Hermeticism: The Ancient Wisdom of Hermes Trismegistus

An 11th-century Byzantine scholar who compiled manuscripts of the Corpus Hermeticum, potentially 'improving' them to be more compatible with Christian beliefs.

A classical scholar at the beginning of the 17th century who challenged the ancient dating of Hermetic texts, finding linguistic proof of a much later, early Christian period origin.

A Latin treatise, considered part of the religio-philosophical Hermetica, also available as a separate translation by Clement Salaman.

The 'Ninth Sphere' in Hermetic cosmology, representing the home of Nous (divine intellect/intuition) and considered the ultimate essence of the soul's divine light.

A spiritual movement often contrasted with Hermeticism, characterized by a dualistic worldview and the goal of escaping the material world.

A type of fraternity that Gilles Quispel compared to the 'brethren' who may have formed secret societies around Hermetic writings in Alexandria.

The source for an interpretation of the epithet 'thrice great' relating to the praise of the trinity.

The tradition to which Hermes was considered a founding father during the Renaissance, envisioning a perennial philosophy uniting reason and faith.

Spiritual teachings that draw on various traditions, including Hermeticism. (Implied through discussion of perennial wisdom and esoteric ideas).

A key Latin Hermetic text, important for its spiritual and philosophical content.

An influential magical organization from the late 19th and early 20th centuries that drew heavily on Hermetic traditions.

Also known as 'The Daughter of the Cosmos', it's a fragment included in M. David Litwa's 'Hermetica II', suggesting all knowledge is important for salvation.

A translation by Clement Salaman and others, considered a great start for beginners interested in Hermeticism.

Author of 'The Egyptian Hermes', a scholarly work emphasizing the Egyptian contribution to the Hermetic tradition.

Author of 'Hermetic Spirituality and the Historical Imagination', who challenges philosophical interpretations of Hermetic writings, emphasizing spiritual practice.

Spiritual tradition where the concept of the 'Great Doubt' is analogous to the Hermetic understanding of the need for direct, personal experience for awakening.

An Italian humanist scholar in the 15th century who, along with Marsilio Ficino, played a key role in translating the Corpus Hermeticum.

A collection of seventeen anonymous Hermetic writings compiled by Michael Psellus and later translated by Marsilio Ficino, considered a core text of Hermeticism.

One of the key texts attributed to the technical Hermetica.

A collection containing texts and fragments of Hermetic works.

A scholarly work by Garth Fowden that highlights the often-overlooked Egyptian contribution to the Hermetic tradition.

Ancient Greek philosophers who developed the concept of the sympathy of all things, a principle adopted by Hermeticism.

The tenth and final sphere in Hermetic cosmology, representing the ultimate source of everything, God, conceived as the 'Good' or the 'Supreme Good'.

The location of a pavement dating to 1481, which features an image of Hermes Trismegistus instructing men, with the inscription 'contemporary of Moses'.

Refers to the period when Alexandria was ruled by Rome, during which Hermetic teachings were developing.

An ancient Egyptian religious group associated with the god Thoth, whose records mention 'great Hermes'.

Latin term described by Rudolf Otto, referring to the experience of awe, terror, and fascination in the presence of the numinous or the 'entirely other'.

The most well-known Hermetic dictum, originating from the Emerald Tablet, which implies a correspondence between the macrocosm and the microcosm, and is foundational to astrology and alchemy.

One of the Hermetic societies formed after Hermeticism was driven underground in the 17th century.

A Dutch scholar who commented on the structure of secret societies in Alexandria akin to Masonic lodges, based on Hermetic writings.

Author of 'The Arabic Hermes', a scholarly work focusing on the Islamic contribution to the Hermetic tradition.

A Greek term for propositional knowledge, characterized by knowing 'what' something is, achieved through argument, logic, or empirical observation.

The Greco-Egyptian city where Hermes encountered Thoth, forming the persona of Hermes Trismegistus and a center for Hermetic thought.

The 'Eighth Sphere' in Hermetic cosmology, representing the realm of souls before descending into the physical world, and a stage in the ascent beyond the cosmos.

A biblical reference used metaphorically to describe the spiritual ascent towards gnosis in Hermeticism.

A school of thought in the 20th and 21st centuries, also known as Perennialist School, that follows the idea of a perennial wisdom originally revealed to mankind.

The spiritual and philosophical tradition inspired by Hermes Trismegistus, encompassing a wide range of texts and ideas about the nature of reality, the divine, and the human soul.

An Egyptian location where three integral Hermetic writings were discovered in 1945, renewing interest in Hermeticism.

A distinction made by modern scholars referring to Hermetic texts dealing with practical topics like astrology, medicine, alchemy, and magic.

One of the texts considered part of the religio-philosophical Hermetica.

A collection of ancient magical texts offering insight into practical Hermetic disciplines.

Author of 'Hermetica II', a work that complements Brian P. Copenhaver's translation by including additional fragments.

A translation of Hermetic texts by Clement Salaman and others, including the Corpus and Definitions, recommended as a starting point for beginners.

A scholarly work by Kevin van Bladel focusing on the contribution of Islamic thought to the Hermetic tradition.

The 'Holy Word', which comes from the light and descends upon dark nature in one of Hermes' visions, carrying the soul of man.

Religious beliefs and traditions that influenced attempts to reconcile or 'improve' Hermetic texts and were later used by Isaac Casaubon to date Hermetic writings.

Pertaining to the period of Greek influence after Alexander the Great, particularly in Egypt, where Hermetic thought flourished and possibly originated in loosely organized circles.

