Hermetica is a category of popular Late Antiquity literature purporting to contain secret wisdom, and generally attributed to Hermes Trismegistus. Several such texts, in Greek language, a collection of texts from the second and third centuries that survived from a more extensive literature. were compiled into a Corpus Hermeticum by Italy scholars during the Renaissance. Other Hermetic works, however, existed in Syriac language, Arabic language, Armenian language, Coptic language, and other languages. ==Character of the texts== Most of the texts are presented in the form of a dialogue, a favorite form for didactic material. The subject-matter of Hermetic books is wide-ranging. Some deal with alchemy, magic, and related concepts. Others contain speculation reminiscent of gnosticism or Neoplatonism. ===Dating=== While they are difficult to date with precision, the texts of the ''Corpus'' were likely composed between the first and third centuries AD. During the Renaissance, these texts were all believed to be of ancient Egyptian origin, and even today some believe them to date from ancient Egypt. However, by studying the vocabulary of the texts, the classical scholar Isaac Casaubon showed in 1614 that some of the texts (mainly those dealing with philosophy) betrayed a vocabulary too recent to be so old. Recent research, while affirming the late dating, suggests more continuity with the culture of pharaonic Egypt than had previously been thought (see Fowden, 1986), though it would be fair to assess the corpus Hermeticum as intellectually eclectic [http://www.granta.demon.co.uk/arsm/jg/corpus.html]. ===Influences and style=== The books now known as the ''Corpus Hermeticum'' were part of renaissance of syncretism pagan thought that took place around the 2nd century AD. Other examples would include Neoplatonism, the Chaldaean Oracles, late Orpheus and Pythagoras literature, as well as much of Gnosticism. Unlike some Gnosticism writings, the ''Hermetica'' contain no explicit allusions to Bible or New Testament texts - and this choice seems deliberate. They do, however, contain some unconscious echoes of Bible themes, underscoring the close if uneasy intermingling of Jewish, Greek and Egyptian in Hellenistic Alexandria. Unlike Orpheus literature, they are unconcerned with the genealogical tedia of Greek mythology. And compared with Chaldaean Oracles and Neoplatonism philosophy, the Hermetic texts dwell far less on the technical minutiae of metaphysical philosophy: their concerns are practical in nature. The predominant literary form is the dialogue: Hermes Trismegistus instructs a perplexed disciple on some point of hidden wisdom. The dialogue itself is played out upon a spectral canvas of hoary temples marked with hieratic inscriptions, most of which the authors of these works would have been unable to read. ===Authorship and audience=== Although they often claim to be copies of Egyptian priestly texts or reports of conversations in Egyptian, all evidence points to the ''Hermetica'' 's original language being Greek. Nevertheless, it is likely that the pseudonymous authors considered themselves Egyptians rather than Alexandria, since there are many affirmations of the superiority of the Egyptian language, and the ''Asclepius'' contains a bloody prophecy about the expulsion of "foreigners" from Egypt. Renaissance enthusiasts often pointed to Hermetic documents as the apex of pagan thought. Several factors, however, suggest that the tracts had a more popular character. For example, Neoplatonism philosophers - who happily and prolifically quote apocryphal works of Orpheus, Zoroaster, Pythagoras and other legendary figures - almost never cite Hermes Trismegistus. The anti-Greek and anti-Roman attitudes present in the texts reinforce their subaltern character. The ''Corpus Hermeticum'' therefore offers us an almost unparalleled view into the religious thinking of non-elite and politically marginal pagans under the Roman Empire. Another question persists: did the "Hermetists" who produced and read these books constitute a kind of "sect", comparable to Gnostic groups? Certainly, Hermetic writings were of interests to members of alternative religious communities: parts of the Hermetica appeared in the Gnostic library found in Nag Hammadi. On the other hand, the diffuseness style and subject matter, the widespread distribution of the texts, and also as the ease with which anonymous tracts can be produced, would suggest that a great many of the texts were produced by lone individuals or small groups without formal organization. ===Hermetica outside the corpus=== Although the most famous exemplars of Hermetic literature were products of Greek language-speakers under Roman rule, the genre did not suddenly stop with the fall of the Empire, nor was it confined to the Greek language. Rather, Hermetic literature