The Wisdom of Jacob Bohme

By Jakob Böhme

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• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0965048861
• ISBN13: 9780965048866
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: New Grail Publishing
• Length: 73 Pages

Customer Reviews

A Good, Short Intro. To & Excerpts From the Founder of Modern Christian Theosophy

Arthur Versluis, the editor of this book and others in this series, is known for his contributions to the study of Christian theosophy through his trilogy: Theosophia, Wisdom's Children, and Wisdom's Book (an anthology). The series titled "Great Works of Christian Spirituality" continues as a contribution to understanding this mystical and "esoteric" current within Christianity. "The Wisdom of Jacob Bohme" (the last name spelled with two dots over the "o") is the second volume in the series with the first dedicated to Meister Eckhart who, according to Versluis in his introduction to the volume dedicated to Boehme (my preferred spelling), is part of a long tradition in Christianity of negative (apophatic) theology that begins with (Pseudo-) Dionysius the Areopagite and continues through Boehme with his concept of the Ungrund (literally, non-ground) on to Christian theosopher John Pordage (to whom the third volume in the series is dedicated). The term "theosophy" (a transliteration of Greek, involving divine wisdom) was in use before Helena P. Blavatsky and her 19th century Theosophical Society which, although adopting the term, diverged from Christian theosophy into broader esoteric/occult interests and Eastern religions, especially Buddhism. Much of what is taught by Blavatsky and the Theosophical Society is contrary to the thought of Boehme and the Christian theosophical current. For the similarities and important distinctions between them, see the works of Antoine Faivre such as "Access to Western Esotericism" and "Theosophy, Imagination, Tradition" and Joscelyn Godwin's book, "The Theosophical Enlightenment". This slender book (73 pages) is divided into eight sections, after the introduction by Versluis, as follows: On Spiritual Life, Dialogue With an Enlightened Soul, On Divine Contemplation, On Nature, On Regeneration, On Freedom, How to Pray, and On Death and the Last Judgement. These sections include excerpts primarily from some of Boehme's later works which, according to Versluis, are easier and clearer to understand than his earlier ones. Although Versluis said in the introduction that "this book may well be characterized as the heart of Bohme's work, made as lucid as his work has perhaps ever been," it is only the most basic of introductions and still contains some terms/ideas that will require further study of Boehme's other works and interpreters to possibly comprehend. Boehme uses alchemical terms/ideas such as "tincture" and "philosopher's stone" that are foreign to some readers. Also, there is a history of Christian opposition to some of Boehme's ideas which may partially be due to misunderstanding. After Boehme's completion of his book "Aurora", he received opposition from the local Lutheran minister, Gregorius Richter. Boehme's subsequent followers have also been persecuted. One later devotee and translator of Boehme, William Law, received criticism from John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, regarding certain i