Describing language and ideas found by Isaac Casaubon in Hermetic texts, indicating a later origin than previously assumed Egyptian antiquity.

The form of Hermeticism scholars previously focused on, often emphasizing Greek and philosophical aspects, sometimes to the neglect of its Egyptian and religious dimensions.

The developing scholarly perspective on Hermeticism that gives more attention to its Egyptian and religious dimensions, and the significance of ecstatic states.

A core collection of Hermetic texts, translated by scholars like Brian P. Copenhaver, crucial for understanding Hermetic philosophy and spirituality.

A concept from Zen Buddhism, analogous to the Hermetic emphasis on personal experience for attaining knowledge and awakening.

Philosophical school associated with Iamblichus, who wrote about Hermes as a divine figure presiding over reason and sacred arts.

Philosophers who developed the concept of cosmic sympathy adopted by Hermeticism.

Translator of the Hermetica, whose edition includes the Corpus and Asclepius with detailed introduction and notes.

Co-translator of 'The Way of Hermes' and 'Asclepius: The Perfect Discourses of Hermes Trismegistus', recommended for beginners.

Editor of 'The Greek Magical Papyri', a collection of spells, hymns, and rituals from Greco-Roman Egypt.

A work by Wouter Hanegraaff that argues for a focus on spiritual practice and the transformation of consciousness in understanding Hermeticism.

A 'Good Spirit' who also appears as a teacher to Hermes Trismegistus in Book 12 of the Corpus Hermeticum.

A Greek word signifying a drug or remedy, used to describe writing as both healing (providing knowledge) and poisonous (leading to forgetting direct experience).

Referencing the ancient culture and deities (like Thoth) that were integrated into the figure of Hermes Trismegistus and whose contribution to Hermeticism is increasingly recognized by scholars.

Experiences such as luminous visions, spiritual rebirth, and union with the divine, central to the Hermetic path towards gnosis and higher knowledge.

The inner power of reasonable speech, a faculty to be developed for spiritual growth in Hermeticism.

Patron of Marsilio Ficino, for whom Ficino was translating the works of Plato before he turned his attention to the Corpus Hermeticum.

A Renaissance notion of 'ancient theology', asserting that a single, true theology exists in all religions and was given by God to humanity in antiquity.

A classification for Hermetic texts focused on religious, mystical, and spiritual teachings of an initiatory character, written between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD.

Manuscripts discovered near Nag Hammadi, which contain Hermetic texts.

Fragments of Hermetic texts found in Oxford and Vienna, part of the religio-philosophical Hermetica.

A key Hermetic concept often translated as 'intellect' or 'mind', but better understood as intuition, imagination, or divine revelation; the spiritual capacity for gnosis.

An ancient Greek term for the cultivation of reverence and sacred awe for the gods, considered a vital aspect of Hermeticism leading to salvation.

A profound shift in Western consciousness, marked by the rise of modern science, contributed to the decline of Hermeticism's general influence.

Intellectual movement in the Renaissance, embodied by scholars like Ficino and Lazarrelli, who translated and studied classical and esoteric texts, including Hermetic works.

The twelve signs of the zodiac are linked to the twelve tormentors of darkness that afflict the soul upon birth.

One of the Hermetic writings found near Nag Hammadi, showing evidence of initiation grades and transcending planetary spheres.

One of the key texts attributed to the technical Hermetica.

In Hermetic cosmology, the soul must travel through the seven planetary spheres (Moon, Mercury, Venus, Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) to purify itself before ascending beyond.

Rudolf Otto's study on the nature of the numinous, relevant to understanding the 'mysterium tremendum et fascinas' experienced in religious and mystical encounters.

The pseudonymous authors of 'The Kybalion', a modern book that popularized Hermetic teachings.

Referring to the Byzantine scholar Michael Psellus, who compiled early versions of the Corpus Hermeticum.

Indicating the influence of Jewish language and ideas detected by Isaac Casaubon in Hermetic texts, suggesting their origin in the early Christian period.

A collection of texts related to Hermes Trismegistus referenced in scholarly discussions.

A collection of Hermetic writings, important for understanding the philosophical and religious aspects of the tradition.

A key writing found in Nag Hammadi, detailing the initiate's progress beyond rebirth and towards Hermetic mysteries, involving vowel incantations.

Pertaining to the language, philosophy, and culture that heavily influenced Hermeticism, particularly in Alexandria, and whose language posed translation challenges for Hermetic texts.

A spiritual movement whose teachings are represented in 'The Kybalion', a popular gateway to Hermeticism.

The cultural milieu of Egypt during the Hellenistic period, considered a likely origin for the loosely organized circles that produced Hermetic treatises.

An allegory by Plato illustrating the perception of reality, which Gnostics use as a parallel for escaping the material world; Hermeticism, however, emphasizes embodying the good within the world.

An Egyptian site where the Ibis shrine is located, and where records from 172 BC mention 'great Hermes', potentially explaining the epithet 'thrice great'.

A state of expanded awareness where individuals perceive themselves as being in all places simultaneously, a result of spiritual rebirth in Hermeticism.

The Greek term for 'drug' or 'remedy', used to describe writing's dual nature: healing through knowledge, but potentially poisonous by obscuring direct experience.

The discovery of texts near Nag Hammadi in 1945 significantly renewed scholarly and popular interest in Hermeticism and Gnosticism.

A Hermetic text from Nag Hammadi that details spiritual ascent and initiation.