Jacob Behmen, An Appreciation

Whyte’s survey was the first review of the life and ideas of 17th century German mystic and theologian Jacob Behmen (in German, Jakob Böhme), and to this day it remains the most popular. As a scholar, Behmen had introduced a controversial idea to Lutheran theology: that the Fall was a necessary step in God’s narrative for the universe. For salvation to occur, creation must pass through fallenness, suffering, and evil. Behmen’s work influenced some of Europe’s most famous thinkers, including John Milton and G.W.F. Hegel. Hegel even went so far as to say that he was “the first German philosopher.”

Kathleen O'Bannon
CCEL Staff