What is Anthroposophy

Unlike other works on this theme, Sergei Prokofieff's short book is not a straightforward introduction.

Presupposing an acquaintance with the basic principles of anthroposophy, it focuses instead on the central

Christological insights which form the core of Rudolf Steiner's philosophy.

What is Anthroposophy? is a personal work in the sense that it reflects an individual's own endeavors to build

a connection to anthroposophy. As the author states in his Preface: "...as soon as we comprehend anthroposophy

as something living, we are concerned not merely with defining it intellectually but, rather, with developing a real

relationship to it..." He elaborates: "The content [of this book] will probably reveal more about the author and his

relationship to anthroposophy than about it itself, for its nature is basically beyond description and consequently

evades any purely intellectual definition."

This is a valuable addition to the introductory literature on anthroposophy from an established and well-respected author.

The book features five chapters:
1) Anthroposophy and the Riddle of Man
2) The Anthroposophical Path of Knowledge
3) Ego-Consciousness and the Mystery of Golgotha
4) Rudolf Steiner's Path of Development
5) The Being of the Christ and the Mystery of Man

SERGEI O. PROKOFIEFF, born in Moscow in 1954, studied painting and art history at the Moscow School of Art.

He encountered anthroposophy in his youth, and soon made the decision to devote his life to it. Since 1982 he has been active as

an author and lecturer. In 1991 he became a co-founder of the Anthroposophical Society in Russia, and since Easter 2001 he

has been a member of the Executive Council of the General Anthroposophical Society in Dornach. Seventeen of his books are

currently published in English translation, including his recent major work May Human Beings Hear It!