Hermes Trismegistus (Greek: Ἑρμῆς ὁ Τρισμέγιστος, "thrice-great Hermes"; Latin: Mercurius ter Maximus) is the syncretism of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth.^[1] In Hellenistic Egypt, the god Hermes was given as epithet the Greek name of Thoth. He has also been identified with Enoch^{[citation needed]}. Other similar syncretized gods include Serapis and Hermanubis^{[citation needed]}. Latin was the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Hermes (disambiguation). ... Thoth (Ramesseum, Luxor) Thoth (his Greek name derived from the Egyptian *, written by Egyptians as ) was considered one of the most important deities of the Egyptian pantheon, often depicted with the head of an ibis. ... The term Hellenistic (established by the German historian Johann Gustav Droysen) in the history of the ancient world is used to refer to the shift from a culture dominated by ethnic Greeks, however scattered geographically, to a culture dominated by Greek-speakers of whatever ethnicity, and from the political dominance... For other uses, see Hermes (disambiguation). ... An epithet (Greek - επιθετον and Latin - epitheton; literally meaning imposed) is a descriptive word or phrase. ... Enoch (Hebrew: חֲנוֹךְ; Tiberian: , Standard: ) is a name occurring twice in the generations of Adam. ... Serapis can refer to: A series of British ships named HMS Serapis. ... In classical mythology, Hermanubis was a god who combined Hermes (Greek mythology) with Anubis (Egyptian mythology). ...

Hermes Trismegistus might also be explained in Euhemerist fashion as a man who was the son of the god, and in the Kabbalistic tradition that was inherited by the Renaissance, it could be imagined that such a personage had been contemporary with Moses, communicating to a line of adepts a parallel wisdom, from Zoroaster to Plato. A historian, however, would leave such speculation to the history of alchemy and the nineteenth-century history of occultism. He was the major Sabi prophet. Euhemerus (Ευήμερος) (working late 4th century BCE) was a Greek mythographer at the court of Cassander, the king of Macedonia. ... This article is about traditional Jewish Kabbalah. ... The Renaissance (French for rebirth, or Rinascimento in Italian), was a cultural movement in Italy (and in Europe in general) that began in the late Middle Ages, and spanned roughly the 14th through the 17th century. ... Moses with the Tablets, 1659, by Rembrandt This article is about the Biblical figure. ... Zoroaster (Greek Ζωροάστρης, Zōroastrēs) or Zarathustra (Avestan: Zaraθuštra), also referred to as Zartosht (Persian: ), was an ancient Iranian prophet and religious poet. ... PLATO was one of the first generalized Computer assisted instruction systems, originally built by the University of Illinois (U of I) and later taken over by Control Data Corporation (CDC), who provided the machines it ran on. ... For other uses, see Alchemy (disambiguation). ... For other uses of this term, see occult (disambiguation). ... Sabi can refer to: Sabi, an ancient capital of Baekje. ...

Hermes Trismegistus, floor mosaic in the Cathedral of Siena

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1280x960, 419 KB) Summary Hermes Trismegistus by Giovanni di Stefano Mosaic panel on the floor of the Duomo; Siena, Italy Own photo - photo made by Georges Jansoone on 11 October 2005 Licensing File links The following pages link to this file... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1280x960, 419 KB) Summary Hermes Trismegistus by Giovanni di Stefano Mosaic panel on the floor of the Duomo; Siena, Italy Own photo - photo made by Georges Jansoone on 11 October 2005 Licensing File links The following pages link to this file... Duomo di Siena is the medieval cathedral of Siena, Italy. ...

