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{{Hermeticism}}
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] and ] hold many of the same beliefs as other religions, as well as having interacted with them.
=== Buddhism ===
] shares some essential concepts with Hermetic thought. Buddhism is a personal journey that brings personal revelation, as Heremeticism is highly individualistic as well. Buddhists try to understand God through understanding themselves, searching in quiet meditation. This is in accordance with the Hermetic principle of "as below, so above," searching the microcosm to understand the macrocosm. Both also believe in an illusionary world, where the physical is only an illusion.


This is a ] article which outlines the similarities and interactions between ] (or ]) and other religions or philosophies. It highlights its similarities and differences with Gnosticism, examines its connections in Islam and Judaism, delves into its influence on Christianity, and even explores its potential impact on Mormonism. In essence, it unveils how Hermeticism has engaged with, influenced, and been influenced by a diverse array of spiritual and philosophical traditions throughout history.
=== Christianity ===
==== Hermeticism affecting Christianity ====
Hermeticism had influenced the ] religion, with Hermes being seen often as a virtuous and prophetic man living at about the same time as ], some even thinking that the two were one and the same. It was suggested in 1593 CE, by a Cardinal Patrizzi, that Hermeticism replace ]'s teachings as the basis for ] thought. However, those wishing to continue the reign of ]'s Aristotelian philosophy won the battle and Hermeticism became a heresy. In 1600 CE, the friar ], a primary supporter of Hermetic thought in Christianity, was burned at the stake for heresy. <ref>(Hoeller)</ref>


== Gnosticism ==
Hermes, unlike other pagan (i.e. non-Christian) philosopher-priests, was not condemned by ], but rather found to be enlightened. They, however, felt that he could be much greater with their teachings. <ref>(Hall ''The Secret Teachings of All Ages'' p. 95)</ref>
Hermetism is related to a wider intellectual current known as ].{{sfn|Quispel|1992}} Both flourished in the same period in ], in the same spiritual climate,{{sfn|Van den Broek|1998|p=17}} sharing the goal of allowing the soul to escape from the material realm, and emphasizing a personal knowledge of God. Both groups held that the fundamental relationship between God and man could be found through ] (knowledge through experience; understanding), with the goal to "see" God, and in some instances to ].{{sfn|Van den Broek|1998|p=1}}


However, there are also some significant differences between Hermetism and Gnosticism with regard to philosophical ], ], and ].{{sfn|Van den Broek|1998|p=6}} Though both agreed about God's transcendence over the Universe, Hermetists sometimes believed that God could still be comprehended through philosophical reasoning, in agreement with philosophers and Christian theologians, whereas many Gnostics felt that God was completely unknowable.{{sfn|Van den Broek|1998|p=7}} While the Gnostics often indulged in and expanded upon ] references, Hermetic texts are relatively devoid of mythology{{sfn|Van den Broek|1998|p=8}} (the exceptions being Book I, '']{{sfn|Van den Broek|1998|pp=12-13}},'' Book III, the ''Sacred Sermon'', and the Book IV, the ''Sacred Cup, or Monad''). Hermetism is generally optimistic about God, while many forms of Christian Gnosticism are pessimistic about ]—several Christian Gnostic sects saw the ] as the product of an evil creator, and thus as being evil itself, while Hermetists saw the cosmos as a beautiful creation in the image of God.{{sfn|Van den Broek|1998|pp=9-10}} Both held that mankind was originally divine and has become entrapped in the material world, a slave to passion and distracted from divine nature. However, the Gnostics as a result often adopted a pessimistic view of mankind, while the Hermetic belief system generally retained a positive attitude towards humanity.{{sfn|Van den Broek|1998|pp=11-12}} Hermetists believed that the human body was not evil in and of itself, but that materialistic impulses such as ] were the cause of evil in the world.{{sfn|Van den Broek|1998|pp=16-17}}
==== Christianity affecting Hermeticism ====
]]]
In medieval Europe, where Christianity was the dominant political and religious force, many Hermeticists incorporated Christian symbols into the Hermetic art of Alchemy. Some Hermeticists hold that the true meaning of Christianty lies in the symbolic view of Christianty as opposed to the dogmatic. Such a theory goes against orthodox Christian teaching, and thus many Hermeticists were put to death for heresy, as well as witchcraft relating to their magical practices. On the other hand, many Hermeticists were employed by Kings and other nobles, as court magicians, astrologers and scholars. Many Catholic priests were also involved in Hermetic study. Henrich Cornelius Agrippa's teacher was Johannes Trithemius, a German abbot. To this day many European Churches are decorated with Hermetic symbolism. A mosiac of Hermes Trismegistus is in the Cathedral of Siena, in Sienna Italy, is one such example.


== Islam ==
] thought Hermes lived later than ]. Whilst Augustine opposed Hermeticism, some Renaissance scholars claimed that Hermetic thought was closer to ] than those of ].
According to ninth- and tenth-century Arabic authors, the pagan community from the Upper-Mesopotamian city of ] (who self-identified as the ] mentioned in the ]) counted ] as one of their major prophets.{{sfn|Van Bladel|2009|pp=64-114 (see especially the conclusion, pp. 113-114)}} In the same period some Muslims started to identify the Qur'anic prophet ] (the Islamic equivalent to the Biblical ]) with Hermes. In this context, Hermes came to be seen as a 'prophet of science'.{{sfn|Van Bladel|2009|pp=164-172 ''et passim''}}


== Judaism ==
Many Hermeticists seem to write from a Christian perspective. This may have been sincere, or may have simply been a way to get their books published, avoiding censorship, and a way to avoid persecution; especially during the Inquisition. Rosicrucianism employs many Christian symbols. Some regard this as Christian mysticism, though such Hermetic orders and texts are generally labeled "demi-Christian" since they do not usually subscribe to a literal interpretation of the New Testament, using the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as metaphors for spiritual attainment and enlightenment. Orthodox Christianity does not generally accept any form of Hermeticism, Alchemy, Rosicrucianism or Occultism, though from a Hermetic point of view, one could possibly be both Christian and Hermetic.
The relationship between ] and Hermetism has been one of mutual influence and a subject of controversy within the Jewish religion.<ref name="Lelli">{{harvnb|Lelli|2007}}.</ref>