continued to be produced, in Coptic language, Syriac language, Arabic language, Armenian language and Byzantine Greek. The most famous example of this later Hermetica is the Emerald Tablet, known from Medieval Latin and Arabic manuscripts, with a possible Syriac source. Sadly, little else of this rich literature is easily accessible to non-specialists. ==The Corpus Hermeticum in the Renaissance== Although they were once popular enough to be argued against by St. Augustine, Hermetic texts were lost to the Western culture during the Middle Ages. They were, however, rediscovered from Byzantine copies and popularized in Italy during the Renaissance. The impetus for this revival came from the Latin translation by Marsilio Ficino, a member of Cosimo de Medici's court. Their translation and availability provided a seminal force in the development of Renaissance thought and culture, having had a profound influence over alchemy and modern magic, as well as impacting philosophers such as Giordano Bruno and Pico della Mirandola, Ficino's student. John Everard's historically important 1650 translation into English language of the Corpus Hermeticum, entitled ''The Divine Pymander in XVII books'' (London, 1650) was from the Ficino Latin translation. ==Contents of the Corpus Hermeticum== The following are the titles given to thirteen of the eighteen tracts, as translated by G.R.S. Mead. # Poemandres, the Shepherd of Men # To Asclepius # The Sacred Sermon # The Cup or Monad # Though Unmanifest God Is Most Manifest # In God Alone Is Good And Elsewhere Nowhere # The Greatest Ill Among Men is Ignorance of God # That No One of Existing Things doth Perish, but Men in Error Speak of Their Changes as Destructions and as Deaths # On Thought and Sense # The Key # Mind Unto Hermes # About the Common Mind # The Secret Sermon on the Mountain The Following is the titles given by the Blackmask.com edition. # The First Book # The Second Book. Called Poemander # The Third Book. Called The Holy Sermon # The Fourth Book. Called The Key # The Fifth Book # The Sixth Book. Called That in God alone is Good # The Seventh Book. His Secret Sermon in the Mount Of Regeneration, and # the Profession of Silence. To His Son Tat # The Eighth Book. That The Greatest Evil In Man, Is The Not Knowing God # The Ninth Book. A Universal Sermon To Asclepius # The Tenth Book. The Mind to Hermes # The Eleventh Book. Of the Common Mind to Tat # The Twelfth Book. His Crater or Monas # The Thirteenth Book. Of Sense and Understanding # The Fourteenth Book. Of Operation and Sense # The Fifteenth Book. Of Truth to His Son Tat # The Sixteenth Book. That None of the Things that are, can Perish # The Seventeenth Book. To Asclepius, to be Truly Wise ==See also== *Hermeticism *Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn ==References== * ''Hermetica: The Greek Corpus Hermeticum and the Latin Asclepius in a New English Translation, with Notes and Introduction'' by Brian P. Copenhaver (Editor) ISBN 0521425433 * ''The Egyptian Hermes : a historical approach to the late pagan mind'' by Fowden, Garth. Cambridge [Cambridgeshire] ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 1986. * ''Thrice Great Hermes: Studies in Hellenistic Theosophy and Gnosis, Volume II'' translated by G.R.S. Mead (London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1906). ==External links== * [http://www.levity.com/alchemy/corpherm.html Everard's translation ''The Divine Pymander in XVII books'' at Adam McLean's Alchemy Web Site] * [http://www.gnosis.org/library/hermet.htm G.R.S. Mead's translation of The Corpus Hermeticum at The Gnostic Society Library] *[http://www.hermeticresearch.org Hermetic Research] is a Portal on serious Hermetic study and discussion. * [http://www.granta.demon.co.uk/arsm/jg/corpus.html Jeremiah Genest, "Corpus Hermeticum"] Alchemy Gnosticism
Can someone with more knowledge in this subject please write something about Hermes Emerald Tablet (or "Table") and how it relates to the Hermetica? The two confuse me all the time, is the Emerald Tablet part of the Hermetica or not? User:Nixdorf 19:31, 30 Mar 2004 (UTC) Hi Jmabel. I saw two problems with the phrase: # What's a lineage? Does it mean some kind of semi-organized sect? Or just a continuous stream of thought? And was Hermetic thought really that continuous? I thought we could be more precise. # How appropriate is 'Gnosticism'? Seems to me there's some overlap in style of thought and audience, but in general: ## Hermetica is a literary phenomenon, Gnosticism is a sect/family of sects. ## Hermetica gets started ~1st cent. AD, Gnosticism ~2nd-3rd cent. AD. ## Hermetica stays as pagan as it can, Gnosticism happily incorporates Jewish/Christian themes. Nevertheless, this does bear discussion in the article. Your point about "non-Christian" is good, and right now is under-emphasized. In