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.
2 The corrector of B has changed the name Asclepius into
Tat, as he has everywhere in C. H., ii. (iii.) ; R. 193, 1.
p. 3
Asc. There are things bodiless as well as these ; for instance, forms l — do not they seem to thee to have no body, but to appear in bodies not only of the things which are ensouled, but also of those which are not ensouled ?
The King. Thou sayest well, Asclepius.
Asc. Thus, [then,] there are reflexions of things bodiless on bodies, and of bodies too upon things bodiless — that is to say, [reflexions] of the Sensible on the Intelligible World, and of the [World] Intelligible on the Sensible.
Wherefore, pay worship to the images, 0
King, since they too have their forms as from
the World Intelligible.
(Thereon His Majesty arose and said :)
The King. It is the hour,2 0 Prophet, to see about the comfort of our guests. To-morrow, [then,] will we resume our sacred converse.3
COMMENTAKY
ON THE ADORATION OF IMAGES
The loss of the end of the previous sermon, and also the loss of almost the whole of (xvii.), is to be accounted for by the falling out of one or more quires from the original MS. of our Corpus,4 a phenomenon similar to that already remarked in the case of C. H.t ii. (iii).
1 Or ideas. 2 Of. Plat., Soph* 241 B.
4 R. 198.
And that this is the fact is brought out interestingly by the note of Keitzenstein (p. 193, 1) — namely, that one of the correctors of one of the copies (Paris MS.) of this faulty original has precisely in these two places changed the name Asclepius into Tat. He was puzzled, and thought that his "correction" would set matters right ; as a matter of fact, however, it only adds to the confusion.
What the main subject of our treatise may have been we can hardly conjecture; part of it, however, must have been devoted to an explanation of the rationale of image-adoration, — "Wherefore pay worship to the images, 0 King," — of which we hear so much in P. S. A.
These symbolic images of the Gods are said to have their " forms " (^ea?) in sympathetic relation with the Intelligible World. These are mutual " reflections," the one of the other.
Now as the Ka of the God was thought to have immediate relation with the image-symbol of the God, and the Gods were of the Intelligible World, — the statues of the Gods were thought to be images of the Image in some special way ; they were regarded as providing a straight path or line of connection between Earth and Heaven, just as a man who made himself like to the Man after the Likeness became in himself a Way Up.
COKPUS HEEMETICUM (XVIII.)
[THE ENCOMIUM OF KINGS]
(ABOUT THE SOUL'S BEING HINDERED BY THE
PASSION OF THE BODY)
(Text: R. 355-360; Pat. at end.)
1. [Now] in the case of those professing the harmonious art of muse-like melody — if, when the piece is played, the discord of the instruments doth hinder their intent, its rendering becomes ridiculous.
For when his instruments are quite too weak for what's required of them, the music-artist needs must be laughed at by the audience.
For He, with all good will, gives of His art unweariedly ; they blame the [artist's j weakness.
He then who is the Natural Musician-God, not only in His making of the harmony of His [celestial] songs, but also in His sending forth the rhythm of the melody of His own song[s]
right down unto the separate instruments,1 is, as God, never wearied.
For that with God there is no growing weary.
2. So, then, if ever a musician desires to enter into the highest contest of his art he can — when now the trumpeters have rendered the same phrase of the [composer's] skill, and afterwards the flautists played the sweet notes of the melody upon their instruments,2 and they complete the music of the piece with pipe and plectrum — [if any thing goes wrong,] one 3 does not lay the blame upon the inspiration 4 of the music-maker.
Nay, [by no means,] — to him one renders the respect that is his due ; one blames the falseness of the instrument, in that it has become a hindrance to those who are most excellent — embarrassing the maker of the music in [the execution of] his melody, and robbing those who listen of the sweetness of the song.
3. In like way also, in our case, let no one of