==== Potential perversion ==== === Middle Ages ===
] by ], 1684]]
(See ])


This identification paved the way for the exchange and melding of ideas between Judaism and Hermetism during the ].<ref name="Lelli" /> The most prominent interrelation between the two systems is in the development of ], which developed into three separate brands: a ] stream, a ] stream ('']'' in Christianity), and a ] stream ('']'' in Hermeticism).{{sfn|Leslie|1999}} Medieval Hermetism, aside from ], is often seen as analogous to (and was heavily influenced by) these Kabbalistic ideas.{{sfn|Leslie|1999}}{{sfn|Regardie|1940|p=15}}
==== See also ====
]


Hermetism and Kabbalah arose together in the 12th and 13th centuries. The ] also relied upon magic and astrology but focused more on the Hebrew language in its incantations than the general language of Hermetism in general.{{sfn|Wieczynski|1975|p=22}}
=== Gnosticism ===
] and Hermeticism are often seen as being sister religions, both flourishing in the same period, sharing the goal of the soul escaping from the material realm through true understanding, and emphathizing personal knowledge of God <ref>(Hoeller)</ref>. Gnostics, however, felt that there was something seriously wrong with '']'', a part of The All <ref>(Horgan p. 41)</ref>. This could be stretched so far as to say that by bringing the world into existence, God had to remove himself from it at the same time <ref>(Horgan pp. 39-40)</ref>. In essence, the primary difference between the philosophy of Hermeticism and Gnosticism is that Hermeticism is optimistic about God, while Gnosticism is pessimistic <ref>(Hoeller)</ref>. Other differences persist, such as the views on ] of Nazareth. The Gnostic Bible is often read by Hermeticists and the Hermetic works are often read by Gnostics, though each puts more credibility on their own works.


Secondly, Jewish scholars of the Middle Ages attempted to make use of treatises on ], ] and ] as a justification for practicing natural magic forbidden by a number of commandments in the ] and reinforced by prophetic books codified by ]nic authorities. They noted the wonders performed by celebrated biblical figures such as the ] and King Solomon and which were seen as a God-given and condoned use of natural magic. They attributed these arts to divine knowledge imparted by Jewish heroes to ] such as the ]ns, ]ians, ]ians, and ], and felt that by approaching ] from a religious standpoint would legitimize their use of the sciences. In particular, they believed the Hermetic teachings to have its origins in ancient Jewish sources.<ref name="Lelli" />
===Hinduism===
], like Hermetic thought, has a school of thought (]) which claims that God is the cause of creation; that the whole Universe and all that is of it (stars, planets, moons, plants, animals, stones, air, water, time, space, fire, etc ad infinitum) is the physical manifestation of God.


These Jewish scholars, particularly the ones who distrusted ], looked to Hermetism as a backing to discuss theological interpretation of the ] and the ]. Fabrizo Lelli writes: "As for Christians and Muslims, so likewise for Jews, Hermetism was an alternative to Aristotelianism--the likeliest prospect, in fact, for integrating an alien system into their religion. This was because the response of the ] to intellectual problems was generally ]."<ref name="Lelli" />
=== Islam ===
Of the three movements primarily influenced by Hermeticism, the ] involves ]. The prophet ] is one of three people that is said to represent the Illuminati, along with ] and ] <ref>(Hall ''The Hermetic Marriage'' p. 226)</ref>


In the use of these Hermetic treatises, these Jewish scholars, though at times inadvertently, introduced Hermetic ideas into Jewish thought. ]'s 10th century commentary on the '']'' shows Hermetic influence, as well as the 13th century texts later compiled into the '']'', and in the contemporary Kabbalistic works of ] as well as of other Jewish thinkers influenced by Kabbalah<ref name="Lelli" /> such as ] who used Hermetic Qabalah to affirm the superiority of Judaism.{{sfn|Skalli|2007}} Lelli suggests that it was natural for these Jewish Kabbalists to elevate Hermetic teachings to a major role in Jewish thought in a time when they began to produce their own "antirationalist--exegesis of scripture." This was despite the fact that many Hermetic works were ascribed to ] in the time through ]; these scholars saw that as a justification to give the same elevated authority to the medical, astronomical, and magical Hermetic texts.<ref name="Lelli" />
In ] CE, a group of Hermetic pagans in ] needed protection by being either Muslim, Christian, Jewish, or ]. They took the ] as their scripture and ] as their prophet, and decided to call themselves Sabians. As no one was sure what the ] meant by Sabian, they were accepted as being such having a ] ] and a ]. This group played a large role in Baghdad's intellectual life from ] - ].<ref>(Churton pp. 26-7)</ref>


However, most Medieval Jewish scholars aware of the Hermetic tradition did not mention Hermetism explicitly, but rather referred to them through Hermetic ideas that were borrowed from Islam or brought Hermeticism up only to reject it. While scholars such as ], ], ], and ] specifically brought up Hermeticism to integrate into their philosophies, others such as ] (Maimonides) specifically rejected anything Hermetic as being responsible for counterparadigmic views of God. Maimonides warned his readers against what he viewed as the degenerative effect of Hermetic ideas, particularly those of the Sabians, and was effective in persuading many Jewish thinkers away from Hermetic integration, known as Hebrew Hermetism.<ref name="Lelli" />
The most famous of the Harranian Sabians was ], who made great advances in ], ], and ], citing his paganism as the reason for his ability.<ref>(Churton pp. 27-8)</ref> They however began to decline in ] CE when the ] imposed strict Islamic orthodoxy forcing explicit Hermetism underground and forcing other Hermetists to change Hermes to Mohammed. It is further theorized that this may also have lead to the beginning of ], mystical Islam, as their first great order also appeared in that year.<ref>(Churton pp. 37-8)</ref>