fact, there's very little about the original context of the texts. Any improvements would be welcome. User:Bacchiad 13:04, 9 Jul 2004 (UTC) In the recent major edits, was it deliberate to lose the remark about "a non-Christianity lineage of Hellenistic Gnosticism"? If so, is this because it was considered false, or did someone just not like the remark? -- User:Jmabel 03:59, Jul 9, 2004 (UTC) I'm not knowlegable enough to write too much here myself: what I know largely comes from reading Frances Yates on Giordano Bruno about 30 years ago, so I'm not going to be able to carry the ball. Nonetheless, I do think that it is important that part of the interest in the rediscovery of these works during the Renaissance came precisely from the fact that they were ''outside'' of Christian tradition. If someone is more solid on this, it would be good to get into the article. -- User:Jmabel 04:49, Jul 10, 2004 (UTC) I've done some revisions that I think cover the Hermetica in antiquity better. If you want to pitch in some additional Yatesian stuff about the Hermetic/pagan revival in the Renaissance, that'd be great. Thanks for your comments. User:Bacchiad 07:14, 10 Jul 2004 (UTC) ---- "renaissance of syncretic thought" I substituted "flourishing" because I thought "renaissance" in the general sense might lead to a confusion with "Renaissance" qua historical period. At least it did to my sleep-deprived eyes as I read it over just now. No biggy though. User:Bacchiad 19:49, 13 Nov 2004 (UTC) == Golden Dawn == Should we really have the recently added link [http://www.golden-dawn.org Golden Dawn Research Center]? Looks pretty crackpotty to me. -- User:Jmabel | User talk:Jmabel 19:16, Mar 10, 2005 (UTC) :Hasn't ''Hermetica'' been a crackpot magnet for almost 2000 years? --User:Wetman 21:44, 10 Mar 2005 (UTC) ::No doubt. But this article should presumably not be on the crackpot side of it. -- User:Jmabel | User talk:Jmabel 23:30, Mar 10, 2005 (UTC) :I'm with you. What should be done? --User:Wetman 23:55, 10 Mar 2005 (UTC) :: I will move it to Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn if it is not already there. -- User:Jmabel | User talk:Jmabel 00:49, Mar 11, 2005 (UTC)
See other meanings of words starting from letter:
Words begining with Hermetica:
Hermetica
Hermetica
Hermetically_sealed
Hermetica
Hermetica is a category of popular Late Antiquity literature purporting to contain secret wisdom, and generally attributed to Hermes Trismegistus. Several such texts, in Greek language, a collection of texts from the second and third centuries that survived from a more extensive literature. were compiled into a Corpus Hermeticum by Italy scholars during the Renaissance. Other Hermetic works, however, existed in Syriac language, Arabic language, Armenian language, Coptic language, and other languages. ==Character of the texts== Most of the texts are presented in the form of a dialogue, a favorite form for didactic material. The subject-matter of Hermetic books is wide-ranging. Some deal with alchemy, magic, and related concepts. Others contain speculation reminiscent of gnosticism or Neoplatonism. ===Dating=== While they are difficult to date with precision, the texts of the ''Corpus'' were likely composed between the first and third centuries AD. During the Renaissance, these texts were all believed to be of ancient Egyptian origin, and even today some believe them to date from ancient Egypt. However, by studying the vocabulary of the texts, the classical scholar Isaac Casaubon showed in 1614 that some of the texts (mainly those dealing with philosophy) betrayed a vocabulary too recent to be so old. Recent research, while affirming the late dating, suggests more continuity with the culture of pharaonic Egypt than had previously been thought (see Fowden, 1986), though it would be fair to assess the corpus Hermeticum as intellectually eclectic [http://www.granta.demon.co.uk/arsm/jg/corpus.html]. ===Influences and style=== The books now known as the ''Corpus Hermeticum'' were part of renaissance of syncretism pagan thought that took place around the 2nd century AD. Other examples would include Neoplatonism, the Chaldaean Oracles, late Orpheus and Pythagoras literature, as well as much of Gnosticism. Unlike some Gnosticism writings, the ''Hermetica'' contain no explicit allusions to Bible or New Testament texts - and this choice seems deliberate. They do, however, contain some unconscious echoes of Bible themes, underscoring the close if uneasy intermingling of Jewish, Greek and Egyptian in Hellenistic Alexandria. Unlike Orpheus literature, they are unconcerned with the genealogical tedia of Greek mythology. And compared with Chaldaean Oracles and Neoplatonism philosophy, the Hermetic texts dwell far less on the technical minutiae of metaphysical philosophy: their concerns are practical in nature. The