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==Origin== | ==Origin== | ||
Hermes, the Greek god of interpretive communication, was combined with Thoth, the Egyptian god of wisdom. Greeks in the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt recognized the equivalence of Hermes and Thoth through the ''interpretatio graeca'. Consequently, the two gods were worshiped as one, in what had been the Temple of Thoth in Khemenu, which was known in the Hellenistic period as Hermopolis. | Hermes, the Greek god of interpretive communication, was combined with Thoth, the Egyptian god of wisdom. Greeks in the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt recognized the equivalence of Hermes and Thoth through the ''interpretatio graeca''. Consequently, the two gods were worshiped as one, in what had been the Temple of Thoth in Khemenu, which was known in the Hellenistic period as Hermopolis. | ||
The Egyptian priest and polymath Imhotep had been deified long after his death and therefore assimilated to Thoth in the classical and Hellenistic periods. The renowned scribe Amenhotep and a wise man named Teôs were coequal deities of wisdom, science, and medicine; and, thus, they were placed alongside Imhotep in shrines dedicated to Thoth–Hermes during the Ptolemaic Kingdom. | The Egyptian priest and polymath Imhotep had been deified long after his death and therefore assimilated to Thoth in the classical and Hellenistic periods. The renowned scribe Amenhotep and a wise man named Teôs were coequal deities of wisdom, science, and medicine; and, thus, they were placed alongside Imhotep in shrines dedicated to Thoth–Hermes during the Ptolemaic Kingdom. | ||
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Cicero enumerates several deities referred to as "Hermes": a "fourth [[Mercury]] (Hermes) was the son of the Nile, whose name may not be spoken by the Egyptians"; and "the fifth, who is worshiped by the people of Pheneus [in Arcadia], is said to have killed Argus Panoptes, 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 Theyt." The most likely interpretation of this passage is as two variants on the same syncretism of Greek Hermes and Egyptian Thoth (or sometimes other gods): the fourth (where Hermes turns out "actually" to have been a "son of the Nile," i.e. a native god) being viewed from the Egyptian perspective, the fifth (who went from Greece to Egypt) being viewed from the Greek-Arcadian perspective. Both of these early references in Cicero (most ancient Trismegistus material is from the early centuries AD) corroborate the view that Thrice-Great Hermes originated in Hellenistic Egypt through syncretism between Greek and [[Egyptian religion|Egyptian gods]] (the ''Hermetica'' refer most often to [[Thoth]] and [[Amun-Ra]]). | Cicero enumerates several deities referred to as "Hermes": a "fourth [[Mercury]] (Hermes) was the son of the Nile, whose name may not be spoken by the Egyptians"; and "the fifth, who is worshiped by the people of Pheneus [in Arcadia], is said to have killed Argus Panoptes, 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 Theyt." The most likely interpretation of this passage is as two variants on the same syncretism of Greek Hermes and Egyptian Thoth (or sometimes other gods): the fourth (where Hermes turns out "actually" to have been a "son of the Nile," i.e. a native god) being viewed from the Egyptian perspective, the fifth (who went from Greece to Egypt) being viewed from the Greek-Arcadian perspective. Both of these early references in Cicero (most ancient Trismegistus material is from the early centuries AD) corroborate the view that Thrice-Great Hermes originated in Hellenistic Egypt through syncretism between Greek and [[Egyptian religion|Egyptian gods]] (the ''Hermetica'' refer most often to [[Thoth]] and [[Amun-Ra]]). | ||
The Hermetic literature among the Egyptians, which was concerned with conjuring spirits and animating statues, inform the oldest Hellenistic writings on Greco-Babylonian astrology and on the newly developed practice of alchemy. In a parallel tradition, Hermetic philosophy rationalized and systematized religious cult practices and offered the adept a means of personal ascension from the constraints of physical being. This latter tradition has led to the confusion of Hermeticism with [[Gnosticism]], which was developing contemporaneously. | The Hermetic literature among the Egyptians, which was concerned with conjuring spirits and animating statues, inform the oldest Hellenistic writings on Greco-Babylonian astrology and on the newly developed practice of alchemy. In a parallel tradition, Hermetic philosophy rationalized and systematized religious [[cult]] practices and offered the adept a means of personal ascension from the constraints of physical being. This latter tradition has led to the confusion of Hermeticism with [[Gnosticism]], which was developing contemporaneously. | ||
=="Thrice-Great"== | =="Thrice-Great"== | ||
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==Hermetic writings== | ==Hermetic writings== | ||
During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance the Hermetica enjoyed great prestige and were popular among alchemists. Hermes was also strongly associated with astrology, for example by the influential Islamic astrologer Abu Ma'shar (787–886). The "hermetic tradition" consequently refers to [[alchemy]], [[ritual magic|magic]], [[astrology]], and related subjects. The texts are usually divided into two categories: the philosophical and the technical hermetica. The former deals mainly with philosophy, and the latter with practical magic, potions, and [[alchemy]]. The expression "hermetically sealed" comes from the alchemical procedure to make the Philosopher's | During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance the Hermetica enjoyed great prestige and were popular among alchemists. Hermes was also strongly associated with astrology, for example by the influential Islamic astrologer Abu Ma'shar (787–886). The "hermetic tradition" consequently refers to [[alchemy]], [[ritual magic|magic]], [[astrology]], and related subjects. The texts are usually divided into two categories: the philosophical and the technical hermetica. The former deals mainly with philosophy, and the latter with practical magic, potions, and [[alchemy]]. The expression "hermetically sealed" comes from the alchemical procedure to make the [[Philosopher's stone]]. This required a mixture of materials to be placed in a glass vessel which was sealed by fusing the neck closed, a procedure known as the Seal of Hermes. The vessel was then heated for 30 to 40 days. | ||
During the Renaissance, it was accepted that Hermes Trismegistus was a contemporary of Moses. However, after Casaubon's dating of the Hermetic writings as being no earlier than the second or third century AD, the whole of Renaissance Hermeticism collapsed. | During the Renaissance, it was accepted that Hermes Trismegistus was a contemporary of Moses. However, after Casaubon's dating of the Hermetic writings as being no earlier than the second or third century AD, the whole of Renaissance Hermeticism collapsed. | ||
==Islamic tradition== | |||
The star-worshipping [[Islam]]ic sect known as the [[Sabians|Sabians of Harran]] believed that their doctrine descended from Hermes Trismegistus. | |||
Hermetic fragments are also found in the works of Muslim [[alchemy|alchemists]] in their commentaries on the [[Emerald Tablet]] such as Jabir ibn Hayyan (died c. 806–816) and Ibn Umayl (c. 900 – c. 960). | |||
==External links== | |||
* [http://www.hermeticinstitute.org/index.html Mark Stavish's Institute for Hermetic Studies] | |||
[[Category:People]] | [[Category:People]] | ||
[[Category:Occultists]] | [[Category:Occultists]] | ||
[[Category:Alchemy]] | |||