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.
16. Ici tu vois de nouveau comment les trois principes onlcombattu l'un et l'autre au sujet de l'homme» La loi donnée à Adam , dans le jardin d'Eden y perça de nouveau , et voulut avoir obéissance j alors l'esprit de la colère perça aussi de nouveau avec des fruits faux , et un faux altract , et chercha la vie corruptible. Or , ce combat dura quarante jours avant qu'ils eussent érigé le veau , et qu'ils fussent déchus de Dieu ; telle a été aussi la durée de ce combat des trois principes. 7. Mais lorsqu'ils furcBt déchus de Dieu , alors ^' »^- ( 193 ) vint Moïse avec Josué : il voit l'apostasie • il hth6 es tables en pièces ; il conduit les Hébreux danà Je désert où ils doivent tous mourir, excepté losué et Caleb 5 car la clarification du père dans ie feu , dans le premier principe ne pouvoir les introduire dans la terre promise; et quoiqu'ils «langeassent la manne , cela ne les secourut point dans la tentation : il n'y avoit que Josué , et enfia Jésus , qui pût le faire. 8. Lorsque le tems fut arrivé que le vrai héros revmt du paradis , et devint le fils de la vierge alors le combat des trois principes recommença; car il ( ce héros) fut placé de nouveau devant l'arbre de la tentation : il devoit soutenir un rude choc devant l'arbre de la tentation , et supporter la tentation des trois principes ; ce à quoi le premier Adam n'avoit point résisté. Alors le combat dura de nouveau quarante jours et quarante nuits , aussi long-tems que le combat avoit duré avec Adam dans le paradis, et pas une heure de plus; c'est alors que le héros eut remporté la victoire. C'est pourquoi ouvre bien tes jeux, et regarde bien l'écriture ; et quand même elle seroit brève et obscure, elle est cependant véritable.
29- Tu ne trouves point dans Moïse qu'Adam ait été chassé du paradis le premier jour. La^enta^ tion d'Israël et du Christ nous enseigne bien plus amplement; car la tentation du Christ et la tentation d'Adam sont justement semblables dans toutes les circonstances. jJÊÊf JHF W { 194 ) *="• ''• ,0 En effet, Adam fut tenté quarante jour» dans le paradis , dans le jardin d'Eden, devant Îa br de la tentation , pour savoir s'ily rés.s.eroa e, pour qu'il établît son penchant dans le cœur de Sieu , eJqu'il ne mangeât que du verbe de D.eu j alors Dieu lui eût donné à manger de son con>s du céleste 1'n.hus , pour qu'il mangeât dans la bouche , e. non dans le corps. Il devoit engendrer de soi le fils de la vierge , ou de Sophie ; car .1 n'étoit ni homme ni femme : il avo.t en soi la ra.riceetaussilamasculiBilé,etilauro>te«gendréde la matrice, sans déchirure de son corps, lav.erge pleine de modestie et de chasteté. ^ „. Et ici est le combat dans la man.feslat.on de Jean , où »ne vierge engendre un fils que le dracon e le ver ou serpent vouloient dévorer , ou ia vTerge s'élève sur la lune terrestre et mépr.se et Ll aux pieds ce qui es. terrestre. A.ns. Adam devoit aussifouler auK pieds ce qu. est .exxes.re e^ il en a été surmonté. C'est pourquoi le fils de la vierge Marie , lorsqu'il eut vaincu devant l'arbre de Utentation, devoit aussi ensuite entrer dans la mo t. dans ù première mort de la colère , e. soumettre le ^TÏarie'cEst est resté quarante jours dans le déseH pour la tentation ; là il n'y -f "' PJ^" '^^J boisson ; alors le tentateur vint , et voulo.t l éloigner S rlélssance , et dit ; Qu'il dt^oit faire du pa.n des nierres. Cela n'est autre chose , sinon qu .1 deVoU mépriser le pain céleste que l'homme avoit reçu en. i«. ( 19^ )
3dans la foi et dans une forte assurance en Dieu , et porter son imagination dans l'esprit de ce monde , et vivre en lui. i3. Mais lorsque le fils de la vierge lui opposa le pain céleste , et que l*homme ne vit pas seulement de ce monde , ou du boire et manger terrestres , alors il se présenta une autre espèce de tentation ; savoir : la domination de ce monde. Le prince de la colère voulut lui donner tout le pouvoir des étoiles et des éléraens , pourvu seulement qu'il voulût mettre en lui son imagination et l'adorer. G'étoient là réellement les véritables verges avec lesquelles Adam avoit été fustigé par la puissance , la domination et la beauté de ce monde, par lequel Adam se laissa enfin séduire et emprisonner. Mais le fils de la vierge lui opposa que son royaume n'étoit pas celui de la parole et du coeur de Dieu , qu'il devoit adorer Dieu , et ne servir que lui. 14. La troisième tentation étoit la même dans laquelle le démon étoit aussi tombé par orgueil, puisqu'il lui dit qu'il devoit s'envoler au-dessus du temple , et s'élever au-dessus de l'humilité et de la douceur ; car la douceur fait que le père colériqua dans l'origine , devient miséricordieux et gracieux , de farou que la divinité est un être aimable et délicieux. i§. Mais le souverain Lucifer auroit voulu , dans la création , être au-dessus de la douceur du cœur de Dieu , et de-là au-dessus de la limite de la nature ; c'est pourquoi il vouloit aussi persuader au fils de la vierge de voler sans ailes , par orgueil et au- ( 196 ) CH. I2.'
