The Great Mystery

work by Böhme

Also known as: “Erklärung über das erste Buch Mosis”, “Mysterium Magnum”(Show More)

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June 29, 2026

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Mysterium Magnum, or The Great Mystery, is a significant work by the German philosophical mystic Jakob Böhme. Written in 1623, it represents Böhme's synthesis of Renaissance nature mysticism and biblical doctrine.1

In this work, Böhme explores the creation of the universe as described in Genesis, using alchemical terminology and the concept of three principles (salt, sulfur, and mercury) to bridge nature mysticism with religious understanding. He also delves into the problem of evil and the nature of divine becoming, describing God as an eternal, dark mystery that reveals itself as light and love. Böhme's ideas profoundly influenced later intellectual movements like idealism and Romanticism.12

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Jakob Böhme
…known as Mysterium Magnum (1623; The Great Mystery), is his synthesis of Renaissance nature mysticism and biblical doctrine. His Von der Gnadenwahl (On the Election of Grace), written the same year, examines the problem of freedom, made acute at the time by the spread of Calvinism.
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…known as Mysterium Magnum (1623; The Great Mystery), is his synthesis of Renaissance nature mysticism and biblical doctrine. His Von der Gnadenwahl (On the Election of Grace), written the same year, examines the problem of freedom, made acute at the time by the spread of Calvinism.
Read More