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The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme · 94 of 159 · tr. Franz Hartmann

Chapter 10 (part 1)

p. 198 CHAPTER X. THE CHRIST. "The inner element which holds the whole body of this world has become the eternal body of Christ; for the whole of Divinity in the word and heart of God has entered therein in eternity; and the same Divinity has become a created being; but such a creature, as can be everywhere, like Divinity itself." ( Princ . xxiii. 20.) " Without special divine aid, humanity would have gone to eternal perdition on account of the sin." 1 ( Hamberger .) "Adam would have been lost eternally if the heart of God with the word of promise had not entered his soul, awakening the spiritual hope which maintained him." ( Forty Questions , viii. 5.) "If the divine principle of love were not still pervading all nature in this terrestrial world, and if we poor created beings had not with us the warrior in the battle, p. 199 we would all be sure to perish in the horror of hell." 1 ( Aurora , xiv. 104.) God, on account of His infinite mercy, desired to aid mankind. 2 "God desires that all mankind shall be saved. He does not desire the death of the sinner, but that he become changed, and turning again to God, find life in Him." ( Three Principles , Preface, i. 6.) "(Superficial) reasoning represents God as an unmerciful being, and teaches that He has thrown His wrath upon man, and cursed him to death, because He found disobedience in him. But you should not believe this. God is love and goodness, and in Him there is no angry thought. Man would be all right if he had not punished himself." ( Three Principles , x. 24.) There was no other way to save mankind, except that the Son or the Light of God should enter into them. 3 "When the soul went out of the light of God and entered into the spirit of this world, then began the torment p. 200 of the first principle. She saw and felt herself no longer in the kingdom of God, until the heart of God came and appeared between her and that kingdom, so that she could enter therein and become regenerated." ( Three Principles , ix. 6.) "There was no other salvation for the divine image in man unless divinity had moved according to the second principle, i.e. , according to the light of eternal life, and by the power of love rekindled the substantiality (of the soul) that was imprisoned in death." ( Menschwerdung , i., 11, 22.) "The soul has separated her will from the will of the Father and entered into the lust of this life. There could have been no other way of redemption, except that the pure will of the Father should again enter into her substance and bring her again into the state which she formerly occupied, so that her will would be directed again into the heart and light of God." ( Three Principles , xxii. 67.) "If the soul was to be aided, the heart of God with its light, and not the Father Himself, had to enter her, for in the Father she was anyhow; but she was turned away from the entrance to the generation of the heart (the beginning of the divine self-consciousness) of God, and her desires were directed towards this external world." 1 ( Three Principles , xxii. 68.) The preparations for that redemption were already made before the creation of this world, as the name of Jesus was embodied in man. 2 p. 201 "The name of Jesus embodied itself into the tincture of the soul in Paradise when Adam fell, and even before Adam was created; as Peter mentions in his first letter (i. 20), where he says that we have been provided for in Christ, even before the foundation of the world was laid." ( Menschwerdung , i.
Themes
Divine Hiddennesstheology

The supreme God's radical concealment beyond ordinary knowledge or perception; the Hidden Father.

References to the 'inner element' and 'heart of God' imply a divine presence that is concealed within rather than externally obvious.

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Divine Sparkscosmology

Fragments of divine light or spirit trapped inside material bodies, awaiting liberation and return to their source.

The 'divine principle of love' pervading all nature suggests fragments of divinity within creation, though not explicitly trapped.

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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 theme of salvation from 'eternal perdition' implies a journey back to the divine source through God's aid.

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Unity Of Beingtheology

The doctrine that all existence is ultimately one substance or one divine reality; non-duality as a theological claim.

The statement that Divinity has become a created being suggests a theological unity between the divine and created realms.

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Anthropomorphismtheology

Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery.

[auto] The text attributes human characteristics to God, such as having a 'heart' and acting as a 'warrior in the battle'.

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Covenanttheology

A binding agreement or relationship between the divine and a people or individual, establishing mutual obligations.

[auto] The mention of the 'word of promise' entering Adam's soul implies a binding divine agreement or covenantal relationship.

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Divine Lighttheology

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

[auto] References to the 'Light of God' and 'light of eternal life' are frequent and central to the mechanism of salvation described.

