whom　we　have　no　reason　to　be　ashamed。　It　was；　in　fact；　through　him　that　Philosophy　first
  appeared　in　Germany　with　a　character　peculiar　to　itself：　Boehme　stands　in　exact　antithesis　to
  Bacon。　He　was　also　called　theosophus　teutonicus；　just　as　even　before　this　philosophia
  teutonica　was　the　name　given　to　mysticism。（1）　This　Jacob　Boehme　was　for　long　forgotten　and
  decried　as　being　simply　a　pious　visionary；　the　so…called　period　of　enlightenment；　more　particularly；
  helped　to　render　his　public　extremely　limited。　Leibnitz　thought　very　highly　of　him；　but　it　is　in
  modern　times　that　his　profundity　has　for　the　first　time　been　recognized；　and　that　he　has　been　once
  more　restored　to　honour。　It　is　certain；　on　the　one　hand；　that　he　did　not　merit　the　disdain　accorded
  him；　on　the　other；　however；　he　did　not　deserve　the　high　honour　into　which　he　was　elevated。　To　call
  him　an　enthusiast　signifies　nothing　at　all。　For　if　we　will；　all　philosophers　may　be　so　termed；　even　the
  Epicureans　and　Bacon；　for　they　all　have　held　that　man　finds　his　truth　in　something　else　than　eating
  and　drinking；　or　in　the　common…sense　every…day　life　of　wood…cutting；　tailoring；　trading；　or　other
  business；　private　or　official。　But　Boehme　has　to　attribute　the　high　honour　to　which　he　was　raised
  mainly　to　the　garb　of　sensuous　feeling　and　perception　which　he　adopted；　for　ordinary　sensuous
  perception　and　inward　feeling；　praying　and　yearning；　and　the　pictorial　element　in　thought；　allegories
  and　such　like；　are　in　some　measure　held　to　be　essential　in　Philosophy。　But　it　is　only　in　the　Notion；
  in　thought；　that　Philosophy　can　find　its　truth；　and　that　the　Absolute　can　be　expressed　and　likewise
  is　as　it　is　in　itself。　Looked　at　from　this　point　of　view；　Boehme　is　a　complete　barbarian；　and　yet　he　is
  a　man　who；　along　with　his　rude　method　of　presentation；　possesses　a　deep；　concrete　heart。　But
  because　no　method　or　order　is　to　be　found　in　him；　it　is　difficult　to　give　an　account　of　his
  philosophy。
  Jacob　Boehme　was　born　in　1575　of　poor　parents；　at　Altseidenburg；　near　G？rlitz；　in　Upper
  Lusatia。　In　his　youth　he　was　a　peasant　boy　who　tended　the　cattle。　He　was　brought　up　as　a
  Lutheran；　and　always　remained　such。　The　account　of　his　life　which　is　given　with　his　works　was
  drawn　up　by　a　clergyman　who　knew　him　personally；　from　information　given　by　Boehme　himself。
  Much　is　there　related　as　to　how　he　attained　to　more　profound　knowledge　and　wisdom　by　means
  of　certain　experiences　through　which　he　passed。　Even　when　a　herd　tending　the　cattle；　as　he　tells　of
  himself；　he　had　these　wonderful　manifestations。　The　first　marvellous　awakening　that　occurred　to
  him　took　place　in　a　thicket　in　which　he　saw　a　cavern　and　a　vessel　of　gold。　Startled　by　the
  splendour　of　this　sight　he　was　inwardly　awakened　from　a　dull　stupor；　but　afterwards　he　found　it
  was　impossible　for　him　to　discover　the　objects　of　his　vision。　Subsequently　he　was　bound
  apprentice　to　a　shoemaker。　More　especially　“was　he　spiritually　awakened　by　the　words：　'Your
  heavenly　Father　will　give　the　Holy　Spirit　to　them　that　ask　Him'　（Luke　xi。　13）；　so　that；　desiring　to
  come　to　a　knowledge　of　the　truth；　and　yet　retaining　the　simplicity　of　his　mind；　he　prayed　and
  sought；　and　knocked；　fervently　and　earnestly；　until；　while　travelling　about　with　his　master；　he　was；
  through　the　influence　of　the　Father　in　the　Son；　spiritually　transported　into　the　glorious　pence　and
  the　Sabbath　of　the　soul；　and　thus　his　request　was　granted。　According　to　his　own　account；　he　was
  then　surrounded　with　divine　light；　and　for　seven　days　he　remained　in　the　supremest　divine
  contemplation　and　joy。”　His　master　for　this　dismissed　him；　saying　he　could　not　keep　in　his　service
  “house…prophets　such　as　he　was。”　After　that　he　lived　at　G？rlitz。　In　1594　he　rose　in　his　trade　to
  be　master；　and　married。　Later　on；　“in　the　year　1600；　and　in　the　twenty…fifth　year　of　his　age；　once
  more”　the　light　broke　upon　him　in　a　second　vision　of　the　same　kind。　He　tells　that　he　saw　a　brightly
  scoured　pewter　dish　in　the　room；　and　“by　the　sudden　sight　of　this　shining　metal　with　its　brilliant
  radiance”　he　was　brought　（into　a　meditation　and　a　breaking　free　of　his　astral　mind）　“into　the
  central　point　of　secret　nature；”　and　into　the　light　of　divine　essence。　“He　went　out　into　the　open　air
  in　order　that　he　might　rid　his　brain　of　this　hallucination；　and　none　the　less　did　he　continue　all　the
  more　clearly　as　time　went　on　to　experience　the　vision　in　this　way　received。　Thus　by　means　of　the
