Zarathustra Redemption

Here follows a passage in which Dr. Steiner explains the notion of redemption as taught by the followers of Zarathustra:

"Wherever we look there is a world that descended from divine-spiritual heights but now has fallen very far from its earlier level.....

"But man has the hope of being able to lead it upwards again."

"We will now further translate into words of our language what an Iranian felt, and try to convey how a teacher would have spoken to his pupils. He might have said: Think of the wolf. The animal living as the physical wolf you now see has fallen from its former estate, has become decadent. Formerly it did not manifest its bad qualities.

"But if good qualities germinate in you and you combine them with your spiritual powers, you can tame this animal; you can instil into it your own good qualities, making the wolf into a docile dog who serves you! ...."

"If I leave Nature as she is, she sinks lower and lower; everything becomes wild. But I can direct my eyes of spirit to a good Power in whom I trust; then that Power will help me and I shall be able to lead upwards again what is in danger of sinking. This Power gives me hope that further development in possible."

-Lecture one, St. Matthew's Gospel

In the above lecture series you can read about Zarathustra's incarnation as Zarathas or Nazarathos, in Chaldea, and his teaching of the Hebrew initiates during the Captivity.

The practices of the Nazarites were carried out in stricter form by the Essenes. The Essenes were under the influence of the Maitreya Bodhisattva who worked through Jeshu Ben Pandira (the Teacher of Righteousness).