Scholars, such as Abraham ibn Ezra, felt justified in invoking the authority of Hermes to offer esoteric explanations of Jewish ritual. This culminated in a wide use of Hermetic texts for the use of theurgy and ] construction. The Jewish version of the theurgic practice of drawing divine spirits down to Earth was horadat haruhaniyut, "the lowering of spirituality." Books such as the '']'', '']'', '']'' and '']''. The Hermetic texts most valued by Jewish scholars were those which dealt with astrology, medicine, and astral magic; however shunned by Maimonides as dangerous and destructive.<ref name="Lelli" />
The author Antoine Faivre theorizes that Hermes Trismegistus is mentioned in the Qu'ran as well, under the name of ]. (, ) Idris is also identified with Enoch,<ref>(Faivre 1995 pp.19-20)</ref> who is also identified with Hermes.<ref>(Hall The Secret Teachings of All Ages p. 94)</ref> He is called "Thrice Wise," relating to Hermes' title "Thrice Great."<ref>(Faivre 1995 pp.19-20)</ref>


=== Judaism === === Renaissance ===
]
Medieval Hermeticism was heavily blended with the Jewish Kabbalah, <ref>(Regardie p. 15)</ref> and it is not uncommon to see Greek philosophers mentioned side by side with Biblical figures and with the same esteem. In some cases Hermes Trismegistus is even equated to be the Biblical ] <ref>(Hall ''The Secret Teachings of All Ages'' p. 94)</ref> or ] <ref>(Hall ''The Hermetic Marriage'' p. 223)</ref>. However, it is unlikely that Moses could be equated as Hermes, as it is also said that he was initiated into the Hermetic arts, suggesting that Hermes predated him. <ref>(Regardie p. 16)</ref>
Despite Maimonides' denunciation of Hermetism, Jewish scholars in the Renaissance struggled to reconcile his beliefs with those of the proponents of Hermetic thought within Judaism. Renaissance scholars argued that the rationalism of Maimonides drew upon the {{lang|la|prisca sapienta}} that had both Mosaic and Hermetic origins and that Abraham ibn Ezra's Commentary on the Pentateuch was evidence that they shared the same views on the relationship between ] and ].<ref name="Lelli" />


However, scholars such as ] carried on Maimonides' crusade. Medigo claimed that the theurgic practices of Hermetism were against the teachings of the Torah. Others, such as ], claimed that the Hermetic teachings were part of a primordial wisdom of the ancients and put the writings of Hermes as being equal to those of King Solomon. Hermetism was also prominent in the works of ], ], ], ], ], ] and ].<ref name="Lelli" />
It is considered highly possible that the ] comes from the Hermetic Mystery schools' teachings. <ref>(Hall ''The Secret Teachings of All Ages'' p. 427)</ref> Moses, claimed to be the writer of these five books, has a name that is an anagram for the sun. משֶׁה, the ] spelling of Moses, is easily changed to שמֶה, a name of the Sun. Initiates were often given a name that was equivalent to the Sun to show their own redemption and regeneration. In fact, the stories of Moses prior to ] match ceremonies in the Hermetic Mystery schools exactly. <ref>(Hall ''The Secret Teachings of All Ages'' p. 428)</ref>


The works of ] have also been ascribed a Hermetic element{{sfn|Weststeijn|2007}} and Hermetic influenced thinkers such as ] have accepted Spinoza's version of God.{{sfn|Lange|2007}}
The ] was also of Egyptian origin, being a copy of one in Egypt. The inside held deep symbolism in the Hermetic Mysteries. <ref>(Hall ''The Secret Teachings of All Ages'' p. 429)</ref> The ] also matches depictions of an Egyptian ark, down to the kneeling figures on the lid. <ref>(Hall ''The Secret Teachings of All Ages'' p. 430)</ref> The common use of the number ] in Jewish and Christian texts also refers to the Zodiac and astrology, an art taught to the Jews by the Egyptians. <ref>(Hall ''The Secret Teachings of All Ages'' p. 439)</ref>


=== The Occult === == Christianity ==
] illustrating a Christian take on ], 1682]]
Much of the Western Esoteric tradition is based off of a blend of Hermeticism and the Kabbalah Ma'asit, so called magical or practical Kabbalah. Occultism uses the Hermetic and Kabbalistic theory of creation and angelic/demonic forces, as a basis for ritual magic, and theurgy. Most magic theory involves the manipulation of Yetzirah, the world of Formation, and letting the effect trickle down to the physical universe (in accordance to the Hermetic concept of "as above, so below"). This includes the communication and manipulation of inhabitants of Yetzirah, angelic or demonic forces. The spelling of "Qabbalah", is generally referred to as the Hermetic Qabbalah, often having a magical or occult slant. While "Kabbalah" refers to the tradtional Jewish branch.
Christianity and Hermetism have interacted in such a way that controversy surrounds the nature of the influence. Some, such as ] believed that Hermetism had heavily influenced Christianity; while others, such as ], believed that Christianity heavily influenced Hermetism; most see the exchange as more mutual.<ref name="Lyman">{{harvnb|Lyman|1930|p=265}}.</ref>


According to ], both religions hold ], ] and focus on the knowledge of God as the meaning of ]'s existence. This knowledge of God comes upon a mystical experience dependent upon rebirth, the focal point of arguments for influence from one of these religions upon the other.<ref name="Lyman_a">{{harvnb|Lyman|1930|p=268}}.</ref> The focus of this rebirth are the words "Life," "Light," and "Truth" as well as a moral attitude of the seeker in his attainment of higher knowledge. Both also share a ] which comes from a shared philosophical background in popular schools of ] thought.<ref name="Lyman_b">{{harvnb|Lyman|1930|p=269}}.</ref> Early Christianity and Hermetism both are ] without having an excessive emphasis on secrecy, relying upon inward experience, assisted by instruction and ultimately the result of revelation by God.{{sfn|Lyman|1930|p=271}}
These beliefs were influential in ]an occult lore, especially from the Renaissance forward. During the middle ages and Renaissance, magicians wrote grimoires which show a major influence from both Hermeticism and Kabbalah and have since become a basis for most practical occultism. In more recent times, magical orders such as The Golden Dawn revived and revised these traditions.


