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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.
152. ïci le second Adam l'a installée de nouveau par son homification , et l'a unie en amour et en justice avec la parole de Dieu , comme un enfant céleste; ici la nouvelle créature de l'élément est devenue le corps de l'amej car dans la nouvelle créature du Hmhus de Dieu Pâme redevient Minte , et les essences terrestres de la chair et du sang lo, sont attachées pendant le tems du corps terrestre, lesquelles essences Christ laissa en moufant lorsque son ame unie à la nouvelle créature alla à la mortjqu il ressuscita de la mort avec le nouveau corps dans l'ame naturelle, et qu'il triompha de k inort , comme tu le verras par la suire au sujet ;de ia mort et de ia résurrection du Christ. 53. Mais que l'ame du Christ pût à la fois être engendrée dans la nouvelle créature et aussi dans Uncienrie ./ terrestre, Cela vient de ce que la porle ^e lame est dans le premier principe, dans k source de l'é.emiré , et atteint dans les profondes portes^de l'élernité , dans la volonté originelle du pè^e , avec laqueTfe il bri.e les portes de la profondeur, et bnlle dans rëternelle lumière. 54. Or , puisque la parole de X)ien est dans le ïère , et est p^s^ée du père dans l'élément , et que celle même parole a été donnée de nouveau par grâce a l'homme ( depuis son exil hors de l'élé, meut ) par la voie clu père , dans le centre de h m\ il h<4 .( ( 76 ) en. 18. lumière de la vie , avec la prônasse du briseur de serpent ; alors l'ame naturelle du Chrisl , par son premier enjlammement dans sou centre de la lumière de la vie (là où la parole s'est établie avec l'assentiment de la vierge Marie , par le verbe dans le père de l'éternité ) , reçut le principe de Dieu le père dans la lumière.
255. Ainsi selon celte forme , le Christ étoit l'éternel fils naturel de Dieu le père ; et l'ame du Christ étoit,dans la parole,une personne naturelle substantielle dans la trinité sainte. 56. Et dans toute la profonde divinité , il n'y a plus aucune autre semblable merveilleuse personne, telle que ce Christ , que le prophète Isaie a justement reconnu en esprit , et nommé prodigieux , conseiller, puissant, héros, éternel père, prince de paix , qui porte avec lui ou sur ses épaules une grande autorité , entendez les créatures de ( l'interne) élément. 57. La seconde naissance de l'ame du Christ fut dans la génération naturelle , comme celle de lous les enfans des hommes. Car il fut entièrement formé en six mois avec le corps et l'ame naturelle , aVec toutes les portes de la base affective et des pensées: l'ame , dans le premier principe; et le corps, dans le troisième principe. Le Christ , le véritable briseur demeura dans le second principe , dans le royaume de Dieu , et après le neii^ vième mois , il fut un homme engendré du corps de la vierge Marie. El nous aidons vu sa gloire j un» gloire comme du fils unit^ue de Dieu le père. 58. Et ici a brillé la lumière dans les ténèbres du corps extérieur naturel, comme Jean le témoigne fil; V/ ^ • " '" "T ^'"^ '"' p^°p^« p°»^«- poTn 'c ' " 'Z' •'" ' ""^ P°'"' ^''ï" ' '-'^ - l'ont po,nt connu. Ma.s ceux qui l'on, reçu, il leur a donné la puissance de devenir enfans de Dieu • ils .ero„, engendrés par lui pour le royaume du cLl ; car a lui est le règne , la puissance , la force la souveraineté d'éternité en éternité. 59. Ainsi fais attention , toi , chère intelligence u rouverasici le senUer par lequel les bomm saiTs , ; u" ^b"-»''-»' e.més dans I^
3salut. Si tu entends bien ces écrits, comme ils sont onnus de l'au.eur dans la grâce de Dieu , ,u en endras tout ce que Moïse e, les prophks o^t écm, et aussi tout ce que la bouche du Christ a enseigné et prononcé. Il ne te faut pour cela aucun besom d'etre confirmée par la doctrine an.ichréI enne,qui dit que les ordonnances divines doivent f re confirmées par son école , ainsi que ce que 1 bornée doit apprendre et croire ; et qu'elle ne peut pas errer. vraL^Î 'T'^^""' '*' '' "'""' """^ """'^^ -" effet vraiment , des a présent , dans l'amour de Dieu un autre trône que Dieu le père a confirmé par son' fils Jésus. Ce trône est le seul siège de la grâce ou nos âmes peuvent être régénérées, il n'es, pas dans le siège an,.cl.ré,ien qui n'es, autre que le siège de Babel e. de la confusion [ /. ,„^^,„„, ,° ^, acclamations inutiles, 1 f i (78Î cii. i8. La différence entre la vierge Marie et son fils Jésus-Christ } l'importante et jubte porte de la religion chrétienne et des articles de foi , hautement à considérer par rapport au sahit de l'homme , ainsi que par rapport aux inventions et opinions des hérétiques et des schismatiques , produites par la confuse Babel de Tantechrist. La très haute porte de Tawrore et du point du Jour dans la racine du lys,
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.
