Letter, 1617-09-03, Christoph Rodtbart to Joachim Morsius
| Author: | Christoph Rodtbart |
| Recipient: | Joachim Morsius |
| Type: | Letter |
| Date: | 3 September 1617 |
| Place: | no place |
| Pages: | 6 |
| Language: | Latin |
| Quote as: | https://www.theatrum-paracelsicum.com/index.php?curid=5592 |
| Editor: | Edited by Julian Paulus |
| Source: | [Christoph Rodtbart], Theosophi Eximii Epistola Ad Anastasium Philaretum Cosmopolitam, De Sapientissima Fraternitate R.C., Frankfurt am Main: Johann Hoffmann 1619, sig. A2r-A4v [BP.Morsius.1619-12]
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| Translation: | Raw translation see below |
| Abstract: | The author expresses gratitude for received correspondence and documents from the recipient's library. The letter addresses a query regarding the Rosicrucian Brotherhood (FRC), emphasizing the sensitive nature of the topic. The author suggests that even if he had definitive information about the Brotherhood, it would be inappropriate to share due to ethical considerations. He defends the Rosicrucians against accusations of heresy and devilry, arguing that their public writings and confessions align with mainstream Christian doctrine as practiced in contemporary schools and churches. He cites the Rosicrucians' own words, emphasizing their devotion to Jesus Christ and rejection of other religious beliefs. Additionally, he refers to their moral and spiritual guidelines, which advocate for piety, discipline, and humility, further countering claims of heretical beliefs. The letter also touches on theological controversies, particularly the Rosicrucians' belief in the possibility of regaining man's prelapsarian state. The author argues that this belief, if understood in a certain context, does not warrant condemnation. He concludes by encouraging the recipient to use these arguments to defend the Rosicrucians against detractors, maintaining the importance of protecting their innocence. (generated by Chat-GPT) |
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[sig. A2r] Gratiam et pacem in Christvm Iesv, Amen.
Literas tuas, Vir clarissime & doctissime, vna cum annexis pagellis ex Bibliotheca tua, multis aliàs intiquitatibus refertâ & ornatâ, an lucem editis, accepi, ex quibus tuum erga me cultum & affectum cognoui summum, ita vt tibi pro hisce omnibus gratias agam quam maximas.
Quod verò ad quæstionem tuam attinet, de Fraternitate RC. & meum de istis viris iudicium expetis, præsertim si quid certi mihi de ipsorum conditione & habitatione constaret: facilè pro discretione tua arbitrari poteris, rem sanè magni momenti esse, quæ à me hac in parte efflagitatur. Etsi enim (affirmo autem nihil) quicquam certi de istis viris haberem: saluâ tamen conscientiâ & nullo pacto, ne minimum quidem tibi vel al- [sig. A2v] teri, in specie de hac re communicare licitum esset. Interim tamen satis mirari non possum, quonam impulsu & spiritu agitentur illi, quantumuis magni nominis Theologi, qui hosce viros, partim crassissimæ hæreseos insumulare, partim etiam Diabolos incarnatos (sicuti ex aliorum relatu habeo) nuncupare, imò publicè proclamare, haud vereantur. Hi profectò scripta ipsorum publica aut non legerunt, aut non rectè considerarunt. In illis enim ita se declararunt fratres, vt (meo quidem iudicio) ne suspicioni quidem, multò minus rei ipsi hac in aprte locum dederint.
Nam primò fatentur in Fama sua, se ex toto amplecti Religionem, nuper in Imperio Romano reformatam, & à quibusdam Regnis & ciuitatibus defensam. Vnde profectó satis liquidè & manifestò apparet, ipsos aliam Religionem non agnoscere, nisi illam, quæ in Scholis & Ecclesijs nostris hodiè exercetur, atque in verbo Dei, Augustana Confessione, & Catechismo Lutheri, &c. comprehensa est. Et quanquam hoc nimis latè atque indefinitè dictum videatur, ita vt etiam hæretici omnes suo sensu se tali confessione generali palliare possint; non tamen propterea ipsos damnare, & hanc vel illam hæresin, [sig. A3r] ex sola suspicione, ipsis affricare, merito possumus aut debemus.
Deinde recensent hæc Epitaphia vel Eulogia Fratrum suorum defunctorum: I. Iesus mihi omnia. II. Granum pectori Iesu insitum. III. Ex Deo nascimur, in Iesu morimur, per Spiritum sanctum reuiuiscimus. Quæ verba si rectè considerentur, prænominatas non solùm maculas, satis aliàs graues & calmniosas, à FRC. remouent, sed omnem etiam planè aliam hæresin.
