{"corpus":"steiner","locus":"GA 15/l03/p003","lang":"en","edition":"ASGB1921","edition_basis":null,"is_original":false,"is_default_edition":false,"text":"Since the time of the great Atlantean catastrophe, seven consecutive epochs of civilization have to be differentiated; the first is the ancient Indian epoch, and it is followed by the ancient Persian.[^1] The third is the Egypto-Chaldæic, the fourth is the Graeco-Roman, and the fifth is our own, which, since about the twelfth century, has been gradually developing and in which we are still living. And since the separate periods overlap, we see already in our times those early events preparing which will lead over into the sixth post-Atlantean epoch. And a seventh epoch will succeed the sixth in due course. On closer observation we find the following evidence with regard to the guidance of mankind. It was during the third epoch of civilization, the Egypto-Chaldæic, that the Angels (or lower dhyanic beings according to Oriental mysticism) were to some extent independent leaders of humanity. They were not so during the ancient Persian civilization. For then they were subject to a higher direction in a much greater degree than in the Egyptian times, and had to regulate everything in conformity with the impulses of the hierarchies immediately above them. In this way everything was under the immediate guidance of the Angels, who themselves submitted to the rulership of the Archangels. And in the Indian epoch when post-Atlantean life had reached such a height in spiritual matters as has never been attained since—a natural height under the direction of great human teachers—the Archangels themselves were subject in a similar sense to the guidance of the Archai or Primal Powers. Thus if we trace the evolution of humanity from the Indian epoch through the ancient Persian and Egypto-Chaldæic civilizations, we may say that certain beings of the higher hierarchies withdrew ever more and more from the direct guidance of humanity. In the fourth post-Atlantean period, the Graeco-Roman, man bad become quite independent. The guiding superhuman beings were certainly intervening to develop humanity, but only in such a way that the reins were tightened as little as possible, and also that the spiritual leaders themselves might profit as much through the deeds of men as men profited through them. Hence arose that peculiar and quite “human” civilization in the Graeco-Roman time in which man was made to rely entirely on himself. For all the distinctive characteristics of art and political life in Greek and Roman times are traceable to the fact that man had to live out his own life in his own way.","text_trust":"verbatim","quote_safe":true,"title":"Lecture III","site_heading":null,"date":null,"location":null,"word_count":411,"url":"https://anthroposophy.ai/v1/steiner/en/ga/15/l03/p003?edition=ASGB1921","alignment_confidence":"high","alignment_reason":"beads:length","two_voice_volume":false,"translation_credit":null,"edition_coverage":{"de":["original"],"en":["AP1992","ASGB1921"]},"available_versions":[{"lang":"de","edition":"original","edition_basis":null,"is_original":true,"is_default_edition":true,"url":"https://anthroposophy.ai/v1/steiner/de/ga/15/l03/p003"},{"lang":"en","edition":"AP1992","edition_basis":null,"is_original":false,"is_default_edition":true,"url":"https://anthroposophy.ai/v1/steiner/en/ga/15/l03/p003","paragraph_aligned":true},{"lang":"en","edition":"ASGB1921","edition_basis":null,"is_original":false,"is_default_edition":false,"url":"https://anthroposophy.ai/v1/steiner/en/ga/15/l03/p003?edition=ASGB1921","paragraph_aligned":true}],"german_anchor":{"de_prefix":"l03","de_passages":[{"locus":"GA 15/l03/p002","url":"https://anthroposophy.ai/v1/steiner/de/ga/15/l03/p002"},{"locus":"GA 15/l03/p003","url":"https://anthroposophy.ai/v1/steiner/de/ga/15/l03/p003"}],"bead_confidence":"high","pairing_state":"proposed","verified":false,"length_check":{"de_words":364,"en_words":411,"ratio":1.13,"partial":false},"correspondence":"established","note":"English passage numbering is edition-relative, so the same number need not name the same paragraph in the German. The German original passage(s) above are the edition-invariant anchor — fetch them (lang='de') to verify wording before quoting across editions."