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.
16. Here thou seest anew how the three principles have combated one and the other touching man. The law given to Adam, in the garden of Eden, pierced anew, and would have obedience; then the spirit of anger pierced also anew with false fruits, and a false attract, and sought the corruptible life. Now, this combat lasted forty days before they had erected the calf, and were fallen away from God; such has been also the duration of this combat of the three principles. 7. But when they were fallen away from God, then ^' »^- ( 193 ) came Moses with Joshua: he sees the apostasy • he cast6s the tables in pieces; he leads the Hebrews into the desert where they must all die, except Joshua and Caleb 5 for the clarification of the father in the fire, in the first principle could not introduce them into the promised land; and although they ate the manna, that succoured them not in the temptation: there was none but Joshua, and at last Jesus, who could do it. 8. When the time was come that the true hero should return from paradise, and become the son of the virgin, then the combat of the three principles began anew; for he (this hero) was placed anew before the tree of the temptation: he was to sustain a rude shock before the tree of the temptation, and to bear the temptation of the three principles; which the first Adam had not resisted. Then the combat lasted anew forty days and forty nights, as long a time as the combat had lasted with Adam in paradise, and not an hour more; it is then that the hero had carried off the victory. That is why open well thine eyes, and look well at the scripture; and even though it be brief and obscure, it is nevertheless veritable.
29- Thou findest not in Moses that Adam was driven from paradise the first day. The temptation of Israel and of the Christ teaches us much more amply; for the temptation of the Christ and the temptation of Adam are just alike in all the circumstances. jJÊÊf JHF W { 194 ) *="• ''• ,0 In effect, Adam was tempted forty days in paradise, in the garden of Eden, before the tree of the temptation, to know whether he would resist there, and so that he should establish his inclination in the heart of God, and that he should eat only of the word of God; then God would have given him to eat of his body of the celestial 1limbus, so that he should eat in the mouth, and not in the body. He was to beget of himself the son of the virgin, or of Sophia; for h1e was neither man nor woman: he had in himself the matrix and also the masculinity, and he would have begotten of the matrix, without rending of his body, the virgin full of modesty and of chastity. ^ „. And here is the combat in the manifestation of John, where a virgin begets a son that the dragon and the worm or serpent would devour, where the virgin rises upon the terrestrial moon and despises and treads under foot what is terrestrial. Thus Adam was also to tread under foot what is terrestrial and he has been overcome by it. That is why the son of the virgin Mary, when he had conquered before the tree of the temptation, was also afterwards to enter into the death, into the first death of the anger, and subject the ^TÏarie'cChrist has remained forty days in the desert for the temptation; there there was neither bread nor drink; then the tempter came, and would remove him from obedience, and said: That he should make bread of the stones. That is nothing else, save that h1e was to despise the celestial bread that man had received en. i«. ( 19^ )
3in the faith and in a strong assurance in God, and to carry his imagination into the spirit of this world, and live in it. i3. But when the son of the virgin opposed to him the celestial bread, and that man lives not only of this world, or of terrestrial drink and food, then there presented itself another species of temptation; to wit: the domination of this world. The prince of anger would give him all the power of the stars and the elements, provided only that he would put in him his imagination and adore him. Those were really the true rods with which Adam had been scourged by the power, the domination and the beauty of this world, by which Adam let himself at last be seduced and imprisoned. But the son of the virgin opposed to him that his kingdom was not that of the word and of the heart of God, that he was to adore God, and serve none but him. 14. The third temptation was the same in which the demon was also fallen by pride, since he told him that he was to fly above the temple, and rise above humility and sweetness; for sweetness makes that the choleric father in the origin, becomes merciful and gracious, so that the divinity is an amiable and delicious being. i§. But the sovereign Lucifer would have willed, in the creation, to be above the sweetness of the heart of God, and thence above the limit of nature; that is why he would also persuade the son of the virgin to fly without wings, by pride and a- ( 196 ) CH. I2.'
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.