Jakob Böhme

Jakob Böhme (born in Alt-Seidenberg in 1575, dead the November 17th 1624 with Görlitz) was a German enlightened theosophist, one of principal representing modern Mysticisme. It was called “Philosophus teutonicus”.

Life

Böhme east was born in 1575 in Alt-Seidenberg, a small borough close to Görlitz. His/her parents were simple peasants; it accepted some lessons at the school of the village, then was put in training at a coordonnier; it is said that he followed this occupation until the end of his life, however he sold his bench in 1613 and devoted oneself entire to his work. He will say “I did not read that in only one book, in my own book, myself”. In 1599, he married the girl of a butcher, and is established main coordonnier with the door of Neisse, behind the ramparts. Early it had had mystical experiences illuminatrices. The first illumination which it mentions date of 1600, but it regarded it only as one first germ, because its decisive Illumination took place later only one ten years. He was a monk, but without being really Catholique, because he had the Papisme of horror, nor Protesting, because he refused to accept the Prédestination. He was persecuted by the religious authorities. However, he managed to hold head to them. He died in Görlitz in 1624.

Theosophy

The theosophy of Jakob Böhme expresses major astrological knowledge and the unquestionable influence of the Alchimie. However, it is initially and first of all a Christian Théosophie in which is exposed the fundamental myth of the modern Gnose Christian. This myth founder forms the base of all the great treaties turned pink-cruciens and of the school martinist. The broad topics of this gnosis are:

Doctrines of Ungrund

The theosophy of Böhme is a Métaphysique in the direction where it tries to think the passage of the non-being of the being. According to Böhme, Ungrund (without-bottom) is unconscious and dark nothing, but the characteristic of nothing is to miss of all. A root of desire thus germinates at the bottom of nothing, root which aspires to being. There is thus a root of desire which ignites like a spark and makes spout out the being of the non-being, and the light of darkness.

The gnostic myth

Three Principles and seven Spirits

Celestial Sophia and the Androgyne

Sophia represented for Böhme the man in his purity, its virginity and its chastity former to fished original. It is not separable of its design of the Androgyne, just pre-adamique humanity and integral of the origins. Böhme affirms that Sophia is incréée, it is divine wisdom in the man. This sophianic heart renvoit with the celestial preexistence of the terrestrial man. The fall of the man is the loss of his sophianity, its purity, its virginity. To the loss of celestial Sophia the birth of the terrestrial Eve, femininity corresponds. The Virgin Mary particularly represents Sophia and the sophianity of the Virgin renvoit to the androgyny of the Christ. There is thus a double polarity Vierge/Eve and Christ/Adam. But Böhme escapes all Dualisme, because for him, “Christ lives as an Adam and this one in Christ”.

In addition, the sophianity makes fundamental the birth of the Christ of the Virgin. On this point, Böhme is distinguished clearly of its Protestant origins. The Mère of God less means anything than the return to earth Virgin-Sophia. The Virgin is not virgin by Eve, but by the descent of Sophia which is incarnated as a Marie. There is thus a major correspondence between the descent of the Holy Spirit and the Incarnation of Christ and the descent of Sophia in the Virgin Mary. In fact, the descent of the divine Virgin as a Marie is the action of the Holy Spirit. It is thus paramount that Jesus is born from it and of null other. Thus, the birth of Jesus of a Virgin transfigures also female nature by releasing it from negative femininity. At Böhme, the stamping from terrestrial sexuality implies the re-establishment of the primitive androgyny. These doctrines of the celestial Androgyne enable him to avoid ascetic temptations which, in the chritianism, strongly mark the negative designs of sexuality. To the sexual impurity, Böhme does not oppose the asceticism which tends towards the asexual one, but the integral and original androgyny. At his place, the sophianic mystic is interdependent of a spiritual Anthropologie which renvoit back with puritan backs and libertines.

Influence

Strange thing at a man if little informed, one finds in the writings of Böhme of many analogies with the philosophical theories of Germany of the XIXe century, and it can be regarded as a precursor of Spinoza, of Schelling, Hegel and its influence was large on the German thought and in particular on Franz von Baader and the romantic ones. Hegel called Jakob Böhme “the first German philosopher”. It had also a great influence in England in particular on George Fox, the founder of Quakerism, Milton and Newton. It was revealed in France by Louis-Claude of Saint Martin's day to the XVIIIe century, another enlightened, which translated five of its works, in particular the Dawn with its rising , Triple Life and its Three Principles . He had become a disciple of Böhme in 1788. Nicolas Berdiaeff held the Jakob Böhme for one of largest gnostic Christians. Böhme had also a considerable influence on Raoul Vaneigem

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