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Mark's Gospel
The Cosmic Rhythm
Hermann Beckh
Foreword by Rudolf Frieling and N. V. P. Franklin
Translated by Michael Stott and Alan Stott
Foreword by Rudolf Frieling and N. V. P. Franklin
Translated by Michael Stott and Alan Stott
Paperback
July 2021
9781912230730
More details
- Publisher
Temple Lodge Publishing - Published
15th July 2021 - ISBN 9781912230730
- Language English
- Pages 446 pp.
- Size 6" x 9"
$35.00
Hermann Beckh’s masterful study of Mark’s Gospel offers much more than scholarly arguments. Rather, it is the work of a true visionary who allows his readers to discover the meaning of the Earth and humanity for themselves. Beckh was in the forefront of entirely new kind of research and recovery of the Gospel, writing more for the future than for his own time.
It is common for biblical scholars to view St. Mark’s Gospel as little more than a compendium of fragmentary sources and a copy of the uncertain memories of early Christians. The Gospel is said to have little historical truth, to lack harmony, and to have no guiding structure.
The German writer Arthur Drews (a contemporary of Beckh) even argued that the text was no more than a simplistic solar myth—with just another Sun hero pursuing his way around the Greek and Roman constellations.
Mark’s Gospel: The Cosmic Rhythm offers a response to such materialistic thinking. During the 1920s, leaders of The Christian Community asked Beckh to write this book, seeking to rescue the desecrated Gospel of Mark from its opponents. Inspired by Rudolf Steiner, and with a vast knowledge of ancient languages (Tibetan, Sanskrit, Pali, and Avestan, as well as Hebrew, Greek, and Latin) the Rev. Professor Hermann Beckh perceived ways in which the Gospel reflects God’s everlasting Covenant and meticulously expressed its aesthetic unity, the consistency of its parts, and its consequent radiant clarity.
Hermann Beckh’s far-reaching understanding of sacred texts in the original languages—always associated with the disciplined meditation he attained through Anthroposophy—led to unprecedented insight. This new edition of his classic study has been revised and redesigned.
C O N T E N T S:
Table of Signs of the Zodiac
Foreword to the English-Language Edition by N.V.P. Franklin
Translator’s Introduction
Foreword to the 2nd German Edition by Dr. Rudolf Frieling
Forward to the 1st German Edition by prof. Hermann Beckh
Introduction
The Stellar Constellations of the Zodiac
PART I. THE FIRST ROUND OF THE SUN-RHYTHM
The Goat and the Waterman in their Relationship to John the Baptist
The Christ Sun Sign of the Fishes
The Ram: Entering the Forces of the Earth
The Bull, the Revelation of the Living Element and the Healing Power of the Divine Word
The Twins, the Sign of the Sacred Mount of Inspiration and Initiation
The Crab as the Sign of the Descent
The Lion, the Esoteric Sign of the Sun
The Virgin
The Scales
The Death sign of the Scorpion
The Other Sign of Death: The Archer
PART II. THE SECOND ROUND OF THE SUN-RHYTHM
Transition to the Second Round in the Goat and the Waterman
New Stage of the Sacrifice of John
The Feeding of the Five Thousand in the Sign of the Fishes
The Bull in the Second Octave as Revelation of the Divine Power of the Word
The Twins, Crab, and Lion in the Second Octave
The Feeding of the Four Thousand. The Voirgin and the Scales in the Second Ocatave
The Death Signs of the Scorpion and the Archer
PART III. THE THIRD ROUND OF THE SUN RHYTHM
The Bull in the Third Octave
The Twins in the Third Octave
The Crab and the Lion in the Third Octave
The Virgin and the Last Supper
The Scales: Gethsemane
The End of the Crisis in the Scorpion: Judas, Peter, Pilate
The Revelation of Death in the Archer: Golgotha
Goat, Waterman, Fishes: The Turning Point of the World, the Grave and Resurrection
APPENDICES
1. The Three Crosses on Golgotha and the Triangles of the Four Evangelists in the Zodiac
2. Hermann Beckh: Rhythmical Events in the Gospels
3. Rudolf Steiner: The Search for the New Isis, the Divine Sophia
4. Rudolf Steiner’s Last Address
5. Hermann Beckh: “The Name Isis”
6. Kurt Piper: “Peniel and Gethsemane
7. Book Review
Bibliography
Endnotes
Hermann Beckh
Hermann Beckh (1875–1937) studied Law and later Sanskrit, becoming Professor of Oriental Studies at the University of Berlin. A master of ancient and modern languages, he wrote extensively on religious and philosophical subjects, including Buddhism, Indology, Christianity, alchemy, and music. In 1911, he heard a lecture by Rudolf Steiner and was inspired to join the Anthroposophical Society, where he became a valued coworker. In 1922, he helped found The Christian Community, a movement for religious renewal. His many books are gradually being translated from the original German and published in English.