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Inner Lightanthropology

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

[auto] The passage speaks of an 'inner element' and the 'heart of God' entering the soul, suggesting a divine presence within the human person.

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Kingdom Withinanthropology

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

[auto] The 'inner element which holds the whole body of this world' becoming Christ suggests the divine realm is accessible internally.

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Living Godtheology

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

[auto] God is described as having desire, mercy, and active will to aid mankind, portraying a dynamic personal reality.

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Logoscosmology

The divine reason, word, or ordering principle through which the universe was created; mediates between the transcendent God and the material world.

[auto] The passage explicitly references the 'word and heart of God' and the 'word of promise' entering the soul as a mediating divine principle.

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Mystical Unionsoteriology

The merging of the individual soul or self with the divine, transcending personal identity.

[auto] The text describes the 'heart of God' entering the human soul and Divinity becoming a created being, indicating a union between divine and human.

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Paradox As Teachingethics

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

[auto] The text presents the paradox that Divinity has become a created being yet remains everywhere like Divinity itself.

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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.

[auto] The text explicitly describes the soul separating its will from the Father and entering into the lust of this life.

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Related passages · 14 parallels
buddhism|The Dhammapada|Chapter XIV, Section 1c
But that is not a safe refuge, that is not the best refuge; a man is not delivered from all pains after having gone to that refuge. 190. He who takes refuge with Buddha, the Law, [188-192. These verses occur in Sanskrit in the Prâtihârya…”
Both passages emphasize the importance of divine guidance and refuge in achieving spiritual deliverance and happiness. Passage A discusses taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, while Passage B focuses on the divine aid provided by Christ to save humanity.
egyptian|The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani)|Chapter 5 (part 1)
THE LEGEND OF OSIRIS. The main features of the Egyptian religion constant. The chief features of the Egyptian religion remained unchanged from the Vth and VIth dynasties down to the period when the Egyptians embraced Christianity, after t…”
Both passages discuss the concept of resurrection and divine intervention for the salvation of humanity. Passage A focuses on the Egyptian legend of Osiris and the belief in resurrection, while Passage B discusses the Christian concept of Christ's role in redeeming humanity. Both highlight the idea of divine beings intervening to bring about eternal life and salvation.
egyptian|The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani)|Chapter 6 (part 1)
THE DOCTRINE OF ETERNAL LIFE. Egyptian belief in a future life. The doctrine of eternal life in the VIth dynasty. The ideas and beliefs which the Egyptians held in reference to a future existence are not readily to be defined, owing to t…”
Both passages discuss the concept of eternal life and the belief in a future existence. The Egyptian Book of the Dead emphasizes the renewal of life associated with the sun and the aim of achieving eternal existence, while Jacob Boehme's text focuses on the divine intervention and the role of Christ in achieving eternal life. Both traditions share a core belief in the continuity of life beyond death.
egyptian|The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani)|Chapter 6 (part 10)
i-nek sexem-k am xu Cometh to thee thy sekhem among the khu's.[6] [1. I.e. , Horus. 2 Recueil de Travaux , t. v., p. 19 (l. 174). 3. Recueil de Travaux , t. v., p. 41 (l. 289). 4. See below, p. 117. 5. See below, p. 115. 6…”
Both passages discuss the concept of the soul's journey and its connection to the divine. The Egyptian Book of the Dead describes the various components of the soul and their interdependence, while Jacob Boehme's text discusses the soul's separation from and reunion with the divine through the intervention of Christ. Both texts emphasize the spiritual transformation and the role of the divine in achieving eternal life.
egyptian|The Egyptian Heaven and Hell|Chapter 29 (part 1)
p. 192 CHAPTER XIV. TWELFTH DIVISION OF THE TUAT. II. EASTERN VESTIBULE OF THE TUAT, OR THE ANTECHAMBER OF THE WORLD OF LIGHT ACCORDING TO THE BOOK AM-TUAT. THE TWELFTH DIVISION, or HOUR, Or CITY, is called KHEPER-KEKIU-KHAU-MESTU, the…”
Both passages describe a transformative journey of a divine being (the Sun-god in Passage A and Christ in Passage B) that involves rebirth and renewal, leading to a state of enlightenment or salvation. The passages share themes of transformation, divine intervention, and the renewal of life.
