The Great Initiates: Secret History of Religions by Édouard Schuré

The Great Initiates encompasses long centuries of human existence and reflects our great search- the greatest search of all- the quest for the spirit. This book describes the motivations behind external history, the growth of religious striving, the rise and fall of cultures, and indicates their importance for us today. It reflects the lives and deeds of human beings of extraordinary stature: Rama, Krishna, Hermes, Moses, Orpheus, Pythagoras, Plato, and Jesus.

In these pages one witnesses spiritual adventure of a depth and intensity rarely experienced by creative human beings, even in their most exalted moments. This excitement of discovery which breathes through The Great Initiates may well explain its continuing popularity after over a century.

Édouard Schuré (1841-1929), was a French writer born in Strasbourg. He was a writer, philosopher, and musicologist. He wrote novels, theater pieces, historical works, poetry, and philosophical treatises. He was especially well known for his work The Great Initiates, which has been in print continuously in numerous languages.

He was a devoted and early student of Rudolf Steiner and Anthroposophy. His other books include From Sphinx to Christ: An Occult History and the play The Children of Lucifer.