Forty questions of the soul concerning its original, essence, substance, nature or quality and property, what it is from eternity to eternity : framed by a lover of the great mysteries, Doctor Balthasar Walter, and answered in the year 1620 / by Jacob Behme, called Teutonicus Philosophus ; Englished by John Sparrow ...

A brief Account of the Life and Conversation of Jacob Behme, afterwards by Learned Men in Germany called Teutonicus.

Written in High-Dutch, by Abraham van Franckenberg, one very much acquainted with him.

JAcob Behme was born in the year, 1575. at Old Seidenburg, distant about two Miles from Gerlitz, a City in Upper Lusatia, highly Esteemed by Learned Men: His Parents were Jacob his Fa∣ther, & Ʋrsula his Mother, both Countrey people. In his youth he kept Cattel, and at length by advice of Friends was sent to School, where he learned to Read and Write, together with the Fear of God; af∣terwards was put to the Handicraft Trade of a Shoomaker; when he became Master of his Trade in the year, 1594. he marry∣ed a Maid, one Catharine the Daughter of John Kunshman a Butcher of Gerlitz, with whom he lived quietly and well for thirty

years together, and had four Sons, that learned Handicraft Trades.

Being from his youth inclined to the fear of God, and very diligent in fre∣quenting to hear the Preaching of Ser∣mons, he was at length stirred up by that saying and promise of our Saviours, Lube 11. 13. Your Heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him for it, and because of the very many Contro∣versies in Religion, about which he could not satisfie himself, he was moved, in simplicity of Heart or Spirit, inwardly ear∣nestly and uncessantly to pray or ask seek and knock, that he might know or appre∣hend the truth; whereby then according to the Divine Drawing and will in the Spirit or Heart, he was rapt into the Holy * 1.1 Sabbath, wherein he continued seven whole dayes by his own Confession, in high∣est Joy. Afterwards, when he was come to himself, and having put off the folly of Youth, he was driven by Divine Zeal, vehemently to reprove all scandalous reproachful and blasphemous Speeches, and withdrew from all unseemly matters and actings with earnestness for

Love to Vertue: By which way and Life, being contrary to the course of the world, he became but their scorn and derision. During which time he mentained himself with the labour of his hands in the sweat of his Brows, till the beginning of the sixth Seculum or Age, viz. Anno 1600. when he was a second time touched by the Di∣vine Light, and by a sudden Glimps of a Pewter Vessel, he was introduced into the Inward Ground or Center of the Hidden Nature.

He not being yet sufficiently satisfied with this, went forth into the open fields, and there perceived the wonderful or won∣der-works of the Creator in the Signa∣tures, Shapes, Figures and Qualities or Properties of all created things, very clear∣ly and plainly laid open; whereupon be∣ing filled with exceeding Joy, kept silence, praising God, and so contentedly satis∣fied himself therewith for a while.

But according to God's Holy Counsel, and Determination; who manageth his works in secret, about Ten years after, viz. in the year, 1610. by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit, he was a third time stir∣red up and renewed by God, whereupon being so enlightned, with such great Grace

bestowed upon him, he could not put it out of his mind, nor strive against his God, therefore did by small means, and without the help of any Books, but only the Holy Scriptures, write secretly for himself these Books following, viz.

• (1.) Anno, 1612. the first Book called Aurora, the Morning Redness, or Rising of the Sun; and being complained of to the Magistrates of Gerlitz, for being the Au∣thor thereof, the Book was taken and laid up in the Councel House, with command to him, that he being an Ideot or Layick, should from thence-forth forbear such writing of Books, which did not belong to his condition and employment, upon which he abstained for seven years; but after that, being in like manner stirred up again by the moving of the Holy Spirit, and being ex∣horted to it by the entreaty and desire of some people that feared God, he took Pen in hand again, and went on to write, and perfected with good leasure and delibera∣tion these that follow.
• 2. Anno. 1619. The second Book con∣cerning the Three Principles, with an Ap∣pendix concerning the Three-fold Life-of Man.
• 3. Anno. 1620. A Book of the Three∣fold Life of Man.
• ...

• 4. The Answer to the Forty Questions of the Soul, proposed by Dr. Balthazer Walter; in the first Chapter whereof is contained a Treatise of the Reversed Eye, or Philosophick Globe; with an Appen∣dix concerning the Soul, the Image of the Soul, and the Turba or destroyer of the Image.
• 5. Three Books. First, 1. of the becom∣ing Man or Incarnation of Jesus Christ. Second. 2. Of the Suffering Dying and Resurrection of Christ. Third. 3. Of the Tree of Faith.
• 6. A Book of the small six Points, and a Book of the Great Six Points.
• 7. A Book of the Heavenly and Earth∣ly Mystery.
• 8. A Book of the Last Times, or of the 1000. years Sabbath, being two Epistles to Paul. Keym.
• 9. Anno. 1621. De Signature Rerum, of the signification of the Signs or Marks of All Things.
• 10. A Consolatory Book of the four Complexions.
• 11. An Apology to Balthasar Tilken con∣cerning the Aurora, and another to him concerning Predestination, and the Person of Christ and of Mary.
• ...

• 12. Considerations upon Esaias Stiefells Book.
• 13. Anno. 1622. A Book of True Re∣pentance.
• 14. A Book of True Resignation.
• 15. A Book of Regeneration, or the New Birth.
• 16. Anno. 1623. A Book of the Prede∣stination and Election of God.
• 17. An Appendix to the Predestination, being A Compendium of Repentance.
• 18. The Mysterium Magnum, or the Great Mystery, being an Exposition upon Genesis.
• 19. Anno. 1624. A Table of the Three Principles, or a Key to his Writ∣ings, written to Godfried Frewdenhammern and John Hausern.
• 20. A little Book of the Supersensual Life.
• (21.) A little Book of Divine Vision.
• 22. A Book of the Two Testaments of Christ, viz. Baptism and the Lord's Sup∣per.
• 23. A Dialogue or Conference between the Enlightned and unenlightned Soul.
• 24. An Apologie for the Book of True Repentance upon a Pamphlet of the Pri∣mate of Gerlitz, Gregory Richter.
• ...

