of the Author.

to eat from the root of the tree, and the clever and the wise sought the root and quarreled over it. And the strife over the root of the tree became great, so that they forgot to eat of the fruit of the sweet tree because of the quarrel over the root of the tree.

62. However, it was not the root or the tree that truly mattered to them; instead, the prince in the darkness The devil or the spirit of worldly delusion had something else in mind. When he saw that they no longer wished to eat from the good tree, but instead quarreled over its root, he saw clearly that they had become quite weary and weak, and that the wild nature In Böhme’s theology, "wild nature" refers to the unrefined, selfish, and wrathful impulses of the soul when it is separated from God’s light ruled within them once again. Therefore, he moved them toward pride, so that each one believed he held the root by its handle—thinking that others should look to him, listen to him, and honor him. With this, they built their palace-houses and secretly served the idol Mammon The personification of wealth and greed. Because of this, the laity The "Layenstand": common people, as opposed to the professional clergy were offended and lived according to the lusts of their flesh and the desires of the wild nature. They served their bellies in excess, yet still relied on the fruit of the tree that hovered above them all, hoping they might become healthy through it even as they fell into ruin. Meanwhile, they served the prince of darkness according to the urge of the wild nature, and the precious tree served merely as a spectacle for them. Many lived like wild animals, leading evil lives of pride, pomp, and excess; the rich consumed the sweat and labor of the poor and oppressed them further.

63. Every evil deed was made "good" through bribes; laws flowed out of the evil quality in nature. Everyone sought great money and property, pride, gluttony, and showing off. The wretched had no rescue. Scolding, cursing, and swearing were not considered vices; they felt themselves at home in this fierce quality like a sow in the mud. This is how the shepherds The clergy or religious leaders treated the sheep, retaining nothing more than the name of the noble tree. Its fruit, power, and life were forced to serve as a cover for their sins.

64. Thus the world lived at that time, except for a small little house A small, faithful remnant or community of true believers that was born in the midst of thorns, in great tribulation and contempt, among all people on earth from the East original: "Orient" to the West original: "Occident". There was no distinction; they all lived in the urge of the wild nature in power-