The Corpus Hermeticum

Hermes Trismegistus, Floor decoration, Siena Cathedral.

The Corpus Hermeticum are the core documents of the Hermetic tradition. Dating from early in the Christian era, they were mistakenly dated to a much earlier period by Church officials (and everyone else) up until the 15th century. Because of this, they were allowed to survive and were seen as an early precursor to what was to be Christianity. We know today that they were, in fact, from the early Christian era, and came out of the turbulent religious seas of Hellenic Egypt.

These are all taken from Mead's translations, which are in the public domain at this point.

Title

Page

An Introduction to the Corpus Hermeticum

I. Poemandres, the Shepherd of Men

II. To Asclepius

III. The Sacred Sermon

IV. The Cup or Monad

V. Though Unmanifest God Is Most Manifest

VI. In God Alone Is Good And Elsewhere Nowhere

VII. The Greatest Ill Among Men is Ignorance of God

VIII. That No One of Existing Things doth Perish, but Men in Error Speak of Their Changes as Destructions and as Deaths