The Sun of God (Part 2)

This is a continuation of Part 1, my notes on "The Threefold Sun and the Risen Christ" 

Here I present more details of the ancient world, especially in Greece and Egypt during the rise of Rome, before the widespread adoption of Christianity.

The Roman influence

In the centuries before and after Christianity c. 338 BC - 117 AD, the Romans were steadily expanding their territory beyond the Italian peninsula, to Europe, North Africa, and the Near East. 

The Roman Empire in 117 AD

Their unique political structure and powerful military helped them achieve their conquests with amazing efficiency. Rome's rise to prominence marked a time of transition between the ancient world and Middle Ages.

Roman Senate

"Cicero Denounces Catiline" — Cesare Maccari

"The Death of Paulus Aemilius at the Battle of Cannae" — John Trumbull

The Roman Republic battles Carthage in the Second Punic War (218 - 201 BC)

The Romans readily took aspects from the different cultures belonging to peoples coming under their rule, and adapted them to their society. As a result, their society was a cultural melting pot. 

They particularly admired the Greeks for their philosophy and art, and cultural exchange between Rome and Greece was a defining quality of this time period, known as Classical antiquity. 

The Sun of God (Part 1)

In this series of posts, we will explore esoteric concepts that show the connection between ancient myths, Christianity, and our life today. History is not just something abstract, it is a never-ending story of cycles of change in the world, and lives within us. My notes are taken from this lecture by Rudolf Steiner - "The Threefold Sun and the Risen Christ" with some additions and pictures I feel will help give more context.

With this post, but also the blog in general, my hope is to be as accessible as possible to those interested in the subject. I am by no means an expert or even an academic! Just a student of life whose search, with all its ups and downs, led them to these teachings. 

Part 2 here

The divinity of the Sun throughout the ages

According to the Esoteric Tradition, our current human civilization is divided into 7 cultural Ages. Humanity goes back even further to the time before the Great Flood, known as Atlantis. There are many flood myths recorded in different religions and cultures that point to a universal awareness of this event. 

Lord Matsya warns King Manu of a great flood

"The Wrath of the Seas" — Ivan Aivazovsky (1886)

We are in the 5th cultural Age, the Age of Pisces (1413 - 3573 AD), characterized by the dominance of Western European culture and science. In this lecture, Steiner begins at the 2nd cultural Age, called the Ancient Persian, with most significant human developments happening within the Iranian plateau.

Cultural epochs