},"paired_german":{"status":"paired","german":[{"locus":"GA 15/l03/p002","passage_number":2,"text":"Man unterscheidet von der Zeit der großen atlantischen Katastrophe ab sieben aufeinanderfolgende Kulturepochen: die erste ist die uralt-indische Kulturperiode, darauf folgt die urpersische,[^1] die dritte ist die ägyptisch-chaldäische, die vierte die griechisch-lateinische und die fünfte ist unsere eigene, die etwa seit der Zeit des zwölften Jahrhunderts sich allmählich herausgebildet hat, und in der wir noch mitten drinnen stehen. Allerdings bereiten sich in unserer Zeit schon die ersten Tatsachen vor, welche zur sechsten nachatlantischen Kulturperiode hinüberführen werden. Denn die einzelnen Entwickelungszeiten greifen übereinander. Auf die sechste Epoche wird dann noch eine siebente folgen. Genauer angesehen, erweist sich nun für die Menschheitsführung das Folgende. Nur für die dritte Kulturperiode, die ägyptisch-chaldäische, waren die Engel (oder niedern dhyanischen Wesenheiten im Sinne der orientalischen Mystik) die in einem gewissen Grade selbständigen Führer der Menschen. Für die urpersische Zeit war es schon nicht so. Da unterstanden die Engel in einem viel höheren Maße als während der ägyptischen Zeit einer höheren Führung und richteten alles so ein, wie es den Impulsen der nächsthöheren Hierarchie entsprach, so daß alles zwar unter der Leitung der Engel stand, aber diese selbst fügten sich wieder der Anordnung der Erzengel oder der Archangeloi. Und in der indischen Kulturperiode, in welcher das nachatlantische Leben eine solche Höhe in geistiger Beziehung hatte, wie nachher vorläufig nicht wieder - eine natürliche Höhe unter der Leitung der großen menschlichen Lehrer -, da unterstanden die Erzengel selber wieder in ähnlichem Sinne der Führung der Archai oder Urbeginne.","text_trust":"verbatim","quote_safe":true,"word_count":241,"url":"https://anthroposophy.ai/v1/steiner/de/ga/15/l03/p002"},{"locus":"GA 15/l03/p003","passage_number":3,"text":"Verfolgt man also von der indischen Zeit durch die urpersische und ägyptisch-chaldäische Kultur hindurch die Entwickelung der Menschheit, so kann man sagen, daß sich gewisse Wesenheiten der höheren Hierarchien sozusagen immer mehr und mehr zurückzogen von der unmittelbaren Leitung der Menschheit. Und wie war es in der vierten nachatlantischen Kulturperiode, der griechisch-lateinischen Zeit? Da war der Mensch in gewisser Richtung ganz selbständig geworden. Die führenden übermenschlichen Wesenheiten griffen zwar in den Werdegang der Menschheitsentwickelung ein; allein ihre Führung war so, daß die Zügel möglichst wenig angezogen waren, daß die Geistes-Führer für sich ebensoviel durch die Taten der Menschen hatten, wie diese durch jene. Daher jene eigentümliche, ganz «menschliche» Kultur in der griechisch-römischen Zeit, in welcher der Mensch völlig auf sich selbst gestellt ist.","text_trust":"verbatim","quote_safe":true,"word_count":123,"url":"https://anthroposophy.ai/v1/steiner/de/ga/15/l03/p003"}],"english":["GA 15/l03/p003"],"method":"length","confidence":"high","correspondence":"established","length_check":{"de_words":364,"en_words":411,"ratio":1.13,"partial":false},"pairing_state":"proposed","verified":false},"witness_completeness":{"ratio":1.11,"band":"comparable","note":null,"word_count":7626,"original_word_count":6840,"may_be_abridged":false},"witness_quality":{"translator":{"status":"unknown","warning":"No translator is recorded for this edition. An unattributed translation cannot be weighed as a witness: you cannot tell which hand made the choices in it. Cite the German for anything load-bearing."},"entity_parity":{"status":"ok","checked_against":["GA 15/l03/p002","GA 15/l03/p003"],"missing_from_translation":[],"present_only_in_translation":[],"bead_confidence":"high","note":"Every load-bearing name in the German counterpart appears in this English passage. That is a check on NAMES only: a translation can keep every name and still reverse who acts on whom, change a number, or soften a claim. Read the German for anything you intend to rest an argument on."},"note":"quote_safe certifies the bytes of this text. This block is about the translation as a WITNESS: who made it, and whether it carries the same names as the original. See witness_completeness for how much of the original this witness holds."}}