The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme · 47 of 159 · tr. Franz Hartmann

Chapter 5 (part 11)

Man must know evil for the purpose of becoming able to realise the good, after which he returns to the latter; but as everything seeks for its own corresponding principle, he in whom evil has become paramount will remain in evil.

p.

121 "Behold a thistle or a nettle.

The more sunshine and power they receive, the more stings will they produce.

Thus, if God pours His love into the devil, the products of the devil are anger and hate." (See Grace , iv.

37.) An end of the hellish torment 1 is inconceivable.

Such an end would involve either a change of Lucifer's pride into humility, or a destruction of the whole work of creation.

"If Lucifer were again to become an angel, to become such he would have to draw again from the unity and love of God; his fire-life would have to be consumed by love, and to be changed into humility; but this the hellish foundation (the will) in the devils refuses to permit." ( Theosophical Questions , vii.

5.) "The hellish essence, having an eternal foundation, the will cannot perish, unless the whole of creation would cease to exist and eternal nature in her own loveliness be extinguished.

But in this case the kingdom of joy would be equally lost." ( Theosophical Questions , v.

3.) 2 Footnotes 101:1 Whether we call them by those names, or whether we adopt the names by which they are called in other theologies, will be of no consequence, and not alter the fact that such powers exist.

102:1 Jehovah.

109:1 Therefore no man can resist, successfully resist the devil by fighting him on the same level, nor can any one overcome temptations in the end except by rising above them.

111:1 To "desire the Nothing" does not mean to become unconscious of everything, like a man when he goes to sleep, but it means "contentment," and a state of perfect rest and happiness found in the self-consciousness of being and possessing the All.

113:1 True humility does not consist in self-abasement, but in the entire sacrifice of one's lower self, whereby the power and the majesty of God become revealed in man.

114:1 Hell is created in man by the awakening of his lower qualities, whereby they attain self-consciousness and self-will, and refuse to obey the divine will in man.

115:1 The same is the case with every one who turns away from the light and seeks the darkness, until at last he becomes identified with the darkness, and can no longer separate himself from it.

117:1 It must not be supposed that the good angels "made up their minds" to fight Lucifer, but this separation was according to natural laws, in the same sense as water is opposed to fire.

118:1 The good which we receive is not recognised, because it causes no pain.

No one complains about receiving more blessings than he merits; but the deserved evil which we receive causes suffering, and the unmerited evil is keenly resented.

121:1 The word "torment" means here not necessarily "pain," but "consciousness." The "devil" does not suffer as long as he is in his own element.

121:2 That which has become self-conscious in evil cannot be changed into good without first becoming unconscious of its own evil self; but if the being is wholly evil, such a complete death would also prevent the possibility of its becoming conscious of good.

Themes

◆Active Contemplationpraxis

A form of meditation that uses imagery, imagination, or symbolic thought rather than purely empty stillness.

The instruction to 'Behold a thistle or a nettle' suggests contemplative observation of nature to understand divine law.

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◆Alchemical Workpraxis

The transformation of base substance — outer matter or the inner soul — into a purified, perfected, or 'gold' state; the magnum opus as both laboratory practice and spiritual allegory.

The transformation of fire-life into humility and love is described as a necessary change for the devil to become an angel.

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◆Correspondencecosmology

The Hermetic axiom that the structure of the cosmos is reflected at every scale — 'as above, so below; as within, so without' — making each level a legible map of the others.

The analogy of the thistle and nettle receiving sunshine to produce stings mirrors how divine love produces anger in the devil.

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◆Detachment Gelassenheitpraxis

Eckhart's Abgeschiedenheit/Gelassenheit — radical letting-go of will, image, and grasping that opens the soul to God; distinct from inner_silence (quietness) and from material renunciation, and adjacent to Sufi tark and Buddhist non-grasping as a practice rather than a metaphysical claim.

True humility consists in the entire sacrifice of one's lower self to reveal God's power.

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◆Divine Lighttheology

The uncreated luminous quality of the divine, sometimes experienced directly in mystical states; illumination as revelation.

The text contrasts turning away from the light with seeking darkness and uses sunshine as a metaphor for divine power.

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◆Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology

Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.

Realization of the good is conditioned upon the prior knowledge and experience of evil, emphasizing epistemological necessity for spiritual state.

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◆Inner Lightanthropology

The divine spark or luminous quality residing within the human person, potentially recognisable through introspection.

The divine will is present in man, and hell is created when lower qualities refuse to obey this inner divine will.

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◆Inner Silencepraxis

The practice of stilling the mind and speech to open receptivity to divine knowledge or presence.

Footnote 111 describes 'desiring the Nothing' as a state of perfect rest and happiness.

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◆Living Godtheology

The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.

