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

17. It is to be noticed that in four out of the five MSS. the title "Secret Hymnody" is followed by the indication " Logos IV."

Eeitzenstein (p. 345, n. 21) thinks that the three prior " Logoi " were :

I. "Holy art Thou, 0 God"— C. H., i. 31, 32.

II. " The Glory of all things is God "— 0. H., iii. (iv.).

III. " Whither stumble ye, sots ? "—0. H.y vii. (viii.).

The latter two, however, are not hymns; the only other hymn in our Corpus being :

" Who then may sing Thee praise of Thee ? "—(7. H.y v. (vi.) 10, 11.

Our Hymn is a Hymn to the Sun, it is true, but to the Spiritual Sun, not the physical orb of day. It is to the Eye of Mind that these orisons are addressed — to the All-seeing Light.

Nor is this Eulogy a formal Te Deum, but a potent theurgic Praise-giving. All nature is to thrill with the joy of this thankfulness.

Most beautiful is this Song of Praise, all of it, but
we would specially call attention to the words :
1 See my Apollonius of Tyana, pp. 123 and 120.

" Thy Reason sings through me Thy praises. Take back through me the All into Thy Reason — my reasonable oblation * ! From Thee Thy Will ; to Thee the All ! "

The Outbreathing of the Universe through the Reason or Logos 2 is the manifestation or realisation of the Will of God. The Logos is Son, Will is Mother and God Father.

The Inbreathing of the Universe is through Man (" Thy Man thus cries to Thee," § 20) : " Take back through Me the All." This is accomplished in the first instance by the sacrifice of the reason, of man's small limited reason, to the Great Reason of things.

And yet the All, the Universe itself, is not something other than God ; it is all God.

" From Thee Thy Will " ; Thou art the Source of all.
" To Thee the All"; Thou art the End of all, the Desirable
One, The Good.

Compare with this the Hymn in the Jewish deposit of the Naassene Document :

" From Thee is Father, and Through Thee Mother, — the two Immortal Names, Parents of ^Eons, 0 Thou who hast the Heaven for thy City, 0 Man of Mighty Names ! "

Also notice : " The All that is in us, 0 Life, preserve ; 0 Light, illumine it ; 0 God, in-spirit it ! " And compare it with § 12, where we are told : " While Life and Light are unified there, where the One hath being from the Spirit."

1 Of. 1 Pet. ii. 5 : "Ye also as living stones are built up, a spiritual house for holy service, to offer up spiritual oblations acceptable to God through Jesus Christ," And also Rom. xii. 1 : " I beseech you, therefore, brethren, to present your bodies as a living oblation, holy, well-pleasing unto God, — your reasonable service."

2 Hesychius in his Lexicon defines Logos as the "Cause of Activity," or that which underlies action, — y rov Spd/j.a.ros

The Prayer is for the Baptism of Light — Illumination by the Gnosis l ; this was the Dowsing in the Mind of " The Cup " treatise, even as true Baptism in primitive Christianity was called Illumination or ^omovAoV

"THROUGH THE WORD "

21. Tat now feels himself impelled to utter praises himself. He says what he feels. His master has given him the impulse, has made the conditions for him whereby he is conceived as a Child of God, a Prophet. But as yet he is not grown into the stature of a true Seer. His higher nature has received the germ, but this must have time to develop, and only gradually will its power descend into his lower mind.

At present his thankfulness is poured forth to his master, who has performed the theurgic rite of initiation (" All things have been perfected ") for him.

But Hermes restrains him ; it is not to the master that his thanks are due, but to God. And if he cannot as yet give thanks direct to God, then let him send those thanks — "acceptable oblations" — to God "Through the Word."

And that this was and is the practice of universal Christendom requires no pointing out; — the most striking parallel to the wording of our treatise being 1 Pet. ii. 5 : " Spiritual oblations acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."

Tat has now passed from the rank of Hearer to that of Knower ; he is now a true Gnostic : " Thou hast become a Knower of thyself, and of our Sire."

Compare logos 2 of the latest found Sayings at
Oxyrhynchus :