Concerning the Three Principles of the Divine Essence
comforted him and bade him be at rest; moreover, he went fearlessly to the angry parson, and begged him in the friendliest possible manner to forgive the young fellow, promising himself to find and pay down the interest on the borrowed thaler; the young man, he added, had done his best, and he thought he had done enough ; yet, if the reverend gentleman were not satisfied, let him say what he required and it should be paid. Thereupon the parson, who, while Jacob stood, was himself seated in a comfortable chair, assumed an arrogant and pompous attitude, and flew into a violent rage. Why did the busybody come to him ? What had he to do with the matter ? Let him mind his own business and take himself off. Jacob, however, earnestly went on pleading for pardon and for permission to settle the debt, till the parson, plainly ashamed, yet unwilling to say how much he wanted, shewed him the door: and as the simple, humble and gentle intercessor turned on the door-step with a kindly parting word, " God bless your Reverence," the enraged parson, angrier than ever, seized one of his slippers and threw it at him, exclaiming : " How dare you wish me good-night or anything else, you Godless villain ! Do I ask for your blessings ? " and so on. The excellent man, unmoved, picked up the slipper, placed it quietly at the parson's feet, and answered : " Do not be angry, sir ! I am doing you no harm. May God protect you ! " And he then left him.
It was no doubt shortly after this that a copy of the Aurora fell into the hands of the proud and naturally irritable cleric. Boehme had written at the close of his work: "Should Peter or Paul (seem to) have written " otherwise, then look to the essence, to the heart [to the " interior meaning]. If you lay hold of the heart, you " will find the essence well enough " [xxvi. 152], And these words were quite sufficient to mark him as a heretic. The priest certainly determined openly to brand him as such.
On Sunday, 21st July 1613 (according to Wiesner's xliv THE THREE PRINCIPLES account), the preacher, speaking from the pulpit, violently denounced the meek and gentle man of God, indulging in startling and shocking f ulminations ; threatening the town with downfall, unless this agitating, mischievous, heretical disturber of the peace were promptly removed ; and calling upon the members of the Town Council to use their powers against him for resisting ecclesiastical authority, annoying preachers in their own houses, and writing heretical books. He further declared that unless the offender were punished, the anger of God would fall upon them all, and the town would be swallowed up by the earth, as happened to Korah, Dathan and Abiram, after they resisted Moses, the man of God.
Jacob Boehme, who was a regular church-goer, heard all this from his usual seat facing the pulpit, and after the service waited in the churchyard for the parson, approached him, and quietly asked what he had done to offend; if he only knew of his fault, he would gladly make amends. The parson, instead of answering, looked at him as if he meant to kill him with his glance ; then broke out into fearful abuse and curses. " Get thee " behind me, Satan ! Go back to thy hell and leave me " alone ! Seest thou not that I am a priest, and go "about my office?" -"Yes indeed, Reverend Sir," answered sadly the deeply-injured man, "I do see it, " and therefore have I listened to you in church, as is " meet and proper; and now I come to ask you, as a " priest, to tell me what I have done to you." Turning then to the chaplain, Boehme begged for his help, that he might entreat the preacher to explain the cause of his wrath. Exasperated at this insistence, the priest, beside himself with rage, would there and then have had Boehme arrested and sent to prison, had not the chaplain's counsels prevailed, so that Jacob was after all allowed to return home.
The next day (here Wiesner's account is inaccurate), Boehme was called before the Town Council in order to justify himself. The chief pastor was also invited, but
INTRODUCTION
comforted him and bade him be at rest; moreover, he went fearlessly to the angry parson, and begged him in the friendliest possible manner to forgive the young fellow, promising himself to find and pay down the interest on the borrowed thaler; the young man, he added, had done his best, and he thought he had done enough ; yet, if the reverend gentleman were not satisfied, let him say what he required and it should be paid. Thereupon the parson, who, while Jacob stood, was himself seated in a comfortable chair, assumed an arrogant and pompous attitude, and flew into a violent rage. Why did the busybody come to him ? What had he to do with the matter ? Let him mind his own business and take himself off. Jacob, however, earnestly went on pleading for pardon and for permission to settle the debt, till the parson, plainly ashamed, yet unwilling to say how much he wanted, showed him the door: and as the simple, humble and gentle intercessor turned on the door-step with a kindly parting word, " God bless your Reverence," the enraged parson, angrier than ever, seized one of his slippers and threw it at him, exclaiming : " How dare you wish me good-night or anything else, you Godless villain ! Do I ask for your blessings ? " and so on. The excellent man, unmoved, picked up the slipper, placed it quietly at the parson's feet, and answered : " Do not be angry, sir ! I am doing you no harm. May God protect you ! " And he then left him.
It was no doubt shortly after this that a copy of the Aurora fell into the hands of the proud and naturally irritable cleric. Boehme had written at the close of his work: "Should Peter or Paul (seem to) have written " otherwise, then look to the essence, to the heart [to the " interior meaning]. If you lay hold of the heart, you " will find the essence well enough " [xxvi. 152], And these words were quite sufficient to mark him as a heretic. The priest certainly determined openly to brand him as such.
On Sunday, 21st July 1613 (according to Wiesner's xliv THE THREE PRINCIPLES account), the preacher, speaking from the pulpit, violently denounced the meek and gentle man of God, indulging in startling and shocking f ulminations ; threatening the town with downfall, unless this agitating, mischievous, heretical disturber of the peace were promptly removed ; and calling upon the members of the Town Council to use their powers against him for resisting ecclesiastical authority, annoying preachers in their own houses, and writing heretical books. He further declared that unless the offender were punished, the anger of God would fall upon them all, and the town would be swallowed up by the earth, as happened to Korah, Dathan and Abiram, after they resisted Moses, the man of God.
Jacob Boehme, who was a regular church-goer, heard all this from his usual seat facing the pulpit, and after the service waited in the churchyard for the parson, approached him, and quietly asked what he had done to offend; if he only knew of his fault, he would gladly make amends. The parson, instead of answering, looked at him as if he meant to kill him with his glance ; then broke out into fearful abuse and curses. " Get you " behind me, Satan ! Go back to your hell and leave me " alone ! Seest you not that I am a priest, and go "about my office?" -"Yes indeed, Reverend Sir," answered sadly the deeply-injured man, "I do see it, " and therefore have I listened to you in church, as is " meet and proper; and now I come to ask you, as a " priest, to tell me what I have done to you." Turning then to the chaplain, Boehme begged for his help, that he might entreat the preacher to explain the cause of his wrath. Exasperated at this insistence, the priest, beside himself with rage, would there and then have had Boehme arrested and sent to prison, had not the chaplain's counsels prevailed, so that Jacob was after all allowed to return home.
The next day (here Wiesner's account is inaccurate), Boehme was called before the Town Council in order to justify himself. The chief pastor was also invited, but
INTRODUCTION