The Eternal Hermes: From Greek God to Alchemical Magus [Paperback]

Antoine Faivre (Author), Joscelyn Godwin (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2000

Hermes- the fascinating mercurial messenger of the gods eloquent revealer of hidden wisdom and guardian of occult knowledge-has played a central role in the development of esotericism in the West. The enigmatic Hermes Trismegistus legendary author of ancient Gnostic writings was the father of the Hermetic tradition. Drawing upon rare books and manuscripts, this highly illustrated work explores the question of where Hermes Trismegistus came from how he came to be a patron of the esoteric traditions and how the figure of Hermes has remained lively and inspiring to our own day.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 213 pages
• Publisher: Phanes Press (November 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0933999526
• ISBN-13: 978-0933999527
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #467,656 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but disappointing, August 4, 2002

By 

BlueJay54 - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Eternal Hermes: From Greek God to Alchemical Magus (Paperback)

I was disappointed to find that this is not a book-length study on Hermes. Instead, it is a collection of articles related by the fact that this same author has written broadly on the topic of Hermes. The collection was edited to reduce (but not eliminate) repetition of subject matter. Most unfortunately, the mythistorical progression implied in the subtitle ("From Greek God to Alchemical Magus") is only weakly developed. The articles are uneven in length, varying from 10-40 pages. They also vary in depth and quality. Chapter 1 ("Hermes in the Western Imagination") was good, and there are interesting tidbits throughout (for example, St. Augustine's hostile reaction to the Hermetica). But by the time we reach the last chapter ("The Inheritance of Alexandrian Hermeticism"), the discourse has been reduced to a kind of glorified historical bibliography. The 39 B/W plates are interesting. But the overall approach is curiously concerned with form over substance or experience. For example, we are told repeatedly (pp. 40, 60, 100) how Causabon proved in 1614 that the Hermetica could not be older than 2nd-3rd c. CE, yet we are not told exactly what philological trick he used to do that. Nor does our author speculate as to what impact that inference might actually have on a tradition that explictly refers its own origins to teachings in a meditative dream-state (Corpus Hermeticum I.1). As another example, we are explicitly told (p. 60) that the retelling of the myths of the Fall and reintegration, as well as the philosophical, practical and theurgical implications, are the task of Theosophy--and, by implication, are not part of the intent here. Overall, these pieces are not nearly so impoverished as Doniger-O'Flaherty's structuralist reduction of Vedic myth, but neither does it overflow with rich historical portraits like Frances Yates, nor is it nearly so sympathetic & interiorized as Mircea Eliade (to whom Faivre was compared). In short, if you had, like me, IMAGINED more, you will, like me, need to look elsewhere.

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hermes as a recurrent Mythic theme in religion and culture, July 9, 2000

By 

Christopher W. Chase "Christopher W. Chase" (East Lansing, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Eternal Hermes: From Greek God to Alchemical Magus (Paperback)

This small volume is a collection of Essays that the premier European scholar of Western Esoteric religious thought has published. The essays focus on what qualifies as Hermetic thought and esoteric thought. Faivre brings out the notion of the Hermes figure in history as a prophetic revealer of wisdom---and also a trickster and deceiver. This book includes art plates of representations of Hermes in different paintings and pictoral representations. He also addresses the Hermes figure in contemporary culture, such as in films like "Mad Max."

A good book for those intersted in Western Occultism, since Hermes and Hermeticism is the main sources in Western Culture for occult thought. Also read Copenhaver's "Hermetica" and Fowden's "The Egyptian Hermes" for a cross-disciplinary look at the figure of Hermes in ancient theosophy and in Greco-Egyptian religious culture.

Good translation---it's by Jocelyn Godwin, the premier American scholar of Western Esoteric thought. They are good friends, Godwin and Faivre--and I'm sure that the translation is faithful.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for those interestsed in Western Occultism., March 21, 2002

By 

David J. Gannon (San Antonio, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Eternal Hermes: From Greek God to Alchemical Magus (Paperback)

Among the primary mythic figures of European civilization, few are more ubiquitous than Hermes, the fascinating, mercurial messenger of the gods, eloquent revealer of hidden wisdom, and guardian of occult knowledge. Hermes has played a central role in the development of esotericism in the West.

Drawing upon many rare books and manuscripts, this highly illustrated work explores the question of where Hermes Trismegistus came from, how he came to be a patron of the esoteric traditions, and how the figure of Hermes has remained lively and inspiring to our own day.

Antoine Faivre is reputedly the most prominent scholar of esoterism to have appeared since Mircea Eliade. He is Director of Studies at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (Section des Sciences Religieuses, Sorbonne), University Professor of Germanic Studies at the University of Haute-Normandie, and director of the Cahiers de lHermétisme. All of that scholastic firepower notwithstanding, he delivers his message in a erudite yet free flowing prose style that does not suffer from many of the linguistic glitches translations of scholarly works often contain. Indeed, Faivre's elegant erudition, blended with a highly refined metaphysical sensibility, brings the great Hermes to life and allows this powerful psycho-spiritual character to speak once again (and perhaps even play a few much-needed tricks on us), which is appropriate as Hermes is both a prophetic revealer of wisdom---and also a trickster and deceiver. Both sides of his character are fully explored within this work.

This book is an impressive effort-both intellectually and visually. This slim volume stands as a compelling contribution in helping to answer the puzzling questions as to both the source and endurance of Hermes in his variety of shape-shifting guises.

A must read for anyone with serious interests in Western Occultism.