The Three Years

“It is a great joy to reread Emil Bock's classic work, The Three Years, now in a new revised edition. The Three Years is one of the great classics of theology in The Christian Community. There is not space in a review such as this to do justice to the riches of this great book. Bock's method, which involves close study of the Gospel text, an awareness of the geographical mysteries of the life of Christ, and an imaginative and undogmatic relationship to the work of Rudolf Steiner, creates a rich tapestry. Every page gives food for thought, expressing new ideas or cladding ideas dimly understood with breadth and depth.”

—Tom Ravetz, Perspectives, Christmas 2006

Emil Bock

Emil Bock (1895–1959) was born in Wuppertal, Germany, in 1895. He studied German and modern languages at the University of Bonn and, after joining the army, was wounded at the war front in Flanders. In 1916, while still in the army, he met the famous evangelical preacher, Friedrich Rittelmeyer, in Berlin. After his release from the military, he studied Protestant theology in Berlin and later attended priest courses with Rudolf Steiner in Stuttgart and Dornach. With Rittelmeyer, Bock helped establish the Christian Community (the movement for religious renewal) in 1922 and soon became its leader, a position he held until his death. In November, 1922, Bock married Grete Seumer, with whom he had four children. He remained a priest, writer, and lecturer until his death in Stuttgart. Bock's many books include Genesis; Moses; Kings and Prophets; Caesars and Apostles, The Three Years; Saint Paul; and The Childhood of Jesus.