Hermeticism

Hermeticism or Hermetism is a philosophical and religious system based on the purported teachings of Hermes Trismegistus (a Hellenistic conflation of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth).^[1] These teachings are contained in the various writings attributed to Hermes (the Hermetica), which were produced over a period spanning many centuries (c. 300 BCE – 1200 CE) and may be very different in content and scope.^[2]

One particular form of Hermetic teaching is the religio-philosophical system propounded by a specific subgroup of Hermetic writings known as the 'religio-philosophical' Hermetica, the most famous of which are the Corpus Hermeticum (a collection of seventeen Greek Hermetic treatises written between c. 100 and c. 300 CE) and the Asclepius (a treatise from the same period mainly surviving in a Latin translation).^[3] This specific, historical form of Hermetic philosophy is sometimes more restrictively called Hermetism,^[4] to distinguish it from the philosophies inspired by the many Hermetic writings of a completely different period and nature.

A more open-ended term is Hermeticism, which may refer to a wide variety of philosophical systems drawing on Hermetic writings, or even merely on subject matter generally associated with Hermes (most notably, alchemy often went by the name of "the Hermetic art" or "the Hermetic philosophy").^[5] The most famous use of the term in this broader sense is in the concept of Renaissance Hermeticism, which refers to the wide array of early modern philosophies inspired by, on the one hand, Marsilio Ficino's (1433–1499) and Lodovico Lazzarelli's (1447–1500) translation of the Corpus Hermeticum, and on the other, by Paracelsus' (1494–1541) introduction of a new medical philosophy drawing upon the 'technical' Hermetica (i.e., astrological, alchemical, and magical Hermetica, such as the Emerald Tablet).^[6]

In 1964, Frances A. Yates advanced the thesis that Renaissance Hermeticism, or what she called "the Hermetic tradition", had been a crucial factor in the development of modern science.^[7] While Yates's thesis has since been largely rejected,^[8] the important role played by the 'Hermetic' science of alchemy in the thought of such figures as Jan Baptist van Helmont (1580–1644), Robert Boyle (1627–1691) or Isaac Newton (1642–1727) has been amply demonstrated.^[9]

Throughout its history, Hermeticism was closely associated with the idea of a primeval, divine wisdom, revealed only to the most ancient of sages, such as Hermes Trismegistus.^[10] In the Renaissance, this developed into the notion of a prisca theologia or "ancient theology", which asserted that there is a single, true theology which was given by God to some of the first humans, and traces of which may still be found in various ancient systems of thought. Thinkers like Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463–1494) supposed that this 'ancient theology' could be reconstructed by studying (what were then considered to be) the most ancient writings still in existence, such as those attributed to Hermes, but also those attributed to, such as Zoroaster, Orpheus, Pythagoras, Plato, the 'Chaldeans', or the Kabbalah.^[11] This soon evolved into the idea, first proposed by Agostino Steuco (1497–1548), that one and the same divine truth may be found in the religious and philosophical traditions of different periods and places, all considered as different manifestations of the same universal perennial philosophy.^[12] In this perennialist context, the term 'Hermetic' tended to lose even more of its specificity, eventually becoming a mere byword for the purported divine knowledge of the ancient Egyptians, especially as related to alchemy and magic. This generic and pseudo-historical use of the term was greatly popularized by nineteenth- and twentieth-century occultists, despite their occasional use of authentic Hermetic texts and concepts.^[13]

