Definitions of Hermes Trismegistus to Asclepius

The Definitions of Hermes Trismegistus to Asclepius is a collection of aphorisms attributed to the legendary Hellenistic figure Hermes Trismegistus (a syncretic combination of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth), most likely dating to the first century CE.

According to Jean-Pierre Mahé, these aphorisms contain the core of the teachings which are found in the later Greek religio-philosophical Hermetica (writings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus).^[1]

Dating

The work has mainly been preserved in a sixth-century CE Armenian translation, but the Greek original likely goes back to the first century CE.^[2] As such, it is the oldest of the religio-philosophical Hermetica, which were mainly written between c. 100 and c. 300 CE.^[3] The main argument for the early dating of the Definitions is the fact that some of its aphorisms are cited in multiple independent Greek Hermetic works.^[4]

References

^ Mahé 1999, pp. 101–108.
^ Mahé 1999, p. 101.
^ Bull 2018, p. 9. Note, however, that some of the so-called 'technical' Hermetica may go back as far as to the second or third century BCE; see Copenhaver 1992, p. xxxiii; Bull 2018, pp. 2–3. Fowden 1986, p. 3, note 11 is somewhat more cautious, noting that our earliest testimonies date to the first century BCE.
^ Mahé 1999, p. 101.

Bibliography

Editions and translations

Mahé, Jean-Pierre (1978–1982). Hermès en Haute-Egypte. Vol. I–II. Quebec: Presses de l'Université Laval. ISBN 9780774668170. (critical edition of the Armenian text)
Mahé, Jean-Pierre (1999). "The Definitions of Hermes Trismegistus to Asclepius". In Salaman, Clement; van Oyen, Dorine; Wharton, William D.; Mahé, Jean-Pierre (eds.). The Way of Hermes. London: Duckworth Books. pp. 99–122. ISBN 9780892811861. (English translation, with introduction)