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Theurgia or the Egyptian Mysteries

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This is the 1911 edition of Iamblichus' famous work, Theurgia or De Mysteriis Aegyptiorum ("Sacremental Rites or On the Mysteries of the Egyptians") translated from the Greek by Alexander Wilder, M.D. F.A.S.

There still is not published a competent edited Greek text and commentary which pays special attention to its manuscript transmission. A more recent translation into English, "Iamblichus: De Mysteriis" edited by Clarke, Dillon, Hershbell (Atlanta, 2003) should be compared. These three scholars do not have sufficient linguistic competence in Egyptian Hieroglyphics, Old-Middle Babylonian and Old Persian to edit this text competently.

Perchance a scholar will produce a competent scholarly edition, criticus apparatus, testimonia, fragmenta and textual transmission with its scholia for the Cambridge orange series.

Iamblicus Chalcidensis (c. 245--325 A.D.) was a brilliant Syrian Neoplatonist philosopher. His Syrian name was Syrio-Aramaic, ya-mlku ("He is King"). Some scholars of ancient and late ancient Greek philosophy hold Iamblichus to be next to Plotinus in philosophical importance. It should not be forgotten that this philosopher changed the course of Western thought, and brought into Christianity competing doctines of Egyptian, Babylonian and Persian religious systems. His importance cannot be under-estimated. Proclus and Pseudo-Dionysius, the Aereopagite are endebted to his immense learning.

What is important in this treatise is that you will learn how the Temple Learning of Egypt and Babylon were organized, and how their instruction even influenced Plato's highest philosophical Truths and Aristotle's more prosaic judgments. This is no mean achievement for the average student and Teacher in a modern university philosophy curriculum.

We forget in reading the rubbish of modern theosophical societies that these arcane religious notions of the Egyptians and Babylonians were predicated on immeasurably lucid concrete details. Much of the spiritual dryness and aridity of religious tracts in the last five centuries is due by an incompetence to master these very ancient tongues, and transmit truthfully to our post-modern age readers their belief systems and organizing priesthood activities in these Temple schools.

Until a proper text is produced, Dr. Alexander Wilder must suffice.

I should add that I am competently trained in the usual ancient classical languages: Classical Latin, Classical Greek, Classical Hebrew & Classical Sanskrit. Furthermore, I have lectured on Egyptian Hieroglyphics (18th Dynasty or Classical Egyptian Grammar & Language) and Babylonian Cuneiform at university level. Old & Middle Persian is a rare delicacy in my working intelligence.

I cannot stress enough in this Review that we must have philological competence in Babylonian cuneiform, Old & Middle Persian, Egyptian Hieroglyphics (18th Dynasty preferred), Classical Latin, Classical Greek (especially) and Classical Hebrew by an editor, if he is to do justice to this treatise! Why is this? Just a whiff of a few words in a collocation go directly back to very ancient monumental inscriptions [Egypt & Babylon & Persia], cuneiform tablets [Babylon & Persia] and the manuscript traditions of the West and North Africa.

For an example: See how our knowledge of Plato's 'real' wisdom of mathematics has as source mathematical Temple school instructions written on cuneiform around 2500 BCE; these survived as clusters of problems to be solved, each centered around a particular trade (surveying, merchantile coinage & weighing problems, architecture, etc.).

Until there is lucid insight imposed on the Babylonian & Persian (itself a fusion of Elamite, Babylonian & Median learning) Temple instruction of the scribes before their entry into the higher religious offices of their State Religion, the post-modern scholar-student/teacher will be baffled by nebulosity in the mind.

A good example of nebulosity in the mind is the notion of 'Not-Being' [Greek, meontic] containing the 'One' that gives rise to Being, Life & Intellect Proper. Observe how in our Hebew Genesis text it is the dark gloomy Deep that gives birth to the physical cosmos of knowable Creation.

Start learning these languages, so you can produce the definitive text of this ancient polymath learning!


Respectfully,


John E.D.P. Malin,
Chairman of the Board & Chief Executive Officer
Informatica Corporation
Cecilia, Louisiana USA

This book gives some ideas that ancient priests had about Gods and
other spiritual beings, as well some hints about their invocations by religious practices. This book doesn't give all ideas and also not all ideas in the book are easy to understand. It hardly gives any practice. However, I found that I learned some things which I wasn't able to learn in any book about Egiptian or Greek religion.