Fetching
One moment.
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.
1du ciel , et que cLacun en avoit en suffisance , spit qu'il ramassât beaucoup ou peu , ils dévoient Teconnoître , par-là , que c'étoit le royauuie de I>ieu,etquMls lui appartenoient. Ils dévoient se défaire de leurs cupidités , et exercer sur la terre un amour frater»el entr'eux ; personne ne devoit s'occuper de sa cupidité , tant Dieu punit horriblement cette fausse affection. 25. Or, comme les payens apprirent que Dieu Touloit pour les punir , leur envoyer ce peuple qu'il avoit conduit par de grandes merveilles , et cela pour qu'il se convertît à Dieu , et qu'il passât de] la cupidité , dans un amour fraternel , e'est pourquoi Dieu , désirmnt qu^ila ae convertissent , leur donna un grand espace de tems , et un exemple dans Israël qui étoit nourri du eiel , afin qu'un peuple pût être pour l'autre un modèle et un signe ^ comme il y avoit un Dieu qui étoit tout puissant. a6. Mais comme ils n'étoient que terrestres et méchans les uns et les autres , et qu'ils vivoient dans la colère du père , alors la colère et l'âpreté d« Dieu chercha à les dévorer, puisqu'ils l'allumoient sans cesse. ay. C'est pourquoi il dit à Josué : Traversez le Jourdain et détruises ces peuples , et h* en laissez aucun parmi vous que vous n^ayez anathématisé» Lorsqu'il ordonna de tuer les payens , ce discours ne provint pas de son amour. De même aussi les prophètes n'ont point parlé par son amour, mais par sa colère que la méchanceté des hommes mvoit émue. Il parloit alors dans les prophètes > ainsi qne dans Moïse, par l'esprit du grand «londe, dans le zèJe et la colère 5 souvent par le «eu , ou par d'autres moyens effrayans.
228 Pouvons nous dire maintenant que Dieu ait du plaisir à la colère et aux batailles ? Non , les prophètes se lamentoient souvent dans le samt-espnt de Dieu , de ce que ces méchans peuple, offensoient leur Dieu , lorsqu'ils l'irritoiVnt do façon qu ensuite sa colère s'élevoit jusqu'à dévorer, David d^ ( dans le 5. pseaume. v. 5 ) : tu n'es pas un Dieu qui veuille le mal. 29- Or si l'homme remue le péché, alors dant ce même /iomme la colère de Dieu est remuée ; autrement elle reposeroit, et si l'homme demeuroit humble , elle seroit alors changée en une grande joie , comme cela a été souvent exposé ci-dessus. Lors donc qu'elle brûle , c'est alors qu un peuple dévore l'autre , et qu'un péché détruit 1 autre. Si Israël avoit été pieur , ils n'auroient pa. eu besoin de guerres , mais ils se seroient introduite par les merveilles 5 ils auroient converti les peuples, et Moïse les auroit fait entrer dans la ..rr. pai ses prodiges. Mais comme ils étoient méchans , ils na pouvoientpointy entrer avec la clarté de Moïse, et les merveilles dans Péclat du père , pour con. vertir les payens j mais Moïse devoit rester dans le désert avec ses prodigesjtout ces peuples dévoient €tre dévorés dans la colère , et Josué devoit- entrer avec la guerre chez les payens , et les détruii-e : car une colère dévore l'autre. 3o. Là cependant Josué éloit une image et une si- -.1 ( Ï40 ) CH. 20,
3îïilliludc , comme il falloit qu'Israël, qui ne pouvoit point resle;- dans la clarlé el dans Tamour dn père , fut conduit par un autre Josué ou J^sus , de la colère dans l'amour par le bri.setnent-dc son corps , et qu'il entrât dans la mort. Moïse devoil entrer par la mort dans la vie;, et conduire sa clarté par la mort dans la vie , ainsi qu'il parut avec Elie auprès du second Josué ou Jésus , sur la montagne du Tabor, dans la clarté du père, et signifia à ce Josué l'ordre du père , selon lequel ordre il devoit par sa mort et sa splendeur, introduire Israël dans la lene promise du paradis. : 3i. Il n'y.avoil nul moyen que l'homme pût par sa propre puissance , entrer dans le paradis, quelque fortement quecelafûttenté;etparconséquentle malheureux homme prisonnier devoit rester ainsi dans ce monde , dans la fosse de mort du démon. C'est là désormais que le démon a bâti sa chapelle auprès de l'église chrétienne ; là il a entièrement détruit la joie du paradis^il a érigé en place la cupidité l'orgueil , l'entêtement , l'infidélité , la turbulence, les malicieux blasphèmes , le vol et le meurtre , qui s'élèvent contre le ciel el le paradis , el se sont formé un royaume , selon la colérique région des élodei, dans lequel ils dominent avec l'or et l'argent , et consomment la sueur l'un de l'autre. Celui qui le peut , renverse l'autre par terre 5 et quoiqu'il fuie devant lui, cependant il lance toujours sa langue fie drogon , et jète du feu sur lui ; il l'effraie avec sa redoutable voix , et le tourmente jour et nuit. 32. Que doit - ou donc maintenant dire de toi > 6 \ Caïn , croîs-f u que Dieu ne le voit pas , toi nionstrueuse béie ? Tu dois demeurer nu .annonce espnt dans les merveilles , afin que le néant de tes parures soit connu. Commentes-tu donc devenu'
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.