• (25.) A Book of 177. Theosophick Questions; 13 and part of the 15th An∣swered.
• 26. An Extract out of the Mysterium Magnum.
• (27.) A Prayer Book, called the Holy Week.
• 28. A Table of the Divine Manifestati∣on, or an Exposition of the Three-fold World, to John Sigismund of Sigismund, and to Abraham van Frankenberg, being at the End of an Epistle concerning the True and false Light.
• 29. A Book of the Errours of the Sects of Ezekiel Meths to A. P. A. or an Apology to Esaias Stiefel.
• 30. A Book of the Last Judgment.
• 31. A Book of several Letters written at several times.
• 32. A Clavis or Key of his Writings, be∣ing the Exposition of some words.

The Books which the Author finished nor, are marked thus. () In these he hath left so Noble and Pretious a Talent and Treasure, for the setting forth God's Honour and Glory, and for the promoting Man's Salvation, both for the present and for the future times, that since the times of the Apostles higher and deeper ground∣ed

Mysteries concerning the Deity have scarce been revealed; his acquaintance for the most part was with Godly Learned People, and such as were experienced in the knowledge of Nature, with whom he conversed, as also with some of the Noble men of Lusatia and Silesia, in all fear of God; though some of the Common Preachers, have not forborn, as their usu∣al manner is, to cast forth their venom against his Writings, and to stir up the Rude and foolish People with all manner of Reproach and Scandal: yet the Truth liveth still, and hath prevailed, and will at length Tryumph in secret.

But he the blessed Jacob Behme the Teu∣tonick, at Gerlitz in his House, near the Water-side of the River Neisse, Anno. 1624. the 18. Day of the Month of No∣vember, new-stile, about the sixth hour in the Morning, being the 24. Sundy after Trinity, after he had heard most exceeding lovely sweet Musick without his Chamber, and being refreshed with the Holy Use of the Testament of Christ at his Supper, his Sons and some Good Friends praying and weeping about him, with these his last and Comfortable Words,

Now go I hence into Paradise.

Meekly and gently sighing, blessedly departed in the fiftieth year of his Age.

After the Preaching of the Funeral Ser∣mon, he was buried in the Church-yard at Gerlitz, & upon the Grave a Wooden Cross was set with this Mystical three-fold Fi∣gure graven upon it, viz.

An Eagle with a Lilly-Twig.

A Lyon with a Sword.

A Lamb with a Mitre.

The Superscription over the Cross was this,

V. H. I. L. I. C. I. V.

That is,

Vnser Heil Im Leben Jesu Christi In Vns.

In English thus,

Our Salvation is In the Life of Jesus Christ In Vs.

Which was J. B. Motto, or usual speech, and Superscription in his Letters.

Also these words were the Inscription of the Cross.

Born of God. Dead in Jesu. Sealed with the Holy Spirit.

Resteth here Jacob Behme of Old Sei∣denburg.

Note. 1. The Southern Eagle, stood upon a high Rock, and with one foot trod on the Head of a Serpent, and with the other held a Palm, and with its Beak re∣ceived a Lilly-Twig reached forth-out of the Sun.

2. The Northern Lyon was Crowned, and signed with a Cross, and held in the Right foot before, a fire-flaming-Sword, and in the Left a fiery Heart, and rested with the hough or hinder part of the Right Foot behind upon a Cube, and with the Left upon a Globe.

3. The Lamb with a Mitre, walked meekly and quietly between them both in the Meadows, and by the Brooks and Ri∣vers of Grace.

His Seal or Stamp was a Hand out of Heaven with a Lilly-Twig.

In the Memorial Books of good friends, he used to write these Verses.

Text.

Weme Zeit ist wie Ewigkeit, Und Ewigkeit wie die Zeit, Der ist befreyt von allem streit.

Englished.

To whom Time is as Eternity, And Eternity as Time, He is freed from all strife.

The outward Form of his Body was al∣most of no Personage, he was lean and little of Stature, with a Fore-head very much inbowed, high Temples, somewhat Hawk-nosed, his Eyes were Grey and ve∣ry Azure, otherwise as the Windows of Solomons Temple, he had a short thin Beard, a small shril Voice, an amiable pleasing Speech; He was modest in his Behaviour, humble in his Conversation, and meek in Heart; his highly enlightned Spirit is to be discerned by his Writings in the Divine Light.

The following Relation was taken out of a Memorial of Michael Curtz, con∣cerning what happened at the Depar∣ture of the Blessed Jacob Behme.

ON Sunday (November 18.) early in the Morning, he called his Son To∣bias, and asked him: If he heard the Ex∣cellent Musick, he said, No; then he spake that the Door should be opened, that the singing might be the better heard; afterward he asked what the Clock had stuck, and was told it had struck Two, he said, It is not yet my time, three hours hence is

my time; In the mean while he spake these words once.

O thou strong God of Hosts, deliver me according to thy Will. O thou Crucified Lord Jesus Christ, have Mercy upon me, and receive me into thy Kingdom.

When it was near about six, he took leave of his Wife and Sons; blessed them, and said, Now go I hence into Paradise; He did bid his Son to turn him about, sighed deeply, and so very meekly and quietly departed from this World.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Inward Sab∣bath of Rest and satisfaction in his Soul.