^ A survey of the literary and archaeological evidence for the background of Hermes Trismegistus in the Greek Hermes and the Egyptian Thoth may be found in Bull 2018, pp. 33–96.
^ The oldest texts attributed to Hermes are astrological texts (belonging to the 'technical' Hermetica) which may go back as far as to the second or third century BCE; see Copenhaver 1992, p. xxxiii; Bull 2018, pp. 2–3. Garth Fowden is somewhat more cautious, noting that our earliest testimonies date to the first century BCE (see Fowden 1986, p. 3, note 11). On the other end of the chronological spectrum, the Kitāb fi zajr al-nafs ("The Book of the Rebuke of the Soul") is commonly thought to date from the twelfth century; see Van Bladel 2009, p. 226.
^ On the dating of the 'philosophical' Hermetica, see Copenhaver 1992, p. xliv; Bull 2018, p. 32. The sole exception to the general dating of c. 100–300 CE is The Definitions of Hermes Trismegistus to Asclepius, which may date to the first century CE (see Bull 2018, p. 9, referring to Mahé 1978–1982, vol. II, p. 278; cf. Mahé 1999, p. 101). Earlier dates have been suggested, most notably by Flinders Petrie (500–200 BCE) and Bruno H. Stricker (c. 300 BCE), but these suggestions have been rejected by most other scholars (see Bull 2018, p. 6, note 23). On the Asclepius, see Copenhaver 1992, pp. xliii–xliv, xlvii.
^ This is a convention established by such scholars as Van Bladel 2009, pp. 17–22; Hanegraaff 2015, pp. 180–183; Bull 2018, pp. 27–30. Other authors (especially, though not exclusively, earlier authors) may use the terms 'Hermetism' and 'Hermeticism' synonymously, more loosely referring to any philosophical system drawing on Hermetic writings.
^ Ebeling 2007, pp. 103–108.
^ See Ebeling 2007, pp. 59–90.
^ Yates 1964; Yates 1967; Westman & McGuire 1977
^ Ebeling 2007, pp. 101–102; Hanegraaff 2012, pp. 322–334
^ Principe 1998; Newman & Principe 2002; Newman 2019.
^ Among medieval Muslims, Hermes was regarded as a "prophet of science" (see Van Bladel 2009). For Hermes' status as an ancient sage among medieval Latin philosophers like Abelard or Roger Bacon, see Marenbon 2015, pp. 74–76, 130–131. The ancient wisdom narrative as such goes back to the Hellenistic period; see Droge 1989; Pilhofer 1990; Boys-Stones 2001; Van Nuffelen 2011.
^ Walker 1972.
^ Hanegraaff 2012, pp. 7–12.
^ Prophet 2018; Horowitz 2019 (pp. 193–198 on some similarities between the Kybalion and ancient Greek Hermetica)

[1] A survey of the literary and archaeological evidence for the background of Hermes Trismegistus in the Greek Hermes and the Egyptian Thoth may be found in Bull 2018, pp. 33–96.

[2] The oldest texts attributed to Hermes are astrological texts (belonging to the 'technical' Hermetica) which may go back as far as to the second or third century BCE; see Copenhaver 1992, p. xxxiii; Bull 2018, pp. 2–3. Garth Fowden is somewhat more cautious, noting that our earliest testimonies date to the first century BCE (see Fowden 1986, p. 3, note 11). On the other end of the chronological spectrum, the Kitāb fi zajr al-nafs ("The Book of the Rebuke of the Soul") is commonly thought to date from the twelfth century; see Van Bladel 2009, p. 226.

[3] On the dating of the 'philosophical' Hermetica, see Copenhaver 1992, p. xliv; Bull 2018, p. 32. The sole exception to the general dating of c. 100–300 CE is The Definitions of Hermes Trismegistus to Asclepius, which may date to the first century CE (see Bull 2018, p. 9, referring to Mahé 1978–1982, vol. II, p. 278; cf. Mahé 1999, p. 101). Earlier dates have been suggested, most notably by Flinders Petrie (500–200 BCE) and Bruno H. Stricker (c. 300 BCE), but these suggestions have been rejected by most other scholars (see Bull 2018, p. 6, note 23). On the Asclepius, see Copenhaver 1992, pp. xliii–xliv, xlvii.

[4] This is a convention established by such scholars as Van Bladel 2009, pp. 17–22; Hanegraaff 2015, pp. 180–183; Bull 2018, pp. 27–30. Other authors (especially, though not exclusively, earlier authors) may use the terms 'Hermetism' and 'Hermeticism' synonymously, more loosely referring to any philosophical system drawing on Hermetic writings.

[5] Ebeling 2007, pp. 103–108.

[6] See Ebeling 2007, pp. 59–90.

[7] Yates 1964; Yates 1967; Westman & McGuire 1977

[8] Ebeling 2007, pp. 101–102; Hanegraaff 2012, pp. 322–334

[9] Principe 1998; Newman & Principe 2002; Newman 2019.

[10] Among medieval Muslims, Hermes was regarded as a "prophet of science" (see Van Bladel 2009). For Hermes' status as an ancient sage among medieval Latin philosophers like Abelard or Roger Bacon, see Marenbon 2015, pp. 74–76, 130–131. The ancient wisdom narrative as such goes back to the Hellenistic period; see Droge 1989; Pilhofer 1990; Boys-Stones 2001; Van Nuffelen 2011.

[11] Walker 1972.

[12] Hanegraaff 2012, pp. 7–12.

[13] Prophet 2018; Horowitz 2019 (pp. 193–198 on some similarities between the Kybalion and ancient Greek Hermetica)

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