by Rev. Michaël Merle
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In Chapter 21 of The Revelation to John (The Book of the Apocalypse: Revelation) we read part of the description of the New Jerusalem, a picture of a mighty vision experienced by John in the Spiritual World: “The city has a great and high wall and twelve gates. And on the gates twelve angels, and names were written on them: the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel.” (verse 12)
 
This year we hope to uncover an understanding of the twelve ways in which we can enter the New Jerusalem.
 
The way of Levi

Levi, the third son of Jacob, has a name that opens up a very significant way for human beings to find the source and meaning of their lives. His name means “attached” or “joined”. This is the meaning of “ligare” in Latin (to bind, attach, join together) which forms the basis of the word re-ligion in English. Religion thus means to re-attach, to re-join. In this way it is the path back to a relationship with the Divine. Levi represents the personality that dedicates his/her life to serving a higher calling. Levi is the priest, who in this way frees himself from the bounds to material service and attaches himself to Divine service. The breastplate of the high priest is the symbol for Levi. This is the breastplate with the twelve precious silicate stones that are re-imagined in the foundation of the New Jerusalem as envisioned by John in the book of Revelation. We are all called to recognize these twelve stones in the soul processes that lead us to the virtues of our future development. The way of Levi reminds us that we are all called to the religious path – to re-attach ourselves to the Divine impulse.

​The Aryaman of the Vedas is an interesting figure. He is known as the life-partner, the close friend, the companion, this god represents the etheric. He is the etheric to the Bull, to the physical constitution of the Bull. He is commonly invoked with Varuna Mitra who was a protector of treaties based on justice and truth, associated with the light of the dawn and the rising of the sun in the morning. In a peace treaty between the Hittites and the Kingdom of Anatolia in 1400 BCE the use of the word ‘mi-itra’ for the new friendships that will arise from the accord of peace was used. If one could sacrifice the Bull of Heaven one could bring peace. This lay at the heart of the Mithraic Cult. ‘Mitra’ in Sanskrit meant ‘friend’ or ‘friendship’ and it was a name strongly connected with the sun-god. In this we hear the allusions to what would become Christ. If we consider Cancer as the Creation, Gemini as Adam and Eve, then Taurus represents the new ability to speak. Taurus has long been associated with the larynx and one finds images of Taurus carved on many pulpits in old churches in Europe. The symbol of Taurus     
is seen by some as more than the head and horns but also as the larynx and Eustachian tubes. This symbol represents the capacity of the human being to speak. This is something that is unique to being human. Animals communicate and it is possible to discern the meaning of the sounds vocalised by animals, but they do not put very specific meaning to sounds that only they have agreed on. Human beings develop language within their own select community with the result that we do not readily understand the language of another community without learning it. Language is more than the symbols on a page that represent the language, the sound and vocalisation of words needs to be learned to be able to speak a language. The capacity to create language is uniquely human. Language is not what we write but what we speak and this is the gift of Taurus – the ability to speak.

Reported by John-Peter Gernaat
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The second talk on this topic was to introduce the changes in translation to the Creed and why they were necessary.

The talk was presented on the first Sunday of the first period of Trinity of the year. The Trinity Epistle, which was heard in the Act of Consecration, is quite remarkable because it establishes a theology. A perspective on the Divine becomes apparent in this epistle. The epistle speaks to each aspect of the Trinity and at the end of the first line relating to each aspect of the Divine a word appears. The phrases in which this word appears are: “Conscious”; “In experiencing”; and “In grasping”. Each time the word “humanity” is spoken, and we begin to understand something about being human. We appreciate, in hearing this epistle, that we are in the process of becoming human. We can call ourselves a human being, but we have as yet not reached the fulfilment of the idea of humanity. We are still on a journey to reaching the ultimate goal of being human. We are in the process, not only of being human, but of becoming human.

We can also gain a strong sense of this in our baptismal sacrament. In the Sacrament of Baptism we hear, addressed to the congregation the full three-folded human being expressed in the whole community: thinking, feeling and willing (and it the human willing, the willing of a human being, someone who is free). We hear that this soul (of the child that has been baptised) may be, grow and become in the Christ community. We are being, growing and becoming. We are in process.