=== Taoism === === The Fourth Gospel ===
Lyman also sees important similarities between the '']'', or ''Gospel of John'', and the '']'', in religious thought and religious questing.<ref name="Lyman" /> However, she points out that there are some deep differences as well.{{sfn|Lyman|1930|p=266}}
The Taoists have a concept called ''shoong''. It is the state in which you stop perceiving yourself as separate from the Universe, but rather perceiving yourself as one with everything else. <ref>(Liao pp. 30-31)</ref> This is the same as the state of mind cultivated prior to Theurgy.


In Lyman's analysis, both texts utilize the concept of ]{{sfn|Lyman|1930|p=270}} and emphasize that the followers of their respective religions are apart from the rest of the world, suitable for only a few followers.{{sfn|Lyman|1930|pp=270-71}} Each of the two texts stress the importance of redemption, revelation, and rebirth to find knowledge of God<ref name="Lyman_a" /> and contain striking similarity in the wording of how moral attitudes promote higher knowledge in general.<ref name="Lyman_b" /> Opposed to the basis of the contemporary ]s, both texts relayed that the core of religious practice should be done internally through the personal experience of the believer rather than externally through ]al ritual.<ref name="Lyman_c">{{harvnb|Lyman|1930|p=272}}.</ref> Dualism plays a strong part in each of the two works.<ref name="Lyman_b" />
(For more information on Taoism and Hermeticism, see ])


Lyman also points out four distinct contrasts between the two works despite their similarities. First, that the ''Fourth Gospel'' is a homogeneous work while the ''Corpus Hermeticum'' is a work which is found in fragments which she suspects were written by many authors over a wide range of time.<ref name="Lyman_c" /> Second, cosmic speculation is paramount to the Hermetic work while the fourth Gospel focuses on issues of religion.{{sfn|Lyman|1930|pp=273-74}} Third, the Hermetic text focuses on the ] of the day while the Fourth Gospel ignores it completely.{{sfn|Lyman|1930|pp=274-75}} Fourth, the Gospel's figures are all unique and grounds itself in the life of ] while the Hermetic text uses an "elusive literary tradition" which does little to identify or separate its characters.{{sfn|Lyman|1930|p=275}} Though she relays that a scholar named Angus believed that the two would be more similar if they had the same proportion of Hermetic writings as Christian writings.{{sfn|Lyman|1930|p=273}}
=== Trancendentalism ===
]'s concept of a spark of God in everyone, which can eventually consume a person if properly treated is very similar to the Hermetic conception that God is everything, and the ultimate goal is to rejoin with God. Hermeticism and Trancendentalism also share the view that the physical can be trancended individually by sentient beings.


== Mormonism ==
=== Wicca and Paganism ===
A theory by ], an author and professor at ], suggests that ] has its roots in Hermetism and Hermeticism after following a philosophical trail from Renaissance ]. The early Mormons, most notably ], were linked by Brooke with magic, ], ], ] and "other elements of radical religion" prior to Mormonism. Brooke attested correlations with the view that spirit and matter are one and the same, the covenant of ], and the ability of humanity to become deified or ultimately perfect.<ref name="Barlow">{{harvnb|Barlow|1996}}.</ref>
] of the God and Goddess. These are personifications of the Masculine and Feminine aspects of The All]]
] and ], though not exactly the same, have the same relation to Hermeticism. ] explains Wicca, in part:


Further, Brooke argued that Mormonism can only be understood in conjunction with the occult and the ]-era sectarian idea of ]. He sees ties to Hermeticism in Mormon support for ], ], ] and ].
:"Down we go then, to the first two branches of the tree, right below the All. Each branch is exactly the same, one on the right side of the tree and one on the left. Totally balanced in every respect to each other. They represent the ] and the ], or the Lord and the Lady. Separate yet equal, together they combine into the essence of the All." <ref>(Ravenwolf p. 44)</ref>


However, Philip I. Barlow has criticized Brooke's work as carelessly seeking out relations to Hermeticism which Brooke knows better than Mormonism, and believes that Brooke's links to Hermeticism can be explained away with "a particular and selectively literal reading of the Bible."<ref name="Barlow" />
Ravenwolf reveals an acceptance of the Hermetic concept of ], and that the God and Goddess are merely the masculine and feminine aspects of The All. Wiccans and Pagans break the God and Goddess into the pantheons of gods and goddesses <ref>(Ravenwolf p. 45)</ref> much as Hermeticists may break The All into archangels, angels, and demons, or even follow the Wiccan/Pagan path. As far as the view of God is concerned, the major difference between Hermeticism, Paganism, and Wicca is that Pagans and Wiccans ] the masculine and feminine aspects of The All.


