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Corpus Hermeticum XVI: The Definitions of Asclepius unto King Ammon · 2 of 6 · tr. G.R.S. Mead

Section 1b

It sendeth forth of its 4 abundance, and in the place [of what it sendeth forth] receiveth the subsistence from above. 5 For thus the Demiurge 6 —I mean the Sun—eternally doth order Heaven and Earth, pouring down Essence, 7 and taking Matter up, drawing both round Himself and to Himself all things, and from Himself giving all things to all. For He it is whose goodly energies extend not only through the Heaven and the Air, but also onto Earth, right down unto the lowest Depth and the Abyss. 6. And if there be an Essence which the mind alone can grasp, 8 this is his Substance, 9 the reservoir 10 of which would be His Light. p. 270 But whence this [Substance] doth arise, or floweth forth, He, [and He] only, knows. * * * * * Or rather, in space and nature, He is near unto Himself . . . though as He is not seen by us, . . . understand [Him] by conjecture. 1 7. The spectacle of Him, however, is not left unto conjecture; nay [for] His very rays, 2 in greatest splendour, shine all round on all the Cosmos that doth lie above and lie below. For He is stablished in the midst, wreathed with the Cosmos, 3 and just as a good charioteer, He safely drives the cosmic team, 4 and holds them in unto Himself, 5 lest they should run away in dire disorder. The reins are Life, and Soul, and Spirit, Deathlessness, and Genesis. p. 271 He lets it, then, drive [round] not far off from Himself—nay, if the truth be said, together with Himself. 8. And in this way He operates 1 all things. To the immortals He distributeth perpetual permanence; and with the upper hemisphere of His own Light—all that he sends above from out His other side, 2 [the side of him] which looks to Heaven—He nourisheth the deathless parts of Cosmos. But with that side that sendeth down [its Light], and shineth round all of the hemisphere 3 of Water, and of Earth, and Air, He vivifieth, and by births and changes keepeth in movement to and fro the animals 4 in these [the lower] parts of Cosmos. . . . 9. He changes them in spiral fashion, and doth transform them into one another, genus to genus, species into species, their mutual changes into one another being balanced—just as He does when He doth deal with the Great Bodies. For in the case of every body, [its] permanence [consists in] transformation. In case of an immortal one, there is no p. 272 dissolution; but when it is a mortal one, it is accompanied with dissolution. 1 And this is how the deathless body doth differ from the mortal, and how the mortal one doth differ from the deathless. 10. Moreover, as His Light’s continuous, so is His Power of giving Life to lives continuous, and not to be brought to an end in space or in abundance.
Themes
Apophatic Theologytheology

Describing the divine only by negation—God transcends all positive categories and concepts; the via negativa.

The text states the Divine is not seen and must be understood by conjecture, emphasizing transcendence beyond perception.

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Cosmic Dualismtheology

Ontological opposition between two primal principles (light/darkness, truth/lie, spirit/matter) as the fundamental structure of reality.

A clear distinction is made between immortal/deathless parts and mortal parts subject to dissolution.

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Cosmic Sympathycosmology

The Stoic and Plotinian doctrine that all parts of the cosmos are bound by hidden affinities, so that a movement in one part resonates through the whole; the metaphysical basis for astrology, magic, and divination.

The Demiurge's energies extend through all levels of the cosmos, holding them in connection to Himself.

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Divine Hiddennesstheology

The supreme God's radical concealment beyond ordinary knowledge or perception; the Hidden Father.

The source of the Substance is known only to Him, and He is not seen by us despite His rays shining.

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Emanation Hierarchycosmology

A chain of divine beings or principles flowing downward from a single transcendent source (the One or the Father), each level less perfect than the one above.

Natures are described as depending from one Root, with Essence pouring down from the Sun to matter.

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Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology

Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.

The Essence is described as something the mind alone can grasp, implying intellectual knowledge of the divine.

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Living Godtheology

The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.

The Demiurge is portrayed as actively operating, ordering, and vivifying all things continuously.

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Logoscosmology

The divine reason, word, or ordering principle through which the universe was created; mediates between the transcendent God and the material world.

The Sun functions as the ordering principle that mediates between the Root and the material world.

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Monadcosmology

The absolutely simple, undivided first principle from which all multiplicity and existence flows.

The cosmos depends from 'one Root' and the Sun is stablished in the midst drawing all things to Himself.

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Prayerpraxis

Direct address to the divine, whether petitionary, contemplative, or liturgical; speech and silence offered upward.

The passage is excerpted from a Hymn, implying a context of liturgical address to the Divine.

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Return To Sourcesoteriology

The soul's journey back to its divine origin, reversing the fall into matter through stages of purification or illumination.

The Demiurge draws all things round Himself and to Himself, suggesting a movement toward the origin.

