Abd-ru-shin

Oskar Ernst Bernhardt, also known as Abd-ru-shin or Abdruschin (18 April 1875, Bischofswerda, Kingdom of Saxony, German Empire – 6 December 1941, Kipsdorf, Ore Mountains, Germany), is best known as the author of the Grail Message.

Abd-ru-shin means "Son of Light" in the Persian language.

After a brief commercial training Oskar Ernst Bernhardt began his literary activity while still a young man. This often led him to foreign countries. In 1915 he was interned in England. Released in 1919, he first went to Dresden, later to Bavaria and in 1923 began to write the first lectures of the Grail Message.

In 1928 he settled in Vomperberg, Tyrol. There he wrote "In the Light of Truth: The Grail Message". He was labeled a "dangerous" element by the Nazi authorities and exiled from Austria in 1938. He was kept under surveillance until his death in 1941.

He claimed to be the Messiah. By his own admission, he was described in leading newspapers as the Messiah of the Tyrol and the Prophet of Vomperberg.

The Grail Movement maintains discretion in respect to his role as Messiah/Son of Man.

Bernhardt was born in Bischofswerda, Germany, trained in business, and successfully established himself in Dresden. He traveled and wrote travel books, stories, and plays. He resided in New York and London. He was in London when World War I broke out and in 1914 he was interned on the Isle of Man.

This seclusion gave him time to reflect, question, and deepen his understanding. He was released in the Spring of 1919 and returned to Germany. He began to write In the Light of Truth: The Grail Message in 1923 and completed it in 1931 under the pen name Abd-ru-shin.

In 1928 he settled in Austria, Tyrol on a mountain plateau called Vomperberg. Here he continued writing The Grail Message. The Nazis came to power in 1938, ending his work there. He was arrested and exiled to Kipsdorf in the Erzgebirge. He was forbidden any further writing. He died while in Gestapo custody.

After the war, his family returned to Vomperberg and carried on his work. Other writings by Abd-ru-shin published by Grail Foundation Press include The Ten Commandments of God and The Lord's Prayer, Questions and Answers, and Prayers.