Christian Mystics

Jacob Böhme (Boehme) was considered many things by his contemporaries, friends and peers: a theologian, heretic, prophet, and saint. Despite his heterodox interpretations, he was deeply attached to his Lutheran Christian beliefs and strongly connected with Christ. With no formal education and with a career as a shoemaker, he saw his spiritual insights as a revelation from God and took no credit for himself. He internally contemplated for many years what God had revealed to him until he was compelled by the holy spirit to write. He used his cultural influence of alchemy, astrology, Kabbalah, and his passionate love for scripture to develop a theology that would revolutionize both mainstream Christianity and occult circles. He is considered the founding father of theosophy, a Christian mystical tradition that draws on many hermeneutical elements including Kabbalah. Some of the movements that were later influenced by his work were modern Evangelical Christians, Christian Pietists, and people such as Louis Claude de Saint-Martin, Friedrich Hegel, William Blake, Isaac Newton, John Milton, and Spinoza. Because he wrote in German, his work has been translated and interpreted many times, which makes the process of determining his beliefs very complicated. Furthermore, he tended to write as his thoughts were revealed to him, so his work reads more like a journal. However, this adds a very personal and powerful experience for the readers which isn't really found as much in his later essays and dissertations. I intend for this server to build a community that encourages the study of theosophical teachings, hermeneutics and Kabbalah through a Christian lens. Additionally, anyone from other traditions are welcome to join to learn and discuss Böhme's teachings, later interpretations and the wisdom of religious practices and philosophies.