People have said many things about the alternative philosophy of Rosicrucianism. Some people call it Christian mysticism. Some call it dangerous occult activity. But what do we truly know about it?
What Does Rosicrucianism Mean?
Various organizations have given explanations for what Rosicrucianism means. Arthur Edmund Waite reports two theories in his 1887 book The Real History of the Rosicrucians.
- It comes from the name of the group’s legendary founder, Christian Rosenkreuz.
- It comes from the Latin words ros(meaning dew) and crux (meaning cross). He reports dew was often a euphemism for gold in occult writings, particularly in alchemists’ discussions about making a Philosopher’s Stone that could transform base metals into gold.
Others claim that Rosicrucianism comes from the Latin phrase Rosae Crucis, which means “rose cross.” Crosses intermingled with roses are not an uncommon symbol—for example, Martin Luther’s family crest features one. Rosicrucian organizations often use a rose cross somewhere in their organization crest. For example, the Ancient and Mystical Order Rosae Crucis (AMORC) uses it and states: “The cross symbolically represents the human body and the rose represents the individual’s unfolding consciousness.”
Regardless of its true meaning, the explanations agree that Rosicrucianism combines Christian imagery with an interest in esoteric subjects like alchemy.
But how does Rosicrucianism accomplish this goal?
What Are Rosicrucianism’s Main Ideas?
Rosicrucianism emphasizes members learning ideas through joining a local order where they advance through levels by learning materials and undergoing rituals. Various Rosicrucian rituals have been published, but contemporary orders’ rituals are secret, making it hard to say what modern Rosicrucians believe. However, based on the founding documents and Rosicrucians who have discussed their experiences, its main ideas include:
- A belief in mysticism (directly connecting with a divine spirit or otherwordly realm)
- An emphasis on secret knowledge most people are not prepared for
- A practice of spiritual alchemy (the sinful self transformed into something higher)
Rosicrucianism has gone through different phases of popularity: currently, the AMORC is the largest Rosicrucian organization in the world. While the three founding Rosicrucian documents discuss Jesus Christ, the modern Rosicrucian Code of Life has a more general emphasis on connecting with God. It can also feature a belief in reincarnation and practicing mystical rituals like the Kabbalah.
Rosicrucian ideas have influenced a variety of other organizations and philosophies. For example, Anthroposophy founder Rudolf Steiner discussed his views on Rosicrucianism in his lecture “Theosophy and Rosicrucianism” and his book Rosicrucian Wisdom: An Introduction. Nevill Drury notes that Rosicrucian symbols played a key part in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a famous secret society that lasted from 1888 through the early 1900s.
Where Did Rosicrucianism Come From?
Like many alternative spirituality organizations, Rosicrucianism describes itself as an ancient fellowship that did not become public until modern times. For example, the AMORC released a 2014 statement mentioning that “traditionally, this Order traces its origins back to the Ancient Egyptian Eighteenth Dynasty Mystery Schools.” Ancient Egypt’s eighteenth dynasty lasted from 1550-1292 BC. In his book From Akhenaten to Moses, Egyptologist Jan Assman observes that various eighteenth-century alternate spiritual organizations claimed their teachings came from Egyptian mystery schools.
However, Rosicrucianism’s founding documents appeared in seventeenth-century Germany:
- Fama Fraternitatis (“the report of the fraternity”) appeared in 1614.
- Confessio Fraternitatis (“the confession of the fraternity”) appeared in 1615.
- The Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz appeared in 1616.
The “chemical wedding” refers to an alchemical wedding: combining and transforming items to create a higher material. As discussed in more detail later, the alchemical wedding may symbolize spiritual growth.
So, what do these founding Rosicrucian documents say?
What Are the Founding Books of Rusicrucianism About?
The first document describes “the Father Brother C.R.C.” and his spiritual journey during his 106 years. Orphaned at a young age, he travels with his guardian to Jerusalem. After his guardian dies, C.R.C. travels the world—studying math and physics in Damascus magic in Egypt and Fez (modern-day Yemen). Specifically, he learns magia—white magic purportedly based on mystical enlightenment or contact with benevolent spirits, not invoking demons. Unsuccessful attempts to spread his teachings in Spain lead C.R.C. to retire to Germany. Five years later, he collects seven friends to establish the Fraternity of the Rosy Cross, which will stay secret for 100 years until the world is ready. After 100 years, the Fraternity visits C.R.C.’s tomb and discovers his body is perfectly preserved. They go to spread his teachings.
The second document provides a defense of the Fraternity of the Rose Cross. It reaffirms the earlier document’s claims that the organization’s goal is to instigate reformation and frames its teachings as based on a belief in Jesus Christ and the Bible.
