Jacob Boehme

by Jacob Boehme

"Highly regarded among Christian mystics, Jacob Boehme (1575-1624) was famous for his inspired and provocative analysis of the nature and being of God.". "Grounded in Paracelsus, the Kabbala, astrology, alchemy and the Hermetic tradition, Boehme articulated a revelatory theology which emphasized the process whereby God comes to know Himself. Boehme reasoned that from His illimitable oneness, God was unable to truly apprehend Himself as God in all His splendor. Thus, God had to become an incarnated, limited being, for only through experience could He satisfy His need for self-understanding. Driven by a series of spiritual epiphanies, Boehme boldly proclaimed his new revelations, rejecting the narrow dogmatism and bibliolatry of mainstream sentiment. His subsequent prosecution by church authorities led to banishment from his home town of Goerlitz, and continued harassment by more orthodox thinkers. After his death in 1624, his writings continued to provoke debate among mystics and schola