Preface.

...hiddenness in my spirit showed this sufficiently / for what end it might be / yet outer reason reason original: Vernunft. In Böhme's context, this refers to human logic and worldly intellectual effort, which he often contrasts with divine revelation. was always the opposite original: Contrarium. A Latin term meaning the polar opposite or adversary.: Except only at times / when the Morning Star original: Morgenstern. A symbol for the dawning of divine light or Christ's presence within the human soul. rose / then was reason also ignited / and danced along / as if it had grasped it / but it is far from it.

God dwells in the likeness.

God dwells in the noble likeness original: Bildniß. This refers to the "image of God" (imago Dei) within a person, which Böhme believes is the only place where God can truly reside in a human being. / and not in the spirit of the stars and elements; He possesses nothing / but only Himself in His own kind. And although He does possess Something / as He then possesses Everything / yet nothing grasps Him / except only that / which has sprung and come from Him / such as the soul in the likeness of God.

It is a student’s writing,

Therefore all my writing is like that of a student / who goes to school; God has led my soul into a wondrous school / and I can in truth claim nothing for myself / as if my "I-hood" I-hood original: Ichheit. A term Böhme uses to describe the self-centered ego or the "self" that acts independently of God’s will. were anything or understood anything.

the work is God’s.

No one should think more highly of me / than he sees here: For the work in my labor is not mine / I have it only according to the measure / as it is granted to me by the Lord; I am only His tool / with which He does / what He wills. I report this...