Lutheran Rosicrucianism

I realize it's a dead thread but it's an interesting topic all the same.

Gnosticism by any other name is still Gnosticism.

Rosicrucian mysticism had one goal at it's core, enlightenment. Like all mystics they sought a kind of ultimate enlightenment, pretty much unknown in the church. The church has always had mystics, Rosicrucian may represent one brand of such pursuits. I don't know how you connect Rosicrucian mysticism with Lutheran theology, the two couldn't be more different.

mark kennedy said:

Rosicrucian mysticism had one goal at it's core, enlightenment. Like all mystics they sought a kind of ultimate enlightenment, pretty much unknown in the church. The church has always had mystics, Rosicrucian may represent one brand of such pursuits. I don't know how you connect Rosicrucian mysticism with Lutheran theology, the two couldn't be more different.

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How do you define "enlightenment"? Because in Christian discourse enlightenment or illumination is often used as a synonym for baptism. Likewise the Small Catechism stats that the Holy Spirit has "enlightened me with his gifts". Of course that doesn't mean that Rosicrucians meant the same thing but they seem to have considered themselves Christians and their philosophy as a dimension of Christianity.

"Mysticism" is another tricky term. Oftentimes the term is applied to any aspect of Christian practice that delves beyond the merely intellectual or forensic approach to faith ("I believe in A,B,C as stated in the X confession"). In that sense pious (not necessarily pietist) Christians cannot help but being mystics.

What's bad is when someone claims to have some special knowledge beyond or contrary to what is given in the sacraments and the Word. One can of course explore these latter to varying, indeed infinite, depths.

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That's all new to me. The LCMS is explictly against Freemasonry, but the ELCA takes no stance on the issue of Masonic membership, however, Christian and Masonic rites should not be mixed together at a funeral.

Ishraqiyun said:

How do Lutherans now a days feel about the Rosicrucian movement. Did it ever gain widespread support? Are there any Lutheran Rosicrucians still around?

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My personal opinion is that the Rosicrucian movement is a pagan cult that is incompatible with orthodox Christianity:

"In his work "Silentium Post Clamores" (1617), the rosicrucian Michel Maier (1568–1622) described rosicrucianism as having arisen from a "Primordial Tradition" in the following statement: "Our origins are Egyptian, Brahmanic, derived from the mysteries of Eleusis and Samothrace, the Magi of Persia, the Pythagoreans, and the Arabs."

It was not uncommon for Christian intellectuals at the time to think of themselves as continuators of a grand philosophic/ mystic tradition from antiquity. This is pretty typical renaissance stuff and it definitely fed into the reformation. Luther kept the old pagan thinkers at arms length but many of his contemporaries did not. Zwingli for instance was pretty much a Platonist- his sermon "On Providence" is almost purely pagan.

I’m familiar with the teachings and followed a Hermetic path for a time which inevitably leads to Uncle Al and additional problems. No matter the road it always leads to magic and Egypt will come up eventually. Many of the practices use Christian elements but its all occult.

“Cloak” is an accurate description. But the further you go the clearer the roots become. Its demonic.

I'm not sure the roots are particularly clear at all. Do these practices really have any resemblance to actual religion as practiced in ancient Egypt or Zoroastrian Iran, or...? It doesn't seem so. Rather it all goes back to the same religious/ intellectual atmosphere that Christianity emerged from- Hellenistic mystery religions (and Christianity is in many ways a Hellenistic mystery religion). When Plato was claiming some continuity with Egypt via Pythagoras I think this was more of a literary device than a serious assertion. The later Hermeticists took it quite seriously but I don't think it holds up when a real comparison is made.

AMORC - LibriVox

Jacob Boehme Online -

https://www.sacred-texts.com/eso/ldjb/ldjb03.htm

This is a fascinating thread!

LaBèlla said:

I’m familiar with the teachings and followed a Hermetic path for a time which inevitably leads to Uncle Al and additional problems. No matter the road it always leads to magic and Egypt will come up eventually. Many of the practices use Christian elements but its all occult.

“Cloak” is an accurate description. But the further you go the clearer the roots become. Its demonic.

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I don't understand the reference to 'Uncle Al', I'd be grateful if you could explain what you mean by that.

I always thought that Rosicrucianism is compatible with Christianity, since Sir Francis Bacon was a devout Christian and prominent Rosicrucian? You mention Egypt, but one should remember that Jesus spent some time there, after fleeing Herod.

Does the word occult not mean 'hidden'?

A Shield of Turquoise said:

I'm not sure the roots are particularly clear at all. Do these practices really have any resemblance to actual religion as practiced in ancient Egypt or Zoroastrian Iran, or...? It doesn't seem so. Rather it all goes back to the same religious/ intellectual atmosphere that Christianity emerged from- Hellenistic mystery religions (and Christianity is in many ways a Hellenistic mystery religion). When Plato was claiming some continuity with Egypt via Pythagoras I think this was more of a literary device than a serious assertion. The later Hermeticists took it quite seriously but I don't think it holds up when a real comparison is made.

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I'd appreciate it if you could elaborate on the bold text above, it sound interesting. Thanks.

The early Rosicrucians were closer to Christianity but AMORC is not.