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Hermetica: The Greek Corpus Hermeticum and the Latin Asclepius in a New English Translation, with Notes and Introduction

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This translation of the Greek 'Corpus Hermeticum' and the Latin 'Asclepius' has been specifically undertaken for English-speakers. However, the real benefits of the translation are the excellent introduction and in excess of 260 pages of notes on the text making significant references to previous translations such as those of Zielinski, Reitzenstein, Festugiere, Mahe and Fowden. 'Hermetica' will be a fascinating journey for all those interested in Egypto-Hellenistic philosophy or for those searching for an alternative to the rigid orthodoxy of some other religious systems. However, there is little here for those who seek to become a spell-casting magus - this is Hermetism, rather than populist Hermeticism! In the thanksgiving at the end of Asclepius, the spells which were present in the Papyrus Mimaut and also in Nag Hammadi Codex VI.6 are omitted. These central texts of Hermetism are learned, philosophical treatises as opposed to popular, occultist writings - "a blend of theology, cosmology, anthropology, ethics, soteriology and eschatology."

Most readers will probably find some degree of confusion within the Corpus Hermeticum. Different authors of the various treatises appear to have taken part in Peripatetic-Platonic-Stoic debate within the surviving texts. Much of the previous criticism however has focussed on the Egyptian - Hellenic argument; Hermes Trismegistus being a syncretic fusion of the Greek messenger of the gods with the Egyptian Thoth (pr. something akin to T-HO-TI). Just to be confusing, the character 'Tat' is also a variant of Thoth is some of the Corpus' texts. Linked with this Peripatetic-Platonic debate is the Corpus' attitude towards dualism which should be a distinguishing feature between Hermetism and early Gnostic Christianity - but sometimes isn't all that clear-cut. Further complications arise through Copenhaver's extensive references to the Chaldean Oracles.

The texts open with POIMANDRES, 'the shepherd man' (poimen aner) although some still search for a Coptic root. The nature of 'true reality' (see Plato's 'Timaeus') establishes itself as the central focus in the very first line of CH I. It is Mind which will free the soul from the fleshy darkness of its bodily incarceration. The texts then move on to the universal discourse between Hermes and Tat opening up a Stoic - Peripatetic debate on whether there is a void or non-entity without the Cosmos. A third alternative is presented : that the surrounding space both encircles and moves the Cosmos.

The most Peripataetic of texts according to Zielinski is CH IV in which activity is clearly seen as positive and passivity as negative. There are some indications of common authorship between I and VII although a number of Western translators have found evidence of strong Judaic influences in VII. CH VII also introduces the metaphor of the 'chiton' (vestment, cloak, shawl) as a symbol of the body which fed through into the writings of Philo, Plotinus and the Valentinian Gnostics - this must be shed for the soul's ascent. The tenth discourse introduces another image of the chiton. Unlike the chiton of CH VIII, this garment must be acquired to rise and to take on a demonic cloak. With a good mind the soul can pass on to something greater, but to nothing lesser.

Within the 17 Greek treatises the Stoic concept of 'sumpatheia' (the organic unity of the Cosmos) is only mentioned specifically once in CH VIII although its influence can be elsewhere. Scott suggested that one of the latest of the extant logoi was XIII, the diexodikos logos, on account of its dependence on CH I and XI. This is essentially concerned with `palingenesia' which Buchsel sees as the Stoic opposite of ekpurosis - the great conflagration into which the currently existing Cosmos would disappear only to be restored under apokatastasis.

The historical development of translations of the texts has given them rather illogical numberings. In theory CH IX should take place immediately after the Latin Asclepius - as the latter is a translation of the 'perfect discourse', the 'teleios logos' rendered by Lactantius as the 'Sermo perfectus'. It is an exposition of the discourse on sensation which clearly rejects the Platonic position in favour of a more Stoic interpretation. Thanks to Adrien Turnebus' translation in 1554 there is no Corpus Hermeticum XV (Ficino's translation ended at XIV).

