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.
15i. Et 3o. de même qu'Adam désira, par or-<! gueil , le royaume de ce monde , qu'il voulut y être comme un Dieu , et voulut porter la couronne de ce monde ; de même aussi Christ devoit porter une couronne d'épines, et se laisser railler soua celte couronne , comme un iaux roi : car c'est ainsi que les démons oui fait avec Adam , lorsqu'ils lui ont donné une couronne d'insensé avec le ro^'aume de ce monde. 3^. Et ^o. de même que les essences d'Adatu '\ t\ ( 3i6 ) CH 25. furent brisées , après son entrée dans l'esprit de ce monde , lorsque l'esprit du monde lui fit une femme de ses essences, et qu'une cote fut rompue de soncQlé, et formée en femme; de même aussi toutes les essences du sang du Christ dévoient couler dans sa flagellation , et son côté devoit être ouvert avec une lance , afin que nous pussions voir enfin brisé en nous Tbomme dont le démon s'éloit moqué : ainsi ce Christ devoit porter de nouveau pour nous celte humiliation sur son corps. 33. Et S*', de même qu'Adam passa de l'éternel jour dans l'éternelle nuit , dans laquelle étoit la colère de Dieu ; de même ce Christ devoit être conduit lié, dans la nuit ténébreuse, devant les meurtriers colériques, qui tous ouvroient leur gueule, etvouloient exercer leur furie sur lui.
234. 60. Et de même qu'Adam , dans sa confiance en lui-même, ou dans la volonté de devenir aussi élevé en sagesse que Dieu lui-même , passa de l'esprit de la source colérique, dans ce monde-, de même toutes les dérisions , les marl3^res et les supplices dévoient être exercés sur le Christ , ou le second Adam , de la part des sages et savans dans les écritures , afin que nous vissions que nous sommes des fous dans les plus sublimes sciences que nous croyons posséder d'après les écoles de ce monde ; laquelle sagesse n'est que folie devant Dieu : car ce sont nos propres ténèbres qui s attachent là, comme en Adam qui pensoit qu il ne pourroit pas tomber , et qu'il étoit un maître dans ces choses, tandis qu'il éloil un fou, ainsi en. 25. ( 3i7 ) de même quand nous préférons à Dieu noire propre raison, nous sommes des insensés. 55. Comment voulez-vous donc, insensés antechrisls, nous liera vos sciences , pour que nous passions du cœur de Dieu à vos fabuleuses fictions , dans lesquelles vous n'êtes toutefois que de sagesfous de ce monde? C'est aussi ce que fut Adam , lorsqu'il retira son esprit du cœur de Dieu 5 et voilà celte ignominie que notre précieux maître Christ devoit porter sur sa personne. Ou bien imaginezvous encore que nous soyons fous? Notre folie sera mise en évidence au jugement dernier ; c'est là où nous en appelons. 36. Et 'jo, de même qu'Adam devoit porter le corps grossier et lourd dont l'esprit de ce monde l'avoit revêtu , et qu'il fut raillé par tous les démons de ce qu'il avoit changé son'corps angélique pour un masque; de même le Christ devoit porter lui-même sa pesante croix de bois , et être raillé par tous les hommes impics, à cause de nous.
337. Et 80. de même que les essences âpFes de la colère de^Dieu péiiélrèreat dans Adara,par le moyen desquelles il entra dans la mort , ce dont Dieu dit : Au jour où lu mangeras de l'arbre de la science du bien et du mal, tu mourras de mort (entends la mort dans la chair, et encore dans la vie terrestre); de même aussi des clous aigus dévoient être enfoncés dans les mains et les pieds du Christ : et c'est ainsi qu'il devoit entrer dans la mort. 38. Et 90. de même que dans les essences humaines il y a un engendrement en croix devant la ( 3i8 ) cti. atf^ lumière de Dieu (quoique si la lumière de Dieu brille dans cette génération , tout est changé en una aimable plante couverte de fleurs, où l'on ne trouve plus les essences aiguës); de même lorsqu'Adam entra , par son a me, dans la quatrième forme , dans Pesprit de ce monde , ce même engendrement eii croix fui en activité j et lorsque sa femme fut faite de ses essences , il fut divisé dans ce même ênsendrement eu croix : aussi la femme a la moitié de la croix, et l'homme l'aulre moitié , ce que lu peux chercher dans le crâne , aussi bien que dans les essences : c'est pourquoi le Christ devoit mourir en croix, et briser la mort sur In croix.
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.
15i. And 3o. even as Adam desired, by pr-<! ide, the kingdom of this world, as he would be there as a God, and would bear the crown of this world; even so also Christ was to bear a crown of thorns, and to let himself be mocked under this crown, as a false king: for it is thus that the demons did with Adam, when they gave him a crown of a madman with the kingdom of this world. 3^. And ^o. even as the essences of Adam '\ t\ ( 3i6 ) CH 25. were broken, after his entry into the spirit of this world, when the spirit of the world made him a woman of his essences, and when a rib was broken from his side, and formed into a woman; even so also all the essences of the blood of the Christ were to flow in his flagellation, and his side was to be opened with a lance, in order that we might see finally broken in us the man at whom the demon had mocked: thus this Christ was to bear anew for us this humiliation upon his body. 33. And S*', even as Adam passed from the eternal day into the eternal night, in which was the anger of God; even so this Christ was to be led bound, in the tenebrous night, before the choleric murderers, who all opened their maw, and would exercise their fury upon him.
234. 60. And even as Adam, in his confidence in himself, or in the will to become as elevated in wisdom as God himself, passed from the spirit of the choleric source, into this world; even so all the derisions, the mart3^yrdoms and the punishments were to be exercised upon the Christ, or the second Adam, on the part of the wise and learned in the scriptures, in order that we might see that we are fools in the most sublime sciences that we believe we possess after the schools of this world; which wisdom is but folly before God: for it is our own darknesses which attach themselves there, as in Adam who thought that he could not fall, and that he was a master in these things, whilst he was a fool, thus en. 25. ( 3i7 ) even so when we prefer to God our own reason, we are senseless. 55. How will you then, senseless antichrists, bind us to your sciences, that we may pass from the heart of God to your fabulous fictions, in which you are however but wise fools of this world? It is also what Adam was, when he withdrew his spirit from the heart of God 5 and behold this ignominy that our precious master Christ was to bear upon his person. Or else do you imagine still that we are fools? Our folly shall be put in evidence at the last judgment; it is there that we appeal. 36. And 'jo, even as Adam was to bear the gross and heavy body wherewith the spirit of this world had clothed him, and as he was mocked by all the demons for that he had changed his angelic body for a mask; even so the Christ was to bear himself his heavy cross of wood, and to be mocked by all the impious men, because of us.
337. And 80. even as the harsh essences of the anger of God penetrated into Adam, by means of which he entered into the death, whereof God said: In the day when thou shalt eat of the tree of the science of good and of evil, thou shalt die of death (understand the death in the flesh, and again in the terrestrial life); even so also sharp nails were to be driven into the hands and the feet of the Christ: and it is thus that he was to enter into the death. 38. And 90. even as in the human essences there is a begetting in cross before the ( 3i8 ) cti. atf^ light of God (although if the light of God shines in this generation, all is changed into an amiable plant covered with flowers, where one finds no more the sharp essences); even so when Adam entered, by his soul, into the fourth form, into the spirit of this world, this same begetting in cross was in activity; and when his woman was made of his essences, he was divided in this same begetting in cross: also the woman has the half of the cross, and the man the other half, which thou mayest seek in the skull, as well as in the essences: it is why the Christ was to die in cross, and to break the death upon the cross.
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.