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.
125. Il n'y a rien de plus utile pour l'homme dans le commencement de sa régénération , que la vraie, juste et sincère pénitence, avec une ferme et grande résolution: car il lui faut pénétrer dans le royaume du ciel , dans la vie du Christ 5 là alors son régénérateur est devant lui, dans les profondeurs de sa base affective^ et en lumière vivante; il l'aide avec désir et ardeur , et il se sème ainsi dans l'ame de l'homme , comme un grain de sénevé , comme une racine pour la nouvelle créature : et si l'ardeur est grande dans l'ame de l'homme, l'ardeur est grande aussi dam son régénérateur. 26. Il n'est réellement pas possible d'écrire la nouvelle naissance en Christ; c'est celui qui y arrive, qui l'éprouve lui-même. Il croît une autre plante dans sa base affectiv , si un autre homme avec une autre connoissance; il est enseigné de Dieu, et il voit comment tout le travail dans l'historique, sans l'esprit de Dieu, n'est qu'une œuvre de la confuse Babel , d'où procèdent les disputes et les combats dans. (395) le propre orgueil : car on ne s'y occupe que de l'orgueil , de s^$, avantages temporels , et de se répuir dans les attraits de la chair. Ce ne sont pas là les pasteurs du Christ, mais les serviteurs de l'anlechrist. Ils se sont assis sur la chaire du Christ; mais ils l'ont établie dans ce monde.
227. Toutefois le royaume du Christ n'est pas de ce monde ; mais il consisie dans \ai\puismnce , et il n'y a auouue vraie connoissance de Dieu dans aucun homme , à moins qu'il ne soit régénéré en Dieu , hors de son abominable maison de péché , dans laquelle toutefois la colère se change en amour; et où il devient un prêtre de Dieu dans la vie de Jésus.Chrisr,et qui cherche toujours ce qui est dans le ciel , dans les merveilles de Dieu. Or , l'homme nouveau est caché dans le vieux ; il n'est pas de ce monde ; mais , dans le ternaire saint , dans le saint corps de Jésus-Christ , entendez dans la puissance de sou corps. 28. Car, de même aussi son alliance du baptême et delà cène est avec nous. II n'a pas pris sa chair de sa créature, pour la donner à ses disciples ; mais il prit le corps de l'élément pur devant Dieu, dans lequel Dieu demeure, qui est présent dans toutes les créatures, mais qui est aperçu dans un autre principe , et il le donna à boire et à manger à ses disciples , sous le pain et le vin terrestres. Ainsi il baptise aussi l'homme extérieur avec l'eau terrestre élémentaire ; mais il bapiise l'homme intérieur avec l'eau dans le saint et pur élément de son corps et do son esprit , laquelle substance ne paroît que dans (396 ) un autre principe , et est présente en tous lieux ; ïnais cachée au troisième principe , ou à l'esprit de ce monde.
32g. Car, comme nous savons que notre ame atteint dans tout ce monde , et aussi en Dieu dans le royaume du ciel ; de même aussi la vie du pniélément ( dans lequel est la créature Christ et où notre nouvel homme en Christ est dans un autre principe), atteint en tous lieux, et est par-tout remplie de la plénitude de la vie du Christ , mais seulement dans l'élément , et non pas dans les quatre élémens dans l'esprit des étoiles. 3o. C'est pourquoi il ne faut pas , pour nos profonds écrits, beaucoup de fatigues ni de pénibles méditations ; nous écrivons d'un autre principe. Aucun lecteur ne nous entend bien dans le fonds , à moins que sa base affective ne soit née de Dieu. Il ne faut chercher , dans nos écrits , aucune connoissance historique : car de même qu'il est impossible de regarder Dieu avec des yeux terrestres ; de même aussi il n'est pas possible qu'un^enlendemenl non éclairé saisisse le sens et les pensées divines , dans sa borne terrestre j les analogues seuls se comprennent. 3i. Oui , nous portons le trésor céleste dans un vase terrestre, mais il faut qu'il y ail un réceptacle céleste caché dans le terrestre , autrement le céleste ne sera ni saisi , ni reçu. Que personne ne croie que c'est par des recherches et des pensées profondes qu'on trouve le lys de la végétation céleste , si oa ne marche pas par la sincère pénitence dans la ré- (397 ) génération , de façon qu'il croisse hii-même en nous. Autrement ce n'est qu'une pure histoire , oil la base affective n'expérimente jamais le principe ; elle pense cependant l'avoir saisi ; mais cette base 4ffectivemaniCesbe.de quel esprit elle est l'enfant: caf il est écrit : Ils seront, enseignés de Dieu.
