Table Of ContentJacob Boehme’s Aurora:
Translation, Introduction, and Commentary
Aries Book Series
Texts and Studies in Western Esotericism
Editor
MarcoPasi
EditorialBoard
Jean-PierreBrach
NicholasGoodrick-Clarke†
WouterHanegraaff
AdvisoryBoard
AntoineFaivre–OlavHammer
AndreasKilcher–ArthurMcCalla
MonikaNeugebauer-Wölk–MarkSedgwick
JanSnoek–GyörgySzo˝nyi
GarryTrompf
VOLUME16
Thetitlespublishedinthisseriesarelistedatbrill.com/arbs
Aurora
(Morgen Röte im auffgang, 1612)
and Ein gründlicher Bericht or A Fundamental Report
(Mysterium Pansophicum, 1620)
By
JacobBoehme
WithaTranslation,Introduction,andCommentaryby
AndrewWeeks
and GüntherBonheiminCollaborationwithMichaelSpang
asEditorof GründlicherBericht
LEIDEN•BOSTON
2013
Coverillustration:EngravingofGörlitzontheNeisse.BibliothekderWissenschaften,Görlitz.
ReproducedwithkindpermissionunderaCClicense.
Thispublicationhasbeentypesetinthemultilingual“Brill”typeface.Withover5,100characters
coveringLatin,IPA,Greek,andCyrillic,thistypefaceisespeciallysuitableforuseinthehumanities.
Formoreinformation,pleaseseewww.brill.com/brill-typeface.
ISSN1871-1405
ISBN978-90-04-22493-3(hardback)
ISBN978-90-04-22568-8(e-book)
Copyright2013byKoninklijkeBrillNV,Leiden,TheNetherlands.
KoninklijkeBrillNVincorporatestheimprintsBrill,GlobalOriental,HoteiPublishing,
IDCPublishersandMartinusNijhoffPublishers.
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,translated,storedin
aretrievalsystem,ortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,
photocopying,recordingorotherwise,withoutpriorwrittenpermissionfromthepublisher.
AuthorizationtophotocopyitemsforinternalorpersonaluseisgrantedbyKoninklijkeBrillNV
providedthattheappropriatefeesarepaiddirectlytoTheCopyrightClearanceCenter,
222RosewoodDrive,Suite910,Danvers,MA01923,USA.
Feesaresubjecttochange.
Thisbookisprintedonacid-freepaper.
ToAustinCrothers
ourjoyousfriendofwindchimes,cementtrucks,anddonkeysmakingfaces
attheskieswhosefrequentvisitswerefreshbreezesonaridstretches
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments...................................................... xiii
Introduction............................................................ 1
ScopeandPurposeofThisVolume................................. 1
INTRODUCTORYCOMMENTARY
I Boehme’sLifeandTimesbefore1613 ............................... 5
A OutlineofBoehme’sLife ....................................... 5
B Görlitzaround1600 ............................................ 6
C ConflictandPolarization....................................... 7
D LutheranInsurrections......................................... 8
E PluralisminGörlitz ............................................ 9
F CalendarReformof1584 ....................................... 9
G BartholomäusScultetus........................................ 10
H AbrahamBehem ............................................... 10
I HopeoftheYear1612........................................... 11
II Boehme’sVocabularyandTerminology ............................ 13
A LutheranLiteraryCulture...................................... 13
1 TheLutheranBible ........................................ 13
1a ImageofGod(Gen1:27) ............................... 14
1b CreatorWord(John1:1)................................ 14
1c DivinePresence(Acts17:28)........................... 15
1d Wheels(Ezek1)andGuests(Mat22,25)............... 15
1e Grimmigkeit,Fierceness(Ps90)........................ 15
1f GodasAllinAll(Eph1:23)............................. 16
2 TheLanguageofLutheranDoctrine ....................... 17
2a ElectionofGrace(Gnaden-Wahl)...................... 17
2b DivineOmnipresence(Gottüberall,allenthalben)..... 18
2c RealPresence(Wesen,wesentlich) ..................... 19
2d ParadoxoftheGreatestandSmallest(Centrum) ...... 20
2e TheMaterialityofThings(Begreiflichkeit)............. 21
2f Divinity(Gottheit) ..................................... 21
3 LutheranSermonsandSongs.............................. 21
viii contents
3a LutheranHomileticSymbolism ....................... 21
3b LutheranHomileticAllegory .......................... 22
3c SolarSymbolismandNatureasLanguage ............. 22
3d TheRhetoricoftheEcstaticExperience............... 23
4 LutheranPopularCulture.................................. 23
4a DarknessandLight:AnfechtungandErleuchtung ..... 24
4b LayOppositiontoClericalQuarreling(Zankder
Theologen)............................................. 25
