Jacob Böhme

It is hard to believe that the thought and work of Jakob Böhme, a Christian theosophist who died in 1624, have not, until now, been subject to a single study in French to take a general and yet serious approach for the enjoyment of an educated audience. The French translation of the work of Gerhard Wehr, which is to be found in the “Jakob Böhme Collection”, has now addressed that shortcoming. We see him as he was, wrote and thought, this Christian theosophist who died in 1624 and exerted an influence over German and European thought which surpassed the sole domain of Hermetism. To approach Böhme, is to return to the origins of modern philosophy, which followed him along the long path of secular thought; it is also to undertake a pilgrimage to the sources, as out of all western theosophists there is possibly no other who is more powerful, more endearing or more accomplished. This “Collection” also contains two rare texts by Jakob Böhme which were only published once, in 1807, in French translation by Louis Claude de Saint-Martin. Two texts which provide an overview of Böhme’s thinking. A third section is presented. Pierre Deghaye, without doubt the leading specialist on Böhme in France, agreed to take on the delicate but in no way unwelcome role of exegete. The aim is for this “Jakob Böhme Collection” to encourage readers to meditate on one of the fundamental, but for all too long neglected, aspects of our western culture, and what’s more to offer them a number of motifs for spiritual reflection for their own personal use.