God is depicted as an active agent who pours His love into creation and the devil.

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◆Microcosm Macrocosmcosmology

The human being as a small-scale image of the entire cosmos; the body, soul, and intellect mirroring the structure of the heavens and the divine — distinct from correspondence in that it makes the human the privileged mirror.

Human internal states (hell, divine will) are described as mirroring cosmic forces and natural laws.

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◆Opposites Transcendedanthropology

The dissolution of binary oppositions (male/female, inner/outer, above/below) as a mark of spiritual completion.

Overcoming temptations requires rising above the level of opposition rather than fighting on the same level.

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◆Paradox As Teachingethics

Using apparent contradiction, reversal, or riddle to destabilise ordinary understanding and induce insight.

The text illustrates how divine love poured into the devil paradoxically produces anger and hate rather than transformation.

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◆Poverty Of Spiritanthropology

Eckhart's radical reading of Matthew 5:3 — the saint as one who wants nothing, knows nothing, and has nothing, having emptied even the will and the self with which to receive God; distinct from renunciation_of_wealth (material poverty).

True humility involves the entire sacrifice of one's lower self.

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◆Return To Sourcesoteriology

The soul's journey back to its divine origin, reversing the fall into matter through stages of purification or illumination.

The passage discusses the possibility of returning to the good or unity after knowing evil, though it notes the devil refuses this.

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◆Self Examinationpraxis

Daily review of thought and action as spiritual practice.

The text emphasizes knowing evil within oneself and the awakening of lower qualities to self-consciousness.

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◆Self Knowledgesoteriology

The recognition of one's own true divine nature as the primary path to liberation; 'know thyself' as soteriology.

Man must know evil to realize good, and hell is created by the awakening of lower qualities to self-consciousness.

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◆Separation From Sourcesoteriology

The felt condition of exile from one's divine origin — Rumi's reed flute torn from its bed, Plotinus's 'we have forgotten,' the Gnostic forgetfulness; the affective wound that complements return_to_source and gives the return its motive.

Lucifer is separated from the unity of God, and man turns away from the light to become identified with darkness.

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◆Spiritual Ascentpraxis

A staged journey of the soul upward through heavenly realms or levels of being toward the divine source.

Footnote 109 states one can overcome temptations only by rising above them rather than fighting on the same level.

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◆Theosis Deificationsoteriology

The doctrine — central to Eastern Orthodox and Maximian theology — that the human person is progressively transformed into a partaker of the divine nature by grace, not merely justified or united in passing ecstasy.

True humility involves the sacrifice of the lower self whereby the power and majesty of God become revealed in man.

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◇Cosmic Dualismtheology

Ontological opposition between two primal principles (light/darkness, truth/lie, spirit/matter) as the fundamental structure of reality.

[auto] The passage centrally explores the opposition between good and evil, light and darkness, and natural laws like water opposing fire.

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◇Kingdom Withinanthropology

The claim that the divine realm is present inside the individual, accessible without external mediation.

[auto] The text explicitly states that hell is created in man and the majesty of God becomes revealed in man through the sacrifice of the lower self.

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Related passages · 15 parallels

◆buddhism|The Dhammapada|Chapter IX, Section 1

“p. 34 Chapter IX. Evil. 116. If a man would hasten towards the good, he should keep his thought away from evil; if a man does what is good slothfully, his mind delights in evil. 117. If a man commits a sin, let him not do it again; let him…”

Both passages discuss the nature of good and evil, the consequences of actions, and the idea that evil cannot be transformed into good without a fundamental change in consciousness. They also share the concept that one must avoid evil and cultivate good, with the outcomes of actions being central to one's future state.

◆buddhism|The Dhammapada|Chapter XXII, Section 1a

“p. 74 CHAPTER XXII. THE DOWNWARD COURSE. 306. He who says what is not, goes to hell; he also who, having done a thing, says I have not done it. After death both are equal, they are men with evil deeds in the next world. 307. Many men…”

Both passages discuss the nature of evil and its consequences, emphasizing the idea that evil leads to a state of suffering or hell. They also touch on the theme of self-awareness and the inability to change from evil to good without a fundamental transformation.

◆greek_mystery|The Golden Verses of Pythagoras|Section 7 (part 1)

“p. 29 THE PYTHAGOREAN SENTENCES OF DEMOPHILUS 1. Request not of Divinity such things as, when obtained, you cannot preserve; for no gift of Divinity can ever be taken away; and on this account he does not confer that which you are unable…”

Both passages discuss the nature of evil and its relationship to the divine. They explore how evil is a consequence of self-will and the rejection of divine will, and how the divine does not act out of anger but for purification or natural law.

