← Home
The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme · 109 of 159 · tr. Franz Hartmann

Chapter 10 (part 16)

21.) "If there were even a thousand persons well taught by God and regenerated in the Spirit of Christ assembled together, and if each of them had his own particular gift and self-knowledge in God, nevertheless they would all be one in the root of Christ, and each of them would be desirous only for the love of God in Christ; for which one of the disciples would exalt himself above his own Master? If, then, we are one body in Christ, why should one member dispute with another about the food? If the mouth that desires eats, all the members receive strength, and each member has its own office to unfold the wonders of God. We do not all use one and the same expression, but we all have only one spirit in Christ. To each one is given that which he ought to unfold in God, so that the great mysteries of God may become manifest, and the wonders that are in His wisdom from eternity be revealed." ( Threefold Life , xvi. 24.) 218:1 Surely an internal and spiritual God could want no other sacrifices than internal and spiritual ones. The animals in man, the snake of envy, the peacock of vanity, the ox of self-will, &c., had to be killed, so that God could manifest Himself in the purified soul. Any external sacrifice could at best be a symbol of the internal one. 220:1 Such animal sacrifices are still taking place, whenever man kills his sensual desires and sacrifices them upon the altar of his soul. Then the animal symbols in his astral light are destroyed by the magic fire of his spiritual will. 222:1 If the light of wisdom, the Son, enters the fiery will, the Father, then does the Son become one with the Father, and the wrath of the Father becomes reconciled and changed into that light which is love.
Themes
◆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 text uses alchemical imagery such as 'magic fire' and killing 'animals in man' to purify the soul.

All passages →
◆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.

External sacrifices are described as symbols of the internal spiritual reality.

All passages →
◆Divine Lighttheology

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

The 'light of wisdom' is described as entering the will and transforming wrath into love.

All passages →
◆Hidden Sayingssoteriology

Esoteric teachings reserved for those ready to receive them; outer meaning conceals an inner liberating truth.

The text mentions that 'great mysteries of God' are to become manifest through the unfolding of gifts.

All passages →
◆Logoscosmology

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

The 'Light of wisdom, the Son' functions as the mediating principle entering the Father's will.

All passages →
◆Love Of Neighbourethics

Active compassionate care for others as a central spiritual obligation or expression of divine love.

The passage questions why members of one body should dispute with another, implying a duty of harmony and care.

All passages →
◆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.

Cosmic or archetypal forces like the 'snake of envy' are located within the human being.

All passages →
◆Opposites Transcendedanthropology

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

The 'wrath of the Father' is reconciled and changed into 'light which is love', transcending the opposition.

All passages →
◆Return To Sourcesoteriology

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

The concepts of being 'regenerated' and the soul becoming 'purified' imply a journey back to a divine state.

All passages →
◆Ritual Firepraxis

Fire as medium of divine presence.

The text mentions sacrificing desires upon the 'altar of his soul' using 'magic fire'.

All passages →
◆Ritual Puritypraxis

The maintenance of a state of cleanliness—physical, moral, or spiritual—required for encounter with the divine.

The text states that God manifests in the 'purified soul', linking spiritual cleanliness to divine encounter.

All passages →
◆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.

The goal is for God to manifest Himself in the purified soul, implying transformation into divine nature.

All passages →
◇Birth Of Word In Soulanthropology

Eckhart's signature doctrine that the Father eternally begets the Son in the ground of the soul; the human interior as the actual site of the divine generative act, distinct from inner_light's static indwelling.

[auto] It describes the 'Light of wisdom, the Son' entering the 'fiery will, the Father' within the human interior to achieve unity.

All passages →
◇Body As Obstacleanthropology

The material body viewed as a prison, tomb, or source of error that hinders spiritual knowledge and return.

[auto] The passage describes 'animals in man' such as envy and self-will that must be killed for God to manifest, viewing the lower nature as an impediment.

All passages →
◇Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology

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

[auto] Salvation and manifestation are linked to 'self-knowledge in God' and the unfolding of mysteries rather than external rites.

