Three Bodies, Page 13

Scriptures Indicative of Threefoldedness (continued)

47. Mt 2,11: The gifts of the magi are threefold in nature: gold, frankincense and myrrh. Steiner says that these were symbols for the riches that the pupils of Zarathustra (see “The Nativity”) strove to gain in the Mysteries through the three human activities of thinking (gold), feeling (frankincense) and willing (myrrh). In I-58 (and in Wonders of the World [WW], Lect. 3), the seats of these activities are seen to be the astral, etheric and physical bodies respectively.

48. Mt 27,38; Mk 15,27; Lk 23,32-33 and Jn 19,18: Jesus was crucified between two thieves. Thus, there were three crosses. In their deeper significance, they must surely indicate that the lower three bodies can only be transformed into the higher three states of manas, buddhi and atma by being “crucified” in their earthly, unpurified condition. Only then are the wedding “Garments” donned; only then the Bride prepared to meet the Bridegroom (Rev 21,2).

49. The following three New Testament passages or groupings are particularly indicative of the simple pervasiveness of threefoldedness, even though they might not otherwise be given much weight as individually suggesting the three bodies:

a) Mt 26,34,69-74; Mk 14,30,66-72 and Lk 22,34,54-62: Peter denies Christ three times. (The single denial in Jn 18,17 need not be considered on this point, for it could even then be given a consistent meaning, i.e., “An ‘I Am’ I am not.”) If perceived as extending to all three bodies, the denial can be taken as a total rejection.

b) Peter-James-John: This triumvirate appears at the Transfiguration (Mt 17,1; Mk 9,2; Lk 9,28), in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mt 26,37; Mk 14,33), at the “raising” of Jairus’ daughter (Mk 5,37; Lk 8,51), and as the audience, along with Andrew, for Jesus’ “Little Apocalypse” (Mk 13,3) and the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law (Mk 1,29-31).

c) Jn 21,15-19: Three times Jesus asks Simon if he loves him. For whatever relevance it may have on this point, one should reflect that the Greek word for “love” is different the third time from the first two, even though many if not most translations make no distinction or notation on the point. In 29A AB 1102 and KJV/NIV—INT it is given as follows:

Vs 15: agapas me ... philo se
Vs 16: agapas me ... philo se
Vs 17: phileis me ... philo se

“Agapas” (i.e., agape) is a higher, more divine form of love than is “phileis” (i.e., philo).

50. Matthew-Mark-Luke: The three “synoptic” Gospels can be seen as equating to the three bodies and John’s Gospel to the Ego. From I-62 in conjunction with I-73, the following is derived:

As Steiner emphasized again and again, however, one cannot assume that there is only one perspective. In The Gospel of St. Matthew (GSMt), Lect. 12, pp. 219-220, he explains how, in another way, each of the synoptic Evangelists attempted to reflect the spiritual activity of the particular body indicated below:

This reversal is rather like that of the Temptations in #17.

51. Mt 19,16-22; Mk 14,51-52 and Lk 7,11-17: Three “Young Men” are portrayed in the four Gospel accounts, one in each citation. Their immense significance is fully shown in “Naked” above.

52. Acts 10: Three times Peter sees a heavenly vision of three animal kingdom groups (“animals and reptiles and birds”; cf. I-84), and finally the spirit told him that “three men are looking for you.” It would seem that the visionary nature of this, specifically as coming from heaven or the Spirit, comports with the ninefold human being (3 X 3), the three-fold human “body,” and the threefold nature of the perfected human being (manas-buddhi-atma). On the other hand, the “three men” may just reiterate the meaning of the three animal groups, for the latter suggest the three bodies:

Physical body = Reptiles
Etheric body = Animals (presumably mammals)
Astral body = Birds

53. Three John Beings: In 3 ABD 886, nine Biblical personalities are listed by the name of John, which it says “was a common Jewish name during the Hellenistic age and was especially popular among the priesthood.” The first four were from the pre-Christian Maccabean era. Another is John Mark (Acts 12,12), traditionally considered to have become Evangelist Mark, who is thus known more by the latter “Name.” The father of Simon Peter is called John by Evangelist John (Jn 1,42; 21,15-17), but is called Jona (e.g., BarJona in Mt 16,17), or Jonah, by Matthew. Still another is the member of a high priestly family (Acts 4,6) who, in the next essay herein, is identified as one and the same person as the Evangelist John. The list of nine makes no mention of the Evangelist John, but lists John the Baptist and John the Disciple, apparently assigning the latter as the Evangelist. There are, in anthroposophical light, three major New Testament personalities who go by the name John. The amazing spiritual relationship between these three is explained in “Peter, James and John.” One is sorely tempted, in the context of that relationship and the present essay, to associate them with the three bodies as follows:

54. In “Peter, James and John” below, we see that Jesus was anointed three times:

a) On his feet with ointment on Saturday before Palm Sunday by Mary Magdalene at the house of her brother Lazarus and sister Martha in Bethany (Jn 12,1-8);

b) On his head with ointment in the middle of Holy Week by a woman at the house of Simon the Leper in Bethany (Mt 26,1- 13; Mk 14,1-9); and

c) On his feet by a woman with her tears at the house of a Pharisee called Simon (Lk 7,36-50). Neither the place nor the time is otherwise given. The similarity of names, i.e., Simon, suggests that it might have been at the same house in Bethany as in (b), but the time and circumstances appear different. Moreover, the identification of Simon as a leper in (b) seems clearly to distinguish him from this Pharisee, for no Pharisee would, as a leper, invite guests to his home.