predominant literary form is the dialogue: Hermes Trismegistus instructs a perplexed disciple on some point of hidden wisdom. The dialogue itself is played out upon a spectral canvas of hoary temples marked with hieratic inscriptions, most of which the authors of these works would have been unable to read. ===Authorship and audience=== Although they often claim to be copies of Egyptian priestly texts or reports of conversations in Egyptian, all evidence points to the ''Hermetica'' 's original language being Greek. Nevertheless, it is likely that the pseudonymous authors considered themselves Egyptians rather than Alexandria, since there are many affirmations of the superiority of the Egyptian language, and the ''Asclepius'' contains a bloody prophecy about the expulsion of "foreigners" from Egypt. Renaissance enthusiasts often pointed to Hermetic documents as the apex of pagan thought. Several factors, however, suggest that the tracts had a more popular character. For example, Neoplatonism philosophers - who happily and prolifically quote apocryphal works of Orpheus, Zoroaster, Pythagoras and other legendary figures - almost never cite Hermes Trismegistus. The anti-Greek and anti-Roman attitudes present in the texts reinforce their subaltern character. The ''Corpus Hermeticum'' therefore offers us an almost unparalleled view into the religious thinking of non-elite and politically marginal pagans under the Roman Empire. Another question persists: did the "Hermetists" who produced and read these books constitute a kind of "sect", comparable to Gnostic groups? Certainly, Hermetic writings were of interests to members of alternative religious communities: parts of the Hermetica appeared in the Gnostic library found in Nag Hammadi. On the other hand, the diffuseness style and subject matter, the widespread distribution of the texts, and also as the ease with which anonymous tracts can be produced, would suggest that a great many of the texts were produced by lone individuals or small groups without formal organization. ===Hermetica outside the corpus=== Although the most famous exemplars of Hermetic literature were products of Greek language-speakers under Roman rule, the genre did not suddenly stop with the fall of the Empire, nor was it confined to the Greek language. Rather, Hermetic literature continued to be produced, in Coptic language, Syriac language, Arabic language, Armenian language and Byzantine Greek. The most famous example of this later Hermetica is the Emerald Tablet, known from Medieval Latin and Arabic manuscripts, with a possible Syriac source. Sadly, little else of this rich literature is easily accessible to non-specialists. ==The Corpus Hermeticum in the Renaissance== Although they were once popular enough to be argued against by St. Augustine, Hermetic texts were lost to the Western culture during the Middle Ages. They were, however, rediscovered from Byzantine copies and popularized in Italy during the Renaissance. The impetus for this revival came from the Latin translation by Marsilio Ficino, a member of Cosimo de Medici's court. Their translation and availability provided a seminal force in the development of Renaissance thought and culture, having had a profound influence over alchemy and modern magic, as well as impacting philosophers such as Giordano Bruno and Pico della Mirandola, Ficino's student. John Everard's historically important 1650 translation into English language of the Corpus Hermeticum, entitled ''The Divine Pymander in XVII books'' (London, 1650) was from the Ficino Latin translation. ==Contents of the Corpus Hermeticum== The following are the titles given to thirteen of the eighteen tracts, as translated by G.R.S. Mead. # Poemandres, the Shepherd of Men # To Asclepius # The Sacred Sermon # The Cup or Monad # Though Unmanifest God Is Most Manifest # In God Alone Is Good And Elsewhere Nowhere # The Greatest Ill Among Men is Ignorance of God # That No One of Existing Things doth Perish, but Men in Error Speak of Their Changes as Destructions and as Deaths # On Thought and Sense # The Key # Mind Unto Hermes # About the Common Mind # The Secret Sermon on the Mountain The Following is the titles given by the Blackmask.com edition. # The First Book # The Second Book. Called Poemander # The Third Book. Called The Holy Sermon # The Fourth Book. Called The Key # The Fifth Book # The Sixth Book. Called That in God alone is Good # The Seventh Book. His Secret Sermon in the Mount Of Regeneration, and # the Profession of Silence. To His Son Tat # The Eighth Book. That The Greatest Evil In Man, Is The Not Knowing God # The Ninth Book. A Universal Sermon To Asclepius # The Tenth Book. The Mind to Hermes # The Eleventh Book. Of the Common Mind to Tat # The Twelfth Book. His Crater or Monas # The Thirteenth Book. Of Sense and Understanding # The Fourteenth Book. Of