Jakob Böhme und das Böse

Abstract

https://doi.org/10.5507/aither.2020.014 AbsTRACT* One of the central topics of Jakob Böhme (1575–1624) is the problem of evil. In contrast to the Neoplatonic tradition, which has inspired much of the Christian theology, he does not believe that evil can be explained simply as a deficiency of good. His innovative notion of „Ungrund“ (the Divine „Abyss“) has grown out of his strong belief that both has to be maintained: God is Good and evil is something real. Now, his fundamental question is: How is it possible that good and omnipotent God created the world in such a way that there can be evil in it? In this paper, I follow up the ancient, and more specifically, the Neoplatonic, concepts of the first principle. I try to understand why the divine being, the One, could have been called „good“, and what it meant for the concept of evil. In this perspective, I analyze the innovative approach to evil, as it was developed by Böhme. Although his „Ungrund“ is beyond good and evil, he explains that, and in which way, the metaphysical source of evil must be present already there.