Hermes Trismegistus
Hermes Trismegistus is the latin name for "Hermes the thrice-greatest" derived from Ερμης ο Τρισμεγιστος, the Greek name of the Egyptian god Thoth (the god of wisdom and writing).
He was sometimes referred to as the god, and sometimes as a man who was the son of the god, historically contemporary with Moses. Some have connected the two, claiming Moses is an truncated name and the full name is Thothmoses. This is presented in the royal hostage thesis.
Historians have difficulty pinning down just when and where he lived, a task made no easier by the godlike powers often attributed to him by others in various documents of both history and fable. He is believed to have had several wives (a common practice in his day) and more than one son who took his name, as well as more than one grandson. This repetition of given 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.
During the middle-ages and later, a series of scripts attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, known as the Hermetica were popular.
The texts are usually referred to as the "philosophical" and "technical" hermetica. The former deals mainly with issues of philosophy, and the latter with magic, potions, etc. Among other things there are spells to magically protect objects, thus the term "Hermetically sealed".
There are ancient claims that he wrote thousands, or even tens of thousands of texts, claims usually disregarded. However, he is believed to have been a prolific writer, and by his own accounting, a body of work he called "the forty two essential texts" contained the core work of his religious beliefs and his life philosophy. Claims have been made for the existence of all forty two pieces hidden away in a secret library but these are unsubstantiated. From time to time documents or pieces of documents are discovered said to be written in his own hand. Scientific dating techniques usually shows this to be false, that the work is a more recent copy, however some texts are dated to be of the age when he may have lived and may be authentic.
In ancient times, the texts were thought to have been written at the dawn of time, but the classical scholar Isaac Casaubon in 1614 showed that the Greek texts betrayed a vocabulary too recent to be so old. Recent research suggests some of these texts may be of pharaonic Egyptian origin, although most of the "philosophical" Hermetica can be dated to around AD 300.
During the Middle ages and the Renaissance, the hermetic scriptures enjoyed great credit and were popular among men of alchemy. The "hermetic tradition" therefore refers to alchemy, magic, astrology and related subjects.
See Also
References
- Fowden, Garth. The Egyptian Hermes: A Historical Approach to the Late Pagan Mind. Princeton, Princeton University Press 1986 (Deals with Thoth (Hermes) from his most primative known conception to his later evolution into Hermes Trismegistus, as well as the many books and scripts attributed to him.)
External Links
- is a Portal on serious Hermetic study and discussion.
