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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.
1même, et a en soi-même la puissance de l'éternelle vie , brillant éternellement. Aussi n'a-t-il point non plus en soi, en nature lumineuse, les essences ds la splendeur et de la clarté , mais ces essences sont engendrées de la puissance qui se porte vers la lumière , comme un désir , et le désir attire à soi i c'est de-là qne dans la source dérivent ces essences, aus'si bien que les éternelles ténèbres , comme on l'a vu ci-dessus. i5. Or , &i Dieu est tout en tous, et a créé Thomroe à son image et à sa ressemblance , pour vivre élenielleraentavec lui dans son amour, sa lumière, sa joie et sa gloire , nous ne pouvons pas dire qu'il ait été créé simplement de la corruptibilité de ce monde : car là il n'y a aucune vie éternelle , parfaite j mais la mort , en outre l'inquiétude , l'angoisse , et la misère. Mais de même que Dieu demeure en soi-même , et pénètre toutes ses œuvres , sans qu'elles puissent le contenir , et sans qu'il soit arrêté par rien ; de même l'image a aussi été créée , sous ses yeux, du pur élément ; à la vérité, dans ce monde , mais le royaume de ce monde ne pouvoit point la saisir; néanmoins l'image ou l'homme pouvoit souverainement dominer sur le régime de ce monde, dans une vertu parfaite, par les essences et avec les essences de l'élément pur ou du limhuH céleste et paradisiaque. 16. C'est pourquoi une ame vivante lui fut soufflée par Dieu , de l'éternelle volonté du père , laquelle volonté va là seulement, pour engendrer son propre fils. C'est de cette même volonté que piocéda l'ia- ■•<. ' MV ( 2l6 ) CH. 22»
2sufflation àe Dieu dans Pliomme, el c'est là son anie éternelle, qui ne doit faire autre chose que de placer et dVlablir dans rétenielle volonté du père , dans le cœur de Dieu, sa propre volonté régénérée. Alors elle reçoit la nriu du cœur de Dieu , el aussi sa sainte el éternelle lumière , dans laquelle le paradis, le royaume du ciel, ainsi que réiernelle joie s'élèvent. in. Et , dans celte vertu ^ elle passe au travers de toutes choses, sans en briser aucune, et elle a puissance sur toutes choses , comme Dieu même ; car elle vil dans la teriu du cœur de Dieu , el elle mange du verbe engendré de Dieu. 18. Ainsi nous savons que l'ame est Jun esprit eugendré de Dieu le père , dans le Irône el la source de la volonté reconçue des ténèbres dans la lumière, pour engendrer le cœur de Dieu , el elle est libre de s'élever au-dessus en volonté , ou de se concentrer , et de s'unir , dans la douceur, dans la volonté du père, à la génération du cœur de Dieu le père. 19. Mais son corps , qui est la vraie image de Dieu , que Dieu créa dans et du saint el pur élément , est en face de la claire divinité ; et le limùu^i de l'élément , d'où les essences s'engendrent , est le paradis, une demeure de Dieu ou de la trinilé sainte. Ainsi l'homme élolt une image ou une similitude devant Dieu ,dans laciuelle Dieu demeura, dans laquelle il vouloll maniléiler ses merveilles par son éternelle sagesse. lio. Comme donc nous comprenons que le vrai homme , avec l'image daus laquelle Dieu demeure , CH. 22. ( ^t? ) n'est point du tout chez lui dans ce monde , encore moins dans ce cadavre infect 5 alors il est manifeste, ( puisque nous sommes si aveugles sur le paradis , ) que nos premiers parons ont passé du paradis céleste avec leur esprit dans l'esprit de ce monde.
