Prisca Theologia

JamesAH said:

Interesting!!!!!

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laconicstudent said:

Of course, Hermes Trismegistus is also considered the founder of Hermetic occultism, which makes it fascinating that his name would even arise in this place.

The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn - Aries

So yes, I suppose it is "interesting". Also rather dangerous.

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The "Prisca Theologia"

Many Christian writers, including Lactantius, Augustine, Giordano Bruno, Marsilio Ficino, Campanella and Giovanni Pico della Mirandola considered Hermes Trismegistus to be a wise pagan prophet who foresaw the coming of Christianity.[23] They believed in a "Prisca Theologia", the doctrine that a single, true, theology exists, which threads through all religions, and which was given by god to man in antiquity.[24][25] In order to demonstrate the verity of the 'prisca theologia' Christians appropriated the Hermetic teachings for their own purposes. By this account Hermes Trismegistus was either, according to the fathers of the Christian church, a contemporary of Moses[26] or the third in a line of men named Hermes i.e. Enoch, Noah and the Egyptian priest king who is known to us as Hermes Trismegistus[27] or thrice great on account of being the greatest priest, philosopher and king.[28][29]

This last account of how Hermes Trismegistus received the name "Trismegistus," meaning "Thrice Great," is derived from statements both in the The Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus, that he knows the three parts of the wisdom of the whole universe.[30] The three parts of the wisdom are alchemy, astrology, and theurgy. The pymander, from where Marsilio Ficino formed his opinion, states that "they called him Trismegistus because he was the greatest philosopher and the greatest priest and the greatest king".[31]

Another explanation, in the Suda (10th century), is that "He was called Trismegistus on account of his praise of the trinity, saying there is one divine nature in the trinity".[32]

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