BOHM, ben, RICHARD (1854-1884). An Af rican explorer. Ile was born in Berlin, studied zoology, and in 1880 went with Paul Richard to Zanzibar. In the following year he made an ex pedition to the interior of the continent and vis ited Lake Tanganyika. lie died of fever in the Urna district. He published numerous zoological, especially ornithological, observations.
BolThr, bi;m, THEORALD (1794-1881). A Ba varian flute-player and manufacturer of wind instruments. He is chiefly remembered for his improvements in the construction of the flute. Ile wrote Leber den Flotenbau end die neuesten l'crbesscrungen desselbcn (1847), and Die note uncl dos Flotenspiel, and also had some reputa tion as a composer.
BesivrE, Wine. or BoHM, hem JAKOR (1575-1624). A German theosophist and mys tic. He was born of poor parents at Altseiden berg, near GOrlitz, in Upper Lusatia. and spent his boyhood in tending cattle. He received no instruction till he was ten years of age; but e'en then the contemplation of earth and sky bad so excited his naturally pious imagination that lie coneeived himself inspired. lie learned the trade of a shoemaker, but continued to de vote much of his time to meditation on divine things. About 1612 he composed his first book, called Aurora, oder die Jlorgenriitc he Aufgang. The manuscript fell into the hands of the au thorities, got him into trouble, and was con demned as heretical. It was not published till 1934. Bohme's fundamental doetrine is that everything, exists and is intelligible only through its opposite. Thus, in the very nature of good ness evil is necessary as an element in its per fection. Without evil the will would rest con tent with its present state, and progress would be impossible. God himself contains conflicting elements in His nature, the whole sensible uni verse being a constituent in His divine holi ness. Biihme stated his doctrine in technical theitsophie language which makes it quite un intelligible to the uninitiated. Numerous at
tacks front theologians disturbed Itrdum••s last Fears. but he bore them all with great meek ness. They were probably occasioned by a Inlet on repentance, Der !leg a •hristi). which his friends had printed without his knowledge. In addition to the two works already mentioned, pt. rInips his IftiNtcrium Itagnant should be noted as a characteristic production. The first col lection of his writings was published by Beets ( \msterdam. 16110) ; the most complete in 1730, at the same place; and the latest (1831-47). by Schiebler. at Leipzig. Next to Germany, hol land and England are the countries in which 11;Ihme's works hate been received with most favor. In England, where Milton was generally called Behmen, a translation was published by William Law in 1764. In 1697 Jane Lead, a fanatical disciple of Bithrnes founded a sect called the Philadelphians, for the exposition of his writings. In more recent times, and in eon nection with speculative philosophy in Germany, his views, had voule to be l*Nril flied as empty mysticism, have acquired fresh interest and nnportanee. This arises from the kindred character of his fundamental principle with the spirit pervading the systems of Spinoza, S•hel ling, and Ilegel. The intellectual contemplation of the absolute, out of which the c(mtradictions in the world of phenomena proceed, and into which they return. is common to these systems and to flame; llegel, indeed, expressly repre sents negativity, the active principle of development, as an obscure foreshadowing of his own intuitions, and on that nevount places hint at the head of modern philosophy. Con sult: hamberger, Die Lehre des deutschen Phi losophen Jacob ( Muni•h, IS-1-1); Fech. tier, Jacob Bbhme, xrtis Lawn and seine Schrif ten (Wirlitz, 1857) : Peip, Jacob flame, der deutsche' Philosoph (Leipzig, 1861) ; mid Hart mann, Life and Doctrines of Biihme (London, IS93 ).