The Rhythm of the Christian Year
Renewing the Religious Cycle of Festivals
by Emil Bock

The Rhythm of the Christian Year by Emil Bock answers a need which is ever-present in the human soul and yet is largely overlooked by much of modern humanity.

For many people today the intimate connection that exists between the human being and the seasonal rhythms of the year has been lost. Emancipated from nature by the progress of modern technology, we have at the same time become alienated from the Earth's cyclical patterns. Our religious life, once so deeply embedded in and supported by the natural world, has increasingly lost awareness of the profound rhythm in the festive year. Only perhaps at Christmas time and at Easter does a vague memory survive of the inter-relationship between earthly and cosmic events.

In this collection of festival meditations, Emil Bock explores ways to deepen our understanding of the Christian festive year. An active renewal of the festivals today can not only heighten our appreciation of the Earth as a living organism, but can provide new energy for humanity's social life. Above all, the festivals are opportunities for new understanding of the Christ mystery that is breaking through in our time - the revelation of Christ in the etheric world.

Nature is awaiting its own redemption through the work of man. In this sense, Bock's meditations are a clarion call for humanity to awaken to the spiritual task of our age.

Floris Books
222pp; hardback
ISBN: 0 86315 308 9

See also:

• The Cycle of the Year as Breathing Process of the Year by Rudolf Steiner

• The Festivals and their Meaning by Rudolf Steiner
   

The author was born in Wuppertal, Germany in 1895. He studied German and theology, receiving his licentiate in 1921. He was one of the founder priests of The Christian Community, a movement for Christian renewal, and led the movement from 1938 until his death in 1959.

Other books by the author:

• Genesis
  Creation and the Patriarchs

• Moses
  From the Mysteries of Egypt to the Judges of Israel

• Kings and Prophets
  Saul, David, Solomon, Elijah, Jonah, Isaiah and Jeremiah

• Caesars and Apostles
  Hellenism, Rome, Judaism

• The Childhood of Jesus
  The Unknown Years

• The Three Years
  The Life of Christ between Baptism and Ascension

• Saint Paul
  Life, Epistles and Teaching

• The Apocalypse of Saint John
   

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