The pagan intellectual tradition comprised in the Hermetica is one of immense importance for the study of classical philosophy and theology. Not only does the Hermetica give insight into the social environment of the early C.E. centuries of Alexandria but it specifically sheds light on the various philosophical and religious schools of the day, such as, Neo-Platonism, Gnosticism, Orphism, and Pythagoreanism. The Hermetica, properly understood, is a 2nd and 3rd century C.E. compilation of pseudopigraphal dialogues between Hermes Trismegistus and his various listeners on Theology Proper, the nature of the cosmos, and the nature of the soul. Trismegistus (thrice-blessed), so the legend goes, was a pre-Mosaic, Egyptian priest who aided in the construction of the pyramids, who, up until the critical textual methods of the late Renaissance thinkers, was considered genuine. Only through the eventual usage of modern historiographical methods have scholars of the Hermetic movement agreed that the Hermetic was most likely composed by numerous authors over various times, much like Homer’s Iliad.
As was just mentioned, the Hermetic is of vast importance for understanding the pagan intellectual movement of the first couple of centuries after the advent of Christ. This paper is going to cover the various historical and philosophical movements which aid in our understanding the theology of the Hermetica and its influence on Giordano Bruno’s thought. If we are to understand the various medieval movements in Christendom, the continuation of the hermetic movement, or the introduction of Alchemy, Magic, and the Occult in Renaissance Europe, specifically culminated in Bruno’s thought, we must first understand their roots, which are seen clearly in the Hermetica.
Historical Introduction
The Hermeticwas written at a time during significant historical milestones which must be taken into consideration in order to understand the thought contained within it. Alexander had, through his various conquests, brought Greek learning into Egypt ushering in the famous Hellenistic age. His general Ptolemy became his successor, ruling and forming the Egypt once ruled by the Pharaohs, turning the ancient land into a modern day Athens. His Hellenization of Egypt left many Egyptians looking back upon their golden age, when Egypt had prospered and contributed the great religious and cultural distinctives we now look back at in wonder. The Demotic Chronicle, for instance, contains anti-Greek sentiments while looking forward to an Egyptian ruler, one fragment notes: "They say 'A man of Herakleopolis is the one who will rule after the foreigners and the Greeks. Take joy, oh High Priest of Harsaphes!'"
The Herods, a few centuries later, developed the Jewish state within the Roman province of southern Israel. Constructing a Jewish vassal-state within the Roman Empire was not an easy task. Often times the Herods were at odds with the Romans and their bureaucratic political structure. They likewise faced troubles from their own countrymen who saw them as Roman tyrants. This was understandable, given that the first Herod, Herod the Great, ordered for the death of every Jewish male under the age of two in fear that the Messiah was amongst them. The Herods along with the Jewish state ended with the Great Revolt and the eventual destruction of Jerusalem by Titus in 73 C.E.
Priori, during, and subsequently after the destruction of Jerusalem, Christianity emerged as a strong historical movement with its own view of politics, social ethics, and spirituality. The Hellenized form of Christianity is what was around in the Alexandria of the Hermetica; the Neo-platonic Theology Proper of Origen, the philosophical logos of Clement, and the science of Didymus. These strands of thinking permeated the intellectual atmosphere of Alexandria and reveal the climate in which the Hermetica was composed. Therefore as we understand the text of the Hermetica we must keep in mind these various intellectual circles and the possibility of their influence in the formation of this highly intellectualized Neo-Platonic paganism.