We have in the Trinity Epistle a wonderful building picture of what it is to be human.

Whenever we encounter language we always encounter limitations. Certain languages have fewer limitations. English has a number of limitations because it is a very adoptive language. The history of English informs us of how it has adopted in its adaptation. There was an original language spoken on the island that we now refer to as England, Wales and Scotland. That was Celtic, probably similar to Cymraeg spoken in Wales today. The Danes invaded the island and brought Old Norse to England. The Romans invaded and the influences of Latin were brought to the island. Then the Angles and the Saxons invaded, who were north Germanic tribes and brought their language. The language spoken on the island became Anglo-Saxon with the Saxons dominating over the Angles so that the language was a Germanic dialect with influences of the Old Norse, elements of the original Celtic and influences of Latin. In 1066CE the island was invaded by a Viking who spoke what is known as middle-French, or Norman French because it was the French spoken in Normandy where William was the duke. After 1066 the people in control of the island spoke Norman French. We see this most clearly when we look at the names of bishops of the churches. We encounter Edward, Ethelred, Edgar as common names under the Angle-Saxons and then the names change to become Felix and Guy under the Normans. The influence of French entered the Angle-Saxon through vocabulary (not through the structure of the language). Words from the French were adopted and new words were developed. English has continued to be the most adoptive and adaptive language in the present day. English keeps incorporating words, unlike other languages which have language institutes that try to preserve the language and protect it from external influence. Every year a new set of words are added to the English dictionary, even though they have no connecting to the origins of English.

As a consequence of English being such an adoptive language there are limitation to English. It also means that the meaning of words change and they acquire a meaning that they did not originally have. These words then become stumbling blocks, especially to the modern ear because we hear the word not in its denotation (its dictionary meaning) but rather in its connotation (how it is understood in everyday speech). One of the problems in English is the word ‘man’. The word has its origins from the Proto-Indo-European word ‘men’ that signified ‘mind’, ‘thinking’, ‘intelligence’ as we still find in the word ‘mental’. It was in the 11th century CE that the word ‘man’ in Germanic languages began to denote primarily the adult male. Originally the Germanic word for the male adult was ‘wer’ from the Latin ‘vir’ (‘Vir’ has the sense of adult male human being - Dictionary.com) (from which we derive virile). This word was completely replaced by ‘man’ by the end of the 13th century. We have lost the connection to ‘man’ representing all of humanity. Fortunately, the pronunciation of human (hjuːmən) does not contain the sound of the word ‘man’. Therefore, when we hear the word ‘human’ it is gender-neutral and applies equally to all genders and to every other way in which human beings express themselves.

Therefore, when the word ‘man’ is heard in the Act of Consecration it becomes problematic for some people. They hear only a reference to a male person and not to all of humanity. This leaves the person with an uncomfortable feeling, and they are unable to appreciate what we are attempting to describe. This is something that we do not wish to have occur. We want it to be clear. We want to use words that make it clear what we are saying and does not make it difficult for others to grasp. Already in the United States and in Australia the sacrament is referred to as the Act of the Consecration of the Human Being. This makes it clear that it is an act of consecration for all human beings. It is an act of consecration of the Human Being, singular; in other words, of the ideal of the Human Being, the one we are becoming.

In Southern Africa we will be making changes to the words of the Creed from the beginning of Passiontide to make it clearer what they mean. We are attaching these changes to the idea that we hear in the epistle at Trinity time: humanity! It is about our humanity. We have a clear innate understanding of what it means to be human. This becomes very clear for us when we witness acts that are so horrendous that we fail to see any humanity in these acts, we recognise that they are devoid of humanity. Our aim is for our Creed to reflect our humanity simply in ways that are not confusing, are not confused by the words used.

There will be three word changes that everyone will become aware of in the Creed from Passiontide.

The first, is one that may go almost unnoticed. It occurs in the fourth statement of the Creed:

​The change that will come is the changing of ‘mankind’ to ‘humankind’:

​In so doing we make it very clear. It is already a term that appears in a number of the inserted prayers that are prayed at the various seasons of the year. An example was read from the epistle we hear at St John’s Tide.