32r. Car, là, aussitôt que l'esprit de ce monde eut saisi leur corps , el l'eut rendu terrestre , le vrai corps et Tame disparurent aussi , el nous n'avons plus l'élément pur pour corps -^ mais l'extra-génération ou les qi/cilre élémcns avec le régime des étoiles. Le soleil est simplement la lumière du corps , et ce corps n'appartient point à la divinité. Dieu ne se manifeste point dans un cadavre infect , mais dans les hommes saints , daus la pure image , qu'il créa au commencement. 22. Lors donc que l'homme fut ainsi tombé de ce qui est saint daus ce qui n'est pas saint , de l'image de Dieu dans le terrestre corruplible ; son cor~ps se trouva dans la mort dévoranic , et son ame dans l'éternelle volonté du père j mais séparée du cœur de Dieu dans l'esprit de ce monde , et saisie par I(îs éternelles ténèbres : car ce qui se sépare do Dieu va dans les ténèbres j et hors du cœur de Deu il n y a point de lumière. 28. Mais pour celte imdge , il n'y avoîl aucun remède , à moins que l'auie ne fûl engendrée de nouveau par le cœur el la lumière de Dieu par lequel le nouvel élément devant Dieu ou le corpmlis Tame , pouvoit être régénéré : sans cela la divinité jie pouvoit ni ne vouloit y denuurer. Or , l'homme par ses propes forces ne pouvuity atleiiuhc j pour 4 i p-. ( 2i8 ) tn. 12. que cela arrivât , il falloil que la raîsérîcorde divine Topérât.
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.
1self, and has in itself the power of the eternal life, shining eternally. Also has it not either in itself, in luminous nature, the essences of the splendour and of the clearness, but these essences are begotten of the power which bears itself toward the light, like a desire, and the desire draws to itself; it is thence that in the source these essences derive, as well as the eternal darkness, as one has seen above. i5. Now, if God is all in all, and has created man to his image and to his resemblance, to live eternally with him in his love, his light, his joy and his glory, we cannot say that he was created simply of the corruptibility of this world: for there there is no eternal, perfect life; but death, besides disquiet, anguish, and misery. But just as God dwells in himself, and penetrates all his works, without their being able to contain him, and without his being arrested by anything; likewise the image has also been created, under his eyes, of the pure element; in truth, in this world, but the kingdom of this world could not seize it; nevertheless the image or man could sovereignly dominate over the régime of this world, in a perfect virtue, by the essences and with the essences of the pure element or of the celestial and paradisiac limbus. 16. That is why a living soul was breathed into him by God, of the eternal will of the father, which will goes there only, to beget his own son. It is of this same will that proceeded the in- ■•<. ' MV ( 2l6 ) CH. 22»
2sufflation of God into man, and it is there his eternal soul, which must do nothing else than place and establish in the eternal will of the father, in the heart of God, its own regenerated will. Then it receives the virtue of the heart of God, and also his holy and eternal light, in which the paradise, the kingdom of heaven, as well as the eternal joy rise. in. And, in this virtue, it passes through all things, without breaking any of them, and it has power over all things, like God himself; for it lives in the virtue of the heart of God, and it eats of the word begotten of God. 18. Thus we know that the soul is a spirit begotten of God the father, in the throne and the source of the will reconceived from the darkness into the light, to beget the heart of God, and it is free to raise itself above in will, or to concentrate itself, and to unite itself, in the sweetness, in the will of the father, to the generation of the heart of God the father. 19. But its body, which is the true image of God, that God created in and of the holy and pure element, is in face of the clear divinity; and the limbus of the element, whence the essences beget themselves, is the paradise, a dwelling of God or of the holy trinity. Thus man was an image or a similitude before God, in which God dwelt, in which he would manifest his marvels by his eternal wisdom. lio. As then we comprehend that the true man, with the image in which God dwells, CH. 22. ( ^t? ) is not at all at home in this world, still less in this infect corpse 5 then it is manifest, ( since we are so blind upon paradise, ) that our first parents passed from the celestial paradise with their spirit into the spirit of this world.
32r. For, there, as soon as the spirit of this world had seized their body, and had rendered it terrestrial, the true body and the soul disappeared also, and we have no more the pure element for body; but the extra-generation or the four elements with the régime of the stars. The sun is simply the light of the body, and this body belongs not at all to the divinity. God manifests himself not in an infect corpse, but in holy men, in the pure image, that he created in the beginning. 22. When then man was thus fallen from what is holy into what is not holy, from the image of God into the terrestrial corruptible; his body found itself in devouring death, and his soul in the eternal will of the father; but separated from the heart of God in the spirit of this world, and seized by the eternal darkness: for that which separates itself from God goes into the darkness; and out of the heart of God there is no light. 28. But for this image, there was no remedy, unless the soul were begotten anew by the heart and the light of God, by which the new element before God or the body of the soul, could be regenerated: without that the divinity could not nor would dwell therein. Now, man by his own forces could not reach thereto; for 4 i p-. ( 2i8 ) tn. 12. that to happen, the divine mercy had to operate it.
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.