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Eleven books by a shoemaker of Görlitz who wrote, by his own account, because he could not help it. Ten of them stand here in the seventeenth-century English of John Sparrow, who translated Boehme within a generation of his death and whose prose is itself now four hundred years old; where that English has drifted out of reach, the facing pane carries a modern register — the same text with archaic inflection and spelling normalised by rule, never paraphrased. Nothing is reworded, and where no register appears beside a passage it is because the rules found nothing to change.
The eleventh book is not in English at all, and it is the reason this note exists.
Des trois principes de l'essence divine, printed at Paris in 1802, is the same work as Concerning the Three Principles of the Divine Essence, which stands here as the second book — the same twenty-seven chapters in the same order, opening `Du premier principe de l'essence divine` against Sparrow's `Of the first Principle of the Divine Essence`. Its translator was Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin, who gave the last years of his life to putting Boehme into French, and who has a shelf of his own in this Lycaeum.
That makes a closed circuit inside this archive, and it is worth naming plainly. Saint-Martin translates Boehme. La Iniciación, printed in Montevideo a hundred and forty years later, traces its own descent through Saint-Martin. A reader can therefore follow one thread from a German mystic of 1619, through the French philosopher who carried him into another language, to a Spanish-language monthly of the 1940s that claimed them both — and read every step of it in the original.
The two are shelved as one work rather than two because that is what they are. They are not set as facing panes: an English translation of 1619 and a French translation of 1802 are two independent readings of a lost German original, and pairing them line by line would assert a correspondence neither translator ever claimed.
1But when in my resolved zeal I gave so hard an assault, storm, and onset upon God and upon all the gates of hell, as if I had more reserves of virtue and power ready, with a resolution to hazard my life upon it (which assuredly were not in my ability without the assistance of the Spirit of God), suddenly my spirit did break through the gates of hell, even into the innermost moving of the Deity, and there I was embraced in love as a bridegroom embraces his dearly beloved bride. The greatness of the triumphing that was in my spirit I cannot express either in speaking or writing ; neither can it be compared to any thing but that wherein life is generated in the midst of death. It is like the resurrection from the dead. In this light my spirit suddenly saw through all, and in and by all, the creatures ; even in herbs and grass it knew God, CONFESSIONS OF JACOB BOEHME 19 who he is and how he is and what his will is. And suddenly in that light my will was set on by a mighty impulse to describe the Being of God. But because I could not presently apprehend the deepest movings of God and comprehend them in my reason, there passed almost twelve years before the exact understanding thereof was given me.
2And it was with me as with a young tree, which is planted in the ground and at first is young and tender, and flourishing to the eye, especially if it comes on lustily in its growing ; but does not bear fruit presently, and though it has blossoms they fall off: also frost and snow and many a cold wind beat upon it before it comes to any growth and bearing of fruit. So also it went with my spirit : the first fire was but a beginning and not a constant and lasting light ; since that time many a cold wind blew upon it, yet never extinguished it. 20 CONFESSIONS OF JACOB BOEHME The tree was also often tempted to try whether it could bear fruit, and showed itself with blossoms ; but the blossoms were struck off till this very time, wherein it stands in its fruit. From this light now it is that I have my knowledge, as also my will, impulse and driving ; and therefore I will set down the knowledge in writing according to my gift, and let God work his will. Though I should enrage the whole world, the Devil, and all the gates of hell, I will look on and wait what the Lord intends with it. For I am too, too weak to know his purpose ; and though the Spirit affords in the light some things to be known which are to come, yet according to the outward man I am too weak to comprehend them. The animated or soulish spirit, which unfolds its powers and unites with God, comprehends it well ; but the animal body attains only a glimpse thereof ; just as by
