Leseprobe

129 B öhme’s R e ce pti on 6 Frans Luyckx, Electoral Prince Johann Georg I of Saxony, 1652, Oil on canvas, Rüstkammer, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Inv. Nr. H 0200 T ROP PAU/OPAVA (town in the Moravian-Silesian region, today Czech Republic) While Böhme’s works had been circulating in Troppau since at least late 1621, in the spring of 1622 Böhme made personal contact with the physician Matthias Giller von Lilienfeld (d. 1655) while the latter was visiting Breslau/Wrocław. Giller carried letters from several other readers of Böhme’s works in Troppau, including the cloth maker Balthasar Nitsche (fl. 1616–1641), and Hans Butowsky (d. 1645). Thereafter Böhme corresponded regularly with these figures, who in turn distributed his writings further. Several of them, such as Nitsche and Butowsky, would continue to participate in spiritualist corre- spondence networks well after Böhme’s death, ensur- ing the continuing circulation of his works in man- uscript into the 1640s among figures like Abraham von Franckenberg. [LP] DRE SDEN (capital of the German state of Saxony) Böhme made contact with several persons at the Saxon royal court in early 1624, following the print- ing of Weg zu Christo ( Way to Christ ). In May and June he spent around eight weeks in the city. His contacts included the court alchemist Benedict Hinckelmann (1588–1659) and other high officials interested in Böhme’s thought. Böhme also spent several days at Pillnitz, residence of Joachim von Loß (1576–1633), Electoral-Saxon Privy Counselor and a supporter of Böhme’s doctrines. Although Böhme hoped to secure an audience with Elector Johann Georg I (1585–1656), this never happened. Some his- torians believe that Böhme was exonerated of charges of heresy after facing a formal church tribunal in Dresden in 1624. The available evidence on this point is inconclusive, although it is known that some Dresden clergy supported him. [LM] L E I PZ I G (town in the German state of Saxony) The annual book fairs in Leipzig, particularly the November Michaelismarkt , were often used by Böhme and his supporters as places to distribute and exchange dissident publications in both print and manuscript. Leipzig was also the home of the physi- cian Arnold Kerner (c. 1585–c. 1627), who from 1620 acted as a copyist and distributor of Böhme’s Aurora and other works. Kerner also corresponded with the radical chiliast Paul Nagel in Torgau and in 1624, Kerner forwarded books and writings of Böhme to Balthasar Walther in Lübeck. [LP/LM]