The Risen Christ and the Etheric Christ

2 lectures to the Anthroposophical Society of America, New York, April 22–29, 1949

The lectures in this brief book demonstrate Alfred Heidenreich’s gift for kindling understanding of the essence of Christianity and the nature and being of Christ. Guided by Spiritual Science, in the first lecture—“The Fall from Paradise and Its Redemption by Christ”—Heidenreich presents an imaginative and insightful reading of the meaning of Christ’s “resurrection body,” addressing the significance of “original sin” and the “Fall” and how they relate to this metaphysical body.

In his second lecture, Heidenreich addresses “the greatest mystery of our time”—the true meaning of Christ’s “Second Coming” and his appearance in the etheric realm of the Earth. It is our responsibility, he tells us, to bring “the awe and wonder of our thought, the mercy and love of our hearts, the conscientiousness of our deeds” to help illumine and strengthen this esoteric reality.