Origin

Both Thoth and Hermes were gods of writing and of magic in their respective cultures. Thus, the Greek god of interpretive communication was combined with the Egyptian god of wisdom as a patron of astrology and alchemy. In addition, both gods were psychopomps; guiding souls to the afterlife. Thoth (Ramesseum, Luxor) Thoth (his Greek name derived from the Egyptian *, written by Egyptians as ) was considered one of the most important deities of the Egyptian pantheon, often depicted with the head of an ibis. ... Illustration of a scribe writing Writing, in its most common sense, is the preservation of and the preserved text on a medium, with the use of signs or symbols. ... A belief in magic as a means of influencing the world seems to have been common in all cultures. ... Hand-coloured version of the anonymous Flammarion woodcut (1888). ... Many sets of religious beliefs have a particular spirit, deity, demon or angel whose responsibility is to escort newly-deceased souls to the afterlife, such as Heaven or Hell. ...

The majority of Greeks, and later Romans, did not accept Hermes Trismegistus in the place of Hermes. The two gods remained distinct from one another. Cicero noted several individuals referred to as "Hermes" (De natura deorum III, Ch. 56):

the fifth, who is worshipped by the people of Pheneus [in Arcadia?], is said to have killed Argus, and for this reason to have fled to Egypt, and to have given the Egyptians their laws and alphabet: he it is whom the Egyptians call Theyn [Thoth].

The Hermetic literature added to the Egyptian concerns with conjuring spirits and animating statues that inform the oldest texts, Hellenistic writings of Greco-Babylonian astrology and the newly developed practice of alchemy (Fowden 1993: pp65–68). In a parallel tradition, Hermetic philosophy rationalized and systematized religious cult practices and offered the adept a method of personal ascension from the constraints of physical being, which has led to confusion of Hermeticism with Gnosticism, which was developing contemporaneously [1] Arcadia or Arkadía (Greek Αρκαδία; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is a region of Greece in the Peloponnesus. ... There are five figures in Greek mythology named Argus or Argos (Άργος). Argus Panoptes (Argus all eyes) is a giant with a hundred eyes. ... For other uses, see Babylon (disambiguation). ... Hermeticism can refer to one of two things: The study and practice of occult philosophy and magic, of a type associated with writings attributed to the god Hermes Trismegistus, Thrice-Greatest Hermes, a syncretistic deity who combines aspects of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth. ... This article does not discuss cult in its original sense of religious practice; for that usage see Cult (religious practice). ... This article is about the Ascension of Jesus Christ. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

As a divine fountain of writing, Hermes Trismegistus was credited with tens of thousands of writings of high standing, reputed to be of immense antiquity. Plato's Timaeus and Critias state that in the temple of Neith at Sais, there were secret halls containing historical records which had been kept for 9,000 years. Clement of Alexandria was under the impression that the Egyptians had forty-two sacred writings by Hermes, encapsulating all the training of Egyptian priests. Siegfried Morenz has suggested (Egyptian Religion) "The reference to Thoth's authorship...is based on ancient tradition; the figure forty-two probably stems from the number of Egyptian nomes, and thus conveys the notion of completeness." The Neo-Platonic writers took up Clement's "forty-two essential texts". PLATO was one of the first generalized Computer assisted instruction systems, originally built by the University of Illinois (U of I) and later taken over by Control Data Corporation (CDC), who provided the machines it ran on. ... Timaeus is a theoretical treatise of Plato in the form of a Socratic dialogue, written circa 360 BC. The work puts forward speculation on the nature of the physical world. ... Critias, a dialogue of Platos, speaks about a variety of subjects. ... Neith In Egyptian mythology, Neith (also known as Nit, Net and Neit) was a psychopomp, a goddess of war and the hunt and the patron deity of Sais, in the Western Delta. ... Look up sais in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Clement of Alexandria (Titus Flavius Clemens), was the first member of the Church of Alexandria to be more than a name, and one of its most distinguished teachers. ... The nomes of Ancient Egypt A nome (Greek: district) is a subnational administrative division of Ancient Egypt. ... Neoplatonism (also Neo-Platonism) is the modern term for a school of religious and mystical philosophy that took shape in the 3rd century AD, based on the teachings of Plato and earlier Platonists. ...

