The Founding of the Christian Community

GA 344 — 10 September 1922, Dornach

Fifth Lecture

[ Record of Participants: The community of founders gave its leadership the following structure on this day: They appointed Friedrich Rittelmeyer, Emil Bock and Johannes Werner Klein as the senior leaders, Gertrud Spörri as titular senior leader; and Friedrich Doldinger, Johannes Perthel and Alfred Heidenreich as leaders.

Rudolf Steiner brought two pictures of Christ to the meeting that morning: a painting by an unknown master from the Brera Gallery in Milan, and a painting of the Crucified by Matthias Grünewald (Karlsruhe). The pictures were hung one above the other on the blackboard, and on the lectern in front of it, with the help of a board and cloths, an altar table was improvised, on which a candleholder with seven candles was placed.

The stenographer only recorded the following words of Rudolf Steiner:]

First of all, the picture will be present as a symbol of the power that comes into effect with this ceremony, and we will replace the consecration that would otherwise be given to such a picture by consecrating this picture in spirit for a moment for a ceremony by speaking the words:

The power, the word and the light of Christ may work, create and shine in that which His followers do here today.

May God the Father be in us
the Son-God creates in us,
The Holy Spirit enlightens us.

[The following swearing-in of the priests was not recorded by the stenographer.

The swearing-in continued in the afternoon. Afterwards, Rudolf Steiner gave the following short address:]

My dear friends! You have taken the oath before God and Christ and invoked the Spirit of God in order to be His servant of the word. If you work with the same attitude that was in the words that were spoken out of your head, your heart and your whole being to Christ, if you work with the whole spirit of these words, you will be able to carry out your duties in a worthy and proper way. You must keep in your heart, in your head, in your whole being, what has been the spirit of these words, in every hour of your future earthly existence, by working and wanting to work for the salvation of human souls. This is what must be said at this moment, invoking

Christ's strength and Christ's word and Christ's light,
that it may permeate us,
that it may fill us,
that it may enlighten us.

And out of this spirit, I shall advise you on all that you wish to inaugurate here and now point out to you the meaning that should, so to speak, substantially permeate the whole of your work, so that you feel: you may work out of a different light from the one that your outer eyes see; you may work out of a light that strengthens the inner man. And you will also feel more and more how the word comes to life and takes wing, which must be spoken to man when the Christ dwelling in the heart of man throbs through this word, when he is the soul and the spirit of this word. And you shall feel this when you go before the community. When you go before the community, you shall feel:

Christ's power, Christ's word, Christ's light
work in me, so that what comes from me may
live in the seer, even if I myself am blind.

We must carry this humility of our consciousness within us, so that all that is naturally and inevitably weak in the earthly human being may be strengthened by the power of the indwelling Christ-being. In this way our work will proceed in the spirit of the Mystery of Golgotha. And in this way you will be servants of the Word, servants of the Word of Christ, and servants of Christ Himself.

This is what you should bear in mind when you take your oath. This is what I, if I am to be a true advisor to you in all your deeds, should once again firmly inscribe in your memory today in this hour.

To each one of them, first to the three senior leaders, then to the titular senior leader and the three leaders, then to the others.

Remember this
And even if you were blind
blind, Let the light of Christ shine in your heart.

To all:

We have carefully considered all of this, felt it deeply, and will do our best to fulfill it.

The three top links

Yes, so be it ( three times).

The titular top link and the links:

Yes, so be it ( twice).

The others:

Yes, so be it ( once).

Rudolf Steiner:

Yes, so be it
Yes, so be it
Yes, so shall it always be.