The second change will occur in the last statements of the Creed:

​The emphasis is on the continuation of the human being. The change reads:

​The third change will occur in the third statement:

​The meaning of this statement has always raised a question. When one reads the Gospels these books provide a theology, an understanding of the Divine. Some churches read and interpret the theology that because Christ entered a male human being, only male human beings may be priests. This theology is not the theology of The Christian Community. The Christian Community has always understood that the fundamental incarnation mystery is the incarnation into a human being, that gender was not an essential element in this mystery. The change will read:

This will help to clarify the essence of the incarnation. The Divine, through this incarnation, united the Divine with the whole human being, for all human beings. This becomes clear when the Holy Spirit is given. Tradition has it that those gathered in the Upper Room when the Spirit arrived were the Twelve and Mary. From the very beginning the Spirit was for all human Beings. After the Spirit is given in the Upper Room it is given to all who follow. We realise that it is the whole of humanity that is called into this relationship with Christ.

The aim is that people who hear the liturgy of The Christian Community can hear the true substance and not be distracted by a language that sounds as though it belongs to a hundred years ago. The language is always only a bridge to grasping the essence of something, which goes beyond language. We hope to understand the idea in its purest spiritual form. The language used should therefore not be distraction hindering this but should rather help to open it up.

In due course the rest of the ritual texts will also be revised to aid this understanding of our humanity as human beings without a distraction referencing gender.

The change that occurred some years ago when ‘thee’ and ‘thou’ was replaced with ‘you’ helped to make the relationship to the Divine more personal and real. Many felt a dignity in the old words, but we do not lose dignity when we hear the liturgy in the language that we speak. We also must not forget the major step that occurred during the Protestant Reformation when the language of the liturgy became the language of the people rather than Latin, which no one spoke and was exclusive to the church. Latin was seen as a sacred language of mystery and religion, and it was unthinkable to hear the words spoken in the language of everyday speech. But it makes the mystery more approachable and understandable for those who hear the words.

We have a modern, human language as the base language in The Christian Community, which is German. Our task in all languages is to translate the texts as best we can into the languages spoken by the people. In making the changes, previously and now, we are not changing what the original German says, but rather continually attempting to make the original German clearer in the other spoken languages. The texts are not being changed. This is an agreement that all the priests have, but the aim is to translate the text in the very best way possible, and to remain relevant to the development of the languages into which the texts are translated.

It is easier to make the changes in translation to the Creed because the text of the Creed was not gifted to us by the Spiritual World. Rudolf Steiner made it very clear that the text of the rituals was not from him but rather gifted to us through him. When it came to the Creed, Steiner made it clear that he had wrestled with this to find the best expression for it. The Creed is that part of the Act of Consecration of Man where the priest speaks in his or her humanity. It is the congregation who is speaking – the priest speaking it on behalf of the congregation – how we, in our humanity understand that which was described in the first of these two talks. It is at this point that the priest removes the vestment of priesthood, the stole, and speaks the Creed entirely as a human being.

by Rev. Michaël Merle

In Chapter 21 of The Revelation to John (The Book of the Apocalypse: Revelation) we read part of the description of the New Jerusalem, a picture of a mighty vision experienced by John in the Spiritual World: “The city has a great and high wall and twelve gates. And on the gates twelve angels, and names were written on them: the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel.” (verse 12)

This year we hope to uncover an understanding of the twelve ways in which we can enter the New Jerusalem.

The way of Simeon:

The second son of Jacob, Simeon, represents the way of confrontation. This is often misunderstood as conflict, and certainly Simeon found himself as a fighter or warrior in conflict with others. But the true significance of the path he opens up for us is the way of facing the other and facing the truth, as well ​as the deep significance of facing ourselves – confronting our problems, anxieties and areas of distress. We can easily deny or disregard those facets of ourselves we find problematic and concerning. We are also very good at making excuses for our behaviour, attitudes and actions. The strength to face the reality of ourselves and the world takes courage. Simeon presents us with the courage to face adversity and the obstacles of life. We cannot hope to overcome issues or build resilience or manage and resolve a situation if we are not first willing to face the problem or challenge. The symbol of Simeon is often that of the entrance to a walled city. We may choose to regard it as the picture of the way through a barrier or obstacle, the opening through which we can enter that place of peace, resolution and solution.

