ABSTRACT
The word ‘Rosicrucian’ is derived from the name ‘Christian Rosencreutz’ or ‘Rose Cross’. The so-called ‘Rosicrucian manifestos’ are two short pamphlets or tracts, first published at Cassel in 1614 and 1615, the long titles of which can be abbreviated as the Fama and the Confessio.1
The hero of the manifestos is a certain ‘Father C.R.C.’ or ‘Christian Rosencreutz’ who is said to have been the founder of an Order or Fraternity, now revived, and which the manifestos invite others to join. These manifestos aroused immense excitement, and a third publication, in 1616, increased the mystery. This was a strange alchemical romance, the German title of which translates as The Chemical Wedding of Christian Rosencreutz. The hero of The Chemical Wedding seems also connected with some Order which uses a red cross and red roses as symbols.
