Johannes Valentinus Andreae (17 August 1586 – 27 June 1654), also known as Johannes Valentinus Andreä or Johann Valentin Andreae, was a German theologian and writer.
He is generally considered to be the author of the Rosicrucian text known as the Chymische Hochzeit Christiani Rosencreutz anno 1459 (published in 1616, Strasbourg; in English Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz in 1459), based on an earlier unpublished novel of his titled Chymische Hochzeit (Chemical Wedding) written in 1607. This became one of the three founding works of Rosicrucianism, which was a popular occult Protestant movement founded in Germany.
Andreae was a prominent member of the Protestant utopian movement which began in Germany and spread across northern Europe and into Britain under the mentorship of Samuel Hartlib and John Amos Comenius. The focus of this movement was the need for education and the encouragement of sciences as the key to national prosperity. But like many vaguely-religious Renaissance movements at this time, the scientific ideas being promoted were often tinged with hermeticism, occultism and neo-Platonic concepts. The threats of heresy charges posed by rigid religious authorities (Protestant and Catholic) and a scholastic intellectual climate often forced these activists to hide behind fictional secret societies and write anonymously in support of their ideas, while claiming access to "secret ancient wisdom".
Life
Andreae was born at Herrenberg, Württemberg, the son of Johannes Andreae (1554–1601), the superintendent of Herrenberg and later the abbot of Königsbronn. His father made several alchemical attempts to create gold and on his death, the family found themselves bankrupt. His mother Maria Moser went to Tübingen as a widow and was court apothecary 1607–1617.
The young Andreae studied theology and natural sciences 1604–1606. He befriended Christoph Besold who encouraged Andreae's interest in esotericism. Ca. 1605 he wrote the first version of "The Chemical Wedding of Christian Rosekreutz". He was refused the final examination and church service, probably for attaching a pasquill (offensive, libelous note) to the chancellor Enzlin's door, on the occasion of his marriage. He was then expelled from Tübingen.
- Invitatio Fraternitatis Christi (1617–1618)
- Peregrini in patria errores (1618)
- Reipublicae Christianopolitanae descriptio ("Description of the Republic of Christianopolis", "Beschreibung des Staates Christenstadt") (1619)
- Turris Babel (1619)
- Christianismus genuinus ... . Johannis Arndt (1615)
Family
His grandfather was the theologian Jakob Andreae (1528 – 1590).
His mother was appointed as the Pharmacist of the Württemberg court by the duchess of Württemberg, Sibylla of Anhalt.
His brother was also a pastor who worked in alchemy.