B NaturePhilosophy ............................................. 26
1 NaturalProcessasDivineMiracleaccordingtoLuther .... 26
2 TheAuthorityofNaturalKnowledge ...................... 26
3 Astrology................................................... 27
3a AstrologyversusAstronomy........................... 27
3b AstrologyofPlanetaryForces.......................... 28
3c PlanetaryVirtuesinPtolemyandBoehme ............ 29
3d MercuryasanExceptionalPlanet ..................... 29
3e SevenQualitiesasTastesorImpulses.................. 29
3f SolarCentralityasSymbol............................. 30
4 PhilosophyasTheologyandAlchemy ..................... 31
4a TheOrganicNaturePhilosophyofParacelsus ......... 32
4b ThePeculiarityofBoehme’sSalitter ................... 34
4c Boehme’sSalitterandduChesne’sSalNiter ........... 35
4d Boehme’sSourceSpiritsandduChesne’s“Æthereall
Spirits”................................................. 35
4e DuChesneandtheMultiplicityofVirtues,Qualities,
andTastes ............................................. 36
4f SiderischerGeistandanimalischerGeist ............... 36
5 LegalandMedicalLanguage............................... 38
C Boehme’sAmbiguitiesandNeologisms ........................ 39
1 Inficiren(toinfect)......................................... 39
2 Herb(thedryorstringent)................................. 39
3 Himmel(heavenandheavens)............................. 39
4 HeavenandHeavensinTheologicalDisputes ............. 40
D Boehme’sAdaptationsandExtensionsofWords............... 40
1 Geburt,gebären(birth)..................................... 41
2 Wallen,Wille,Welle,wollen................................. 41
3 Quelle,Qualität............................................. 41
4 qualificiren(tomanifestitself)............................. 42
5 inqualiren(toimbueorinfuse) ............................ 42
6 Schrack(thefireflashoffright) ............................ 43
contents ix
E Mystical,Esoteric,andKabbalisticSources .................... 43
III ProceduresforReproducingandTranslatingtheAutographText.. 45
IV Boehme’sGründlicherBericht(AFundamentalReport)............. 47
A TheContextoftheWork ....................................... 47
B TermsandConceptsofBoehme’sGründlicherBericht ......... 53
1 Sucht(craving)............................................. 53
2 TheEternalWille........................................... 55
3 Mysterium,MysteriumMagnum,Turba.................... 56
4 MagiaandMagus.......................................... 57
5 DerUngrund(the“unground,”orabyss) ................... 58
6 TheStrongandtheWeak .................................. 59
C ProblemsofInterpretation..................................... 59
1 ThePeculiaritiesofEingründlicherBericht ................ 59
2 SomePossibleInterpretations ............................. 60
2a TheCryptographicInterpretation ..................... 60
2b TheGnosticInterpretation ............................ 60
2c ThePhilosophicalInterpretation...................... 60
2d TheRhetoricalInterpretation ......................... 61
2e TheMaterialisticInterpretation....................... 62
D ProceduresoftheCriticalEdition(GüntherBonheim) ........ 63
SelectBibliography,WorksConsulted,andAbbreviations.............. 67
AURORA(MORGENRÖTEIMAUFFGANG)
TitlePage ............................................................... 75
Prefacetothekindreaderconcerningthisbook........................ 77
Chapter1.Onresearchingthedivinebeinginnature.Onthetwo
qualities............................................................. 117
Chapter2.[Notitle] .................................................... 127
Chapter3.Oftheexaltedlysacredtriumphantholy,holy,holytrinity.
Godthefather,son,holyspirit.AsingleGod. ...................... 145
Chapter4.Onthecreationoftheholyangels:aninstructionoropen
gateofheaven....................................................... 169
Chapter5.Onthecorporealsubstance,being,andpropertyofan
angel................................................................ 185
Chapter6.Inwhatwayanangelorhumanbeingisalikenessand
imageofGod........................................................ 201
Description:Jacob Boehme’s Aurora (Morgen Röte im auffgang, 1612) exercised a vast open or underground influence on popular and mystical religion, poetry, and philosophy from Germany to England to Russia. This beautiful and highly original work containing elements of alchemical, esoteric, and anticlerical th