Thrice-Greatest Hermes, Vol. II (the Corpus Hermeticum) — G. R. S. Mead (1906)

So also in § 13, Keitzenstein detects contradictory elements, which he ascribes to two different regions of ideas. He does not, however, perceive that though in one sentence the " formations " are said to be those of the Father, and in the next those of the Brother, this is no real confusion, because the Formative Mind is the Father, enforming Himself in Himself; this self-energizing, when regarded by itself, may be spoken of as other than the Father, but is not really so.

Nor can I see that there is any real contradiction in the breaking through of the Spheres as though they were the product of an opposing Power to that of the Son. The Fate was certainly so regarded by men who were under its sway ; but our treatise is endeavouring precisely to give an insight into the state of things beyond the Fate. The burden of its teaching is that all these oppositions are really illusory ; man can transcend these limitations and corne into the freedom of the Sons of God. Even the most terrible and fundamental oppositions are not really so, but all are Self-limitations of God's Will ; and man is Son of God co-equal with Him.

THE FIRST MEN

16. Our treatise then describes the first appearance of man on earth, which it regards as a great mystery never before revealed, " the mystery kept hid until this day." This I take to mean that it had hitherto never been written about, but had been kept as a great secret.

This secret was the doctrine that the first men, of which there were seven types, were hermaphrodites, and not only so, but lived in the air ; their frames were of fire and spirit, and not of the earth-water elements. The Celestial Man, or type of humanity, was gradually differentiating himself from his proper nature of Light and Life, and taking on bodies of fire and air, was changing into mind (Light-fire) and soul (Life-spirit).

This presumably lasted for long periods of time, the lower animal forms gradually evolving to greater complexity as Nature strove to copy the " Form " of Man, and Man devolving gradually until there was a union, and the human subtle form could find vehicles among the highest animal shapes.

The first incarnate men appear to have been at first also hermaphrodite; and it must have been a time when everything was in a far greater state of flux than things are now.

"INCREASE AND MULTIPLY"

18. This period of pre-sexual or bi-sexual development having come to an end, the separation of the sexes took place. The commandment is given by the Word: "Increase ye in increasing and multiply in multitude" (av^dvecrOe ev av£rj(T€t KOI TrXrjOui/ecrOe ev 7rXri0«).

It is true that this is reminiscent of the oft-repeated formula in the Greek Targum of Genesis, — avgdveofie KOI TrXrjOuveo-Oe,1— but it is only slightly reminiscent, the main injunction being strengthened, and the rest of the logos being quite different from anything found in Genesis. As nothing else in the whole treatise can be referred to direct Hebrew influence, we must conclude that the formula was, so to speak, in the air, and has so crept into our treatise.2

It has, however, given rise to a diatribe copied on to the margin of one MS.— B. (Par. 1220)— by a later hand, and incorporated into the text of M. (Vat. 951). It is in B. ascribed to Psellus,3 who goes out of his way to stigmatize Hermes as a sorcerer and a plagiarist throughout of Moses ; in brief, the Devil is a thief of the Truth to lead men astray. In this we learn more about the limitation of the so-called "Prince of Philosophers " 4 than of aught else.

1 Cf. Gen. i. 22 and 28, viii. 17, ix. 7, and xxxv. 11 (in the singular).

2 See, however, Frag. XX., and R. 126, n. 1. Cf. the same formula in C. #., iii. (iv.) 3 (P. 32, 11), and R. 116, n. 2.

3 And is printed in Boissonade's (V. C.) edition of Michael Psellus, Zte Operatione Dcemonum (Niirnberg, 1838), pp. 153, 154.

4 If, indeed, the Psellus of our scholion is the Younger Psellus (eleventh century); the De Op. Deem., however, is ascribed by many to the Elder Psellus (ninth century). See, however, the section "The Original MS. of our Corpus" in ch. i. of the " Prolegomena."