Way of Hermes

Salaman, Clement, Dorine van Oyen, William D. Wharton, and Jean-Pierre Mahe, translators. The Way of Hermes: New Translations of the Corpus Hermeticum and the Definitions of Hermes Trismegistus to Asclepius. 1st U.S. paperback ed. Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions, 2004.

9780892811861;

The Corpus Hermeticum, a powerful fusion of Greek and Egyptian thought, is one of the cornerstones of the Western esoteric tradition.  The Corpus Hermeticum is a collection of short philosophical treatises, written in Greek between the first and third centuries C.E.  So significant were these treatises, that the great scholar and philosopher Marsilio Ficino set aside his work on the translation of the body of Plato's lost works to translate this text.  To the renaissance mind, these works of magic were more important than the works of Plato that had been lost to western Europe for centuries.  These treatises were central to the spiritual work of hermetic societies in Late Antique Alexandria (200-700 C.E.) where they were written.  They aimed to awaken gnosis, the direct realization of the unity of the individual and the Divine. 

In addition to this new translation of The Corpus Hermeticum, which seeks to reflect the inspirational intent of the original, The Way of Hermes includes the first English translation of the recently rediscovered manuscript of The Definitions of Hermes Trismegistus to Asclepius, which is a collection of aphorisms to be used by the hermetic student to strengthen the mind during meditation.  With the proper mental orientation, a state of pure perception can be achieved in which the true face of God appears.  This document is of enormous value to the contemporary student of gnostic studies for its insights into the actual workings of this spiritual path.  <From the publisher>

We are offering two variations in printings of this book.  The 13th printing (the last in the U.S.) is new. the 15th printing (China) is thinner, not as tight, and the cover is cracked.  These defects have been accounted for in the price.

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