BOEHME, Jacob ( Translated by John Sparrow, Edited By C.J.B. ).

The Aurora [ Aurora, That Is, the Day-Spring Or Dawning of the Day in the Orient or Morning-Redness in the Rising of the Sun, That is the Root or Mother of Philosophie, Astrologie, & Theologie from the True Ground or a Description of Nature ].

London: John M. Watkins, 1960. Facsimile reprint of the 1914 edition. Hardcover. Large octavo. xlviii + 724pp. Original blue cloth with gilt titling. to spine. Jacob Boehme (1575-1624) underwent a variety of mystical experiences in his youth, including a vision in 1600 (the year in which Giordano Bruno was immolated) in which he felt the spiritual structure of the world was laid open before him, and the relationship between good and evil explained. Boehme outlined some of the fruits of these revelations in his first treatise Aurora, which was published in German as Aurora oder Morgenröte im Aufgang in 1612. The work attracted some interest, and considerable opposition, and Boehme was prosecuted by the ecclesiastical authorities in his home town of Goerlitz (Silesia), and had to agree to cease writing or face imprisonment. Although accused of heresy much of Boehme's world view was not out of step with Lutheran theology of the time, for he believed that encouraged by fallen angels, humanity had fallen from grace to a state of sin, and that it was God's will to restore it, but his thought and writings were also heavily influenced by exposure to Neoplatonist and Paracelsian thought, astrology, alchemy, the Kabbala, and the other aspects of the Hermetic tradition. Whilst Aurora is clearly above all a work of mysticism, it is cited in many histories of alchemy, and Carl G. Jung has observed that "Boehme's mysticism is influenced by alchemy in the highest degree," and has speculated on the relationship between the title of Boehme's Aurora and that of the fifteenth century alchemical work "Aurora Consurgens." A nice hardcover reprint of the 1914 Watkins edition which was drawn largely from the first English edition of 1656, but with numerous corrections etc. from manuscript sources. Dust jacket reproduces the frontispiece engraving by Hollar which appeared in the 1656 edition A few light spots and a little rubbing to cloth, spine a bit darkened and bruised at ends, page edges darkened, bookplate on front pastedown, pages lightly toned, no markings to text. Overall a tight, bright VG+ copy in VG+ illustrated dust jacket (Dust jacket is slightly rubbed overall, spine slightly darkened, edges lightly rubbed and creased, not clipped). Item #62446

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