Oskar Kuerten

Oskar Kürten or Kuerten (1886-1973) is a little known anthroposophist who contributed to systematic anthroposophy after discovering the work of Maximilian Rebholz, and following in the latter's footsteps spent decades of work collating excerpts from Rudolf Steiner's lectures. Kuerten wrote to Rebholz early on and dedicated his book on the Elementary Kingdoms to him.

He wrote on two main topics:

• the Christology of Rudolf Steiner, and the nature of Christ-Jesus as related to the Logos, the sun god, and Trinity.
• the Elementary Kingdoms, furthering the groundbreaking work of Maximilian Rebholz

It is said that Kürten wanted to say what he had to say by letting the Rudolf Steiner quotes speak for themself, in other words to be 'invisible' as an assembler and presenter of these quotes on a topic. Though the spirit and intention of this statement is clear, this is of course not possible, as the author selects and concatenates the excerpts and quotes from Rudolf Steiner's lectures to write a readable story in a logical flow with new meaning. However Kürten followed the technique or approach developed by Rebholz. Rebholz wrote essays as advanced study materials, with the storyline woven together by 'letting the quotes' speak, so quite conscientiously, rather than writing from one's own interpretation.

What both authors have in common, is that they laboured to induce insight from their theme-based integrative study work, that allows the student of spiritual science to rise above single perspectives to deepened imaginative insights.

Life and biography

From anthrowiki

Oskar Lambert Kürten was born in Belgium in 1886 and died in Berlin in 1973. It was rightly written in his obituary that his ideal was "to have all statements made by Rudolf Steiner alone."

Many people claim this, but Kürten, who lived in seclusion due to his complete deafness, apparently without any anthroposophical contacts, spent years and decades creating a restrained but coherent condensation of Steiner's statements, some of which were fragmentary and widely scattered throughout his oeuvre

2015 - Egoistenblog: 'Oskar Lambert Kürten or: The art of invisibility' English machine translation

Here is a reference to Oskar Kürten, whose small books are apparently still available from the publishing house Die Pforte, although this publishing house is supposed to have long since merged with Futurum Verlag. However, there is no trace of Oskar Lambert Kürten on the website. Perhaps because the stock of books sold off? It looks like it.

And Kürten is also a completely different generation - a rarity with such seemingly remote, outmoded works such as The Sun Spirit Christ in the depiction of Rudolf Steiner“ ("Der Sonnengeist Christus in der Darstellung Rudolf Steiners" and an author who doesn't want to be one at all, that he has been read over several generations. And then it is also apparently unoriginal, because Kürten, one might think, merely refers to highlights from the esoteric heights of Rudolf Steiner's work. But nevertheless, to this day at least, a silent evergreen. How come, why?

Oskar Lambert Kürten was born in Belgium in 1886 and died in Berlin in 1973. It was rightly written in his obituary that his ideal was "to have all statements made by Rudolf Steiner alone." Many people claim this, but Kürten, who lived in seclusion due to his complete deafness and apparently had no anthroposophical contacts, spent years and decades creating a restrained but coherent condensation of Steiner's statements, some of which were fragmentary and widely scattered throughout his oeuvre.

As I said, many have tried to do this. In all the years of study, one often realises how radically Steiner's interpretations differ due to the focus of personal basic assumptions, ambition or overestimation of certain people of their own abilities.

The high, rare art of Oskar Lambert Kürten was that he was able to make himself almost completely invisible. Nevertheless, the text is well composed, rhythmic and coherent. Someone has been filing and working endlessly here. The result is that even an old Steiner hand will recognise individual connections for the first time. So Kürten is very productive, but behind the scenes of the text: he reveals connections.

For some of you who are looking for a good, intensive text on Christology and elementary connections (in view of the coming wintery starry world between the years and long cosy evenings), I would like to refer you to Kürten.

His last book, On the Elementary Kingdoms in Rudolf Steiner's account (Über die Elementarreiche in der Darstellung Rudolf Steiners), remained a fragment, although Kürten literally worked on it until his death - seven chapters and further notes were completed.

Personally, I would like to say that Kürten really brought home and clear to me the breadth of the concept of Logos, Steiner's idea of ​​God. I had the letters but not the text. So much respect for the invisible man.

Books and publications

In German

• Der Sonnengeist Christus in der Darstellung Rudolf Steiner (1967, manuskriptdruck)
• Der Sohnesgott, der Logos und die Trinität (1971, second edition 1982)
• Jesus von Nazareth. Ein Beitrag zum Verständnis des Jesus-Geheimnisses. Mit Anhang: Der Menschensohn und der kosmische Christus (1973, second edition 1982)
• Über die Elementarreiche in der Darstellung Rudolf Steiners (Studienmaterial zur anthroposophisch orientierten Geisteswissenschaft) (1990)
  • dedicated to Maximilian Rebholz
  • Kürten promised the manuscript of this book to Karl Boegner fourteen days before his death in 1973, but it took until after Boegner's death in 1988 that this work was published posthumously (from the introduction by Conrad Schachenmann, 1990)

In English

Note: all four of Kürten's booklets have been translated by the Free Man Creator project initiative in 2017-2018, resulting in two study volumes ready to be published. The Study volume on the Christ is approx. 190 pages and groups the three booklets of 1967, 1971 and 1973.

Please Contact us for further info.

• translations by Philip Owenby (1952-2006) - FREE PDF DOWNLOAD
  • Christ, The Sun spirit as depicted through Rudolf Steiner (1967, translated by Phil Owenby)
  • Jesus of Nazareth - Toward an understanding of the Jesus Mysteries (translated by Phil Owenby)
  • The Sun God, the Logos, and the Trinity (translated by Phil Owenby)
• translations by Paul King
  • note: after initial contacts for editing work on translations for the FMC project, Paul King translated this work again and independently, and it was published by Temple Lodge
  • Symphonies of Creation - The Primal Elementary Kingdoms in the Work of Rudolf Steiner (2018)
  • Mystery of the Christ - Aspects of Christology in the work of Rudolf-Steiner (2023)

Related Pages

• SoSoG
• Systematic anthroposophy

References and further reading

• video session on Kürten work (Dec 2019), see youtube link starting 19', on translations by Phil Owenby at 21'
• bio profile
  • Oskar Kürten on Wikipedia (DE)
  • Oskar Kürten on AnthroWiki (DE)