1of heaven, and that each had enough of it, be it that he gathered much or little, they were to recognise, thereby, that it was the kingdom of God, and that they belonged to him. They were to rid themselves of their cupidities, and exercise upon the earth a fraternal love among themselves; no one was to occupy himself with his cupidity, so horribly does God punish this false affection. 25. Now, as the pagans learned that God would to punish them, send them this people that he had conducted by great marvels, and that in order that it might convert itself to God, and pass from cupidity, into a fraternal love, that is why God, desiring that they should convert themselves, gave them a great space of time, and an example in Israel which was nourished from heaven, so that one people might be for the other a model and a sign, as there was a God who was all-powerful. a6. But as they were only terrestrial and wicked the one and the other, and as they lived in the anger of the father, then the anger and the harshness of God sought to devour them, since they kindled it unceasingly. ay. That is why he said to Joshua: Cross the Jordan and destroy these peoples, and leave none of them among you that you have not anathematised. When he ordered to kill the pagans, this discourse came not from his love. Likewise also the prophets have not spoken by his love, but by his anger which the wickedness of men had moved. He spoke then in the prophets, as well as in Moses, by the spirit of the great world, in the zeal and the anger 5 often by the fire, or by other frightful means.
228 Can we say now that God has pleasure in anger and in battles? No, the prophets lamented often in the holy spirit of God, that these wicked peoples offended their God, when they irritated him so that afterward his anger rose even to devouring. David says ( in the 5. psalm. v. 5 ): thou art not a God who wills evil. 29- Now if man moves sin, then in this same man the anger of God is moved; otherwise it would repose, and if man remained humble, it would then be changed into a great joy, as that has been often exposed above. When then it burns, it is then that one people devours the other, and that one sin destroys 1 the other. If Israel had been pious, they would have had no need of wars, but they would have introduced themselves by the marvels 5 they would have converted the peoples, and Moses would have made them enter into the ..rr. by his prodigies. But as they were wicked, they could not enter therein with the clearness of Moses, and the marvels in the brightness of the father, to convert the pagans; but Moses was to remain in the desert with his prodigies; all these peoples were to be devoured in the anger, and Joshua was to enter with war among the pagans, and destroy them: for one anger devours the other. 3o. There however Joshua was an image and a si- -.1 ( Ï40 ) CH. 20,
3militude, as it was necessary that Israel, who could not remain in the clearness and in the love of the father, should be conducted by another Joshua or Jesus, from the anger into love by the breaking of his body, and that he should enter into death. Moses was to enter by death into life, and to conduct his clearness by death into life, as he appeared with Elias near the second Joshua or Jesus, upon the mountain of Tabor, in the clearness of the father, and signified to this Joshua the order of the father, according to which order he was by his death and his splendour, to introduce Israel into the promised land of paradise. : 3i. There was no means that man could by his own power, enter into paradise, however strongly that were attempted; and consequently the wretched imprisoned man was to remain thus in this world, in the death-pit of the demon. It is there henceforth that the demon has built his chapel near the christian church; there he has entirely destroyed the joy of paradise; he has erected in its place cupidity, pride, obstinacy, infidelity, turbulence, the malicious blasphemies, theft and murder, which rise against heaven and paradise, and have formed themselves a kingdom, according to the choleric region of the stars, in which they dominate with gold and silver, and consume the sweat one of the other. He who can, overturns the other to the ground 5 and although he flee before him, nevertheless he darts always his tongue of dragon, and casts fire upon him; he frightens him with his redoubtable voice, and torments him day and night. 32. What must one then now say of thee, 6 \ Cain, believest thou that God sees it not, thou monstrous beast? Thou must remain naked .annonce spirit in the marvels, so that the nothingness of thy adornments be known. How art thou then become
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.