Thrice-Greatest Hermes, Vol. I — G. R. S. Mead (1906)

It is evident, however, that the main thing that Macrobius hands on, and which he attributes to Orphic -Pythagorean -Platonic tradition, contains in itself no suggestion that these philosophers attributed any evil tendencies to the characteristics of the spheres in themselves. The tradition of Macrobius is as follows :

Saturn

Jupiter
Mars

Sun

Venus

Mercury
Moon

TO

TO

TO
TO

TO

TO

\oyi(TTlKOV

TTpCtKTlKOV

Ov/JLlKOV

<f>avTa<rriKov e7Tl6vfJLr}TlKOV

TO

TO (fiVTlKOV

intelligentia.

ratiocinatio.

vis agendi.

ardor animositatis.

natura sentiendi.

natura opinandi.

motus desiderii. f vis pronuntiandi •< et interpretandi \ quce sentiantur. f natura plantandi ( et agendi corpora.

The confusion between the " vis agendi " of Jupiter and that of the Moon may be resolved by supposing that the former was the application of the reasoning

1 For references, see R. 53, n. 2.

faculty to the practical things of life, while the latter was the power of moving one's own physical body, if indeed the " et agendi " is not a gloss of Macrobius.

Servius, on the contrary, is following a tradition in which the spheres were regarded as the sources of evil tendencies; ethical considerations dominate the whole conception. Seeing, however, that it is a fivefold distribution, we are unable to equate it with the doctrine of Hermes, which is sevenfold. Nevertheless, there are some parallels.

The lustfulness (libido) of Servius is to be paralleled
with the " guile of the desires " or " lustful error "
(fi eTriOvfjitrriKrj aTraTri) of Hermes. This is ascribed to
the third zone by Hermes, and to Venus by Servius,
Venus further coming third in Macrobius.

The " desire of rule " (desiderium regni) of Servius is clearly the " domineering arrogance " (17 ap^ovriKrj TrpcHpavia) of Hermes. In Hermes this belongs to the middle zone (fourth); in Servius it is ascribed to Jupiter, presumably as the ruler of the age — the ruler of the previous age being Saturn, who has been deprived of his energy and so rendered " torpid."

The " passion " or " wrathf ulness " (iracundia) of Servius is also to be paralleled to some extent with the " unholy daring " of Hermes. It is ascribed to the fifth zone by Hermes and to Jupiter by Servius, Mars also coming fifth in Macrobius.

Finally, the " love of gain " (lucri cupiditas) of Servius may be paralleled by the " striving for wealth by evil means " (at a0o/>yuat at KaKai TOV TT\OVTOV) of Hermes. Hermes attributes this to the sixth zone, and Servius to Mercury.

The remaining quality mentioned by Servius, " torpor," which he ascribes to Saturn, equates with nothing in Hermes, unless we can persuade ourselves that the

" ensnaring falsehood " or " falsehood that lies in wait "
(TO eveSpevov \frevSo?) of Hermes has some connection
with it.

The scheme of Hermes is septenary, and connected with the ideas of the ascent of the soul through seven zones, which we must locate as seven superimposed atmospheres extending from the surface of the earth to the moon's orbit. There is no question here of the Celestial Spheres proper of the Philosophers, the characteristics of the energies of which are neither good nor evil in themselves ; nor is there apparently any question of the " animal soul " proper, for the " passions and desires " are said to withdraw into the " nature which is void of reason." Though nothing more is said about this nature in this connection, in the general belief of the time its dominion was thought of as located below the earth-surface — as a Tartarus of seven zones, corresponding to those above, in which the " animal soul " or " vehicle of desire " was thought of as being gradually disintegrated, its energies finally going back to their source in the Depths of the Darkness, while the process of such disintegration or metamorphosis produced a parallel consciousness of chastisements and horrors. The seven zones of our text, however, are apparently the region of purification of the lower energies of the human soul; the mental energies led into error by the animal passions.

THE "OPHITE" HEBDOMAD

Now if we turn to Salmon's article on the "Hebdomad, " l and to his discussion of the tradition of the " Ophites " — a mysterious medley of chaotic elements, which have not yet been analysed in any satisfactory

1 Smith and Wace's D. of Christ. Biog., ii. 849-851.