Nam si illis Iesus est omnia, necessario & irrefragabiliter sequetur, ipsos neque Iudæos, neque Mahumetistas, neque Arrianos, neque Papistas, neque Caluinistas, neque Anabaptistas, &c. esse. Hi enim omnes nullo iure hoc de se affirmare, sed potius ex vnico isto dicto refutari, & ipsos quam longissimè à Christo abesse, demonstrari poterit.
Alterum dictum, videlicet Granum pectori Iesu insitum, in Elucidario maiori Radtichs Brotoffers, explicatum vidi, ita vt in eo, tanquam in speculo, totum mysterium sacræ synaxeos adumbratum sit.
Vltimum verò nimirum ex Deo nascimur, &c. adeo perspicuum & pretiosum est, vt nullam planè hæresin sub te delitescere patiatur.
[sig. A3v] Huc accedit & illud, quod FRC. filios doctrinæ, sedulò hortentur ad pietatem, ita vt in libro, cuius titulus est Echo, hasce regulas ipse præscribant: I. (inquiunt) debent timere Deum. II. Colere disciplinam. III. Non implicare se negotijs & delicijs secularibus. IV. Egredi ex castris turpitudinis, & viam virtutis ingredi. V. Temperare gulæ. VI. Colere castitatem. VII. Submittere se in humilitatem. VIII. Non sitire & appetere opes. IX. Mundanam sapientiam floccipendere. X. Cœlestem sapientiam sedulò perquirere & indagare. XI. Iussis magistri obtemperare & obedire. XII. Nullum tempus laboris vacuum sibi dare. XIII. Non statim in principio scrutari altiora. XIV. Non sophistice studium sapientiæ contemnere, sed syncero animo idipsum amplecti. XV. Erga præceptorem suum se gratum, beneuolum & munificum præstare. XVI. Misericordiam pauperibus tribuere & impertiri.
Hæ Regulæ pietatis, vno ore reclamant omnibus illis, qui tam peruersa, imò grauia & ignominiosa de FRC. iudicia spargunt.
Sed dicat quispiam, hoc maximè Theologos nostros offendere, quod prædicti fratres, glorientur de statu hominis integro recuperando in [sig. A4r] hac vita, qualis ante lapsum fuerit. Sic enim in Confessioen sua Germanica scribunt:
Müssen demnach dieses allhie wol mercken/ vnd jederman zuverstehen geben/ daß Gott gewiß vnnd eygentlich beschlossen/ der Welt vor jhrem Vntergang/ welcher bald hernach erfolgen wird/ noch eben ein solche Warheit/ Liecht/ Leben vnnd Herrligkeit widerfahren zulassen vnd zugeben/ wie der erste Mensch/ Adam nemlich/ im Paradeiß verlohren vnnd verschwertzet hat/ &c. Verùm in hoc puncto facilè etiam FRC defendi & excusari possunt, siquidem idipsum non ἁπλῶς, sed κατʹ ἐξοχὴν intelligendum est. Et sanè qui Priuilegium habet super I. Infirmitatem. II. Inscitiam. III. Inopiam, ad nutum suum cum ipsis agere & procedere, sicuti fratres sibi tribuunt; ille profectò secundum Deum & vitam gloriosam in altero seculo, nihil amplius desiderare in hoc mundo merito potest. His paucis, vir clarissime, doctissime & perquam libenter, vt petis, in album amicorum meorum amice recepte, iam quiesce, & non dubito, si tria ista argumenta à me proposita, in posterum male & sinistrè de hisce viris sentientibus, pro dignitate & ingenij tui acumine, quo præditus es, opposueris, quin facile os eorum obstrues, & innocentiam innocentium, quemadmodum hominem pium, ingenuum & [sig. A4v] sapientiæ veræ indagatorem decet, à lingua virulenta vindicaturus sis.
Vale & me, vt facis ama, ego te redamare nunquam desinam. Dab[am] ex Musæo meo, III. Sept. Anno MDCXVII.
Tuus vt suus
C. R. E.
English Raw Translation
Generated by ChatGPT-4 on 30 December 2023. Attention: This translation is a machine translation by artificial intelligence. The translation has not been checked and should not be cited without additional human verification.
Grace and peace in Christ Jesus, Amen.
Your letters, most illustrious and learned Sir, along with the pages annexed from your library, filled with many other antiquities and adorned, whether published or not, I have received. From these, I have recognized your utmost respect and affection towards me, so much so that I owe you the greatest thanks for all these.