The so-called "Hermetic literature", the Hermetica, is a category of papyri containing spells and induction procedures. In the dialogue called the Asclepius (after the Greek god of healing) the art of imprisoning the souls of demons or of angels in statues with the help of herbs, gems and odors, is described, such that the statue could speak and prophesy. In other papyri, there are other recipes for constructing such images and animating them, such as when images are to be fashioned hollow so as to enclose a magic name inscribed on gold leaf. Hermetica refers to a category of popular Late Antique literature purporting to contain secret wisdom, and generally attributed to Hermes Trismegistus. ... For other uses, see Papyrus (disambiguation). ... Not to be confused with Magic (illusion). ...

Hermetic revival

For the main article, see Hermeticism. For the career of the Corpus Hermeticum, see Hermetica.

During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the writings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus known as Hermetica enjoyed great credit and were popular among alchemists. The "hermetic tradition" therefore refers to alchemy, magic, astrology and related subjects. The texts are usually distinguished in two categories the "philosophical" and "technical" hermetica. The former deals mainly with issues of philosophy, and the latter with magic, potions and alchemy. Among other things there are spells to magically protect objects; hence the origin of the term "Hermetically sealed". Hermeticism should not be confused with the concept of a hermit. ... Hermetica refers to a category of popular Late Antique literature purporting to contain secret wisdom, and generally attributed to Hermes Trismegistus. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... Hermetica refers to a category of popular Late Antique literature purporting to contain secret wisdom, and generally attributed to Hermes Trismegistus. ... The philosopher Socrates about to take poison hemlock as ordered by the court. ... The term hermetically sealed is used to describe something that has an airtight seal. ...

The classical scholar Isaac Casaubon in De Rebus sacris et ecclesiaticis exercitiones XVI (1614) showed, by the character of the Greek, the texts that were traditionally written at the dawn of time, to be more recent: most of the "philosophical" Corpus Hermeticum can be dated to around AD 300. However, flaws in this identification were uncovered by the 17th century scholar Ralph Cudworth, who argued that Casaubon's allegation of forgery could only be applied to three of the seventeen treatises contained within the Corpus Hermeticum. Moreover, Cudworth noted Casaubon's failure to acknowledge the codification of these treatises as a late formulation of a pre-existing (possibly oral) tradition. According to Cudworth, the text must be viewed as a terminus ad quem and not a quo. Isaac Casaubon (February 18, 1559 - July 1, 1614) was a classical scholar, first in France then later in England, regarded by many at the time as the most learned in Europe. ... Events April 5 - In Virginia, Native American Pocahontas marries English colonist John Rolfe. ... Corpus Hermeticum is collection of several Greek texts from the second and third centuries, survivors from a more extensive literature, known as Hermetica. ... Franks penetrate into northern Belgium (approximate date). ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... Ralph Cudworth (1617 - June 26, 1688) was an English philosopher, the leader of the Cambridge Platonists. ...

