Although he had previously presented his insights into the Book of Revelation a number of times, in 1924 Steiner ventured to give a completely new perspective — in response to a request by priests of The Christian Community — by relating the subject closely to the work of the modern priest.

The twelve lectures include: ‘The Gospels, Buddha and the two Jesus children’; ‘Four varying depictions of Christ in the four Gospels’; ‘The Mission of the ancient Hebrew people’; ‘Preparations for an understanding of the Christ Event’; ‘On the right attitude to Anthroposophy’; ‘The Gospel of Matthew and the Christ conundrum’; ‘Group souls and Individuality’; ‘God within and the God in outer manifestation’; ‘The Christmas tree as a symbol’; and ‘A Christmas mood’. Translated by Christiana Bryan, this volume features an introduction by Tom Ravetz as well as notes and an index.

In this extraordinary series of lectures, Steiner addresses the difficult and often misunderstood subject of Lucifer’s role in human development. Speaking within the broader context of ancient and modern – Eastern and Western – spiritual teachings, Steiner clarifies that Lucifer is not the simple caricature of evil that many imagine, but rather plays a pivotal role in human development.