Podcast episodes – The Secret History of Western Esotericism Podcast (SHWEP)
Anna van den Kerchove on the Hermetic Way in Antiquity
Episode guests
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
- The Corpus Hermetica is a collection of ancient texts centered around Hermes Trismegistus, with a fluid category that includes both ancient and modern Hermetic texts, and it was constructed during the Renaissance from older sources that can be traced back to the 11th century and possibly even to the 4th century.
- The Hermetic movement in late antiquity consisted of small groupings of individuals who gathered for spiritual practices, engaging in transformative dialogue between a master and disciples, which suggests the performative aspect of the texts and the importance of the master-disciple relationship in the practical aspects of the movement.
Deep dives
Overview of the Corpus Hermetica
The Corpus Hermetica consists of ancient texts centered around the figure of Hermes Trismegistus, with Hermes playing a crucial role in most of the texts. It is a fluid category that includes both ancient and modern Hermetic texts. Another important aspect is the presence of Asclepius, an ancient Egyptian god, as a disciple in the dialogues. The texts primarily consist of dialogues between a master and a disciple, with Hermes being the master. However, there are also texts where Asclepius or others serve as the master. The Corpus as we know it today was constructed during the Renaissance and it derives from older sources that can be traced back to the 11th century and possibly even to the 4th century. The Corpus Hermetica is a collection of 17 Hermetic texts, with Asclepius being commonly added. These texts were cited by various authors, including Lactantius, Augustine, and John Stobaeus, which suggests the existence of earlier collections or anthologies.
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