== References ==
These three also share a sense that all things in nature are in some sense sentient, possessing intelligence, consciousness, and feeling, however weak. <ref>(Hall ''The Hermetic Marriage'' p. 230)</ref>
{{Reflist|2}}


===Works cited===
Primary use of signs, herbs, stones and animal imagery, which was quite popular in Hermeticism as a means for drawing down the planetary powers into such signs,<ref>(Yates ''Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition'' p. 45)</ref> albeit some degree of modification depending on the tradition of Paganism, such practices still exist today.
*{{cite journal |last=Barlow |first=Philip I. |title=The Refiner's Fire: The Making of Mormon Cosmology, 1644-1844 |journal=The Christian Century |date=January 17, 1996}}
*{{cite journal |last=Lange |first=Horst |title=Das Weltbild des jungen Goethe, Band I: Elemente und Fundamente |journal=Goethe Yearbook |date=January 1, 2007 |doi=10.1515/9781571137395-012 |lang=de }}
*{{cite journal |last=Lelli |first=Fabrizio |title=Hermes Among the Jews: Hermetica as Hebraica from Antiquity to the Renaissance |journal=Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft |date=December 22, 2007|volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=111–135 |doi=10.1353/mrw.0.0006 }}
*{{cite journal |last=Leslie |first=Arthur M. |title=Jews at the Time of the Renaissance |journal=Renaissance Quarterly |date=September 22, 1999 |volume=52 |issue=3 |pages=845–856 |doi=10.2307/2901921 |jstor=2901921 }}
*{{cite journal |last=Lyman |first=Mary Ely |title=Hermetic Religion and the Religion of the Fourth Gospel |journal=Journal of Biblical Literature |pages=265–276 |year=1930 |doi=10.2307/3259049 |volume=49 |issue=3 |jstor=3259049}}
*{{cite journal |last=Quispel |first=Gilles |title=Hermes Trismegistus and the Origins of Gnosticism |journal=Vigiliae Christianae |pages=1–19 |jstor=1583880 |volume=46 |issue=1 |date=March 1992|doi=10.2307/1583880 }}
*{{cite book |last=Regardie |first=Israel |title=The Golden Dawn |location=St. Paul |publisher=Llewellyn Publications |year=1940 }}
*{{cite journal |last=Skalli |first=Cedric Cohen |title=Discovering Isaac Abravanel's Humanistic Rhetoric |journal=The Jewish Quarterly Review |date=January 1, 2007 |volume=97 |pages=67–99 |doi=10.1353/jqr.2007.0007 }}
*{{cite book |last=Van Bladel |first=Kevin |title=The Arabic Hermes: From Pagan Sage to Prophet of Science |location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2009}}
*{{cite book |last=Van den Broek |first= Roel |author-link=Roel van den Broek |chapter=Gnosticism and Hermetism in Antiquity |editor1-last=Van den Broek |editor1-first=Roel |editor2-last=Hanegraaff |editor2-first=Wouter |title=Gnosis and Hermeticism from Antiquity to Modern Times |location=Albany |publisher=State University of New York Press |year=1998 |isbn= 0-7914-3612-8}}
*{{cite journal |last=Weststeijn |first=Thijs |title=Spinoza Sinicus: an Asian Paragraph in the History of the Radical Enlightenment |journal=Journal of the History of Ideas |date=October 1, 2007 |volume=68 |issue=4 |pages=537–561 |doi=10.1353/jhi.2007.0037 }}
*{{cite journal |last=Wieczynski |first=Joseph L. |title=Hermetism and Cabalism in the Heresy of the Judaizers |journal=Renaissance Quarterly |pages=17–28 |date=Spring 1975 |doi=10.2307/2860419 |volume=28 |issue=1 |jstor=2860419}}


=== Zoroastrianism === == Further reading ==
*{{Citation | last = Butler | first = Jon | title = Magic, Astrology, and the Early American Religious Heritage | journal = The American Historical Review| pages = 317–346 | date = April 1979| doi = 10.2307/1855136 | volume = 84 | issue = 2 | jstor = 1855136 | pmid = 11610526}}
] plays a large role in influencing Hermeticism. In 525 BCE, Egypt was conquered by the ], bringing Zoroastrian ideas along with it. <ref>(Abel & Hare p. 8)</ref> In obscure texts, Hermes claims to look to ] as a spiritual father, having learned much of the ] from him. It is further said that Zoroaster had penetrated the mystery of the zodiac more than any other. <ref>(Powell pp. 15-6)</ref> Alternatively, it has been suggested that Zoroaster (like so many others) and Hermes are one and the same. <ref>(Hall ''The Secret Teachings of All Ages'' p. 516)</ref> It is possible that this was from a faked Zoroastrian text however. Theurgy is often called Zoroastrian Magic as well. <ref>(Garstin pp. 9-10)</ref>
*{{Citation | last = Candela | first = Giuseppe | title = An Overview of the Cosmology, Religion and Philosophical Universe of Giordano Bruno | journal = Italica| pages = 348–364 |date = Autumn 1998| doi = 10.2307/480055 | volume = 75 | issue = 3 | jstor = 480055}}

*{{Citation | last = Harrie | first = Jeanne | title = Duplessis-Mornay, Foix-Candale and the Hermetic Religion of the World | journal = Renaissance Quarterly| pages = 499–514 | date = Winter 1978| doi = 10.2307/2860375 | volume = 31 | issue = 4 | jstor = 2860375}}
== Notes ==

