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Hermeticism: Rise and Fall of an Esoteric System: Part I

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Hermeticism: Rise and Fall of an Esoteric System: Part I Winter 2009 Hermeticism: Rise and Fall of an Esoteric System: Part I John F. Nash Summary pilgrimages to Egypt, and sometimes to other parts of the Middle East, to savor ancient wis- hat we now know as Hermeticism was dom and religious rituals. W born when texts appeared, early in the Common Era, believed to contain revelation Apocalyptic and “Wisdom” literature emerged from the god Thoth/Hermes/Mercury and in Hellenic Judaism and was incorporated into teachings of the ancient Egyptian priesthood. the Greek Septuagint—though not in the He- brew Bible approved by the Sanhedrin. The Taking an historical approach, this article ex- Books of Enoch supposedly described mystical plores the growing interest in Hermeticism in experiences of the biblical prophet Enoch, son the Middle Ages and even greater interest dur- of Jared and great-grandfather of Noah.1 Kab- ing the Renaissance. The Hermetic texts were balistic texts were believed to preserve oral thought to prophesy the coming of Christ—or teachings from Moses or even Abraham.2 The possibly the renewal of Christianity by the in- Sibylline Oracles presented a mixture of clas- corporation of elements of Egyptian religion. sical mythology and Judeo-Christian sacred For several centuries Hermeticism—with a stories. The Chaldean Oracles claimed to pre- strong basis in talismanic magic and signifi- sent the teachings of Zoroaster. Finally, and of cant emphasis on astrology and alchemy—was concern to us here, the so-called Hermetic the dominant system of esotericism in Chris- texts professed to communicate the secret wis- tian Europe. dom of the ancient Egyptian priesthood. Part I explores the evolution of Hermeticism That wisdom was attributed to the Egyptian from its origins in antiquity through its “golden god Thoth. Depicted in art as a man with the age,” which came to a close with the execution head of an ibis, he was the scribe of the gods, of Giordano Bruno in 1600. Part II, which will his long beak suggestive of a quill. Thoth al- appear in the next issue, continues the story by legedly gave his countrymen their laws and examining specific applications of Hermeti- bestowed on humanity the gifts of language cism, its decline in the mid-17th century, and and writing. Writing clearly brought great the revival of interest in modern times. benefits, but it was not universally welcomed. King Thamus complained to the god: “[T]his The Hermetic Texts discovery of yours will create forgetfulness in uring the period from about 200 BCE to D 300 CE, esoteric texts attracted attention in the Greco-Roman world. They found fertile ground in the cultural environment of late Pla- About the Author tonism, which had already taken on a religio- John F. Nash, Ph.D., is a long-time esoteric student, mystical dimension that would play out over author, and teacher. Two of his books, Quest for the time in the Essene and rabbinic schools of Ju- Soul and The Soul and Its Destiny, were reviewed daism; in pagan and Christian Gnosticism; and, in the Winter 2005 issue of the Esoteric Quarterly. by the end of the period, in Neoplatonism. Ex- His latest book, Christianity: The One, the Many, otic ideas, beliefs, and religious practices were was reviewed in the Fall 2008 issue. Further infor- valued by the intelligentsia of the Roman Em- mation can be found in the advertisements in this pire. Well-to-do Greeks and Romans made issue and at http://www.uriel.com/. Copyright © The Esoteric Quarterly, 2009. 39 the learners’ souls, because they will not use in the Great Pyramid of Gizeh, supposedly their memories.”3 Then, in ancient Greece, the Hermes’ tomb. But the earliest verifiable ver- Olympian god Hermes, son of Zeus, became sion, which dates from the eighth century, is identified with Thoth. Upon the Hellenic con- on paper—in an Arabic work by the Islamic quest of Egypt, in the fourth century BCE, the alchemist Jabir ibn Hayyan. The text is short Egyptian Thoth became Hermes. Eventually and cryptic: the Romans identified their messenger-god It is true without lying, certain and most Mercury with Thoth/Hermes, and the three true. That which is Below is like that gods were conflated into a single multicultural which is Above, and that which is Above deity. is like that which is Below to do the mira- Most important of the Hermetic texts were the cles of the Only Thing. And as all things Corpus Hermeticum and a companion book, have been and arose from One by the me- the Asclepius. Less well-known was The Defi- diation of One, so all things have their nitions of Hermes Trismegistus to Asclepius. birth from this One Thing by adaptation. Authorship of all three was credited to “Her- The Sun is its