greek_mystery|Orphic Hymns|Hymn XXIV. PROTEUS
XXIV. TO PROTEUS * . The FUMIGATION from STORAX. PROTEUS I call, whom Fate decrees, to keep The keys which lock the chambers of the deep; First-born, by whose illustrious pow'r alone All Nature's principles are clearly shewn: Matter to chan…”
Both passages discuss a divine or semi-divine being that holds the key to understanding and transforming the natural world. Proteus in the Orphic Hymns and the Christ in the second passage are both depicted as essential, transformative figures who bridge the divine and the created.
jewish_mysticism|Sefer Yetzirah (The Book of Formation)|Section 1a
Wescott, tr. (1887) CHAPTER 1 1. In two and thirty most occult and wonderful paths of wisdom did JAH the Lord of Hosts engrave his name: God of the armies of Israel, ever-living God, merciful and gracious, sublime, dwelling on high, who i…”
Both passages explore the concept of divine creation and the emanation of divine attributes or principles. The Sefer Yetzirah discusses the creation of the universe through numbers, letters, and divine speech, while Boehme's text describes the divine intervention and the incarnation of the divine principle in the world to aid humanity.
neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 393
Section 9 9. (14) Over against that body, stands the principle which is self-caused, which is all that neither enters into being nor passes away, the principle whose dissolution would mean the end of all things never to be restored if once…”
Both passages discuss the concept of a primal, eternal, and divine principle that sustains all existence. Passage A describes this as a self-caused, indestructible being, while Passage B refers to it as the divine element that enters and saves humanity, embodying the eternal body of Christ.
neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 640 (part 1)
Section 1 1. God, or some one of the gods, in sending the souls to their birth, placed eyes in the face to catch the light and allotted to each sense the appropriate organ, providing thus for the safety which comes by seeing and hearing in…”
Both passages explore the concept of divine providence and the nature of divine intervention in the world. They discuss how divine elements interact with the created world, though from different theological perspectives.
neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 648
Section 9 9. Admitted, then- it will be said- for the nobler forms of life; but how can the divine contain the mean, the unreasoning? The mean is the unreasoning, since value depends upon reason and the worth of the intellective implies wor…”
Both passages explore the nature of divine providence and the purpose behind the creation of sensory faculties and the soul's connection to the divine. They discuss the inherent design and the role of the divine in maintaining and guiding the created beings, albeit from different theological perspectives.
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neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 662
Section 23 23. That which soul must quest, that which sheds its light upon Intellectual-Principle, leaving its mark wherever it falls, surely we need not wonder that it be of power to draw to itself, calling back from every wandering to res…”
Both passages discuss the concept of a supreme, self-sufficient good or divine principle that is the source of all creation and life. They emphasize the role of this principle in maintaining and preserving the existence and well-being of all things, highlighting its benevolent and life-giving nature.
platonism|Plato: Timaeus|Section 1k
Such was the whole plan of the eternal God about the god that was to be, to whom for this reason he gave a body, smooth and even, having a surface in every direction equidistant from the centre, a body entire and perfect, and formed out of…”
Both passages discuss the creation of a divine or semi-divine entity that serves as the ruler or sustainer of the world. They also emphasize the primacy and centrality of this entity in the cosmic order.
western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XXII (part 3)
These Eleatic ideas—namely that there is and there can be only One Absolute Being, infinite., unchangeable, without a second, without parts and passions—are the same ideas which underlie the Upanishads and have been fully worked out in the…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the divine and the human soul, emphasizing the unity and the need for divine intervention or knowledge for salvation or liberation. They share the concept of a divine principle that interacts with the human soul to achieve a state of unity or redemption.
western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XXIII (part 6)
Doubt of God and of eternal life will be as impossible as is now doubt of existence; the evidence of each will be the same. Religion will govern every minute of every day of all life. Churches, priests, forms, creeds, prayers, all agents,…”
Both passages discuss the concept of a divine intervention or savior that redeems humanity from a fallen state. Passage A focuses on the Christian concept of Christ entering the soul to save humanity, while Passage B discusses the idea of Cosmic Consciousness as a savior that will eliminate sin and shame, drawing a parallel to the Christian concept of the Christ.