Hermes Trismegistus in Islamic tradition

Antoine Faivre, in The Eternal Hermes (1995) has pointed out that Hermes Trismegistus has a place in the Islamic tradition, though the name Hermes does not appear in the Qur'an. Hagiographers and chroniclers of the first centuries of the Islamic Hegira quickly identified Hermes Trismegistus with Idris, the nabi of surahs 19.57; 21.85, whom the Arabs also identify with Enoch (cf. Genesis 5.18-24). Idris/Hermes is called "Thrice Wise"—Hermes Trismegistus—because he was threefold: the first of the name, comparable to Thoth, was a "civilizing hero," an initiator into the mysteries of the divine science and wisdom that animate the world; he carved the principles of this sacred science in hieroglyphs. The second Hermes, in Babylon, was the initiator of Pythagoras. The third Hermes was the first teacher of Alchemy. "A faceless prophet," writes the Islamicist Pierre Lory, "Hermes possesses no concrete or salient characteristics, differing in this regard from most of the major figures of the Bible and the Quran." (Faivre 1995 pp.19-20) For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ... The Qur’ān [1] (Arabic: ;, literally the recitation; also sometimes transliterated as Quran, Koran, or Al-Quran) is the central religious text of Islam. ... Hagiography is the study of saints. ... For other uses, see Hijra. ... Idris (Arabic: إدريس ) is a Prophet in Islam. ... Sura (sometimes spelt Surah , plural Suwar ) is an Arabic term literally meaning something enclosed or surrounded by a fence or wall. ... Languages Arabic other minority languages Religions Predominantly Sunni Islam, as well as Shia Islam, Greek Orthodoxy, Greek Catholicism, Roman Catholicism, Alawite Islam, Druzism, Ibadi Islam, and Judaism Footnotes a Mainly in Antakya. ... Enoch (Hebrew: חֲנוֹךְ; Tiberian: , Standard: ) is a name occurring twice in the generations of Adam. ... Thoth (Ramesseum, Luxor) Thoth (his Greek name derived from the Egyptian *, written by Egyptians as ) was considered one of the most important deities of the Egyptian pantheon, often depicted with the head of an ibis. ... It has been suggested that Hieroglyph (French Wiki article) be merged into this article or section. ... For other uses, see Babylon (disambiguation). ... Pythagoras of Samos (Greek: ; between 580 and 572 BC–between 500 and 490 BC) was an Ionian (Greek) philosopher[1] and founder of the religious movement called Pythagoreanism. ... For other uses, see Alchemy (disambiguation). ...

New Age revival

Modern occultists continue to suggest that some of these texts may be of Pharaonic origin, and that "the forty two essential texts" that contained the core work of his religious beliefs and his life philosophy remain hidden away in a secret library.

In some of the readings of Edgar Cayce, Hermes or Thoth was an engineer from the submerging Atlantis and he built or designed or directed the construction of the Pyramids of Egypt. Edgar Cayce (March 18, 1877 – January 3, 1945) (pronounced or like Casey) was an American who claimed psychic abilities. ... For other uses, see Atlantis (disambiguation). ... All Giza Pyramids Map of Giza pyramid complex. ...

Within the occult tradition, Hermes Trismegistus is credited with several wives, and more than one son who took his name, as well as more than one grandson. This repetition of given name and surname throughout the generations may at least partially account for the legend of his longevity, especially as it is believed that many of his children pursued careers as priests in the religion he started.

Fictional references

Tristram Shandy, the famous protagonist of Laurence Sterne, was to be named "Trismegistus" to counter the negative circumstances of his birth. He was instead named "Tristram", meaning "sad", further damaging his future. The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (or, more briefly, Tristram Shandy) is a novel by Laurence Sterne. ... Laurence Sterne Laurence Sterne (November 24, 1713 – March 18, 1768) was an Anglo-Irish novelist and clergyman. ...

Charles Baudelaire plays with the idea of 'Hermes Trismegistus' in Au Lecteur, the introduction to his poetry anthology Les Fleurs du mal, by referring to 'Satan Trismégistre' ('thrice-great Satan'). “Baudelaire” redirects here. ... Les Fleurs du Mal (literal trans. ...

The book Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco concerns a universal conspiracy theory which revolves around Hermetic tradition. The main character and narrator of the book is called Casaubon. Foucaults Pendulum (original title: Il pendolo di Foucault) is a novel by Italian novelist and philosopher Umberto Eco. ... Umberto Eco (born January 5, 1932) is an Italian medievalist, semiotician, philosopher and novelist, best known for his novel The Name of the Rose (Il nome della rosa) and his many essays. ... The word hermetic is commonly applied to literary or graphical symbolism that is exceedingly obscure, convoluted, or esoteric. ...