Some thoughts and observations for consideration by Rev. Michaël Merle
Candlemas is a Christian holiday commemorating the presentation of Jesus at the Temple. It is also known as the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus Christ, the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or the Feast of the Holy Encounter. It is traditionally celebrated in the Christian tradition on 2 February. This date is significant in that it ties together important numbers that speak to periods of preparation and culmination. The two significant numbers here are 33 and 40. In accordance with Leviticus 12, a woman was to be purified by presenting a lamb as a burnt offering, and either a young pigeon or dove as a sin offering, 33 days after a boy's circumcision. Counting from the night of December 24th into Christmas Day this falls on 2 February, which is traditionally the 40th day (postpartum period) of and the conclusion of the Christmas–Epiphany season. While it is customary for Christians in some traditions to remove their Christmas decorations on Twelfth Night (Epiphany Eve), those in some other Christian traditions historically remove them after Candlemas. On Candlemas, many Christians (especially Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans and Methodists) also bring their candles to their local church, where they are blessed and then used for the rest of the year (hence the name: Candlemas). These blest candles can then serve as a symbol of Jesus Christ, who is the Light of the World, and are usually used as prayer candles. The significance of 40 relates to a gestation (a human approximately 9 month – in reality: 40 week – gestation). There are many biblical references to this number: the days and nights of the Great Flood, the years wandering in the desert before arriving at the Promised Land, the days of the journey of Elijah to the Mountain of God, the days of fasting in the desert after The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan. The number 33 relates directly to the sacrifice of The Lamb of God: the age of Jesus, bearer of the Christ, at The Mystery of Golgotha (The Easter Mystery of Death and Resurrection). With our 4 Sunday-week long season of Epiphany, the latest date for the 4th Sunday of Epiphany would be 2 February. After this time we enter into a period between the seasons of the Father: Advent-Christmas-Epiphany, and the seasons of the Son: Passiontide-Easter-Ascension.

reported by John-Peter Gernaat

The Gospel Study began the study of the Gospel of Luke in the second half of 2022. In following the eight-fold path that Luke lays out in his gospel, as he explains that he will do in his opening introductory paragraph: set things in a certain order, we arrived at the Confession of Peter which encapsulates the first three paths. Christ asks the disciples: “… and who do you say that I am?” What is it that you understand (Right Understanding) from your thinking (Right Thinking) of who I am (Right Speech)?

We looked closely at the Transfiguration described by Luke. Michaël pointed out a difficulty in translation. This incident should start with “after eight days” and not “after about eight days”. The number eight is very significant. In the Hebrew tradition Creation was accomplished in seven days. The eighth day is thus the beginning of a new cycle of seven, but it is more than that. Holy Week is a recapitulation of Creation that ends with the human being on the cross before the seventh day. The seventh day is the day of rest. In this case the day of descending into the Underworld. The eighth day is Easter, the first day of the week, and the first day of a new beginning. It is the octave – taking creation to a higher level.

The vision of the Transfiguration which the disciples see is a prefiguring of what is to come. It is at once a reality but as yet not realised in a way that can always be seen (witnessed), hence it cannot remain in the everyday vision of the disciples; Peter, James and John. In Luke’s gospel the disciples fall asleep and wake up. They wake up just as Adam awoke after God put him into a sleep: he awoke to a new sense of himself, i.e. that a part of himself has been separated out and now stood before him as Eve. The disciples awake to a new sense of themselves and they realise that what they have seen cannot yet be spoken about (Right Speech). In the telling of the Transfiguration by Matthew, there is an instruction given to the disciples to not speak about this event. Luke wishes it to be clear that through Right Speech the individual discerns for himself what is the right speech and when is it right to be silent.

There are two men speaking with Jesus, Moses and Elijah. Moses led the Israelites in the desert for forty years. Elijah ran away from his mission into the desert for forty days. Jesus spent forty days in the desert after the Baptism. The number forty is the period of gestation (a human gestation is 40 weeks). It serves as a number for the recognition of an initiation. Moses brought the law; Elijah found the Divine in the ‘small slender silence’ at the opening in the cave on the mountain. The disciples see speaking with Jesus that with which the Christ is working: the law and its fulfilment – bringing the outer into the inner relationship.