Rosicrucian Principles as a Lens for the Mystery of Golgotha

This paper traces background elements belonging to the creation of the Eucharist service of the Christian Community. Steiner mentioned Rosicrucians often and their principles can be traced throughout his work. Because the Rosicrucian approach to Christianity was similar to his own, this paper uses two Rosicrucian principles as a lens to look at the centerpiece of his Christology: the Crucifixion/Resurrection process that he called the Mystery of Golgotha. Steiner’s interpretation/experience of this Mystery of Golgotha was foundational in his creation of the Eucharist service for the Christian Community. Steiner saw the Mystery of Golgotha as the Old Mysteries becoming a historical fact, but one that has reverberations through time. One such after-effect that also displays traces of the Rosicrucian principles of transmutation and of macrocosm-microcosm is what Steiner called the etherization of the blood. According to him, this was one way for the individual to tune into the resurrected Christ. The Eucharist service of the Christian Community, which presents another way of cultivating a connection to the Risen Christ, is a ritual of offering that finds its archetype in the Mystery of Golgotha. Steiner maintained that the original Christian Mass reflects an initiation rite of the mystery schools, which suggests a triadic source for his creation of The Christian Community’s liturgy: the Traditional Mass, initiation, and the Mystery of Golgotha.