father; the Moon its mother; mes Trismegistus” (“Thrice-Great Hermes”). the Wind hath carried it in its belly; the Much of the material was formatted as teacher- Earth is its nurse. The father of all perfec- disciple dialog, typically between Hermes and tion in the whole world is here. Its force or his favored disciple Asclepius or his son Tat. power is entire if it be converted into Hermes Trismegistus was held in high regard; Earth. Separate the Earth from the Fire, the for instance, one student proclaimed: subtle from the gross, sweetly with great “[E]verything is possible to you as master of industry. It ascends from the Earth to the the universe.”4 For more than 1,500 years, Heavens and again it descends to the Earth Hermes was assumed to be the god and receives the force of things superior Thoth/Hermes/Mercury or at least his incarna- and inferior. By this means you shall have tion in human form. Some accounts assert that the glory of the whole world and thereby Hermes was Moses’ teacher, or even Abra- all obscurity shall fly from you. Its force is ham’s, while others suggest that he lived at the above all force, for it vanquishes every time of Noah or Zoroaster. There may have subtle thing and penetrates every solid been more than one Hermes. The Asclepius thing. So was the world created. From this mentions a grandfather and grandson, both so- are and do come admirable adaptations, named, and asserts that the texts were written whereof the process is here in this. Hence by the grandson.5 Perhaps there was a triplicity am I called Hermes Trismegistus, having of Hermeses, providing one explanation of the three parts of the philosophy of the “Trismegistus.”6 Asclepius has sometimes whole world. That which I have said of the been identified with the Egyptian Imhotep.7 operation of the Sun is accomplished and ended.9 The classical Hermetic texts purported to re- veal new details of Egyptian religion. How- The famous second sentence: “That which is ever, none was written in hieroglyphic, hier- below…” is usually abbreviated to “As above, atic, or even demotic script. The Corpus Her- so below.” meticum was written in Greek. Only a Latin The Picatrix was also written in Arabic. Its translation and an abbreviated Coptic transla- original Arabic title could be interpreted as tion of the Asclepius survived, though the “Goal of The Wise.” Dated from around 1000 original version was also believed to have been CE, the Picatrix took the form of a handbook, in Greek. The Definitions of Hermes was pre- or grimoire, of talismanic magic. The exis- served in Coptic and Armenian manuscripts. tence of Arabic Hermetic texts draws attention Another important text was the Emerald Tab- to the penetration of Hermetism into Middle let, believed to have been inscribed on “emer- Eastern as well as European cultures. In par- ald” by Hermes himself.8 According to leg- ticular, the Sabians—whose descendents may end, Alexander the Great discovered the tablet be the modern Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran— 40 Copyright © The Esoteric Quarterly, 2009 Winter 2009 are believed to have embraced beliefs similar tween God and his creation. People with the to western Hermetism. proper disposition and who committed to the proper training could acquire Nous and be- An issue of terminology needs to be addressed come effective magi. They could also achieve at this point. Distinctions customarily are made gnosis, or enlightenment. between the Hermetism of late antiquity and the Hermeticism of the Middle Ages and be- Hermetism “saw the entire Cosmos as one yond. The former term refers to teachings great, interconnected Being, a system based on based on the Corpus Hermeticum, the Ascle- intricate harmony, sympathy, and correspon- pius, and The Definitions of Hermes, as they dence, both spiritual and material.”14 The were understood in the Greco-Roman world. teachings affirmed the divine nature of the Hermeticism refers to the much broader teach- planets and fixed stars and their influence on ings that reflected medieval additions to the human affairs. The zodiac, the backdrop for literature—a category that would include the both the planets and the stellar constellations, Picatrix and possibly the Emerald Tablet—and was divided not only into the familiar 12 signs the incorporation of concepts and practices but into 36 decans, each of 10° of arc. Every from other traditions. For example, it would be decan was the domain of a powerful spirit, accurate to speak of “Renaissance Hermeti- some of which were benevolent and others cism” or “Christian Hermeticism” but inaccu- malevolent. As the vault of the heavens rotated rate to speak of “Renaissance Hermetism” or during the 12-hour day, and during the solar “Christian Hermetism.” Corresponding to year, each resident spirit held sway in turn.
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