Thrice-Greatest Hermes, Vol. III — 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 III. — Excerpts and Fragments
London and Benares
The Theosophical Publishing Society
, .
Contents
/. EXCERPTS BY
PAGE
Ex. I. OP PIETY AND TRUE PHILOSOPHY . . . 3
Commentary ........ 12
Ex. II. Or THE INEFFABILITY OP GOD .... 14
Commentary ........ 15
Ex. III. OP TRUTH ........ 17
Commentary ........ 23
Ex. IV. GOD, NATURE AND THE GODS .... 24
Commentary ........ 25
Ex. V. OP MATTER ........ 26
Ex. VI. OP TIME ........ 28
Ex. VII. OP BODIES EVERLASTING AND BODIES PERISH-
Commentary ........ 33
Ex. VIII. OP ENERGY AND FEELING .... 34
Commentary ........ 43
Ex. IX. OP THE DECANS AND THE STARS ... 45
Commentary ........ 54
Ex. X. CONCERNING THE RULE OP PROVIDENCE, NECES-
Commentary ........ 57
VI CONTENTS
PAGB
Ex. XI. OF JUSTICE 58
Commentary ........ 59
Ex. XII. OF PROVIDENCE AND FATE .... 60
Ex. XIII. OF THE WHOLE ECONOMY .... 61
Ex. XIV. OF SOUL, 1 63
Ex. XV. OF SOUL, II 65
The Embryonic Stages of Incarnation .... 68
Ex. XVI. OF SOUL, III 72
Ex. XVII. OF SOUL, IV 75
Ex. XVIII. OF SOUL, V 77
Commentary ........ 79
Ex. XIX. OF SOUL, VI . 80
Commentary 82
Ex. XX. THE POWER OF CHOICE 84
Commentary 86
Ex. XXI. OF Isis TO HORUS 87
Commentary 87
Ex. XXII. AN APOPHTHEGM 88
Ex. XXIII. FROM "APHRODITE" 89
Commentary 90
Ex. XXIV. A HYMN OF THE GODS 91
Commentary 92
Ex. XXV. THE VIRGIN OF THE WORLD, I. . .93
Ex. XXVI. THE VIRGIN OF THE WORLD, II. . . . 125
COMMENTARY
Argument 134
Sources? 146
The Direct Voice and the Books of Hermes . 147
CONTENTS Vll
PAGE
Kamephis and the Dark Mystery . . . .149
Kneph-Kamephis 151
Hermes I. and Hermes II. . . . .152
The Black Kite 155
Black Land .158
The Pupil of the World's Eye . - . . .159
The Son of the Virgin . . . . . .160
The Mystery of the Birth of Horus . . .162
"Ishon" 165
The Sixty Soul-Regions 168
Plutarch's Yogin .169
The Plain of Truth 171
The Boundaries of the Numbers which Pre-exist in the Soul 173
The Mysterious " Cylinder " 175^
The Eagle, Lion, Dragon and Dolphin . . . 180
Momus 182
The Mystic Geography of Sacred Lands . .184
Ex. XXVII. FROM THE SERMON OF Isis TO HORUS . 188
COMMENTARY
Argument 204
Title and Ordering 206
The Books of Isis and Horus .... 207
The Watery Sphere and Subtle Body . . . 209
The Habitat of Encarnate Souls 210
//. REFERENCES AND FRAGMENTS IN THE FATHERS
I. JUSTIN MARTYR i. The Most Ancient of Philosophers . . . .215
The « Words of Ammon " 215
The Ineffability of God .216
ii. Hermes and Asclepius Sons of God . . . .217 iii. Hermes the Word who brings Tidings from God . .217
The Sons of God in Hellenistic Theology . . .218
An Unverifiable Quotation 218
Vlll CONTENTS
III. CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA
PAGE
i. Many Hermeses and Asclepiuses . . . . .221 ii. The Apotheosis of Hermes and Asclepius . . . 222 iii. The Books of Hermes 222
The General Catalogue of the Egyptian Priestly Library 225
IV. TERTULLIAN i. Hermes the Master of all Physics ..... 226 ii. Hermes the Writer of Scripture 227
- iii. Hermes the First Preacher of Reincarnation . . . 227
- iv. Hermes on Metempsychosis
p. 228
V. CYPRIAN
God is beyond all Understanding 229
VI. ARNOBIUS
The School of Hermes 230
VII. LACTANTIUS i. Thoyth-Hermes and his Books on the Gnosis . .231
The Historical Origin of the Hermetic Tradition . 233 ii. Uranus, Cronus and Hermes, Adepts of the Perfect
Science 234
iii. Divine Providence 235 iv. On Mortal and Immortal Sight
FRAG. Ill 235
v. Man made after the Image of God .... 236 vi. Hermes the First Natural Philosopher . . . 237 vii. The Daimon-Chief 237 viii. Devotion in God-Gnosis ix. The Cosmic Son of God
CONTENTS IX
PAGE
x. The Demiurge of God .240 xi. The Name of God xii. The Holy Word about the Lord of All xiii. His Own Father and Own Mother . . . .242 xiv. The Power and Greatness of the Word . . .242 xv. The Fatherless and Motherless 242 xvi. Piety the Gnosis of God 243