{"word_count": 215, "character_count": 1557}
The Tradition of Hermes Trismegistus.The Egyptian Priestly Figure as a Teacher of Hellenized Wisdom&#160;Christian H. Bull, 2018Series: Religions in the Graeco-Roman World, Volume: 186&#160;In The Tradition of Hermes Trismegistus, Christian H. Bull argues that the treatises attributed to Hermes Trismegistus reflect the spiritual exercises and ritual practices of loosely organized brotherhoods in Egypt. These small groups were directed by Egyptian priests educated in the traditional lore of the temples, but also conversant with Greek philosophy. Such priests, who were increasingly dispossessed with the gradual demise of the Egyptian temples, could find eager adherents among a Greek-speaking audience seeking for the wisdom of the Egyptian Hermes, who was widely considered to be an important source for the philosophies of Pythagoras and Plato. The volume contains a comprehensive analysis of the myths of Hermes Trismegistus, a reevaluation of the Way of Hermes, and a contextualization of this ritual tradition.(Text by the author)&#160;Contents:&#160;IntroductionWho is Hermes Trismegistus?The Myth of Hermes TrismegistusThe Primordial Egyptian Kings in the HermeticaConclusion to Part 1What is the Way of Hermes?Introduction to the Way of HermesThe Ritual of RebirthHeavenly Ascent: The Discourse on the Eighth and the Ninth (NHC VI,6)Conclusion to Part 2Who Were the Hermetists?—Situating the Way of HermesThe True Philosophy of HermesThe Magician and the TempleThe Egyptian Priesthoods and TemplesConclusionBibliographyIndex of Ancient Sources