The Way of Hermes: New Translations of The Corpus Hermeticum and The Definitions of Hermes Trismegistus to Asclepius (Hardcover)

~ Clement Salaman (Translator), Dorine van Oyen (Translator), William D. Wharton (Translator), Jean-Pierre Mahé (Translator)

Editorial Reviews

Review

By all standards, The Way of Hermes is the kind of contribution students of Hermeticism have been waiting for. -- Voxhermes

The Corpus Hermeticum is a key work standing between ancient Greek civilization and the dawn of Christianity. -- Stephen Hill, Watkins Books

Review

"The Corpus Hermeticum is a key work standing between ancient Greek civilization and the dawn of Christianity.  This work dates from the very beginning of the First Millennium.  This important work was previously available to the English reader only in Sir Walter Scott's rather loose and inaccurate translation.  The translators of this edition have been at the forefront of the much-acclaimed volumes of translations of The Letters of Marsilio Ficino, the father of the Florentine Renaissance, who himself first translated the Hermetica into Latin.  This translation has a much greater accuracy and feel for the subject than Scott's translation.  This edition also includes the first published translation by Professor Mahe of The Definitions of Hermes Trismegistus to Asclepius from a recently re-discovered Greek manuscript in the Bodleian Library."
(Stephen Hill, Watkins Books )

"By all standards, The Way of Hermes is the kind of contribution students of Hermeticism have been waiting for, for a long time."
(Institute for Hermetic Studies, Feb 2006  )

"The Way of Hermes is a small book that will not be read quickly, and will take a lifetime to understand. If there is only one book you read this year on Hermeticism, let it be this one."
(Institute for Hermetic Studies, Mar 2006 )

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 132 pages
• Publisher: Inner Traditions (March 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892818174
• ISBN-13: 978-0892818174
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,027,735 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

82 of 86 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hermes Revealed, June 12, 2000

By	Mark Stavish, The Institute for Hermetic Stud... (Wyoming, Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

"The Way of Hermes" is a god send to students of Alexandrian Hermeticism! Taking their cue from the premise that Hermeticism is a living and vital practice as well as philosophy, the translators have given us an updated version that more closely expresses the actual meaning and intention of the principle Hermetic writings than preceding editions. Moving beyond the limits of dogmatic rationalism, "The Way of Hermes" expresses the mystical beauty and transcendental purpose for the very existence of 'The Corpus' - to help humanity to know itself, and to know God. Of exceptional value are the foreword, afterward, and preface in their expression of Hermetic philosophy and its impact on Western thought. The additional English translation of "The Definitions of Hermes Trismegistus to Asclepius" make this a must read volume for students and practitioners of Hermeticism and Western esotericism.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One fo my best books on the Corpus Hermeticum, July 5, 2006

By	R. Wood - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Way of Hermes: New Translations of The Corpus Hermeticum and The Definitions of Hermes Trismegistus to Asclepius (Paperback)

If you have researched books on the Corpus Hermeticum, you know that most of them are written for scholars, with much emphasis put on literal accuracy of translation, even to the point of rendering them sterile of any fathomable esoteric concepts.

Then, there are other books, just a few, that deviate too far from the literal translation in an attempt to shoehorn in the particular author's personal beliefs.

This book fits neither category. It is not perfect, none of the books we have on the Corpus Hemeticum come anywhere near perfection. But, at least, this book is quite readable and does avoid creative re-interpretation by the authors.

23 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Valuable but not quite definitive, July 1, 2002

By	j (Albuquerque, NM USA) - See all my reviews

This text has some insightful commentary regarding the degree to which the Corpus Hermeticum may or may not reflect Egyptian theory and practice as opposed to the merely Hellenic (which point, being academic, is of no great moment). This new translation, however, should assist those relatively unfamiliar with hermetic literature to begin to see suggestions of praxis within the text whereas many other translations obscure this. The decision to leave technical terms like nous in the text rather than translating them was an excellent one. One might wish that they had provided a few more untranslated technical terms.

The newly translated 'definitions' are valuable for their ability to add depth and clarify points in the main text.