arrested in some other way?

Perhaps it was necessary in order to attract the attention of mankind, to stimulate involvement, to create the rifts and conflicts between the two sides, those who called Him Holy and those who denied His Divinity. Perhaps things had to be that way, to create the controversies in order for the appropriate conditions to mature.

Discussion

Note 1 - Vitzliputzli

For reference lecture extracts, see Black magic#1916-GA171 specifically in 1916-09-18-GA171 and 1916-09-24-GA171 (and 1916-09-17-GA171).

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The fact that a fight with evil took place by a supersensible being in human form in Mexico/Latin America at the time of the Mystery of Golgotha appears to contain too many parallels to be purely coincidence. The descriptions by Rudolf Steiner on this are concise but specific and clear enough to convey this. However one needs to trust Steiner's wisdom and why he did not elaborate further, as indeed his statements on Vitzliputzli are quite limited (to a few sentences) and there are surely good reasons for this.

Parallels can be observed between the Christ at the Mystery of Golgotha, and Vitzliputzli (his war banning evil souls and rendering them powerless, his crucification of the most powerful black magician, thus binding and containing the evil impulse).

Both Christ and Vitzliputzli

• are referred to as Sun-beings,
• born of a virgin around the same time period, and
• had three-year ministries
• with a crucifixion event at the end
• that freed souls from Lucifer (MoG) and Ahriman (Mexico)

Further lateral links can be made, eg:

• the chaining of the counterforces by Christ and 'the binding of Satan for one thousand years', re Three days descent into Hades and the Discussion note on that page.

.

For additional information, see ao:

• introductory text (1984) by Frédéric Kozlik (1937-1989) on rsarchive
• Theo Zimmermann in 'Further reading' section below

Related pages

• Christ Module 2 - Nature of the Christ being
• Eli Eli Lama Sabachthani - EELS
• After the resurrection

References and further reading

• Franz Hartmann: 'The Life of Jehoshua' (1909, original in DE 'Jehoshua der Prophet von Nazareth')
• Reinhard Wagner: 'Die unbekannten Jahre Jesu' (1969)
• Willi Sucher: Cosmic Christianity (1971, 2006)
  • The stars during the three years of Christ - revised contents of 8 lectures given Aug 24-31 1969
  • also as: 'Cosmic christianity : the stars during the three years of Christ's ministry and practical viewpoints with regard to evolution'
• Daskalos: 'Joshua Immanuel The Christ: His Life on Earth and His Teaching'

Vitzliputzli

• pages 69-71 in Guenther Wachsmuth: 'Mysterien - und Geisteschichte der Menschheit' (1938)
• Theo Zimmermann
  • 'Vitzliputzli. Een historische speurtocht naar een Mexicaanse mensheidsleider aan het begin van onze jaartelling.' (2001)
  • also articles in 1993 and 1994: 'Verslag over Vitzliputzli' and 'Het geboorteverhaal van Vitzliputzli' in 'Mededelingen van de Antroposofische Vereniging in Nederland', jaargang 48, 12 and jaargang 49, 10
  • for context: 'Popol Vuh. De esoterische overleveringen van een oud en roemrijk Maya-volk' (1999)

Context

• Arild Hvidtfeldt: 'Teotl and Ixiptlati : some central conceptions in ancient Mexican religion ; with a general introduction on cult and myth' (1958)
• Irene Nicholson: Mexikanische Mythologie (1967)