Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz
| Author | Anonymous: attributed to Johann Valentin Andreae |
|---|---|
| Original title | Chymische Hochzeit Christiani Rosencreutz anno 1459 |
| Language | German |
|
Publication date
|
1616 |
| Media type |
The Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz (German: Chymische Hochzeit Christiani Rosencreutz anno 1459) is a German book edited in 1616 in Strasbourg. Its anonymous authorship is attributed to Johann Valentin Andreae. The Chymical Wedding is often described as the third of the original manifestos of the mysterious "Fraternity of the Rose Cross" (Rosicrucians), although it is markedly different from the Fama Fraternitatis and Confessio Fraternitatis in style and in subject matter.
It is an allegoric romance (story) divided into Seven Days, or Seven Journeys, like Genesis, and recounts how Christian Rosenkreuz was invited to go to a wonderful castle full of miracles, in order to assist the Chymical Wedding of the king and the queen, that is, the husband and the bride.
This manifesto has been a source of inspiration for poets, alchemists (the word "chymical" is an old form of "chemical" and refers to alchemy—for which the 'Sacred Marriage' was the goal) and dreamers, through the force of its initiation ritual with processions of tests, purifications, death, resurrection, and ascension and also by its symbolism found since the beginning with the invitation to Rosenkreutz to assist this Royal Wedding.
The invitation to the royal wedding includes the Monas Hieroglyphica associated with John Dee.
There is some resemblance between this alchemical romance and passages in the Bible such as:
The Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz (CRC) first appeared in Strasbourg in the year 1616. It was written in German and entitled Chymische Hochzeit Christiani Rosencreutz anno 1459. No author was named in the book, other than Christian Rosenkreutz (henceforth CRC), but Johannes Valentinus Andreae (1586–1654) claimed to be the author, in his autobiography. First English version appeared in 1690, by Ed. Foxcroft, followed by translations into many languages throughout time.
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