The third book describes a hermit, Christian Rosenkreuz (apparently C.R.C.), having a seven-day spiritual experience. The day before Easter, a winged woman invites Rosenkruez to a king’s wedding on a mountaintop. Rosenkruez reaches a castle, where he meets a woman who gives a riddle for her name: she is Alchemia (alchemy). Rosenkreuz undergoes tests to determine his worthiness, allowing him to participate in the alchemical wedding reviving three royal couples. He explores various castle rooms, seeing many mathematical and alchemical symbols. When he enters an underground vault, he sees the goddess Venus on a bed, which gets him in trouble. At the story’s end, his ogling Venus means he is sentenced to be the castle’s gatekeeper.
These three documents are filled with intriguing symbols and ideas. But what do they mean?
Like many medieval or Renaissance-era documents, the documents do not list their authors. Most pre-modern writers were interested in contributing to literary traditions—emulating others’ work, even adding to stories as they copied them for archives—rather than declaring what they had contributed.
However, historians have a few ideas about who wrote these three documents.
Who Wrote Rosicrucianism’s Founding Documents?
Theologian and author Johannes Valentinus Andreae claimed in his 1621 autobiography that he wrote the Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreuz as a lubidrium (joke). Scholars are divided on whether this means he was satirizing Rosicrucianism or protesting to hide the fact he still supported it. Everett F. Beiler notes that scholars speculate he was involved in writing the two earlier documents. Andreae studied theology at Tübingen, an academy with various scholars interested in ideas that appear in the first two documents.
Donald R. Dickson and others suggest that when Andreae and his Tübingen colleagues wrote these documents, they wanted to make allegorical statements suggesting reforms for the German church. Andrae’s other writings (such as his utopian work Christianopolis) show he was interested in questions about creating a better Christian world.
If this thesis is correct, the goal of the Rosicrucian documents was not to reveal a secret religious order. Instead, they were designed to get people thinking about refining their religious views. References to alchemy may be talking about spiritual alchemy (rebirth, purification). References to mythological characters like Venus may symbolize temptations that keep people from spiritual growth. C.R.C. having a perfectly preserved body after 100 years may refer to the classic dying god myth—the hero who dies and rises again when the world is ready for him (or at least his teachings).
Generally speaking, most Rosicrucians are not concerned about whether the founding documents are fictional and whether that means Rosicrucianism’s ancient history is false. They would likely say the founding documents’ teachings, symbolism, and images matter more than the historical facts.
Are There Christians Who Have Followed Rosicrucianism?
Given Rosicrucianism’s emphasis on secret teachings, evangelical American Christians may find it surprising that it uses Christian symbols or that the original documents frame it as an essentially Christian worldview.
It’s worth remembering that many Christian theologians maintain that all truth is God’s truth—meaning Christians can affirm ideas that fit biblical truth wherever they find them. Christian thinkers like C.S. Lewis and his friends in The Inklings discussed true myth—that Christians can affirm true ideas in pagan religions while maintaining there is one way to God. And while evangelicals aren’t used to liturgy or religious teachings that emphasize mystery, Eastern Orthodox Christians and other high church traditions have embraced these ideas for centuries.
Given these points, it’s unsurprising that many Christians have joined Rosicrucian organizations. J. Gordon Meldon notes Rosicrucianism became especially popular in Victorian and Edwardian England (the late 1800s to early 1900s) when various churchgoing Christians dabbled in alternate spiritual practices. Waite took his interest in secret spiritual knowledge further than most. Sørina Higgins notes that Waite joined numerous secret societies to understand their rituals because he believed he could access secret inner Christian teachings if he combined their beliefs and liturgy.
Waite also started at least one Rosicrucian organization: the Fellowship of the Rosy Cross. Its members included Charles Williams, an Inkling who wrote lay theology books such as He Came Down from Heaven. Higgins and other scholars, like Aren Roukema, have discussed how much Williams’ experience with Rosicrucianism and other alternative spiritual ideas informed his writing.
While Rosicrucianism was especially popular in the early twentieth century, its appeal to Christians has not disappeared. For example, Charles Weber wrote in 1995 that “Rosicrucian Teachings are not religious in the usual sense, they are essentially Christocentric; that is, they point to Christ as the Wayshower and the Light upon the path of spiritual unfoldment.”
A key question is whether Weber is correct.
Rosicrucianism’s emphasis on hidden teachings may present a problem: many alternate spirituality organizations claim their ideas are the inner secret teachings behind a recognized religion. Scholars often use the word ‘occult,’ which means “hidden,” as an umbrella term for these various groups. As Christianity.com contributor Candice Lacey observes, most occult groups combine elements from several religions. So, we must consider whether Rosicrucianism is Christ-centered or has elements that conflict with the gospel.
Are Rosicrucianism’s Ideas Consistent with Christianity?
