Jacob Böhme and His World

Jacob Böhme (1575–1624) is famous as a shoemaker and spiritual author. His works and thought are frequently studied as a product of his mystical illumination. Jacob Böhme and His World adopts a different perspective. It seeks to demystify Böhme by focusing on aspects of his immediate cultural and social context and the intellectual currents of his time, including Böhme’s writing as literature, the social conditions in Görlitz, Böhme’s correspondence networks, a contemporary “crisis of piety,” Paracelsian and kabbalistic currents, astrology, astronomy and alchemy, and his relationship to other dissenting authors. Relevant facets of reception include Böhme’s philosophical standing, his contributions to pre-Pietism, and early English translations of his works.

"The anthology represents an innovative compilation and addition to research on Jacob Böhme and makes an important contribution the history of philosophy and science." - N.M. Bauer, University of Innsbruck, in: Religious Studies Review Volume 43, Number 3 (September 2021)

Bo Andersson, Fil. dr. (1986), Stockholm University, is Professor of German at Uppsala University. He has published monographs and many articles on 17th century German language, literature, and intellectual history, including Jacob Böhmes Denken in Bildern (Francke, 2007).Lucinda Martin, Ph.D. (2002), University of Texas, is Director of a German Research Council project on Jacob Böhme and the Philadelphian Society at the University of Erfurt. She is also the co-curator of a series of international exhibits on Böhme.Leigh T.I. Penman, Ph.D. (2009), University of Melbourne, is Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities at the University of Queensland..Andrew Weeks, Ph.D. (1979), University of Illinois, is Professor of German and Comparative Literature at Illinois State University and has published monographs on Paracelsus, Weigel, and Böhme, as well as translations of their writings. Contributors are: Bo Andersson, Urs Leo Gantenbein, Ines Haaser, Kristine Hannak, Ariel Hessayon, Tünde Beatrix Karnitscher, Lucinda Martin, Cecilia Muratori, Gerold Necker, Lutz Pannier, Leigh T.I. Penman, Andrew Weeks, Mike A. Zuber