<references />

== References ==
*{{cite book | author=Abel, Christopher R. and Hare, William O. | title=Hermes Trismegistus: An Investigation of the Origin of the Hermetic Writings | location=Sequim | publisher=Holmes Publishing Group | year=1997 | id= }}
*Churton, Tobias. ''The Golden Builders: Alchemists, Rosicrucians, and the First Freemasons''. New York: Barnes and Noble, 2002.
*Faivre, Antoine. ''The Eternal Hermes : From Greek God to Alchemical Magus'' translated by Josceleyn Godwin (Phanes). 1995. ISBN 0-933999-52-6.
*{{cite book | author=Garstin, E.J. Langford | title=Theurgy ''or'' The Hermetic Practice | location=Berwick | publisher=Ibis Press | year=2004 | id= }} ''Published Posthumously''
*{{cite book | author=Hall, Manly P. | title=The Hermetic Marriage | publisher=Kessinger Publishing | year=date unknown | id= }}
*{{cite book | author=Hall, Manly P. | title=The Secret Teachings of All Ages | location=San Francisco | publisher=H.S. Crocker Company | year=1928 (copyright not renewed) | id= }}
*Hoeller, Stephan A. ''On the Trail of the Winged God: Hermes and Hermeticism Throughout the Ages''. 1996.
*{{cite book | author=Horgan, John | title=Rational Mysticism: Spirituality Meets Science in the Search for Enlightenment | location=Boston, New York | publisher=Houghton Mifflin Company | year=2003 | id= }}
*{{cite book | author=Liao, Waysun | title=T'ai Chi Classics | location=Boston | publisher=Shambhala | year=1990 | id= }}
*{{cite book | author=Powell, Robert A. | title=Christian Hermetic Astrology: The Star of the Magi and the Life of Christ | location=Hudson | publisher=Anthroposohic Press | year=1991 | id= }}
*{{cite book | author=Ravenwolf, Silver | title=To Ride a Silver Broomstick: New Generation Witchcraft | location=St. Paul | publisher=Llewellyn Publications | year=1993 | id= }}
*{{cite book | author=Regardie, Israel | title=The Golden Dawn | location=St. Paul | publisher=Llewellyn Publications | year=1940 | id= }}


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Latest revision as of 04:33, 17 December 2024

Part of a series on
Hermeticism
Hermes TrismegistusHermes Trismegistus
Hermetic writings
Historical figures
Ancient and medieval
Early modern
Modern offshoots

This is a comparative religion article which outlines the similarities and interactions between Hermeticism (or Hermetism) and other religions or philosophies. It highlights its similarities and differences with Gnosticism, examines its connections in Islam and Judaism, delves into its influence on Christianity, and even explores its potential impact on Mormonism. In essence, it unveils how Hermeticism has engaged with, influenced, and been influenced by a diverse array of spiritual and philosophical traditions throughout history.

Gnosticism

Hermetism is related to a wider intellectual current known as Gnosticism. Both flourished in the same period in Roman Egypt, in the same spiritual climate, sharing the goal of allowing the soul to escape from the material realm, and emphasizing a personal knowledge of God. Both groups held that the fundamental relationship between God and man could be found through gnosis (knowledge through experience; understanding), with the goal to "see" God, and in some instances to become one with God.

However, there are also some significant differences between Hermetism and Gnosticism with regard to philosophical theology, cosmology, and anthropology. Though both agreed about God's transcendence over the Universe, Hermetists sometimes believed that God could still be comprehended through philosophical reasoning, in agreement with philosophers and Christian theologians, whereas many Gnostics felt that God was completely unknowable. While the Gnostics often indulged in and expanded upon mythological references, Hermetic texts are relatively devoid of mythology (the exceptions being Book I, Poimandres, Book III, the Sacred Sermon, and the Book IV, the Sacred Cup, or Monad). Hermetism is generally optimistic about God, while many forms of Christian Gnosticism are pessimistic about the creator—several Christian Gnostic sects saw the cosmos as the product of an evil creator, and thus as being evil itself, while Hermetists saw the cosmos as a beautiful creation in the image of God. Both held that mankind was originally divine and has become entrapped in the material world, a slave to passion and distracted from divine nature. However, the Gnostics as a result often adopted a pessimistic view of mankind, while the Hermetic belief system generally retained a positive attitude towards humanity. Hermetists believed that the human body was not evil in and of itself, but that materialistic impulses such as sexual desire were the cause of evil in the world.

Islam

According to ninth- and tenth-century Arabic authors, the pagan community from the Upper-Mesopotamian city of Harran (who self-identified as the Sabians mentioned in the Qur'an) counted Hermes Trismegistus as one of their major prophets. In the same period some Muslims started to identify the Qur'anic prophet Idrīs (the Islamic equivalent to the Biblical Enoch) with Hermes. In this context, Hermes came to be seen as a 'prophet of science'.

Judaism

The relationship between ancient Judaism and Hermetism has been one of mutual influence and a subject of controversy within the Jewish religion.

Middle Ages

A complex array of Qaballah Sephiroth by Christian Knorr von Rosenroth, 1684

This identification paved the way for the exchange and melding of ideas between Judaism and Hermetism during the Middle Ages. The most prominent interrelation between the two systems is in the development of Kabbalah, which developed into three separate brands: a Jewish stream, a Christian stream (Cabala in Christianity), and a Hermetic stream (Qabalah in Hermeticism). Medieval Hermetism, aside from alchemy, is often seen as analogous to (and was heavily influenced by) these Kabbalistic ideas.

Hermetism and Kabbalah arose together in the 12th and 13th centuries. The Practical Kabbalah also relied upon magic and astrology but focused more on the Hebrew language in its incantations than the general language of Hermetism in general.

Secondly, Jewish scholars of the Middle Ages attempted to make use of treatises on astrology, medicine and theurgy as a justification for practicing natural magic forbidden by a number of commandments in the Torah and reinforced by prophetic books codified by rabbinic authorities. They noted the wonders performed by celebrated biblical figures such as the patriarchs and King Solomon and which were seen as a God-given and condoned use of natural magic. They attributed these arts to divine knowledge imparted by Jewish heroes to gentiles such as the Indians, Babylonians, Egyptians, and Greeks, and felt that by approaching magic from a religious standpoint would legitimize their use of the sciences. In particular, they believed the Hermetic teachings to have its origins in ancient Jewish sources.

These Jewish scholars, particularly the ones who distrusted Aristotelian rationality, looked to Hermetism as a backing to discuss theological interpretation of the Torah and the Ten Commandments. Fabrizo Lelli writes: "As for Christians and Muslims, so likewise for Jews, Hermetism was an alternative to Aristotelianism--the likeliest prospect, in fact, for integrating an alien system into their religion. This was because the response of the Hermetica to intellectual problems was generally theosophical."

