Steiner, Rudolf (1861-1925)

Founder of the Anthroposophical Society. He was born on February 27, 1861, at Kraljevic, Austria, but a year later his parents moved to Vienna. He grew up a Roman Catholic and attended a technical college in Vienna. While in college he attended lectures at the university, where he was attracted to the great German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. He did intense study in Goethe's writings, in which he developed an expertise. Because of his technical background and his competence in the subject, he was invited to edit a critical edition of Goethe's scientific writings. Eventually he was offered a position at the Goethe Archives in Weimar.

As a young man Steiner became interested in the occult. He was a member of the OTO (Ordo Templi Orientis) for a brief period and in the late 1890s moved to Berlin, where he became affiliated with the Theosophical Society. He soon rose to leadership of the German section of the society.

Almost from the beginning Steiner had opposed what he considered a downplaying of Christ in Theosophical teachings. Theosophy considers Christ but one member of the vast spiritual hierarchy. His differences were brought to the fore, however, in 1910, with the announcement by international president Annie Besant that a young Indian boy was to be the new world savior. To Steiner, and many others who identified themselves as Theosophists, the emergence of Jiddu Krishnamurti and the formation of the Order of the Star of the East was very clearly an un-Christian statement. Steiner moved to oppose Besant and Krishnamurti by declaring that membership in the German section of the Theosophical Society and the Order of the Star were incompatible. Besant revoked the charter of the German section.

With 55 of the 65 chapters with him, Steiner in 1913 reorganized the membership as the Anthroposophical Society. The name of the organization was taken from a alchemical work by Thomas Vaughn, Anthroposophia Theomagica. He created a Gnostic-like theology and during the remaining years of his life wrote voluminously, developing his perspective in every area of life, especially art, education, natural farming, and religion. In 1922 he introduced the Christian Community as a related church structure for those members who wanted more traditional worship.

Steiner died on March 30, 1925, at Dornach, in German-speaking Switzerland. From there the movement was later able to survive the destruction of occultism in Germany by the Nazi regime. His movement began to spread internationally in the 1920s and is now represented across Europe and North America.

Sources:

Easton, Stewart. Rudolf Steiner: Herald of a New Epoch. Spring Valley, N.Y.: Anthroposophical Press, 1980.

Rittelmeyer, Friedrich. Rudolf Steiner Enters My Life. London: George Roberts, 1929.

Steiner, Rudolf. Christianity as Mystical Fact. West Nyack, N.Y.: Rudolf Steiner Publications, 1961.

——. Cosmic Memory. West Nyack, N.Y.: Rudolf Steiner Publications, 1959.

——. The Course of My Life. New York: Anthroposophical Press, 1951.

Wachmuth, Guenther. The Life and Work of Rudolf Steiner. New York: Whittier Books, 1955.