All passages →
◇Inner Lightanthropology

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

[auto] The text asserts that God can manifest Himself within the purified soul, indicating an indwelling divine presence.

All passages →
◇Kingdom Withinanthropology

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

[auto] The focus on an 'internal and spiritual God' who requires internal sacrifices suggests the divine realm is accessible within the individual.

All passages →
◇Living Godtheology

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

[auto] God is described as 'internal and spiritual' and actively manifesting in the purified soul rather than being an abstract principle.

All passages →
◇Mystical Unionsoteriology

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

[auto] The text describes believers being 'one in the root of Christ' and God manifesting Himself within the purified soul.

All passages →
◇Rejection Of Hypocrisyethics

Critique of outward religious observance that lacks inner transformation; form without substance.

[auto] The author contrasts external animal sacrifices with the internal spiritual sacrifices required by an 'internal and spiritual God'.

All passages →
◇Self Knowledgesoteriology

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

[auto] The passage explicitly states that regenerated persons possess 'self-knowledge in God' as a central aspect of their spiritual state.

All passages →
◇Unity Of Beingtheology

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

[auto] The passage emphasizes that despite diverse gifts, all believers are 'one in the root of Christ' and share 'one spirit'.

All passages →
Related passages · 6 parallels
◆gnosticism|Pistis Sophia|Document THIRDa
“A PART OF THE BOOKS OF THE SAVIOUR [ The Interposed Fragment ] [233 ] and those who are worthy of the Mysteries which dwell in the Ineffable, namely, which did not proceed out: these become before the First Mystery and according to resembla…”
Both passages emphasize the unity of individuals within a divine or mystical context, comparing them to members of a single body. They also highlight the importance of internal spiritual transformation and the revelation of divine mysteries.
◆greek_mystery|The Golden Verses of Pythagoras|Section 7 (part 2)
“Understand that no dissimulation can be long concealed. 24. The unjust man suffers greater evil while his soul is tormented with a consciousness of guilt, than when his body is scourged with whips. 25. It is by no means safe to discours…”
Both passages emphasize the importance of internal spiritual transformation and the rejection of external rituals or sacrifices. They highlight the unity in divine spirit and the need for self-control and purity of the soul.
◆jewish_mysticism|The Book of Concealed Mystery (Siphra Dtzenioutha)|1e
“31: "And He was wise above every man." Because these are not classed with man. 21. (But when it is said) "And the Tetragrammaton gave him wisdom," then is understood the supernal He . (Because he gave unto him the influx of the wisdom of…”
Both passages discuss the unity and manifestation of divine wisdom within individuals and the transformation of the self through spiritual practices. They emphasize the internalization of divine qualities and the rejection of external rituals in favor of inner spiritual work.
◆neoplatonism|Iamblichus: On the Mysteries|Chapter VIIIi
“This, however, our philanthropic lord and father Jupiter understanding, that we might not be entirely deprived of communion with the Gods, has given us observation through sacred arts , by which we have at hand sufficient assistance.” For t…”
Both passages discuss the unity and interconnectedness of spiritual beings or souls within a divine framework. Passage A emphasizes unity in Christ and the manifestation of God's wisdom, while Passage B discusses the profound union of the Gods and the impassivity of the soul. Both highlight the idea of a deeper, spiritual unity beyond physical or individual distinctions.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 356
“Section 36 36. The Universe is immensely varied, the container of all the Reason-Principles and of infinite and diverse efficacies. In man, we are told, the eye has its power, and the bones have their varied powers, and so with each separat…”
Both passages emphasize the unity and interconnectedness of different parts within a greater whole, whether it be the body of Christ or the universe. They also highlight the unique functions and powers of individual members or elements within that whole.
◆neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 360
“Section 40 40. But magic spells; how can their efficacy be explained? By the reigning sympathy and by the fact in Nature that there is an agreement of like forces and an opposition of unlike, and by the diversity of those multitudinous powe…”
Both passages emphasize the unity and interconnectedness of all things within a divine framework. Passage A discusses the unity of individuals in Christ and the manifestation of divine mysteries, while Passage B describes the universe as a living, interconnected whole with each part having its own function and life.