In the use of these Hermetic treatises, these Jewish scholars, though at times inadvertently, introduced Hermetic ideas into Jewish thought. Shabbetay Donnolo's 10th century commentary on the Sefer Yezirah shows Hermetic influence, as well as the 13th century texts later compiled into the Sefer ha-Zohar, and in the contemporary Kabbalistic works of Abraham Abulafia as well as of other Jewish thinkers influenced by Kabbalah such as Isaac Abravanel who used Hermetic Qabalah to affirm the superiority of Judaism. Lelli suggests that it was natural for these Jewish Kabbalists to elevate Hermetic teachings to a major role in Jewish thought in a time when they began to produce their own "antirationalist--exegesis of scripture." This was despite the fact that many Hermetic works were ascribed to Aristotle in the time through pseudepigrapha; these scholars saw that as a justification to give the same elevated authority to the medical, astronomical, and magical Hermetic texts.

However, most Medieval Jewish scholars aware of the Hermetic tradition did not mention Hermetism explicitly, but rather referred to them through Hermetic ideas that were borrowed from Islam or brought Hermeticism up only to reject it. While scholars such as Moses ibn Ezra, Bahya ibn Paquda, Judah ha-Levi, and Abraham ibn Ezra specifically brought up Hermeticism to integrate into their philosophies, others such as Moses ben Maimon (Maimonides) specifically rejected anything Hermetic as being responsible for counterparadigmic views of God. Maimonides warned his readers against what he viewed as the degenerative effect of Hermetic ideas, particularly those of the Sabians, and was effective in persuading many Jewish thinkers away from Hermetic integration, known as Hebrew Hermetism.

Scholars, such as Abraham ibn Ezra, felt justified in invoking the authority of Hermes to offer esoteric explanations of Jewish ritual. This culminated in a wide use of Hermetic texts for the use of theurgy and talisman construction. The Jewish version of the theurgic practice of drawing divine spirits down to Earth was horadat haruhaniyut, "the lowering of spirituality." Books such as the Sefer Mafteah Shlomoh, Sefer Meleket Muskelet, Sefer ha-Tamar and Sefer Hermes. The Hermetic texts most valued by Jewish scholars were those which dealt with astrology, medicine, and astral magic; however shunned by Maimonides as dangerous and destructive.

Renaissance

Rabbi Abraham Eleazar demonstrating the alchemical process of distillation through symbolism, 1760

Despite Maimonides' denunciation of Hermetism, Jewish scholars in the Renaissance struggled to reconcile his beliefs with those of the proponents of Hermetic thought within Judaism. Renaissance scholars argued that the rationalism of Maimonides drew upon the prisca sapienta that had both Mosaic and Hermetic origins and that Abraham ibn Ezra's Commentary on the Pentateuch was evidence that they shared the same views on the relationship between religion and science.

However, scholars such as Averroist Elijah del Medigo carried on Maimonides' crusade. Medigo claimed that the theurgic practices of Hermetism were against the teachings of the Torah. Others, such as Yohanan Alemanno, claimed that the Hermetic teachings were part of a primordial wisdom of the ancients and put the writings of Hermes as being equal to those of King Solomon. Hermetism was also prominent in the works of David Messer Leon, Isaac Abravanel, Judah Abravanel, Elijah Hayyim, Abraham Farissol, Judah Moscato and Abraham Yagel.

The works of Baruch Spinoza have also been ascribed a Hermetic element and Hermetic influenced thinkers such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe have accepted Spinoza's version of God.

Christianity

A work by Jakob Böhme illustrating a Christian take on Hermetic astrology, 1682

Christianity and Hermetism have interacted in such a way that controversy surrounds the nature of the influence. Some, such as Richard August Reitzenstein believed that Hermetism had heavily influenced Christianity; while others, such as Marie-Joseph LaGrange, believed that Christianity heavily influenced Hermetism; most see the exchange as more mutual.

According to Mary E. Lyman, both religions hold redemption, revelation and focus on the knowledge of God as the meaning of humanity's existence. This knowledge of God comes upon a mystical experience dependent upon rebirth, the focal point of arguments for influence from one of these religions upon the other. The focus of this rebirth are the words "Life," "Light," and "Truth" as well as a moral attitude of the seeker in his attainment of higher knowledge. Both also share a dualistic philosophy which comes from a shared philosophical background in popular schools of Hellenistic thought. Early Christianity and Hermetism both are esoteric without having an excessive emphasis on secrecy, relying upon inward experience, assisted by instruction and ultimately the result of revelation by God.

The Fourth Gospel

Lyman also sees important similarities between the Fourth Gospel, or Gospel of John, and the Corpus Hermeticum, in religious thought and religious questing. However, she points out that there are some deep differences as well.

In Lyman's analysis, both texts utilize the concept of Logos and emphasize that the followers of their respective religions are apart from the rest of the world, suitable for only a few followers. Each of the two texts stress the importance of redemption, revelation, and rebirth to find knowledge of God and contain striking similarity in the wording of how moral attitudes promote higher knowledge in general. Opposed to the basis of the contemporary mystery cults, both texts relayed that the core of religious practice should be done internally through the personal experience of the believer rather than externally through sacramental ritual. Dualism plays a strong part in each of the two works.

Lyman also points out four distinct contrasts between the two works despite their similarities. First, that the Fourth Gospel is a homogeneous work while the Corpus Hermeticum is a work which is found in fragments which she suspects were written by many authors over a wide range of time. Second, cosmic speculation is paramount to the Hermetic work while the fourth Gospel focuses on issues of religion. Third, the Hermetic text focuses on the asceticism of the day while the Fourth Gospel ignores it completely. Fourth, the Gospel's figures are all unique and grounds itself in the life of Jesus of Nazareth while the Hermetic text uses an "elusive literary tradition" which does little to identify or separate its characters. Though she relays that a scholar named Angus believed that the two would be more similar if they had the same proportion of Hermetic writings as Christian writings.