152. Here the second Adam has installed it anew by his homification, and has united it in love and in justice with the word of God, as a celestial child; here the new creature of the element has become the body of the soul; for in the new creature of the limbus of God the soul becomes holy again, and the terrestrial essences of the flesh and of the blood are attached to it during the time of the terrestrial body, which essences Christ left in dying when his soul united to the new creature went to death; who rose again from death with the new body in the natural soul, and who triumphed over death, as thou wilt see hereafter upon the subject of the death and of the resurrection of Christ. 53. But that the soul of Christ could at once be begotten in the new creature and also in the ancient terrestrial one, that comes from the gate of the soul being in the first principle, in the source of eternity, and reaching into the deep gates of eternity, in the original will of the father, with which it breaks the gates of the depth, and shines in the eternal light. 54. Now, since the word of God is in the father, and has passed from the father into the element, and since this same word has been given anew by grace to man ( since his exile out of the element ) by the way of the father, in the centre of the m\ il h<4 .( ( 76 ) en. 18. light of life, with the promise of the bruiser of the serpent; then the natural soul of Christ, by its first inflaming in its centre of the light of life ( there where the word established itself with the assent of the virgin Mary, by the word in the father of eternity ), received the principle of God the father in the light.
255. Thus according to this form, the Christ was the eternal natural son of God the father; and the soul of Christ was, in the word, a substantial natural person in the holy trinity. 56. And in all the profound divinity, there is no other like marvellous person, such as this Christ, whom the prophet Isaiah has justly recognised in spirit, and named prodigious, counsellor, powerful, hero, eternal father, prince of peace, who bears with him or upon his shoulders a great authority, understand the creatures of the ( internal ) element. 57. The second birth of the soul of Christ was in the natural generation, like that of all the children of men. For he was entirely formed in six months with the body and the natural soul, with all the gates of the affective base and of the thoughts: the soul, in the first principle; and the body, in the third principle. The Christ, the true bruiser remained in the second principle, in the kingdom of God, and after the ninth month, he was a man begotten of the body of the virgin Mary. And we have seen his glory, a glory as of the only son of God the father. 58. And here the light has shone in the darkness of the exterior natural body, as John testifies fil; V/ ^ • " '" "T ^'"^ '"' p^°p^« p°»^«- poTn 'c ' " 'Z' •'" ' ""^ P°'"' ^''ï" ' '-'^ - have not known him. But those who received him, he has given them the power to become children of God; they shall be begotten by him for the kingdom of heaven; for to him is the reign, the power, the force, the sovereignty from eternity to eternity. 59. Thus give attention, thou, dear intelligence; thou wilt find here the path by which the men holy , ; u" ^b"-»''-»' are esteemed in
3salvation. If thou understandest well these writings, as they are known to the author in the grace of God, thou wilt understand all that Moses and the prophets have written, and also all that the mouth of Christ has taught and pronounced. Thou hast for that no need to be confirmed by the antichristian doctrine, which says that the divine ordinances must be confirmed by its school, as well as what 1 man must learn and believe; and that it cannot err. vraL^Î 'T'^^""' '*' '' "'""' """^ """'^^ -" in effect truly, from now, in the love of God another throne that God the father has confirmed by his son Jesus. This throne is the only seat of grace where our souls can be regenerated; it is not in the antichristian seat which is no other than the seat of Babel and of confusion [ I suppress useless acclamations. ] f i (78Î cii. i8. The difference between the virgin Mary and her son Jesus-Christ ; the important and just gate of the christian religion and of the articles of faith, highly to be considered in respect of the salvation of man, as well as in respect of the inventions and opinions of the heretics and of the schismatics, produced by the confused Babel of the antichrist. The very high gate of the Aurora and of the point of Day in the root of the lily,
Our translation, period-faithful. Citable as our translation, never as the source.
