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Jacob Boehme — the works in English
Jacob Boehme — the works in English

Concerning the Three Principles of the Divine Essence

Open to allJacob Boehme (1575–1624)931 of 1028 segments carry a modern register · 343 pp
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and diligently, which he will find to be contained in it, when he is weighing and deliberating upon the matter as he readeth, and that without hard study, for it will rise in the mind of itself, with a ravishing sweetness and content. And he will find that the Threefold Life is tenfold deeper than this, and the Forty Questions to be tenfold deeper than that, and that to be as deep as a spirit is in itself, as the author saith ; than which there can be no greater depth, for God himself is a spirit.

And accordingly there appear some glimpses of the most deep, mystical, oriential learning here and there, which is not discovered in any books, and therefore some of the learned men of Europe think it may be past their reach, but they may find that ground in him which will make such things easy to be understood ; for the time of disclosing those grounds so plainly was not till now, that the Mysteries which have been hid since the world began should be revealed. Those that had the spiritual understanding of the natural Mysteries, were called Wisemen ; and they that understood 1 saints. the divine Mysteries, were called l holy men, and they were Prophets, Preachers, Apostles, Evangelists, and Believers. The wise men of all nations did write darkly of their Mysteries, not to be understood but by such as were lovers of those things : And so the very Scriptures themselves, which contain all things in them, cannot be understood but by such as love to follow, practise, and endeavour

TO THE READER XI

to do those things which in them they find ought to be done. And those that led their lives in such a way, came to understand those Mysteries from which they were written. And in several nations their wisdom hath had several names, which hath caused our age to take all the names of the several parts of wisdom, and sort them into arts : Among which the Magia and Cabala are accounted the most mystical ; the Magia consisting in the knowing how things have come to be ; and the Cabala, in knowing how the words and forms of things express the reality of the inward Mystery : But he that knoweth the Mystery, knoweth both these, and all the branches of the tree of wisdom, in all real arts and sciences, and the true signification of every Idea in every thought, and thing, and sound, and letter, in every language. And therefore this author, having the true knowledge, could well expound the letters of the names of God, and other words and syllables, the signification of which he saith is well understood in the language of nature. And as one jot or tittle of the word of God shall not pass away till all be fulfilled, so there is no tittle of any l letter, that is proceeded from that i AS in the eternal essential Word, as all things are, but hath /«™ A and n, its weighty signification, in the deep understanding, in that word from whence it came, even in the voices of all men, and sounds of all other creatures : also the letters and syllables of a word, of some language, do express something of the Mystery

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and diligently, which he will find to be contained in it, when he is weighing and deliberating upon the matter as he reads, and that without hard study, for it will rise in the mind of itself, with a ravishing sweetness and content. And he will find that the Threefold Life is tenfold deeper than this, and the Forty Questions to be tenfold deeper than that, and that to be as deep as a spirit is in itself, as the author says ; than which there can be no greater depth, for God himself is a spirit.

And accordingly there appear some glimpses of the most deep, mystical, oriential learning here and there, which is not discovered in any books, and therefore some of the learned men of Europe think it may be past their reach, but they may find that ground in him which will make such things easy to be understood ; for the time of disclosing those grounds so plainly was not till now, that the Mysteries which have been hid since the world began should be revealed. Those that had the spiritual understanding of the natural Mysteries, were called Wisemen ; and they that understood 1 saints. the divine Mysteries, were called l holy men, and they were Prophets, Preachers, Apostles, Evangelists, and Believers. The wise men of all nations did write darkly of their Mysteries, not to be understood but by such as were lovers of those things : And so the very Scriptures themselves, which contain all things in them, cannot be understood but by such as love to follow, practise, and endeavour

TO THE READER XI

to do those things which in them they find ought to be done. And those that led their lives in such a way, came to understand those Mysteries from which they were written. And in several nations their wisdom has had several names, which has caused our age to take all the names of the several parts of wisdom, and sort them into arts : Among which the Magia and Cabala are accounted the most mystical ; the Magia consisting in the knowing how things have come to be ; and the Cabala, in knowing how the words and forms of things express the reality of the inward Mystery : But he that knows the Mystery, knows both these, and all the branches of the tree of wisdom, in all real arts and sciences, and the true signification of every Idea in every thought, and thing, and sound, and letter, in every language. And therefore this author, having the true knowledge, could well expound the letters of the names of God, and other words and syllables, the signification of which he says is well understood in the language of nature. And as one jot or tittle of the word of God shall not pass away till all be fulfilled, so there is no tittle of any l letter, that is proceeded from that i AS in the eternal essential Word, as all things are, but has /«™ A and n, its weighty signification, in the deep understanding, in that word from whence it came, even in the voices of all men, and sounds of all other creatures : also the letters and syllables of a word, of some language, do express something of the Mystery

Commentary
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Historical§001

Sparrow then orders the whole corpus by depth, and the ordering is a reading path: this book, then "the Threefold Life is tenfold deeper than this, and the Forty Questions to be tenfold deeper than that, and that to be as deep as a spirit is in itself ... than which there can be no greater depth". Every work in that ladder is in this reader. He also promises the understanding will come "without hard study, for it will rise in the mind of itself, with a ravishing sweetness" — which sits oddly against Boehme's own instruction in the Clavis that outward reading yields only a counterfeit colour.

comes before The Threefold Life of Man

Comparative§001

The oddity is worth holding rather than resolving. In the Clavis Boehme tells the reader that speculation and meditation will leave him with "no more than a counterfeit color" and that a resigned will is required; here his English translator assures the reader that the meaning will rise "of itself, without hard study". A translator selling the book and an author guarding it want different things from the same page, and this reader can show both.

is in tension with The Clavis, or Key