The sequence of books by contemporary American author John Crowley known as the Aegypt Quartet is in part a meditation on the influence of Hermetic ideas in the European Renaissance, and more or less indirectly on the lives of characters living in the second half of the twentieth-century. In his author's notes, Crowley acknowledges his debt to Frances Yates, whose pioneering work Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition largely inspired the portions of Crowley's work which deal with the life of Giordano Bruno and the English mage John Dee. The motto of the novels is authentically, if at times ironically, Hermetic in spirit: "There is more than one history of the world." John Crowley (born December 1, 1942 in Presque Isle, Maine) is an American author of fantasy, science fiction and mainstream fiction. ... Dame Frances Amelia Yates (1899-1981) was a noted British historian. ... Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition is a 1964 non-fiction book by British historian Frances A. Yates. ... Giordano Bruno. ... For the American college basketball coach, see John Dee (basketball coach). ...

In the book "The Astrological Diary of God" by Bo Fowler The main character thinks he is the reincarnation of Hermes Trigmegistus who he names"the thrice great one"

See also

• Alchemy
• Astrology
• Emerald Table (TABULAE SMARAGDINAE of Hermes Trismegistus)
• Hermetic
• Hermetica
• Hermeticism
• Hermetic Qabalah
• Kybalion
• Occultism
• Herbert Silberer

For other uses, see Alchemy (disambiguation). ... Hand-coloured version of the anonymous Flammarion woodcut (1888). ... The Emerald Tablet, also known as Smaragdine Table, Tabula Smaragdina, or The Secret of Hermes, is an ancient text purporting to reveal the secret of the primordial substance and its transmutations. ... The word hermetic is commonly applied to literary or graphical symbolism that is exceedingly obscure, convoluted, or esoteric. ... Hermetica refers to a category of popular Late Antique literature purporting to contain secret wisdom, and generally attributed to Hermes Trismegistus. ... Hermeticism should not be confused with the concept of a hermit. ... This article is about the western esoteric mystical tradition. ... The Kybalion: Hermetic Philosophy is a book that was authored by three individuals calling themselves The Three Initiates. ... For other uses of this term, see occult (disambiguation). ... Herbert Silberer (February 28, 1882 – January 12, 1923) was a Viennese psychologist involved with the professional circle surrounding Sigmund Freud which included other pioneers of psychological study as Carl Jung, Alfred Adler and others. ...

Source

Greek Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Works of Hermes Trismegistus

*Copenhaver, Brian P. 1995.Hermetica: the Greek Corpus Hermeticum and the Latin Asclepius in a new English translation, with notes and introduction, Cambridge; New York, NY, USA: Cambridge University Press, 1995 ISBN 0-521-42543-3. Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... The original Wikisource logo. ...

References

1. ^ (Budge The Gods of the Egyptians Vol. 1 p. 415)

• Festugière, A.-J.,La révélation d'Hermès Trismégiste. 2e éd., 3 vol., Paris 1981.
• Fowden, Garth, 1986. The Egyptian Hermes: A Historical Approach to the Late Pagan Mind. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (Princeton University Press, 1993): deals with Thoth (Hermes) from his most primitive known conception to his later evolution into Hermes Trismegistus, as well as the many books and scripts attributed to him.)
• Merkel, Ingrid and Allen G Debus, 1988. Hermeticism and the Renaissance: intellectual history and the occult in early modern Europe Folger Shakespeare Library ISBN 0-918016-85-1
• CACIORGNA, Marilena e GUERRINI, Roberto: Il pavimento del duomo di Siena. L'arte della tarsia marmorea dal XIV al XIX secolo fonti e simologia. Siena 2004.
• CACIORGNA, Marilena: Studi interdisciplinari sul pavimento del duomo di Siena. Atti el convegno internazionale di studi chiesa della SS. Annunziata 27 e 28 settembre 2002. Siena 2005.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Hermes Trismegistus

• Hermes Trismegistus Gallery
• Hermetic Research is a Portal on Hermetic study and discussion.
• Dan Merkur, "Stages of Ascension in Hermetic Rebirth"
• Asclepius - Latin text of the edition Paris: Henricus Stephanus 1505.
• Pimander - Latin translation by Marsilio Ficino, Milano: Damianus de Mediolano 1493.
• The Virgin of the World by Hermes Trismegistus
• THE DIVINE PYMANDER of Hermes Mercurius Trismegistus in English