As for your question concerning the Rosicrucian Brotherhood and your request for my judgment about these men, especially if I have any certain knowledge about their condition and dwelling: you can easily surmise, with your discretion, that this is indeed a matter of great importance that is demanded of me in this regard. Even if (and I affirm nothing) I had any certain knowledge about these men, it would not be permissible, with a clear conscience and under no circumstances, not even the slightest, to communicate to you or anyone else, specifically about this matter. However, I cannot help but wonder what impulse and spirit drive those, even if they are theologians of great name, who dare to brand these men, partly with the grossest heresy, partly even as incarnate devils (as I have heard from others), and even to proclaim this publicly. They certainly have either not read or not properly considered their public writings. In those writings, the brothers have declared themselves in such a way that (in my opinion) they have not even given room for suspicion, much less for the actual matter in this regard.
Firstly, they confess in their Fama that they fully embrace the Religion recently reformed in the Roman Empire and defended by some Kingdoms and cities. Hence, it clearly and manifestly appears that they recognize no other Religion than that which is practiced today in our Schools and Churches, and is contained in the Word of God, the Augsburg Confession, and Luther's Catechism, etc. And although this may seem too broad and indefinite, so that even heretics of all kinds might cloak themselves with such a general confession according to their own understanding; we cannot and should not, therefore, condemn them and attribute this or that heresy to them based solely on suspicion.
Then they list these Epitaphs or Eulogies of their deceased Brothers: I. Jesus is everything to me. II. A grain planted in the heart of Jesus. III. We are born of God, die in Jesus, and are revived through the Holy Spirit. If these words are considered correctly, they not only remove the aforementioned stains, quite serious and slanderous, from the Rosicrucians, but also completely any other heresy.
For if Jesus is everything to them, it necessarily and irrefutably follows that they are neither Jews, nor Muslims, nor Arians, nor Papists, nor Calvinists, nor Anabaptists, etc. All these can in no way affirm this of themselves, but rather can be refuted by this very statement, and it can be demonstrated that they are as far from Christ as possible.
The second statement, namely, A grain planted in the heart of Jesus, I saw explained in the larger Elucidarium of Radtich Brotoffer, so that in it, as in a mirror, the whole mystery of the sacred synaxis is shadowed.
The last statement, namely, We are born of God, etc., is so clear and precious that it does not allow any heresy to hide under it at all.
In addition to this, the Rosicrucians, as sons of doctrine, earnestly exhort to piety, so that in the book titled Echo, they themselves prescribe these rules: I. (they say) they must fear God. II. Cultivate discipline. III. Not to entangle themselves in business and secular delights. IV. To leave the camps of disgrace and enter the path of virtue. V. To control gluttony. VI. To cultivate chastity. VII. To submit themselves to humility. VIII. Not to thirst for and covet riches. IX. To despise worldly wisdom. X. To diligently seek and investigate heavenly wisdom. XI. To obey and comply with the commands of the master. XII. Not to allow themselves any idle time from work. XIII. Not to investigate higher things at the beginning. XIV. Not to contemptuously neglect the study of wisdom sophistically, but to embrace it with a sincere heart. XV. To show themselves grateful, benevolent, and generous to their teacher. XVI. To show and impart mercy to the poor.
These Rules of Piety, with one voice, refute all those who spread such perverse, indeed serious and disgraceful judgments about the Rosicrucians.
But someone may say, what most offends our theologians is that the aforementioned brothers boast of recovering the state of man's integrity in this life, as it was before the fall. Thus they write in their German Confession:
We must therefore take good note of this here and make it understood to everyone that God has certainly and specifically decided, before the downfall of the world, which will soon follow, to allow and grant the world once again such Truth, Light, Life, and Glory, as the first man, namely Adam, lost and squandered in Paradise, etc. But in this point, the Rosicrucians can also be easily defended and excused, if this is understood not simply, but in a preeminent sense. And indeed, he who has the privilege over I. Weakness. II. Ignorance. III. Poverty, to deal and proceed with them at his will, as the brothers claim for themselves; he certainly can rightfully desire nothing more in this world according to God and the glorious life in the next world. With these few words, most illustrious and learned Sir, and very willingly, as you request, I have been amicably received into the album of your friends, now rest, and I do not doubt, if you oppose these three arguments proposed by me in the future to those who think ill and wrongly of these men, with the dignity and acuteness of your intellect, with which you are endowed, you will easily close their mouths, and as befits a pious man, a noble and true seeker of wisdom, you will vindicate the innocence of the innocent from the virulent tongue.
Farewell and love me, as you do, I will never cease to reciprocate. Given from my Museum, September 3, 1617.
Yours as his own
C. R. E.
