The Place of Jacob Boehme in Western Esotericism

Historically, one can find many efforts to label or “place” the vast and complex work and thought of Jacob Boehme. For some, Boehme is best understood in the context of Pietism; ¹ for others, he exemplifies enthusiasm, often more or less synonymous with irrationalism; ² for others, there is a Boehme most important for his philosophical influences; ³ for others, he represents mysticism; ⁴ and at least in the case of Romanian physicist Basarab Nicolescu, ⁵ his work is even interpreted as shedding light on some discoveries of modern physics! One could say that there is a Boehme for every generation and purpose. While recognizing that no label or categorization schema is sufficient for a figure of Boehme’s magnitude, nonetheless, when we survey Boehme’s place in the growing literature on Western esotericism, we find many contradictions. In fact, Boehme’s inconvenient place in the study of Western esotericism is both central and revealing.