Corpus Hermeticum

At a glance

History, context & interpretation

The text and its story

Dialogues on the divine mind, creation and spiritual rebirth, beginning with the vision of Poimandres. It inspired Renaissance magic, alchemy and later occultism.

Traditional attribution

Teachings of Hermes Trismegistus, 'thrice-great Hermes'.

Historical scholarship

Anonymous Greek-Egyptian authors; dated by the scholar Isaac Casaubon in 1614.

Context and curiosity

Cosimo de' Medici told Marsilio Ficino to translate it first, in 1463.

Chronology and transmission

This text belongs to Hermetic, Magical & Mysterious (Roman Egypt). The catalogue gives its approximate dating as c. 100–300 CE and original language or script as Ancient Greek. The dated manuscript witnesses and traditional claims may not refer to the same historical event.

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Sources and further reading

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corpus_Hermeticum

Historical descriptions are educational summaries. Religious traditions, scholarly interpretations and unverified claims are distinguished where possible; imagery may be illustrative rather than an artifact photograph.