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History of Philosophy
Protestant Mysticism
by Turner, William (S.T.D.)
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Mention has already been made of the Protestant Reformation as one of
the causes which led to the change from mediaeval to modern modes of
thought. Perhaps it would be more correct to regard both the Reform and
the rise of modern philosophy as effects of a common cause; for modern
philosophy is, as Erdmann observes, "Protestantism in the sphere of the
thinking spirit." At all events, wherever the influence of the first
reformers asserted itself, Scholastic philosophy was discouraged, and
an effort was made to replace it by a new order of ideas. Lutheranism,
according to Erasmus, was opposed to all literary culture: "Ubicumque
regnat Lutheranismus, ibi literarum est interitus." Whether this be
true or false, certain it is that
not only Luther, but also Zwingli, Calvin, and Melanchthon, did their
utmost to eradicate the principles of Scholasticism. Scholasticism
stood for ecclesiasticism, orthodoxy, respect for authority, in a word,
for everything against which the first reformers protested.
Among the reformers themselves there soon sprang up systems of
philosophy. Luther (1483-1546), by his distinction between
reason (a function of the flesh) and faith (a function of the spirit),
laid the foundation for psychological dualism. Zwingli
(1484-1531), imbued with the spirit of humanism, maintained a
pantheistic doctrine of Divine Immanence, and taught that man is
deified by divine regeneration. Melanchthon (1497-1560)
developed a system of Aristotelian philosophy which may be styled a
Protestant Scholasticism.
Of greater importance than these philosophical tenets of the first
reformers are the systems of mysticism which grew out of the religious
doctrines of the Reformation. Franck (1500-1545), of whom
mention has already been made, [1] developed a system of mysticism
characterized by pantheism and psychological dualism (antithesis of
flesh and spirit). He was succeeded by Weigel (1533-1588), who
taught that regeneration is to be attained by abandoning the I-ness
(Ichheit) of the individual nature. All these mystic tendencies
find their fullest expression in the writings of Jakob
Böhme (1575-1624), the chief representative of Protestant
mysticism.
[1] Cf. p. 414.
JAKOB BÖHME
Life. Jakob Böhme was born at Altseidenberg, near
Görlitz, in the year 1575. Until he was ten years old, he received
absolutely no education and he never extended his knowledge of
literature beyond an acquaintance with the Bible and with the writings
of Weigel. He earned his living by mending shoes, and the " Cobbler of
Görlitz" is sometimes referred to as the "German Philosopher" in
allusion to the fact that his works were composed in German -- the only language in which he could write.
He died in 1624. His principal work is entitled Aurora, or
The Rising Dawn.
DOCTRINES
Böhme devoted special attention to the problem of evil. He taught
that the ultimate cause of the evil which exists in the world is the
eternal dualism of God Himself. Perceiving one day the sunlight
reflected from a tin vessel, he conceived the idea that, as the dark
vessel reveals the brightness of the sun, so the element of evil in God
shows forth the goodness of the Divine Nature. For everything, he
taught, is known by its opposite. Without evil there would be no
revelation of God, no distinction of things, no life, no movement. Nay,
more, if there were not in God a principle antithetical to goodness,
God could not even arrive at a knowledge of Himself.
Developing this idea of the dualism of the Divine Nature, Böhme
describes in the language of mysticism the eternal nature of God as
containing seven primordial qualities, of which three represent the
divine anger and three the divine love. Intermediate between these is
the divine fire which is the principle of life. The Divine Nature in
the first stage of development, namely, in that of will without object,
is God the Father. The Father, looking into His own nature, forms in
Himself the image of Himself and thus "divides" into Father and Son.
The procession of this vision from the original groundless nature of
God as will, is God the Holy Ghost. Lucifer became enamored of the
anger qualities of God, and, refusing to take part in the advance from
darkness to light, remained wholly evil. As a result of the fall of
Lucifer, the material world was created. Heaven and hell are
experienced here on earth: he who, like Lucifer, becomes enamored of
evil, and clings to it, is in hell, while he who renounces all the evil
that is in self, and joins in the development of light from darkness,
is in heaven.
Historical Position. In the writings of Böhme we see the
mystic tendency run riot. Free from the restraint of orthodox dogma,
Bohme made the fullest use of the Protestant principle of private
interpretation, and expounded the doctrines of scripture from the
extreme individualistic point of view. No one, however, can question
the intense earnestness, the true-hearted sensibility, and the
unusually deep and vigorous spirituality of the man. It is these
qualities that have secured for Böhme a permanent place in the
history of German literature. They also account for the influence which
he exerted on such men as Schelling and Hegel.
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