Mormonism

A theory by John L. Brooke, an author and professor at Tufts University, suggests that Mormonism has its roots in Hermetism and Hermeticism after following a philosophical trail from Renaissance Europe. The early Mormons, most notably Joseph Smith, were linked by Brooke with magic, alchemy, Freemasonry, divining and "other elements of radical religion" prior to Mormonism. Brooke attested correlations with the view that spirit and matter are one and the same, the covenant of celestial marriage, and the ability of humanity to become deified or ultimately perfect.

Further, Brooke argued that Mormonism can only be understood in conjunction with the occult and the Reformation-era sectarian idea of restoration. He sees ties to Hermeticism in Mormon support for Pelagianism, communitarianism, polygamy and Dispensationalism.

However, Philip I. Barlow has criticized Brooke's work as carelessly seeking out relations to Hermeticism which Brooke knows better than Mormonism, and believes that Brooke's links to Hermeticism can be explained away with "a particular and selectively literal reading of the Bible."

References

  1. Quispel 1992.
  2. Van den Broek 1998, p. 17.
  3. Van den Broek 1998, p. 1.
  4. Van den Broek 1998, p. 6.
  5. Van den Broek 1998, p. 7.
  6. Van den Broek 1998, p. 8.
  7. Van den Broek 1998, pp. 12–13.
  8. Van den Broek 1998, pp. 9–10.
  9. Van den Broek 1998, pp. 11–12.
  10. Van den Broek 1998, pp. 16–17.
  11. Van Bladel 2009, pp. 64-114 (see especially the conclusion, pp. 113-114).
  12. Van Bladel 2009, pp. 164-172 et passim.
  13. ^ Lelli 2007.
  14. ^ Leslie 1999.
  15. Regardie 1940, p. 15.
  16. Wieczynski 1975, p. 22.
  17. Skalli 2007.
  18. Weststeijn 2007.
  19. Lange 2007.
  20. ^ Lyman 1930, p. 265.
  21. ^ Lyman 1930, p. 268.
  22. ^ Lyman 1930, p. 269.
  23. Lyman 1930, p. 271.
  24. Lyman 1930, p. 266.
  25. Lyman 1930, p. 270.
  26. Lyman 1930, pp. 270–71.
  27. ^ Lyman 1930, p. 272.
  28. Lyman 1930, pp. 273–74.
  29. Lyman 1930, pp. 274–75.
  30. Lyman 1930, p. 275.
  31. Lyman 1930, p. 273.
  32. ^ Barlow 1996.

Works cited

  • Barlow, Philip I. (January 17, 1996). "The Refiner's Fire: The Making of Mormon Cosmology, 1644-1844". The Christian Century.
  • Lange, Horst (January 1, 2007). "Das Weltbild des jungen Goethe, Band I: Elemente und Fundamente". Goethe Yearbook (in German). doi:10.1515/9781571137395-012.
  • Lelli, Fabrizio (December 22, 2007). "Hermes Among the Jews: Hermetica as Hebraica from Antiquity to the Renaissance". Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft. 2 (2): 111–135. doi:10.1353/mrw.0.0006.
  • Leslie, Arthur M. (September 22, 1999). "Jews at the Time of the Renaissance". Renaissance Quarterly. 52 (3): 845–856. doi:10.2307/2901921. JSTOR 2901921.
  • Lyman, Mary Ely (1930). "Hermetic Religion and the Religion of the Fourth Gospel". Journal of Biblical Literature. 49 (3): 265–276. doi:10.2307/3259049. JSTOR 3259049.
  • Quispel, Gilles (March 1992). "Hermes Trismegistus and the Origins of Gnosticism". Vigiliae Christianae. 46 (1): 1–19. doi:10.2307/1583880. JSTOR 1583880.
  • Regardie, Israel (1940). The Golden Dawn. St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications.
  • Skalli, Cedric Cohen (January 1, 2007). "Discovering Isaac Abravanel's Humanistic Rhetoric". The Jewish Quarterly Review. 97: 67–99. doi:10.1353/jqr.2007.0007.
  • Van Bladel, Kevin (2009). The Arabic Hermes: From Pagan Sage to Prophet of Science. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Van den Broek, Roel (1998). "Gnosticism and Hermetism in Antiquity". In Van den Broek, Roel; Hanegraaff, Wouter (eds.). Gnosis and Hermeticism from Antiquity to Modern Times. Albany: State University of New York Press. ISBN 0-7914-3612-8.
  • Weststeijn, Thijs (October 1, 2007). "Spinoza Sinicus: an Asian Paragraph in the History of the Radical Enlightenment". Journal of the History of Ideas. 68 (4): 537–561. doi:10.1353/jhi.2007.0037.
  • Wieczynski, Joseph L. (Spring 1975). "Hermetism and Cabalism in the Heresy of the Judaizers". Renaissance Quarterly. 28 (1): 17–28. doi:10.2307/2860419. JSTOR 2860419.

Further reading

  • Butler, Jon (April 1979), "Magic, Astrology, and the Early American Religious Heritage", The American Historical Review, 84 (2): 317–346, doi:10.2307/1855136, JSTOR 1855136, PMID 11610526
  • Candela, Giuseppe (Autumn 1998), "An Overview of the Cosmology, Religion and Philosophical Universe of Giordano Bruno", Italica, 75 (3): 348–364, doi:10.2307/480055, JSTOR 480055
  • Harrie, Jeanne (Winter 1978), "Duplessis-Mornay, Foix-Candale and the Hermetic Religion of the World", Renaissance Quarterly, 31 (4): 499–514, doi:10.2307/2860375, JSTOR 2860375
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