A course of 4 lectures for Priests of the Christian Community, with questions and answers. Held in Stuttgart, Germany on July 11-14, 1923, these lectures and documentary additions, encompass Part IV of Steiner's works entitled, Lectures and Courses on Christian-religious Work. Also included are several of Rudolf Steiner's original manuscripts in his own handwriting, a speech given by Steiner at the cremation of Hermann Linde, and a special note from GA# 342. This lecture series is the entirety of GA# 345. The title, in German, is: Vom Wesen des winkenden Wortes.

Translated by Hanna von Maltitz, the Essence of the Active Word: Copyright © 2024. First Printing: June 2024, by Anthroposophical Publications https://AnthroposophicalPublications.org/. Translation by Hanna von Maltitz. Cover painting “Twin Souls” by Hanna von Maltitz https://go.elib.com/TwinSouls Thanks to the Basil Gibaud Memorial Trust for their support in the creation of this translation. Rudolf Steiner Portrait on Back Cover by Peter Gospodinov.

The speech given by Rudolf Steiner at the cremation of Hermann Linde, and the special note from GA# 342, along with the Notes and Register of Names, were all painstakingly translated by James D. Stewart.