3CONFESSIONS OF JACOB BOEHME 21 a lightning-flash. This is the state of the innermost moving of the soul, when it breaks through the outermost in an elevation by the Holy Ghost. But the outermost presently closes again, for the wrath of God is stirred up there as fire is struck from the stone, and holds it captive in its power. Then the knowledge of the outward man is gone, and he walks up and down, afflicted and anxious, as a woman with child who is in her travail, and would willingly bring forth, but cannot and is full of throes. Thus it goes also with the animal body when it has once tasted of the sweetness of God. Then it continually hungers and thirsts after it ; but the Devil in the power of God's wrath opposes exceedingly, and so a man in such a course must continually be anxious ; and there is nothing but fighting and warring for him. I write not this for my own glory, but 22 CONFESSIONS OF JACOB BOEHME for a comfort to the reader, so that if perhaps he be minded to walk with me upon my narrow bridge, he should not suddenly be discouraged, dismayed, and distrustful, when the gates of hell and God's wrath meet him and present themselves before him.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
1But when in my resolved zeal I gave so hard an assault, storm, and onset upon God and upon all the gates of hell, as if I had more reserves of virtue and power ready, with a resolution to hazard my life upon it (which assuredly were not in my ability without the assistance of the Spirit of God), suddenly my spirit did break through the gates of hell, even into the innermost moving of the Deity, and there I was embraced in love as a bridegroom embraces his dearly beloved bride. The greatness of the triumphing that was in my spirit I cannot express either in speaking or writing ; neither can it be compared to any thing but that wherein life is generated in the midst of death. It is like the resurrection from the dead. In this light my spirit suddenly saw through all, and in and by all, the creatures ; even in herbs and grass it knew God, CONFESSIONS OF JACOB BOEHME 19 who he is and how he is and what his will is. And suddenly in that light my will was set on by a mighty impulse to describe the Being of God. But because I could not presently apprehend the deepest movings of God and comprehend them in my reason, there passed almost twelve years before the exact understanding thereof was given me.
2And it was with me as with a young tree, which is planted in the ground and at first is young and tender, and flourishing to the eye, especially if it comes on lustily in its growing ; but does not bear fruit presently, and though it has blossoms they fall off: also frost and snow and many a cold wind beat upon it before it comes to any growth and bearing of fruit. So also it went with my spirit : the first fire was but a beginning and not a constant and lasting light ; since that time many a cold wind blew upon it, yet never extinguished it. 20 CONFESSIONS OF JACOB BOEHME The tree was also often tempted to try whether it could bear fruit, and showed itself with blossoms ; but the blossoms were struck off till this very time, wherein it stands in its fruit. From this light now it is that I have my knowledge, as also my will, impulse and driving ; and therefore I will set down the knowledge in writing according to my gift, and let God work his will. Though I should enrage the whole world, the Devil, and all the gates of hell, I will look on and wait what the Lord intends with it. For I am too, too weak to know his purpose ; and though the Spirit affords in the light some things to be known which are to come, yet according to the outward man I am too weak to comprehend them. The animated or soulish spirit, which unfolds its powers and unites with God, comprehends it well ; but the animal body attains only a glimpse thereof ; just as by
3CONFESSIONS OF JACOB BOEHME 21 a lightning-flash. This is the state of the innermost moving of the soul, when it breaks through the outermost in an elevation by the Holy Ghost. But the outermost presently closes again, for the wrath of God is stirred up there as fire is struck from the stone, and holds it captive in its power. Then the knowledge of the outward man is gone, and he walks up and down, afflicted and anxious, as a woman with child who is in her travail, and would willingly bring forth, but cannot and is full of throes. Thus it goes also with the animal body when it has once tasted of the sweetness of God. Then it continually hungers and thirsts after it ; but the Devil in the power of God's wrath opposes exceedingly, and so a man in such a course must continually be anxious ; and there is nothing but fighting and warring for him. I write not this for my own glory, but 22 CONFESSIONS OF JACOB BOEHME for a comfort to the reader, so that if perhaps he be minded to walk with me upon my narrow bridge, he should not suddenly be discouraged, dismayed, and distrustful, when the gates of hell and God's wrath meet him and present themselves before him.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
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