◆jewish_mysticism|The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation)|Chapter XCIX

“XCIX. Woes pronounced on the Godless, the Lawbreakers: evil Plight of Sinners in the last Days: further Woes . CHAPTER XCIX. 1. Woe to you who work godlessness, And glory in lying and extol them: Ye shall perish, and no happy life shall be…”

Both passages discuss the nature of evil and its consequences. They emphasize the irreversible nature of evil choices and the ultimate fate of those who persist in evil, highlighting the contrast between the righteous and the wicked.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 81 (part 1)

“Section 6 6. If this be so, how do we explain the teaching that evils can never pass away but "exist of necessity," that "while evil has no place in the divine order, it haunts mortal nature and this place for ever"? Does this mean that h…”

Both passages explore the nature of evil and its relationship to good, discussing the eternal existence of evil and the impossibility of its complete annihilation. They also touch on the idea that evil is a necessary counterpart to good, though they approach the topic from different theological perspectives.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 81 (part 2)

“In the case of fire and water we would admit contrariety if it were not for their common element, the Matter, about which are gathered the warmth and dryness of one and the dampness and cold of the other: if there were only present what con…”

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 114

“Section 11 11. And we must remember that what comes from the supernals does not enter into the recipients as it left the source; fire, for instance, will be duller; the loving instinct will degenerate and issue in ugly forms of the passion;…”

Both passages discuss the transformation and degradation of qualities as they move from a higher to a lower state. Passage A from Plotinus describes how divine qualities deteriorate when they enter the material world, while Passage B from the Theosophical text explains how divine love can be perverted into evil when received by a being aligned with evil.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 116

“Section 13 13. Of phenomena of this sphere some derive from the Kosmic Circuit and some not: we must take them singly and mark them off, assigning to each its origin. The gist of the whole matter lies in the consideration that Soul governs…”

Both passages discuss the transformation and degradation of qualities as they move from a higher to a lower state. Passage A describes how divine qualities deteriorate when they enter into recipients, while Passage B explains how divine love can be perverted into evil when received by those inclined towards it.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 121

“Section 18 18. Are the evils in the Universe necessary because it is of later origin than the Higher Sphere? Perhaps rather because without evil the All would be incomplete. For most or even all forms of evil serve the Universe- much as the…”

Both passages explore the necessity of evil within the framework of creation and the divine. They discuss how evil serves a purpose and is intertwined with the good, though they come from different mystical traditions and use different metaphors and concepts.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 123

“Section 1 1. By common agreement of all that have arrived at the conception of such a Kind, what is known as Matter is understood to be a certain base, a recipient of Form-Ideas. Thus far all go the same way. But departure begins with the a…”

Both passages explore the role of evil in the universe and its necessity for the realization of good. They discuss how evil serves a purpose and is intertwined with the divine order, though they come from different mystical traditions.

5 more

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 194

“Section 7 7. A preliminary observation: in looking for excellence in this thing of mixture, the Kosmos, we cannot require all that is implied in the excellence of the unmingled; it is folly to ask for Firsts in the Secondary, and since this…”

Both passages discuss the role of evil in the universe and its relationship to good. They explore how evil can serve a purpose in the broader scheme of things, though they come from different mystical traditions.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 195 (part 1)

“Section 8 8. Thus we come to our enquiry as to the degree of excellence found in things of this Sphere, and how far they belong to an ordered system or in what degree they are, at least, not evil. Now in every living being the upper parts…”

Both passages explore the problem of evil and the nature of divine providence. They discuss why the wicked prosper and the good suffer, and consider the role of divine justice in these circumstances.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 204 (part 1)

“Section 17 17. The nature of the Reason-Principle is adequately expressed in its Act and, therefore, the wider its extension the nearer will its productions approach to full contrariety: hence the world of sense is less a unity than is its…”

Both passages explore the nature of evil and its relationship to the divine and the universe. They discuss how evil exists within a framework of good and the role of divine principles in the manifestation of evil.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 616

“Section 9 9. The elements in their totality, as they stand produced, may be thought of as one spheric figure; this cannot be the piecemeal product of many makers each working from some one point on some one portion. There must be one cause;…”

Both passages discuss the nature of evil and the soul's relationship with it. They explore how evil is a result of separation from the divine or higher principles, and how the soul's attachment to the material world leads to a fallen state. Both also touch on the idea of release or emancipation from this state.

◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 677

“Section 38 38. And yet this "He Is" does not truly apply: the Supreme has no need of Being: even "He is good" does not apply since it indicates Being: the "is" should not suggest something predicated of another thing; it is to state identit…”

Both passages explore the relationship between good and evil, and the nature of evil's desire or tendency towards good. They discuss the transformation or purification process from evil to good, though from different philosophical and theological perspectives.