Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION iii
CONTENTS vii
THE PORTAL OF INITIATION 1
BEINGS AND PERSONS REPRESENTED 3
THE PORTAL OF INITIATION 7
Prelude 7
1. Scene 1 14
2. Scene 2 48
3. Scene 3 56
4. Scene 4 67
5. Scene 5 79
6. Scene 6 88
7. Scene 7 94
Interlude 106
8. Scene 8 111
9. Scene 9 120
10. Scene 10 125
11. Scene 11 132
THE SOUL’S PROBATION 141
SUMMARY OF THE SCENES 142
PERSONS, FORMS, AND FEATURES 143
THE SOUL’S PROBATION 147
1. Scene 1 147
2. Scene 2 159
3. Scene 3 169
4. Scene 4 176
5. Scene 5 184
6. Scene 6 199
7. Scene 7 207
8. Scene 8 219
9. Scene 9 231
10. Scene 10 243
11. Scene 11 248
12. Scene 12 253
13. Scene 13 257
THE GUARDIAN OF THE THRESHOLD 1
SUMMARY OF THE SCENES 2
PERSONS, APPARITIONS, AND EVENTS 3
THE GUARDIAN OF THE THRESHOLD 9
1. Scene 1 9
2. Scene 2 31
3. Scene 3 43
4. Scene 4 57
5. Scene 5 65
6. Scene 6 74
7. Scene 7 88
8. Scene 8 99
9. Scene 9 113
10. Scene 10 120
THE SOUL’S AWAKENING 135
SUMMARY OF THE SCENES 136
PERSONS, FIGURES, AND EVENTS 141
THE SOUL’S AWAKENING 147
1. Scene 1 147
2. Scene 2 160
3. Scene 3 182
4. Scene 4 198
5. Scene 5 215
6. Scene 6 225
7. Scene 7 237
8. Scene 8 243
9. Scene 9 254
10. Scene 10 261
11. Scene 11 267
12. Scene 12 271
13. Scene 13 277
14. Scene 14 283
15. Scene 15 289

Colophon

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Translation of Vier Mysteriendramen. The original titles are Die Pforte der Einweihung (1910); Die Prüfung der Seele (1911); Der Hüter der Schwelle (1912); and Der Seelen Erwachen (1913).

Scans of this work are available from the Internet Archive. Volume I (copy 1), and Volume II (copy 1, 2).

An alternative HTML version is available from the Rudolf Steiner Archive.

Metadata

Title: Four mystery plays
Author: Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925) Info
Translator: Harry Collison Info
Translator: Shirley Mark Kerr Gandell Info
Translator: Robert Theodore Gladstone
Language: English
Original publication date: 1920

Encoding

This work originally originally appeared in two volumes. The title pages and the tables of contents have been combined. The title-page image has been adjusted to reflect this as well. The order of section titles in the last play has been made consistent with those of the other plays.

Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.

Revision History

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Corrections

The following corrections have been applied to the text:

Page Source Correction Edit distance
N.A. RUDOLPH RUDOLF 2
v, 297 Rudolph Rudolf 2
17, 57 Tis ’Tis 1
22 wellspring well-spring 1
47 Johannes. Johannes: 1
143 [Not in source] , 1
157 Althought Although 1
189 wellnigh well-nigh 1
193 , ; 1
204 [Not in source] : 1
237 taugh taught 1
251 mens’ men’s 2
5 the The 1
9 convarsation conversation 1
58 Rememberance Remembrance 1
80, 230 [Not in source] ) 1
97 ] . 1
122, 159, 169, 190 [Not in source] . 1
137 hould should 1
141 ( [Deleted] 1
158, 163, 208 to-day today 1
160 to-morrow’s tomorrow’s 1
166 Forboding Foreboding 1
177 Johannes Johannes’ 1
190 . [Deleted] 1
216 advntage advantage 1
223 unkown unknown 1
258 heirophant hierophant 2

Abbreviations

Overview of abbreviations used.

Abbreviation Expansion
M.A. Master of Arts