  signatures　or　figures；　lineaments；　and　colours　which　were　depicted；　he　could；　so　to　speak；　look
  into　the　heart　and　inmost　nature　of　all　creatures　（in　his　book　De　signatura　rerum　this　reason
  which　was　impressed　upon　him　is　found　and　fully　explained）；　and　for　this　he　was　overwhelmed
  with　joy；　thanked　God；　and　went　peacefully　about　his　affairs。”　Later　on　he　wrote　several　works。
  He　continued　to　pursue　his　handicraft　at　G？rlitz；　and　died　at　the　same　place　in　1624；　being　then　a
  master　shoemaker。（2）
  His　works　are　especially　popular　with　the　Dutch；　and　for　that　reason　most　of　the　editions　are
  issued　from　Amsterdam；　though　they　were　also　surreptitiously　printed　in　Hamburg。　His　first　writing
  is　the　“Aurora”　or　“Morgenr？the　im　Aufgange；”　and　this　was　followed　by　others；　the　work　“Von
  den　drei　Principien；”　and　another　“Vom　dreifachen　Leben　des　Menschen；”　are；　along　with
  several　others；　the　most　noteworthy。　Boehme　constantly　read　the　Bible；　but　what　other　works　he
  read　is　not　known。　A　number　of　passages　in　his　works；　however；　prove　that　he　read　much　—
  evidently　mystical；　theosophic；　and　alchemistic　writings　for　the　most　part；　and　he　must　certainly
  have　included　in　his　reading　the　works　of　Theophrastus　Bombastus　von　Hohenheim；　known　as
  Paracelsus；　a　philosopher　of　a　somewhat　similar　calibre；　but　much　more　confused；　and　without
  Boehme's　profundity　of　mind。　He　met　with　much　persecution　at　the　hands　of　the　clergy；　but　he
  aroused　less　attention　in　Germany　than　in　Holland　and　England；　where　his　writings　have　been　often
  printed。（3）　In　reading　his　works　we　are　struck　with　wonder；　and　one　must　be　familiar　with　his
  ideas　in　order　to　discover　the　truth　in　this　most　confused　method　of　expression。
  The　matter　of　Jacob　Boehme's　philosophy　is　genuinely　German；　for　what　marks　him　out　and
  makes　him　noteworthy　is　the　Protestant　principle　already　mentioned　of　placing　the　intellectual
  world　within　one's　own　mind　and　heart；　and　of　experiencing　and　knowing　and　feeling　in　one's　own
  self…consciousness　all　that　formerly　was　conceived　as　a　Beyond。　Boehme's　general　conceptions
  thus　on　the　one　hand　reveal　themselves　as　both　deep　and　sound；　but　on　the　other；　with　all　his　need
  for　and　struggle　after　determination　and　distinction　in　the　development　of　his　divine　intuitions　of　the
  universe；　he　does　not　attain　either　to　clearness　or　order。　There　is　no　systematic　connection　but　the
  greatest　confusion　in　his　divisions　—　and　this　exists　even　in　his　tables；（4）　in　which　three　numbers
  are　made　use　of。
  I。
  What　God　is　beside　nature　and　Creation。
  II。
  Separability
  God　in　Love
  Mysterium
  magnum
  The　first　Principium。
  God　in　Wrath。
  III。
  God　in　wrath　and　love。
  Here　nothing　definite　to　hold　the　moments　asunder　is　shown；　and　we　have　the　sense　of　merely
  doing　it　by　effort；　now　these　and　now　other　distinctions　are　set　forth；　and　as　they　are　laid　down
  disconnectedly；　they　again　come　into　confusion。
  The　manner　and　system　which　Boehme　adopts　must　accordingly　be　termed　barbarous；　the
  expressions　used　in　his　works　prove　this；　as　when；　for　example；　he　speaks　of　the　divine　Salitter；
  Marcurius；　&c。　As　Boehme　places　the　life；　the　movement　of　absolute　existence　in　the　heart；　so
  does　he　regard　all　conceptions　as　being　in　a　condition　of　actuality；　or　he　makes　use　of　actuality　as
  Notion；　that　is　to　say　he　forcibly　takes　natural　things　and　sensuous　qualities　to　express　his　ideas
  rather　than　the　determinations　of　the　Notion。　For　instance；　sulphur　and　suchlike　are　not　to　him　the
  things　that　we　so　name；　but　their　essence；　or　the　Notion　has　this　form　of　actuality。　Boehme's
  profoundest　interest　is　in　the　Idea　and　he　struggles　hard　to　express　it。　The　speculative　truth　which
  he　desires　to　expound　really　requires；　in　order　to　be　comprehended；　thought　and　the　form　of
  thought。　Only　in　thought　can　this　unity　be　comprehended；　in　the　central　point　of　which　his　mind　has
  its　place；　but　it　is　just　the　form　of　thought　that　is　lacking　to　him。　The　forms　that　he　employs　are
  really　no　longer　determinations　of　the　Notion　at　all。　They　are　on　the　one　hand　sensuous；　chemical
  determinations；　such　qualities　as　acid；　sweet；　sour；　fierce；　and；　on　the　other；　emotions　such　as
  wrath　and　love；　and；　further；　tincture；　essence；　anguish；　&c。　For　him　these　sensuous　forms　do　not；
  however；　possess　the　sensuous　significance　which　belongs　to　them；　but　he　uses　them　in　order　to
  find　expression　for　his　thought。　It　is；　however；　at　once