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.
125. There is nothing more useful for man in the beginning of his regeneration, than the true, just and sincere penitence, with a firm and great resolution: for he must penetrate into the kingdom of the heaven, into the life of the Christ 5 there then his regenerator is before him, in the depths of his affective base, and in living light; he aids him with desire and ardour, and he sows himself thus into the soul of man, as a grain of mustard-seed, as a root for the new creature: and if the ardour is great in the soul of man, the ardour is great also in his regenerator. 26. It is really not possible to write the new birth in Christ; it is he who arrives at it, who experiences it himself. There grows another plant in his affective base, and another man with another knowledge; he is taught of God, and he sees how all the labour in the historical, without the spirit of God, is but a work of the confused Babel, whence proceed the disputes and the combats in. (395) the own pride: for one occupies oneself there only with the pride, with its temporal advantages, and with rejoicing oneself in the attracts of the flesh. These are not the pastors of the Christ, but the servants of the antichrist. They have seated themselves upon the chair of the Christ; but they have established it in this world.
227. However the kingdom of the Christ is not of this world; but it consists in the power, and there is no true knowledge of God in any man, unless he be regenerated in God, out of his abominable house of sin, in which however the anger changes itself into love; and where he becomes a priest of God in the life of Jesus-Christ, and who seeks always that which is in the heaven, in the marvels of God. Now, the new man is hidden in the old; he is not of this world; but, in the holy ternary, in the holy body of Jesus-Christ, understand in the power of his body. 28. For, likewise also his alliance of the baptism and of the supper is with us. He did not take his flesh from his creature, to give it to his disciples; but he took the body of the pure element before God, in which God dwells, which is present in all the creatures, but which is perceived in another principle, and he gave it to drink and to eat to his disciples, under the terrestrial bread and wine. Thus he baptises also the exterior man with the terrestrial elementary water; but he baptises the interior man with the water in the holy and pure element of his body and of his spirit, which substance appears only in (396 ) another principle, and is present in all places; but hidden to the third principle, or to the spirit of this world.
32g. For, as we know that our soul reaches into all this world, and also in God into the kingdom of the heaven; likewise also the life of the pure element ( in which is the creature Christ and where our new man in Christ is in another principle), reaches into all places, and is everywhere filled with the plenitude of the life of the Christ, but only in the element, and not in the four elements in the spirit of the stars. 3o. That is why there is not needed, for our profound writings, much of fatigues nor of painful meditations; we write from another principle. No reader hears us well in the ground, unless his affective base be born of God. One must seek, in our writings, no historical knowledge: for as it is impossible to look at God with terrestrial eyes; likewise also it is not possible that an understanding not enlightened seize the divine sense and thoughts, in its terrestrial bound; the analogous alone comprehend themselves. 3i. Yes, we bear the celestial treasure in a terrestrial vessel, but there must be a celestial receptacle hidden in the terrestrial, otherwise the celestial shall be neither seized, nor received. Let no one believe that it is by researches and profound thoughts that one finds the lily of the celestial vegetation, if one walks not by the sincere penitence into the re- (397 ) generation, so that it may grow itself in us. Otherwise it is but a pure history, where the affective base never experiences the principle; it thinks however to have seized it; but this base 4ffective manifests of what spirit it is the child: for it is written: They shall be taught of God.
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.