Saint-Martin's French rendering of Boehme's 'Von den drei Principien göttlichen Wesens'. The same work stands in this estate in English as boehme:2. The title page also advertises 'L'Aurore naissante, du même Auteur' from the same booksellers — Saint-Martin's translation of the Aurora, whose English counterpart the estate holds as boehme:1. Reading the two versions against each other shows what a Martinist made of a German shoemaker's theosophy.
→ boehme:2
This work carries, in the author's own voice, both a set of hostile comparisons drawn against named peoples and an explicit refusal of any such boundary, and the Press publishes both rather than either alone. At Ch.25 §85 he calls the Jews blind; at Ch.17 §106 he warns of a coming visitation of the Jews and the Turks; and at Ch.26 §32-33, asked whence the Turks are grown, he answers "From thy perverted sense" — laying the rise of Mahomet at the door of christian pride and disputation. Against these stands Ch.25 §72, which opens the grace with no boundary at all: all men are invited to it, of whatever race, "whether Turks, Jews, Pagans, Christians", and no one is excluded. The same chapter that indicts turns the indictment inward at §105-106 — each believes not to dwell in Babel, and the author includes himself — and §33 concludes that God should be as near the one as the other. The contradiction is the author's, it is not resolved by him, and removing either half would misrepresent the work. Operator ruling, 2026-08-29.
This work carries, in the author's own voice, both a set of hostile comparisons drawn against named peoples and an explicit refusal of any such boundary, and the Press publishes both rather than either alone. At Ch.25 §85 he calls the Jews blind; at Ch.17 §106 he warns of a coming visitation of the Jews and the Turks; and at Ch.26 §32-33, asked whence the Turks are grown, he answers "From thy perverted sense" — laying the rise of Mahomet at the door of christian pride and disputation. Against these stands Ch.25 §72, which opens the grace with no boundary at all: all men are invited to it, of whatever race, "whether Turks, Jews, Pagans, Christians", and no one is excluded. The same chapter that indicts turns the indictment inward at §105-106 — each believes not to dwell in Babel, and the author includes himself — and §33 concludes that God should be as near the one as the other. The contradiction is the author's, it is not resolved by him, and removing either half would misrepresent the work. Operator ruling, 2026-08-29.
This work carries, in the author's own voice, both a set of hostile comparisons drawn against named peoples and an explicit refusal of any such boundary, and the Press publishes both rather than either alone. At Ch.25 §85 he calls the Jews blind; at Ch.17 §106 he warns of a coming visitation of the Jews and the Turks; and at Ch.26 §32-33, asked whence the Turks are grown, he answers "From thy perverted sense" — laying the rise of Mahomet at the door of christian pride and disputation. Against these stands Ch.25 §72, which opens the grace with no boundary at all: all men are invited to it, of whatever race, "whether Turks, Jews, Pagans, Christians", and no one is excluded. The same chapter that indicts turns the indictment inward at §105-106 — each believes not to dwell in Babel, and the author includes himself — and §33 concludes that God should be as near the one as the other. The contradiction is the author's, it is not resolved by him, and removing either half would misrepresent the work. Operator ruling, 2026-08-29.