Hermetica

Translated from the Latin and Greek by Walter Scott

With a Foreword by Adrian Gilbert

This book is currently on special offer!

The Hermetica is the name given to an extra-ordinary collection of writings ascribed to Hermes Trismegistus, the legendary Ancient Egyptian prophet, deified as the god Thoth. The collection consists of the Corpus Hermeticum, the Asclepius, extracts from the anthology of Stobaeus and fragments from other writings.

'The Hermetica have had a long and chequered career and attitudes towards them have alternated between the extremes of enthusiasm for a lost source of knowledge to scholarly disdain. The first response is exemplified by the decree of Cosimo de Medici who, knowing that he had only a short time to live, ordered Marsiglio Ficino to put aside the works of Plato and get on with translating the Corpus Hermeticum, which had just come into his possession. The ideas contained in the Hermetica had a profound effect upon such Renaissance thinkers as Pico della Mirandola, Ramon Lull, Giordano Bruno and Robert Fludd. They regarded Hermes Trismegistus as an Egyptian Moses and therefore treated his supposed writings with the same sort of veneration normally reserved for the Bible. The Hermetic Philosophy brought a much needed breath of fresh air into the stagnant atmosphere of Late Medieval Europe. It provided a justification for studying astrology and this in due course led inevitably to the discovery that the Sun and not the Earth lies at the centre of the solar system. It is no exaggeration to say that the Corpus Hermeticum, most especially the Pimander, was the manifesto which shocked Europe out of the Middle Ages, paving the way for the Renaissance and the Enlightenment which was to follow two centuries later in the 1600s.' (from the Foreword by Adrian Gilbert)

The Corpus Hermeticum

The first collection of documents is a series of dialogues, written in Greek and today called the Corpus Hermeticum.  There are seventeen of these 'libelli' (pamphlets), the most famous of which, Libellus I, is The Poimandres (or Pimander) of Hermes Trismegistus. The Greek word Poimandres translates as 'shepherd of men' and this important document bears some comparison with the early pre-Christian text known as the Ethiopian 'Book of Enoch'. The protagonist of the Poimandres is Hermes Trismegistus  ('Thrice Greatest Hermes') himself. In it he describes his experience of initiation into the gnosis. Hermes' initiation begins with him falling into a trance state, his soul leaving his body. In this disembodied state, he meets Poimandres, the 'Mind of the Sovereignty', who shows him the mysteries of the universe. He is told how Man, in his essence, is god-like; that he came originally from a heavenly realm above the stars, but anxious to be a creator in his own right, came down through the heavenly spheres to arrive on the earth. At first he was still a spirit but then, falling in love with the beauty of  the nature, he was drawn into her embrace.  Still in this state today, men are trapped on earth until such time as they stop identifying with the body and turn back to the Light: the source of our inner being.

This doctrine is expressed clearly in the following extract:

" 'But what great sin,' said I [Hermes], 'do those who are in ignorance commit, that they should be deprived of immortality? 'O man,' said he [Poimandres] 'it seems you have not heeded what you heard. Did I not bid you mark my words?' 'I do so,' said I, 'and I keep in memory what you have told me, and moreover I am thankful for it.' If then you have marked my words,' said he, 'tell me why those who are in ignorance deserve death.' I answered, 'It is because the source from which the material body has issued is that grim darkness, whence came the watery substance of which the body is composed; (and therefore those who have set their affection on the body are deservedly held captive) in the sensible world, from which is drawn the draught of death.' 'Oh man,' said he, 'you have understood aright. But why is it that he who has recognised himself enters into the Good, as it was said in God's speech?' I answered, 'It is because the Father of all consists of Light and Life, and from him Man has sprung.' 'You are right,' said he 'If then, being made of Life and Light, you learn to know that you are made of them, you will go back into Life and Light.' Thus spoke Poimandres." [Hermetica, Solos Press edition, p.51]

It is difficult to over-emphasise the importance of the Poimandres both as the core document from which all the other Hermetic writings draw their inspiration and for the light it throws on the teachings of Jesus. The implication is clear: Jesus must have studied at an Hermetic school prior to embarking on his own mission.  

The Asclepius

The Asclepius, another important Hermetic document, has come down to us in the form of a Latin dialogue attributed to Apuleius. This Latin dialogue (a conversation between Hermes Trismegistus and his student Asclepius) is a translation of a Greek original, which was known to Lactantius and others but is now lost. Scott separates the dialogue into three component parts, believing that they have different, original sources.

Amongst other important material contained in the Asclepius is a description of how the ancient Egyptians believed that their country was modelled as an the image of heaven. We now know (see The Orion Mystery) that the  IVth Dynasty Giza pyramids were laid out to represent the stars of Orion's Belt, giving credence to the truthfulness of the sources on which the Asclepius is based.

The anthology of  Stobaeus

The anthology of Stobaeus contains a very important dialogue called the Kore Kosmu. Variously translated as "the Virgin of the World" and "Eye-pupil of the Universe", it is the record of a supposed conversation between the goddess Isis and her son Horus. It explains the traditional belief held by the Egyptians that their "gods" came from the heavens, being sent to Earth by the Father of all to bring about civilization. Though, like the rest of the Hermetica, it probably dates from around the time of Christ, it is almost certainly based on much older, oral traditions and gives us important insights into the religious beliefs of pre-Christian Egypt. It also throws important light on the way the ancient Egyptians thought of the goddess Isis: as a mother and teacher with a role not dissimilar to that of the Virgin Mary in Christianity.

Fragments

Also included in this volume are a number of other fragments of Hermetic teaching gleaned from ancient commentators.

To round off the volume, there is a long commentary by the translator, Walter Scott, as well as a long foreword to this edition by Adrian Gilbert. Taken together these extra commentaries put the Hermetica in context for the modern world.

(return to previous page)