Hermeticism

The hermetic denotes a rooted in ancient religious revelation and secret doctrine. The name goes back to the legendary figure of Hermes Trismegistus (Greek Ἑρμῆς Τρισμέγιστος, " triple greatest Hermes " ), which arose in the Egyptian Hellenistic syncretic fusion of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth, who as the author of the so-called Hermetic writings and the forefather alchemy applies.

As hermeticism in the narrower sense are the currents that are in direct tradition of the ancient hermetic. In a broader sense is " hermetic " is synonymous with alchemy and occult- esoteric teachings at all. The hermetic influenced the scientific world view, even into the 17th century and coined the Western occultism.

Hermetic literature

Origin

The traditional Hermetic writings or " Hermetika " created between the 1st and the 4th century AD. However, this is only the period in which have been found to today's traditional form the scriptures. How far and where the roots of their teachings rich, there is no consensus about it. It has ancient Egyptian elements, Jewish and Persian Chaldean faith, and Platonic, Neoplatonic and Stoic teachings can make it. However, there is no consensus on the weighting of the said shares.

Hermes Trismegistus

The particular reputation of the Hermetic writings based on the belief that we are dealing with testimonies of ancient knowledge, as it held the legendary author, at least for a contemporary of Moses, perhaps even for a predecessor. This view was supported by Cicero, an Egyptian Mercury De natura deorum identified in with the god Thoth, who had brought the Egyptians long before the Greeks and Romans Scripture and laws:

" Mercurius [ ... ] quintus, quem colunt Pheneatae, qui dicitur Argum interemisse whether eamque causam in Aegyptum profugisse atque Aegyptiis leges et Litteras tradidisse: hunc aegyptii Theyt appellant eodemque nomine primus mensis anni apud eos vocatur. "

" The fifth Mercury is worshiped by the inhabitants Pheneums. He is said to have killed Argus and was therefore fled to Egypt, and have brought the Egyptians laws and the font. This name the Egyptian Thoth and with the same name they call the first month of the year. "

Overview of traditional texts

About the number and size of the lost ancient Hermetic writings can only speculate. Manetho ( 3rd century BC) and Iamblichus of Chalcis ( 4th century ) mention Hermes or Thoth as a writer of 35625 books, Clement of Alexandria, Stromata counts in the (VI, 4, 35-38 ) forty-two books of Hermes that have been designated for the Egyptian temple service as indispensable.

The surviving texts are mainly the following:

• The Corpus Hermeticum, a collection of 18 Hermetic treatises
• Of Asclepius dialog, which was handed down along with the works of Apuleius of Madauros, as you this for the translator of the lost Greek original thought ( Coptic fragments thereof were also found in the Nag Hammadi library, Codex VI, 8)
• The Emerald Tablet, which had great influence on alchemy,
• The " excerpts " of Stobaeus, a scholar from the 5th century, who compiled a collection of quotes and excerpts for his son Septimius, including some extensive part of Hermetic writings,
• As part of the Nag Hammadi writings traditional hermetic texts (VI, 6, VI, 7a, VI, 7b, VI, 8; font VI, 8 includes a portion of Asclepius dialogue )
• Of the church fathers, Tertullian, Lactantius, Clement of Alexandria and Augustine of Hippo traditional quotes and fragments, as well as
• The " Hermetic definitions " that are preserved in an Armenian translation of the 6th century.

In addition, there are smaller fragments hermetic writings on papyrus finds, or they are discovered in archives and libraries.

In contrast to these " philosophical- theological Hermetika " there is a relatively large group of writings that are now referred to as " technical Hermetika ". Subject of these writings are medical, astrological, alchemical, but also directly chemical- metallurgical issues. Often it is probably a pure attribution to Hermes Trismegistus.

Example of Literature " hands-on " Hermeticism are:

• The book on the 36 deans, one probably originating from the 1st century astrological text,
• The Centiloquium Hermetis, a very popular astrological aphorisms, from over 80 manuscripts and several prints are obtained from the period 1484-1533, or
• The so-called Kyraniden, a medical- astrological text.

A modern-day work, which claimed to be in the hermetic tradition, is the so-called Kybalion.

Effective history

In his apologetic work Divinarum institutionum libri VII ( 304-311/326 ) Lactantius tries to substantiate the truth of Christianity through the writings of pagan poets, philosophers and " divine witnesses". This takes Hermes Trismegistus before the Sibyls and the Apollonian oracles a prominent role. Lactantius cites Cicero's text passage on the Egyptian Mercury and lead it thereafter as a witness for the existence of a supreme God to, so not only authority and age is accredited the Hermetic writings for centuries to come, but also the way for a Christian interpretation of the Corpus Hermeticum is paved:

" Nunc ad diuina testimonia Transeamus. Sed prius unum proferam, quod est simile diuino et whether nimiam uetustatem et quod is conveniently nominabo ex hominibus in deodorants Relatos est. [ ... ] Qui tametsi homo fuit, et tamen antiquissimus instructissimus omni genere doctrinae adeo ut ei multarum rerum et artium scientia Trismegisto cognomen imponeret. Hic scripsit libros et quidem multos ad cognitionem diuinarum rerum pertinentes, in quibus maiestatem summi ac singularis Dei asserit, isdemque nominibus appellat quibus nos dominum ac Patrem. "

"Now we move on to the testimonies of divine origin. But first, I mention one that is equal to the divine, both because of his great age, and because of that I 'm going to call, was charged by the people to the gods. [ ...] This was, though a man of great age and in all fields of knowledge most shod, so that he has earned the nickname of the Thrice Greatest ' because of its excellence and Bewandertheit in many arts. He wrote books, in large numbers, devoted to the knowledge of divine things. In this he explains the glory of a supreme and only God and rename it with the same name as we do. Lord and father "

Renowned Hermetists

• Abu Musa Jabir ibn Hayyān, an important Islamic scientists of the 8th century and students of the 6th Imam
• Arnald of Villanova, the Knights Templar, physician and alchemist, published a Latin text of the Emerald Tablet
• Marsilio Ficino, translator of the Corpus Hermeticum into Latin
• Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, who joined the teaching of Hermeticism with the Kabbalah,
• Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, De Occulta Philosophia author of
• Paracelsus, a physician and metaphysician
• John Dee, mathematician, astrologer and esoteric