Because Rosicrucianism is founded on the idea of a few people seeking secret inner knowledge, it isn’t easy to discuss all of its ideas. Therefore, it’s hard to do what Christian apologists typically do—access all the information, consider every section, and give their verdict.
However, we can discuss orthodox Christianity and how the known Rosicrucian ideas compare.
Orthodox Christianity (in the general sense, not the denomination) refers to core beliefs that Christians have believed throughout history. Churches typically determine orthodox doctrine using the following:
- The Bible
- The Holy Spirit’s guidance
- Tradition (how Christians have historically explained and defined their beliefs in documents like the Nicene Creed)
- Reason (whether an idea logically fits with the other three factors)
These four factors are known as the Wesleyan Quadrilateral.
While some of Rosicucianism’s symbols may seem confusing, that alone does not make it unchristian. For example, Rosicrucianism’s emphasis on alchemy may be seen as odd today, but alchemy was still widely accepted in sixteenth-century Europe. So, it wasn’t unusual for the Tubingen theologians to write about alchemy. While some readers may find it odd the Rosicrucian documents include references to pagan myth figures like Venus, there is a long tradition of Christian writers reusing pagan myth images to make a spiritual point in their stories. For example, C.S. Lewis includes the Greek god Bacchus in Prince Caspian, and Dante Alighieri includes various Greco-Roman images in The Divine Comedy.
However, Rosicrucianism’s key teachings present at least two major problems.
- Rosicrucianism’s emphasis on secret inner knowledge puts it generally in the same field as Gnosticism, which contradicts biblical teachings. Gnosticism is an early Christian heresy that claimed only a few can learn the secret inner teachings.
- Rosicrucianism’s emphasis on using mystic systems like the Kabbalah to learn more about God conflicts with Christianity’s view of approaching the Holy Spirit. Christianity doesn’t discount mystical experiences (direct spiritual encounters with God). Christian mystic traditions (like the Desert Mothers and Fathers) emphasize directly connecting with God in ways we may find strange today. But the best of these traditions still fit within orthodoxy: they don’t advocate ideas that contract the Bible or suggest additional teachings that Christians must use alongside the Bible to find the real truth. Rosicrucianism emphasizes using additives like the Kabbalah that Christians need to connect with the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, theologians would say Rosicrucianism is at least heterodox—outside orthodox ideas. Whether or not it qualifies as heresy (something that violates and undermines Christianity’s core ideas) may require more discussion.
How Can We Discuss Rosicrucianism?
Readers with family members or friends involved in Rosicrucianism may be concerned about how to discuss it with them.
How do we talk with people we care about and share our concerns about whether their beliefs fit Christianity?
First, we must be careful to do the best research possible. Everyone has an opinion about whether a worldview is flawed. People who do their homework—checking for verified sources, discarding urban legends, admitting their biases—are much harder to find. Doing the research especially matters when we discuss alternate spiritualities. There are many misconceptions, and we can spend so much time talking without getting anywhere if we don’t research well.
Second, we can seek a conversation instead of an argument. Arguing with someone rarely changes their mind. Having a ready defense for our beliefs (1 Peter 3:15-17) matters. At the same time, the Bible reminds us to be wise and innocent (Matthew 10:16), which means considering the context. Apologists debating each other’s views has its place, but those debates only work in certain contexts—and usually change the audience more than they change the debaters. How we discuss things with people often matters as much as what we say. Therefore, asking questions and adopting a civil tone works better than debating.
Third, we can recognize that what bothers us may not bother our listeners. Particularly in the evangelical Christian tradition that values apologetics, getting the historical facts takes a high priority. But, as discussed earlier, Rosicrucianism’s lack of historical basis does not bother many members. Waite wrote in his 1887 book about how Rosicrucianism’s historical claims did not stand up to scrutiny, but its dubious history didn’t stop him from starting the Fellowship of the Rosy Cross. Like many Rosicrucians, he believed the spiritual truth mattered more than the historical accuracy. When talking with Rosicrucians, we must expect their priorities may not fit our expectations. Much of the conversation will involve determining what motivates their worldview and whether we can connect with those passions.
Fourth, we can recognize God is ultimately in control of the situation. We may know someone well enough to discuss their views, show them some flaws in their thinking, and see them change direction. We may only have one conversation with someone, share some ideas as civilly as possible, and never know the full result. However, even if we don’t see someone change their mind, that doesn’t mean the situation was wasted. Most people change their worldviews over time. In his memoir Surprised by Joy, Lewis described his spiritual journey as many small changes from childhood until his thirties.
Whether talking with a family member about their interest in Rosicrucianism or with an established Rosicrucian about their beliefs, we must remember we play only a part in their spiritual journey. Even if we’re concerned about their choices, we may find many ideas we affirm. We can build bridges by recognizing our common ideas while seeking to bless them and keep growing the relationship.
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