Thrice-Greatest Hermes, Vol. II (the Corpus Hermeticum) — G. R. S. Mead (1906)
The text is shown on its own: no facing layer is held for this issue.
— could hardly have been written by a Greek. In xxviii. 1, moreover, the "weighing of the merit" of the soul is strongly Egyptian, and so with the image and animal-cult.
As to the persons of the dialogue, I would suggest that originally the sermon was addressed to Asclepius alone, and that the slight narrative indications were added later to adapt it to wider circles.
The chief disciple is evidently Asclepius; he it is who is already " well versed in Nature," according to G. H., xiv. (xv.) 1 ; that is to say, he has progressed beyond the stage of Hearer, for he questions Hermes, whereas Tat does not ask questions, but listens only, he is "the one who is to hear" (i. 1). To them is added Ammon on the proposal of Asclepius; and Ammon is admitted on the ground that he had already had much written to him, but apparently had not yet been admitted to oral teaching.
The teaching is delivered in solemn surroundings in the holy place or shrine (i. 2), and teacher and pupils constitute the " sacred four." Hermes teaches in a state of exaltation; the place is filled with "God's goodly presence," and "Love Divine" instructs them, through Hermes' lips, in answer to the Pure and Single Love of Philosophy in their hearts (cf. xii. 3 ; xiv. 1).
The same hand that wrote the warning against revealing the sermon to others in i. 2 also probably wrote : " And ye, 0 Tat, Asclepius and Ammon, in silence hide the mysteries divine within the secret places of your hearts, and breathe no word of their concealment ! " (xxxii. 4) ; he also, presumably, glossed "Asclepius" (xxxiv. 2) with "and ye who are with him," and added the naive whisper of Asclepius to Tat (xli. 1).
This redactor (if our analysis is correct), moreover, was a member of a select 1 ascetic community, judging at any rate by his last sentence (xli. 5) ; in which case Ammon can hardly be equated with any King Ammon, but must be taken as standing for some grade of the community. I would suggest that this grade was similar to that of the Exoterici of the Pythagoreans or the outer circles of the Essenes, of which the members still lived in the world, but received instruction. In this case, however, the " we " of the last sentence would have to be taken as referring to Asclepius and Tat, and not to Ammon.
As to the dependence of our sermon on the rest of the literature, I find more points of contact between it and C. ff., x. (xi.), "The Key" sermon addressed to Tat ; none of the references, however, which I have given in the notes, show any literal dependence.
THE DOCTRINE OF THE WILL OF GOD
In the general doctrine the stress laid on the concept of the Will of God2 is to be specially noticed. This Will seems to be almost personified, and is, of course, a fundamental doctrine of the Trismegistic religiophilosophy.3
In xxvi. 1 it is identified with the Goodness4 of God, and the Nature of God.5 But what it seems to correspond to most nearly is the ^Eon or Eternity-idea which is set forth very clearly in xxx.-xxxii. — in fact, more clearly than anywhere else in the Trismegistic literature. God and Mon are the sources of all things ; and ^Eon is " the Eternity of God, in Truth itself subsisting, the Fullness of all things" (xxxii. 1). The Will of God is thus the ^Eon or Pleroma, the Wisdom, the Energy, the Spouse of the Supreme.
1 Cf. for references to the " few," xxii. 1 ; xxiii. 1 ; xxxiv. 3 ; xl. 1.
2 Cf. vii. 3 ; viii. 2 ; xi. 4 ; xiv. 1 ; xvi. 3 ; xix. 4 ; xx. 3 ; xxii. 4 ; xxv. 2 ; xxvi. 1, 2 and 3.
3 Cf. especially G. H.t iv. (v.) 1 ; x. (xi.) i.
4 In the Greek text of Lactantius this is " the Good." 6 Cf. vi. 1 ; xiv. 3.
This Will rules Cosmos with Law and Holy Eeason (xl.); Cosmos being the Order of things involved in Fate and Necessity the instruments of the Divine Will.1
Our sermon is also characterized by the frequent use it makes of the terms Spirit and Sense.
CONCERNING SPIRIT AND THE ALL-SENSE