Book Overview

Part one

Beginning with the life of Rudolf Steiner himself, Ahern leads the reader to an understanding of Steiner’s unique perspective on the world, and distinguishes clearly between the known historical facts, and the ways in which the evidence clearly suggests that these events and experiences may have influenced the development of Steiner’s views and teachings. This scrupulously careful balance of fact and clearly identified interpretation continues throughout the book, culminating in his examination of Anthroposophy through a sociological perspective — and of sociology, in turn, from an Anthroposophical perspective. The facts are allowed to speak for themselves, and tell their own story, and careful attribution of each interpretation allows the reader to reach an independent assessment of any potential for bias.

The Movement itself is then examined, first biographically, through an unfolding of its own history, and then through an organisational study of its primary bodies.

Part two

This begins with an examination of the ways in which these teachings are passed on,
and the goals which those institutions seek to achieve, and by which they
measure themselves.

The next two chapters cover Steiner’s teachings regarding first humanity, and then the
universe of which humanity is a part.

PArt Three

Here Ahern’s mastery of his subject shines in a whole new and different way, as his scrupulous attention to accuracy and detail turns its focus from Steiner to the entire multi-millenial history of the tradition of belief which gave a context to Steiner’s insights and the teachings which derived from them.

The first of these chapters covers the beginnings of this tradition, from its Zoroastrian roots, through Gnosticism and its influence on the history of the Christian church (and vice versa), through other manifestations of this continuous thread of teachings and beliefs in contexts within and outside of the JudeoChristian traditions: Hermetecism, Kabbalism, Alchemy, and Rosicrucianism.

As the intertwining threads of this tradition’s varied streams move forward into the modern era, the next chapter deals with the give and take between those streams, and the larger social context of society at large. We see the influence of these beliefs in the works of creative minds from Shakespeare to Goethe, as they become woven into the fabric of Western culture as a whole, and we see the effects of a modernising world upon the tradition itself. Moving into more recent centuries, Ahern examines the impact of the Victorian era’s fascination with the East, as India, Egypt, and the Orient all became sources of mystery and wonder to be mined by the so-called ‘mystery traditions’, and interwoven with that which was distinctly Western in origin.

Here Ahern once again earns his credentials as a truly neutral voice, when he delves into the divergence of society and its sciences from the spiritual views embodied in the mystery traditions, then not only examines these spiritual movements from a sociological standpoint, but also examines the materialistic perspective of the social sciences through the eyes of a more spiritual perspective. The overall shifts in society’s views about all matters to do with the spirit, and spiritual belief systems in particular, round out this phase of his historical overview.

Final Chapter

The final chapter of this unique book-within-a-book explores Gnosticism’s complex historical relationship with orthodoxy, within the Christian Church (the Catholic church in particular), and the developing belief systems of Neoplatonism, and examines in detail the intensive changes in society and spirituality of the Renaissance and Reformation.

The book closes where the 1984 edition opened, with an examination of 18 individual Anthroposophists, and the insights they were able to offer into what first drew them to the belief system, and what they found within it to make their involvement a lasting one.

The Tables and Notes at the end of the book are invaluable resources, adding depth and clarity to Ahern’s comprehensive overview of this complex subject, and making some of the elements much easier to follow and to understand. The tables present a coherent depiction of the layers or temporal unfolding of various aspects of Steiner’s teachings, while the Notes allow Ahern to add a greater depth of information on certain points within the text, without adding unnecessary and confusing digression into the body of the text itself at any given point.

This edition comes with a complete and comprehensive index, allowing the reader to find any reference of interest at a moment’s notice — perfect for students and researchers.