Operation and Sense # The Fifteenth Book. Of Truth to His Son Tat # The Sixteenth Book. That None of the Things that are, can Perish # The Seventeenth Book. To Asclepius, to be Truly Wise ==See also== *Hermeticism *Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn ==References== * ''Hermetica: The Greek Corpus Hermeticum and the Latin Asclepius in a New English Translation, with Notes and Introduction'' by Brian P. Copenhaver (Editor) ISBN 0521425433 * ''The Egyptian Hermes : a historical approach to the late pagan mind'' by Fowden, Garth. Cambridge [Cambridgeshire] ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 1986. * ''Thrice Great Hermes: Studies in Hellenistic Theosophy and Gnosis, Volume II'' translated by G.R.S. Mead (London: Theosophical Publishing Society, 1906). ==External links== * [http://www.levity.com/alchemy/corpherm.html Everard's translation ''The Divine Pymander in XVII books'' at Adam McLean's Alchemy Web Site] * [http://www.gnosis.org/library/hermet.htm G.R.S. Mead's translation of The Corpus Hermeticum at The Gnostic Society Library] *[http://www.hermeticresearch.org Hermetic Research] is a Portal on serious Hermetic study and discussion. * [http://www.granta.demon.co.uk/arsm/jg/corpus.html Jeremiah Genest, "Corpus Hermeticum"] Alchemy Gnosticism
Hermetica
Can someone with more knowledge in this subject please write something about Hermes Emerald Tablet (or "Table") and how it relates to the Hermetica? The two confuse me all the time, is the Emerald Tablet part of the Hermetica or not? User:Nixdorf 19:31, 30 Mar 2004 (UTC) Hi Jmabel. I saw two problems with the phrase: # What's a lineage? Does it mean some kind of semi-organized sect? Or just a continuous stream of thought? And was Hermetic thought really that continuous? I thought we could be more precise. # How appropriate is 'Gnosticism'? Seems to me there's some overlap in style of thought and audience, but in general: ## Hermetica is a literary phenomenon, Gnosticism is a sect/family of sects. ## Hermetica gets started ~1st cent. AD, Gnosticism ~2nd-3rd cent. AD. ## Hermetica stays as pagan as it can, Gnosticism happily incorporates Jewish/Christian themes. Nevertheless, this does bear discussion in the article. Your point about "non-Christian" is good, and right now is under-emphasized. In fact, there's very little about the original context of the texts. Any improvements would be welcome. User:Bacchiad 13:04, 9 Jul 2004 (UTC) In the recent major edits, was it deliberate to lose the remark about "a non-Christianity lineage of Hellenistic Gnosticism"? If so, is this because it was considered false, or did someone just not like the remark? -- User:Jmabel 03:59, Jul 9, 2004 (UTC) I'm not knowlegable enough to write too much here myself: what I know largely comes from reading Frances Yates on Giordano Bruno about 30 years ago, so I'm not going to be able to carry the ball. Nonetheless, I do think that it is important that part of the interest in the rediscovery of these works during the Renaissance came precisely from the fact that they were ''outside'' of Christian tradition. If someone is more solid on this, it would be good to get into the article. -- User:Jmabel 04:49, Jul 10, 2004 (UTC) I've done some revisions that I think cover the Hermetica in antiquity better. If you want to pitch in some additional Yatesian stuff about the Hermetic/pagan revival in the Renaissance, that'd be great. Thanks for your comments. User:Bacchiad 07:14, 10 Jul 2004 (UTC) ---- "renaissance of syncretic thought" I substituted "flourishing" because I thought "renaissance" in the general sense might lead to a confusion with "Renaissance" qua historical period. At least it did to my sleep-deprived eyes as I read it over just now. No biggy though. User:Bacchiad 19:49, 13 Nov 2004 (UTC) == Golden Dawn == Should we really have the recently added link [http://www.golden-dawn.org Golden Dawn Research Center]? Looks pretty crackpotty to me. -- User:Jmabel | User talk:Jmabel 19:16, Mar 10, 2005 (UTC) :Hasn't ''Hermetica'' been a crackpot magnet for almost 2000 years? --User:Wetman 21:44, 10 Mar 2005 (UTC) ::No doubt. But this article should presumably not be on the crackpot side of it. -- User:Jmabel | User talk:Jmabel 23:30, Mar 10, 2005 (UTC) :I'm with you. What should be done? --User:Wetman 23:55, 10 Mar 2005 (UTC) :: I will move it to Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn if it is not already there. -- User:Jmabel | User talk:Jmabel 00:49, Mar 11, 2005 (UTC)
See other meanings of words starting from letter:
H
HA | HB | HC | HD | HE | HF | HG | HI | HJ | HK | HL | HM | HN | HO | HP | HR | HS | HT | HU | HW | HX | HY | HZ |Words begining with Hermetica:
Hermetica
Hermetica
Hermetically_sealed
These materials are based on Wikipedia and licensed under the GNU FDL
YouTube.com videos better site than Turbo Tax 2007
