Jacob Behmen: An Appreciation — Edition Insights

Whyte's Approach to Behmen's Life

Whyte deliberately avoids a conventional biographical narrative. He states that Behmen 'has no biography' because his life was 'hid with Christ in God.' Instead, Whyte directs readers to the 'incidental and unstudied utterances' in Behmen's books, which he calls 'charming' and 'heart-winning.' He compares these autobiographical fragments to The Confessions of St. Augustine, The Divine Comedy, and Grace Abounding, suggesting that a collection of such passages would rank among classical spiritual autobiographies. Whyte's method is to let Behmen speak for himself, using the excerpts to reveal the man behind the philosophy.

The Aurora Passage as a Key to Behmen's Mind

Whyte highlights a passage in the nineteenth chapter of Aurora as 'a very important passage of this autobiographic nature.' He describes how Behmen, in the midst of profound speculation, suddenly shares 'childlike and heart-winning confidences about his own mental history and his own spiritual experience.' This technique, Whyte argues, gives readers a 'complete history of his great mind and his holy heart.' For a first reading, Whyte suggests that such passages are the most accessible entry points, offering a personal connection to Behmen's otherwise dense theological works.

Behmen's Method in Treating Predestination

Whyte examines Behmen's treatise on the Election of Grace, noting its 'workman-like way' of addressing predestination. He lists chapter titles such as 'What the One Only God is' and 'Of the sayings of Scripture, and how they oppose one another,' showing Behmen's systematic approach. Whyte particularly praises the appendix on Repentance, calling it 'a splendid day's work' that rivals Augustine, Luther, and Bunyan in 'evangelical depth, and strength, and passion, and pathos.' This section illustrates how Behmen combines rigorous argument with heartfelt devotion, a pattern Whyte encourages readers to observe.

The Mysterium Magnum and Its Influence

Whyte describes Behmen's Mysterium Magnum as an 'immense piece of work'—a mystical commentary on Genesis that allegorises 'every syllable.' He recommends that the 'enterprising and unconquerable student' at least master the Preface. Whyte then cites Schopenhauer, who said that Schelling's book was 'all taken from Jacob Behmen's Mysterium Magnum; every thought and almost every word.' This external validation underscores Behmen's philosophical impact. Whyte uses this excerpt to show how Behmen's work influenced later thinkers, providing a reason for modern readers to engage with his texts.

Whyte's lecture serves as a guide to reading Behmen not as a systematic theologian but as a spiritual autobiographer. By focusing on Behmen's own words—his confidences, his chapter structures, his allegorical method—Whyte equips readers to navigate the dense prose. The excerpts suggest that the best approach is to start with the autobiographical passages, then move to works like Aurora and the Election of Grace, and finally tackle the Mysterium Magnum with patience. Whyte's appreciation is itself a model of engaged reading.

Sitting with Whyte's Behmen, I remembered nights in my twenties when despair felt like a teacher, not an enemy. His wrestling with the dark in Aurora brought back that same raw honesty I found in The Philosophy of Despair — Themes and Context — both books let me hold that ache without flinching. Strange, how such old words still feel like a hand on my shoulder.