Mind only appears as interlocutor in CH I and XI. CH XI is also distinctive in that aion (eternity) appears 27 times within the text and only 3 times elsewhere. Aion was the supreme deity of Westernised Mithraism and is connected with Zrvan Akarana, Saturnus and Kronos, with Orpheism, in philosophical terms with the Stoic heimarmene (which appear elsewhere in the Corpus), perhaps even with the Phoenician Ba'al Shamin, and - in astro-magical texts - with the 'holy Agathos Daimon'. There is also the Aion of the Chaldean Oracles, which - according to Lewy - is 'not only a divinity, but also a noetic hypostasis'. Here, as in CH XIV, there is only one maker. This is a direct rebuttal of the Gnostic position and, internally, of the position outlined by I and XIII.

Asclepius (or Imhotep in the original Egyptian) is most likely a collection of fragments from other texts. The Hermetic praise of human dignity stops distinctly short of the physical and sexual aspects of the human condition. Asclepius is far more apocalyptic and laden within divine retribution than the Corpus. Copenhaver finds references to the Egyptian apocalyptic story of Potter's Oracle in his predecessors' translations centred around a Khnum, a ram-headed creator-god. But the message in Asclepius is clear, Egypt - this `image of heaven' - will forget its Hermetic ways and "will be filled completely with tombs and corpses" and "the reverent will be thought mad".

We should all try to learn something from Hermetica, for beneath the complexities is real truth.

Then he said to me : "Keep all in mind that you wish to learn, and I will teach you." Saying this, he changed his appearance and everything was immediately opened to me... (Corpus Hermeticum I)

This is a fantastic translation of the Pymander or Corpus Hermeticum and Asclepius. Since it's the only one I've read, I don't know how to compare it to others. This text was apparently rediscovered by the court of Cosimo di Medici in the 1400's, probably obtained from some source in Harran. Texts such as this were at the forefront of the syncretic mysticism and platonic/classical revival of the Italian Renaissance. This text might be something like a pagan hellenistic answer to scriptures or very obscure mystical and gnostic texts which describe very esoteric ideas that can only be understood through some kind of experience. On many levels it is very compatible with Christianity, Judaism or Islam because it may represent a kind of philosophical precursor of these religions from late antiquity. Even many of the early patriarchs of the orthodox christian tradition understood this compatibility and considered this text to represent a kind of sanctified pagan tradition or philosophy of sorts, which they actually used as proof of the validity of christianity. They did this by arguing that since pagans could come up with ideas so close to christianity, that this supported a belief in the new faith. For this reason, on the level of mundane theological and philosophical history, this text is very important for an understanding of how early christians and other monotheists viewed their relationship to paganism in a world that was still very pagan. The notes in this book are also extremely helpful and worthwhile.

Much like the Chaldean oracles, the Corpus Hermeticum is a vital document for all those who have an interest in the eclectic thought of the period covering the first centuries AD; this recent edition is certainly worthy of being added to the library of the scholar and curious reader alike. It includes the seventeen Greek treatises which have been brought together over the centuries as the Corpus Hermeticum, in addition to the Latin `Asclepius', which is by far the longest piece of them all. No Greek or Latin text accompanies the translation, but Copenhaver provides extensive notes, many of which directly address specific points of the translation and pick up where studies in hermetism had left off. In these notes, there are numerous references to previous editions of the Hermetica, especially to the work of A.D. Nock/A.-J. Festugière (in French) and of W. Scott (in English). The introduction also does a good job of describing both the context in which these pieces emerged, and the way they have been read and edited in the following centuries.

Although I enjoy the poetic spirit of Walter Scott's translation, this is undeniably a superior translation and is important for reasons aptly mentioned by other reviewers. I think this is the definitive translation. Superb.

Copenhaver's new edition and translation of the Greek corpus hermeticum and the Latin Asclepius provide the interested reader with an immensely readable and professionally done English translation, as well as a solid introduction and copious notes.

Copenhaver intends to replace Scott's classic edition and translation, and claims to improve upon what he sees as the rather idiosyncratic Greek and Latin texts which Scott put together and from which he translates. But the extent to which he succeeds is difficult to judge--read on.

The one, major drawback of this volume is that while Copenhaver offers extensive endnotes which fill in--to some extent--for a full critical apparatus, he does not give us the Greek and Latin texts. Without these, it is difficult for a professional scholar or an informed general reader to evaluate Copenhaver's work for him/herself.

In fairness to Copenhaver, it was never his intent to produce a work that could be used in the way I describe. In one sense, then, he succeeds magnificently at what he set out to do. But the addition of facing page texts in the original languages (provided in Scott's classic edition) would have made this book much, much better--and much more useful to a wider audience. Although the size of such an audience is not exactly vast, it may well be greater than Copenhaver imagined.

