First German Philosopher

This book considers Hegel's interpretation of Jakob Böhme's mystical philosophy, against the background of the reception of Böhme in the 18th and 19th centuries, and of Hegel's understanding of mysticism as a philosophical approach. The three sections of this book explore: the historical background of Hegel's encounter with Böhme's writings; two different conceptions of mysticism in Hegel's work and the responses of other famous readers of Böhme (especially Schelling); Hegel's references to Böhme both in published writings and manuscripts. According to Hegel, Jakob Böhme "is the first German philosopher". The reason for placing Böhme at the very beginning of German philosophy is that Hegel considers the cobbler to be a profound thinker, despite a serious lack of education. Hegel's fascination with Böhme mainly lies in the mystic's understanding of the symbiotic relation between God and its opposite, the Devil: he considers this to be the true speculative core of Böhme's thought. By interpreting Böhme, Hegel intends to free the speculative content of his thought from the limitations of the inadequate form in which the mystic expressed it, and also to liberate Böhme from the prejudices surrounding his writings, placing him firmly in the territory of philosophy and detaching him from the obscurity of esotericism. Through historical reconstructions and philosophical argumentation, this volume guides the reader through an important phase in German philosophy, and ultimately into an inquiry about the relationship between mysticism and philosophy itself. Scholars working on the history of philosophy, especially German Idealism and the history of ideas more broadly, including radical religion, will find this book of interest. Through its accessible style, this book will also appeal to students and a general audience with an interest in German studies, mysticism and philosophy.