Hermes Trismegistus is a blend of two major gods, Egyptian Thoth and Greek Hermes. With the rise of alchemy, both gods are patrons of the practice. The Hermetic Writings of theology, philosophy and the occult are ascribed to Hermes Trismegistus.
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Hellenistic Greeks in the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt equate Hermes and Thoth through the interpretatio graeca, or equivalence of Greek gods with those of other cultures. Hermes and Thoth receive offerings and worship as one deity.
Rites take place in the Temple of Thoth in Khemenu, known to the Greeks as Hermopolis. An important center of antiquity, Hermopolis is on the middle Nile near the borders of Upper and Lower Egypt.
It's named for the Ogdoad, eight primeval deities who dwell in Hermopolis. The meaning of Egyptian Khemenu is "Eight Town".
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Hermes, also equated with Roman Mercury, is the god of financial gain, commerce, eloquence, messages, communication, travelers, boundaries, luck, trickery, merchants and thieves. He's a psychopomp or guide for the recently deceased.
Thoth is one of most ancient Egyptian gods, revered by 6000 BCE as a moon deity. He's god of wisdom, the moon, justice, scribes and architects. In the Egyptian Book of the Dead he attends the weighing of the heart of a deceased person, and inscribes the result.
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Among the Egyptians, Hermetic writings correspond to the conjuring of spirits and statue animation. They contain the oldest Hellenistic writings on Greco-Babylonian astrology, and the newly evolved practice of alchemy.
Hermetic philosophy centers on the rational systemization of ritual practices. The occult literature gives the practitioner a way to rise above the limits of the physical. Gnosticism is developing at the same time.
Gnosticism considers the concept of humans as divine souls constrained by the physical realm. A theological system of early Jewish and Christian sects, Gnosticism asserts the world is created by an imperfect spirit, thought to be the god of Abraham.
Trismegistus, meaning "thrice great" is thought to arise from an epithet of Thoth found at the Temple of Esna, "Thoth the great, the great, the great." Several Christian writers consider Hermes Trismegistus a wise pagan prophet who foresees the advent of Christianity.
They believe in a prisca theologia, a true theology appearing in all religions. The theology is given by Yahweh to humans in early years and represented through prophets such as Zoroaster and Plato.
The Greek Cyranides records magical powers and healing properties of minerals, plants and animals, givening Hermes as the source. The Arabic translation (9th century) contains no reference to Hermes.
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Christians interpret the Hermetic teachings to substantialize their own ideas. In the Christian account Hermes Trismegistus is contemporary with Moses, or the third in a line of men named Hermes.
These are Enoch, Noah and Egyptian king called Hermes Trismegistus due to his distinction as a leading priest and philosopher. The Suda, a 10th-century Byzantine encyclopedia of the ancient Mediterranean, states
"He was called Trismegistus on account of his praise of the trinity, saying there is one divine nature in the trinity."
During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, the Hermetica are popular among alchemists. Hermes is also associated with astrology, for example by the influential Islamic astrologer Abu Ma'shar al-Balkhi (787–886).
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The "Hermetic tradition" refers to alchemy, magic, astrology and related subjects. Texts are distinguished in two categories, philosophical and technical hermetica. The first is occupied with philosophy, the second with practical magic, potions and alchemy.
The term "hermetically sealed" arises from an alchemical process to make the mystic Philosopher's Stone. A mixture of materials is put into a glass vessel. The neck is sealed by fusion, known as the Seal of Hermes. The vessel is heated for 30 to 40 days.
During the Renaissance, Hermes Trismegistus is seen as a contemporary of Moses. After a demonstration in 1614 by classical scholar Isaac Casaubon, it's proven the Hermetic writings postdate the advent of Christianity.
This causes the collapse of the entire philosophy of Renaissance Hermeticism. As to their actual authorship:
... they were certainly not written in remotest antiquity by an all wise Egyptian priest, as the Renaissance believed, but by various unknown authors, all probably Greeks, and they contain popular Greek philosophy of the period, a mixture of Platonism and Stoicism, combined with some Jewish and probably some Persian influences.
Yates, Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition
Hermes Trismegistus takes a role in Islamic tradition, as identified with Islamic prophet Idris. Muslims also identify Idris with Enoch. According Persian astrologer Abu Ma'shar al-Balkhi, Idris/Hermes is called "Thrice-Wise" due to his manifestations.
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The first Hermes, comparable to Thoth, was a "civilizing hero", an initiator into the mysteries of the divine science and wisdom that animate the world; he carved the principles of this sacred science in hieroglyphs.
The second Hermes, in Babylon, is the initiator of Pythagoras. The third Hermes is the first teacher of alchemy. The Sabians of Harran also believe their doctrine comes from Hermes Trismegistus.
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Pythagoras is known for teachings of metempsychosis, or "transmigration of souls", a belief the soul is immortal, entering a new body on death. The musica universalis, movement of planets to math equations, creating an inaudible symphony of music, is attributed to him.
Hermetic fragments also appear in works of Muslim alchemists such as Jabir ibn Hayyan who cites an early version of the Emerald Tablet. Tenth century scholar Ibn Umayl quotes Hermetic sayings throughout his work, including commentary on the Emerald Tablet.