In short, it's an excellent text for anyone interested in the Hermetica who does not read Greek or Latin. It is a very good text for students and scholars who will find much in Copenhaver's insightful editing, translation, and commentary, but may feel disappointment over the missing original texts and will only be able to use it within its obvious limitations. If he ever puts out a fuller edition with the Greek and Latin, I'll be first in line to buy it.

The Hermetica is a corpus of mystical-theological-philosophical literature on diverse themes which was originally believed to have been supernatural wisdom passed down to man by the mysterious Egyptian deity Thoth. It was initially thought these works pre-dated the Bible and also the works of Plato and Aristotle, though it is now accepted they were written in about the 3rd century CE.

The Hermetica contain thirteen diverse discourses between divine figures or teachers and various initiates. They cover several themes, including God and his relationship to humans, the relationship between the world and the divine, practices of mystery religions, the nature of true reality, mystical Gnosis and ethics. At times the literature can rise to beautiful heights, but at many others it is deeply incoherent and overall, the Corpus is not self-consistent and often contains contradictory notions about the world and the divine.

Nevertheless it is an important document from the ancient world and worth studying by anyone interested in this time.

The legendary "Corpus Hermeticum" (CH) is a motley collection of religious, philosophical and magical texts, composed during the Hellenistic period in Egypt. The main character is Hermes Trismegistus, a mythical figure based on the Greek god Hermes and his perceived Egyptian equivalent Thoth. In Europe, the CH became widely known during the Renaissance. Today, it's mostly associated with occultists and New Age believers.

The CH is highly eclectic. It resembles Plato's dialogue "Timaeus" and later Neo-Platonism and Gnosticism. There are similarities with Orphic hymns and the Sibylline oracles. Some scholars also believe that it contains authentic Egyptian influences. Many Christians have been mystified by the utterances of Hermes Trismegistus, no doubt because they occasionally resemble the creation story in the Book of Genesis or sound "monotheist". One Church Father, Lactantius, used the CH as a source of prophecies about Jesus Christ (!).

The last couple of decades, the New Age movement have in made ideas similar to those of the CH part of popular culture. Due to this, the Hermetic message sounds pretty old hat. God is both transcendent/"monotheist" and immanent/"pantheist". The soul is immortal and somehow divine. The body is a prison for the soul, and souls are trapped in it because of desire for the world of matter. Ideas resembling reincarnation and karma are also taught. The main characters frequently get mystical visions and theophanies. The goal is to become deified.

Sounds familiar?

This book contains translations of Corpus Hermeticum I-XVIII and the Latin Asclepius. "Only" the more philosophical texts of the CH have been included. The more practical treatises on alchemy or astrology have been left out. The introduction and the notes are very scholarly and probably of less interest to more spiritual readers. The actual translation is only about 100 pages long, most of the book containing footnotes dealing with obscure issues of translation or parallels in other ancient literature. (The notes are almost esoteric!)

"Hermetica" is obviously intended for scholars, but might have some interest for the general reader as well, provided he or she is interested in alternative forms of spirituality, which often seem to resemble the ideas expounded by the Thrice Great Hermes.

I actually found the translation accessible, though a bit dry. I will also agree with the other reviewer that facing page translations would be an excellent addition. However, aside from this.

This work is a translation of the entire Greek "Corpus Hermeticum" and the Latin "Asclepius" into Modern English. These works were arguably critical in shaping the European Renaissance, and have had a profound impact on Western thought.

In addition to the translation, the introduction is very well done as well. There is a wealth of information here which contributes a great deal to the scope of the work.

Finally, what can I say about the notes? The notes are about twice as long as the text, and provide a great deal of insight into the various other forms of works.

For anyone interested in studying this topic, this edition is absolutely essential. Highly recommended.

Modern "occult" and "channeled" works pale before the spiritual sublimity of this all-time Greco-Egyptian classic. In my opinion the Corpus Hermeticum is one of the most galvanizing expressions of spirituality to emerge from the Western tradition (along with Plotinus' Enneads). This is a superb translation of an amazing ancient text.

The content is fine. The translation of this classic as well as the introductory notes are fine, but I expected a better print quality. The cover print and the first pages' text are not straight aligned on paper.