Thrice-Greatest Hermes, Vol. II (the Corpus Hermeticum) — G. R. S. Mead (1906)
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Thrice-Greatest Hermes
Thrice-Greatest Hermes
Studies in Hellenistic Theosophy and Gnosis
Being a Translation of the Extant Sermons and
Fragments of the Trismegistic Literature, with
Prolegomena, Commentaries, and Notes
By
G. R. S. Mead
Volume II. — Sermons
London and Benares
The Theosophical Publishing Society
•y\
Contents
/. CORPUS HERMETICUM CORP. HERM. I.
PAGE
PCEMANDRES, THE SHEPHERD OF MEN . 3-20
COMMENTARY —
Of Vision and Apocalypsis 20
The Great and Little Man 23
The Presence ... .... 24
The Vision of Creation 25
The Descent of the Logos 27
The Revelation of the Pleroma ..... 28
The Second Emanation 33
The Descent of Man 34
The First Men 37
" Increase and Multiply " 38
Love ... 39
The Way of Deathlessneas 39
The Ascent of the Soul 41
The Eighth Sphere ... ... 42
The Three " Bodies " of the Buddha .... 44
The Preaching of the Gnosis 47
A Hymn of Praise and Prayer for the Gnosis . . 49
The Name " Poimandree " 50
The Good Shepherd 52
vi CONTENTS
CORP. HERM. (II.)
PAGE
CORP. HERM. II. (III.) •
TO ASCLEPIUS . . 59-68
COMMENTARY —
"An Introduction to the Gnosis of the Nature of All
Things" 68
Space is a Plenum 70
The Spouse of Deity 71
God is Cause that Spirit is 71
He who is without a Wife is Half a Man ... 73
CORP. HERM. III. (IV.)
THE SACRED SERMON . 75-77
COMMENTARY—
Text and Title 78
The Trinity 78
From the System of the Nicolaitans .... 79
The "Books of the Chaldseans" 81
The " Flood » 83
CORP. HERM. IV. (V.)
THE CUP OR MONAD . 85-91
COMMENTARY —
The Title 92
The Baptism of the Mind .... 93
The Holy Grail ....... 94
The "Hating of the Body" ...... 95
The Gnosis and its Blessings 97
The Ancient Path . Q«
CONTENTS Vll
CORP. HERM. V. (VI.)
PAGE
THOUGH UNMANIFEST GOD IS
MOST MANIFEST . . 99-106
COMMENTARY —
The Title 106
Maya .106
The Higher Pantheism or Panmonism .... 108
Hymn to All-God 108
CORP. HERM. VI. (VII.)
IN GOD ALONE IS GOOD AND
ELSEWHERE NOWHERE . 110-114
COMMENTARY —
The Title . .115
Dualism? . 115
God the Pleroma of Good 117
CORP. HERM. VII. (VIII.)
THE GREATEST ILL AMONG MEN IS
IGNORANCE OF GOD . . 120-121
COMMENTARY —
A Preaching 122
The Probable Completion of an Oxyrhynchus Logion . 122
CORP. HERM. VIII. (IX.)
THAT NO ONE OF EXISTING THINGS DOTH PERISH, BUT MEN IN ERROR SPEAK OF THEIR CHANGES AS DE- STRUCTIONS AND AS DEATHS . 124-127 COMMENTARY—
The Cosmos as " Second God " 127
The Law of Apokatastasis 128
CONTENTS
CORP. HERM. XIV. (XV.)
PAGE
A LETTEK TO ASCLEPIUS . 257-263
COMMENTARY —
Asclepius and Tat 263
Compare with " Mind unto Hermes " . % . . 265
The Good Husbandman 265
CORP. HERM. (XVI.)
THE DEFINITIONS OF ASCLEPIUS UNTO
KING AMMON. . . 266-276
COMMENTARY —
The Title 277
A Tradition Concerning the Trismegistic Literature . 278
A Speculation as to Date 281
The Delineation of the Sun 282
Concerning the Daimones 282
CORP. HERM. (XVII.)
OF ASCLEPIUS TO THE KING . 285-286
COMMENTARY —
On the Adoration of Images 286
CORP. HERM. (XVIII.)
THE ENCOMIUM OF KINGS . 288-298
COMMENTARY—
The Apology of a Poemandrist 298
Speculation as to Date 299
The Story of the, Pythic Grasshopper .... 300
The True King 302
The Fellow-Rulers of the Height .... 302
CONTENTS XI
PAGE
//. THE PERFECT SERMON; OR
THE ASCLEPIUS . . 307-390
COMMENTAET —
The Title 390
The Old Latin Translation and the Greek Original . 391
Of the Writer and the Persons of the Dialogue . . 393
The Doctrine of the Will of God 395
Concerning Spirit and the All-Sense .... 396
The Prophetic Utterances 398
The Proscription of the Worship of the Gods 399 The Last Hope of the Religion of the Mind . . .401
I
Corpus Hermeticum
, J.OL. II.
COKPUS HEKMETICUM I.
P(EMANDRES, THE SHEPHERD
OF MEN
(Text: R. 328-338; P. 1-18; Pat. Sb-8.)1
1. IT chanced once on a time my mind was meditating on the things that are,2 my thought was raised to a great height, the senses of my body being held back — just as men are who are weighed down with sleep after a fill of food, or from fatigue of body.
Methought a Being more than vast, in size beyond all bounds, called out my name and saith : What wouldst thou hear and see, and what hast thou in mind to learn and know ?
2. And I do say : Who art thou ?
He saith : I am Man- Shepherd,3 Mind of all-