He attended the Gymnasium in Brieg and the University of Leipzig and looked set to become a lawyer; however, he abandoned his studies in 1617 and was drawn to more ascetic and mystical ideas.
He lived a very reclusive life and rarely ventured forth from this room – only in 1634 to attend to those suffering from plague, and in 1640 to challenge the rhetoric of Georg Seidel, a Lutheran preacher from Oels whom Franckenberg regarded as intolerant.
and Vita veterum sapientium (both 1637); others, such as Jordanssteine (1636) challenge orthodox Lutheranism or, as in Oculus siderius, discuss astronomical questions.
He had a reputation as an insightful teacher, and the crux of his teachings was the unity with God based on the denial of all things worldly and of the self; particular emphasis was placed on the significance of Christ for the attainment of salvation.
Perhaps Franckenberg's most famous work - and certainly his most unusual - is Raphael, Oder Arzt-Engel, first published posthumously in Amsterdam 1676.