About Rudolf Steiner's Lectures

Rudolf Steiner's esoteric lecturing activity began in 1901 and immediately attracted a small but loyal following. Many took notes for personal use (these would eventually be published starting in the 1950s; some are being published for the first time even in this decade). As interest in Steiner's work increased, newly interested listeners naturally wanted to know what they had missed. You did not need to attend more than a few lectures to notice that Steiner had a unique ability to speak in great depth on a wide variety of topics without every directly repeating himself. So people began to share their notes with friends.

Before long a vibrant subculture of lecture-note trading had developed. This in turn lead to two developments. The first was the effort to produce more comprehensive notes of every lecture (knowing that they would be widely circulated; people all over were asking for them). This eventually resulted in multiple professional stenographers recording everything Steiner said publicly. But the transition was gradual, and through at least 1912 most lectures were recorded by advanced amateurs.

The second change was the decision to begin officially publishing the notes once demand got beyond the ability to easily re-copy them by hand (this was in the days before photocopy machines). Incomplete versions, transcription errors, unattributed texts, and general sourcing problems plagued the nascent movement. So beginning in 1909 Steiner's followers in Germany began publishing the major lecture cycles. Steiner would travel to a city for a week-long series of lectures, they would be recorded, reconstructed into print, edited, and then published. Initially these books were only sold to card-carrying members of the Society. Steiner reluctantly agreed to the process, but insisted on a disclaimer that these efforts were not editorially reviewed by him and could contain errors. Steiner only ever reviewed the texts of two cycles, one of which is CW 121, and did make quite a few corrections. The rest remained un-reviewed by Steiner. Such a great effort is the job of reviewing these notes and stenograms that the work remains ongoing to this day, more than a century after it began.

For the past half century the German Collected Works has had the following text at the start of every volume of lectures (English translations vary, this one is from the 1960s):

THE PUBLICATION OF LECTURES HELD BY RUDOLF STEINER
The foundation of anthroposophically orientated Spiritual Science is laid in the works which were written and published by Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925). At the same time Dr. Steiner held numerous lectures and courses both for the general public and for Members of the Theosophical (later Anthroposophical) Society in the years between 1900 and 1924. It was not his original wish to have these lectures published, which were without exception of a spontaneous nature and conceived as “oral communications not intended for print.” However, after an increasing number of incomplete and erroneous listeners’ transcripts had been printed and circulated, he found it necessary to have the notes regulated. He entrusted this task to Marie Steiner von Sivers. She was made responsible for the choice of stenographers, the supervision of their transcripts and the necessary revision of texts before publication. As Rudolf Steiner was only in a very few instances able to correct the notes himself his reservation in respect of all publications of his lectures must be taken into account: “Errors occurring in transcripts which I myself have been unable to revise will just have to be tolerated.”
In Chapter 35 of his autobiography, Rudolf Steiner expounds on the relationship between his lectures for Members which were initially only circulated internally and his public writings. The relevant text is printed at the end of this volume. What is expressed there also applies to the lecture courses directed towards a restricted audience already familiar with the principles of Spiritual Science.

Here is the current explanation put into all new German CW editions in the past decade:

Concerning the publications from the lecture work of Rudolf Steiner

Rudolf Steiner always gave his lectures extemporaneously, that is, without a prepared manuscript. He wrote out many of his preliminary thoughts in his notebooks, but only as keywords, sometimes also in short sentences, or as schematics or sketches, but without further elaborating them in writing. Only in very few cases are there prepared written summaries, which he intended for translators. However, he agreed to the publication of his lectures, even though he himself could only prepare a few for printing. The lectures published in the Rudolf Steiner Complete Edition are usually based on transcriptions of stenographic recordings made during the lecture by listeners or by paid professional stenographers. In some cases—and this applies to the early years of his lecturing activity, up to 1905—written elaborations by listeners serve as a basis for the text. For the published editions, the transcriptions in long form, or listener’s notes, are subjected to a thorough examination by the German editors, with special attention to meaning, sentence structure, and the accuracy of quotations, proper names, and technical terms. In the event of complications, such as indecipherable sentences structures or words, or gaps in the text, the original stenograms, where available, are consulted for clarification.

Detailed information on the source and edit history of the text, as well as its origin story, can be found at the end of the volume.

Here is Steiner's description in his Autobiography of how the lecture cycles came into print:

Two consequences of my anthroposophical activity are the books which were made accessible to the general public and an extensive series of lecture courses which were initially intended for private circulation and were available only to members of the Theosophical (later Anthroposophical) Society. The transcripts of the latter were taken down — some more accurately than others — during my lectures. But time did not permit me to undertake their correction. I, for my part, would have preferred spoken word to remain spoken word, but the Members were in favour of private publication of the Courses. And so it came about. If I had had time to correct the transcripts, the reservation “For Members Only” need not have been made from the very first. Now it has been dropped for over a year.

Here in “My Life” it is above all necessary to explain how the two — the publications in general and in private circulation — are accommodated in my elaboration of Anthroposophy.

Whoever wishes to pursue my own inner conflict and toil in my effort to introduce Anthroposophy to contemporary thought, must do so with the aid of the works in general circulation which include analysis of all forms of cognition of this age. Therein also lies that which crystallised within me in “spiritual vision” and from which came into existence the structure of Anthroposophy, even if imperfect in many respects.

Apart from this obligation to construct Anthroposophy and thereby to serve only that which ensues when communications from the Spirit World are to be transmitted to modern civilisation, the need also arose to meet the claims which were manifested within the Membership as a compulsion, a yearning of the soul.

Above all, many Members were greatly disposed to hearing the Gospels and the scriptural content of the Bible presented in an anthroposophical light. Courses were requested which were to examine such revelations to humanity.

Internal courses were held to meet this requirement. At these lectures only Members were present who were initiated in Anthroposophy. It was possible to speak to them as to those well versed in Anthroposophy. The delivery of these internal lectures was such as simply could not be communicated in written works intended for the general public.

In these closed circles I was able to discuss subjects which I would have had to present quite differently if they had been intended for a general public from the very first.

Thus in the duality of the public and private works there actually exists something of two-fold diverse origin. The wholly public writings are a result of that which struggled and toiled within me; in the private publications, the Society struggles and toils with me. I listen to the vibrations within the Soul-life of the Membership and within my own being and the tone of the lectures arises from what I hear there.

Nowhere has even the slightest mention of anything been made which does not proceed from the substance of Anthroposophy. No concessions can be made to any prejudices or presentiments existing within the Membership. Whoever reads these private publications can accept them as a true representation of anthroposophical conviction. Thus when petitions became more urgent, the ruling as to the private circulation of these publications within the Membership could be amended without any hesitation. Any errors occurring in transcripts which I have not been able to revise will however have to be tolerated.

The right to pass judgement on the content of any such private publication is nevertheless reserved to those possessing the prerequisite to do so. For the great majority of these publications, this is at least an anthroposophical knowledge of man and the universe, in so far as its essence is presented in Anthroposophy, and of “the history of anthroposophy” such as it is derived from communications from the Spirit-World.