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Tripartite Soulanthropology

Division of the human being into three principles: spirit (pneuma), soul (psyche), and body/matter (hyle or soma).

The reins of the cosmic team are listed as Life, Soul, and Spirit, reflecting the Hermetic triad often applied to humans.

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Unity Of Beingtheology

The doctrine that all existence is ultimately one substance or one divine reality; non-duality as a theological claim.

All things are drawn round and to the One Root/Sun, implying a fundamental unity of existence.

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Demiurgecosmology

A secondary creator deity—often ignorant or malevolent—responsible for fashioning the material world, distinct from the supreme transcendent God.

[auto] The text explicitly identifies the Sun as the Demiurge who orders Heaven and Earth and fashions matter.

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Divine Lighttheology

The uncreated luminous quality of the divine, sometimes experienced directly in mystical states; illumination as revelation.

[auto] Light is described as the Substance of the Demiurge and the means by which He nourishes and vivifies the cosmos.

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Divine Providencetheology

Pronoia — the doctrine that the divine actively orders the unfolding of the cosmos and human affairs toward intelligible ends, against pure chance or blind necessity.

[auto] The Sun is depicted as actively ordering, driving, and sustaining the cosmos eternally through His energies.

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Related passages · 18 parallels
christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 4, Section 1o
And herein the Divine Yearning showeth especially its beginningless and endless nature, revolving in a perpetual circle for the Good, from the Good, in the Good, and to the Good, with unerring revolution, never varying its centre or directi…”
Both passages describe a central, divine force that governs and sustains the cosmos. They emphasize the continuous and cyclical nature of this force, which extends its influence throughout all levels of existence, from the highest heavenly realms to the lowest depths.
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From this Source come the Godlike Powers of the Angelic Orders; from this Source they immutably possess their being and all the ceaseless and immortal motions of their spiritual life; and their very stability and unfailing desire for the Go…”
Both passages describe a divine or cosmic force that sustains and orders the universe, emphasizing the continuous flow of energy or substance from this force to all creation. They share a mystical perspective on the interconnectedness and perpetual motion of existence.
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Dante passes outwards through the concentric spheres of space to the Empyrean which is beyond space and encloses it. There he sees the Empyrean as a point and his whole journey from sphere to sphere as a journey inwards instead of outwards…”
Both passages describe a divine entity that is the source of all existence and life, operating through a complex system of energies or qualities. They also emphasize the transformative and unifying nature of this divine power, though they use different metaphors and frameworks.
christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 9, Section 1e
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Both passages describe a divine entity that is the source of all existence and life, operating through light and energy, and maintaining the balance and transformation of all things. They share a mystical perspective on the divine as both transcendent and immanent, though they come from different traditions.
christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 8 (part 8)
For the internal being is continually labouring to manifest itself outwardly. Thus everything has its own mouth for the purpose of revealing itself, and therein is based the language of nature, by means of which each thing speaks out of it…”
Both passages describe a central, divine force (the Sun/Demiurge in Passage A and the spiritual sun in Passage B) that governs and sustains the cosmos. They also emphasize the continuous and transformative nature of this divine power, which manifests in both the physical and spiritual realms.
neoplatonism|Iamblichus: On the Mysteries|Chapter VIIIc
The fifth according to body, which is called corporeal-formed. And the sixth according to matter, and this is denominated material.” Olympiodorus adds, “or after another manner it may be said, that some of these are celestial, others ether…”
Both passages discuss the cosmic order and the role of divine entities in maintaining and governing the universe. They share themes of transformation, the distribution of divine energies, and the interplay between celestial and terrestrial realms.
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Both passages discuss the nature of the divine and its relationship to the cosmos, emphasizing the role of a higher power in maintaining and transforming the universe. They share a mystical perspective on the interconnectedness of all things and the continuous flow of essence or life from a divine source.
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Both passages discuss the nature of matter and its relationship with form or essence. They explore how matter is shaped by external principles and how these principles interact with the underlying substance.
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No: for there is no first Idea except the Ideal Principle of the Universe- and, by this Idea, Matter is [the seat of] all things at once and of the particular thing in its parts- for the Matter of a living being is disparted according to th…”
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Both passages discuss the interconnectedness and diversity of the cosmos, emphasizing the role of a central, divine force (the Sun/Demiurge in Passage A and the Reason-Principles in Passage B) in maintaining and animating the universe. They also highlight the hierarchical and transformative nature of existence.
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Section 6 6. Granted, it may be urged, that these observations upon the nature of Substance are sound, we have not yet arrived at a statement of its essence. Our critic doubtless expects to see this "Sensible": but its essence, its characte…”
Both passages explore the relationship between a unified, divine intellect or principle and the multiplicity of existence. They discuss how a singular, transcendent source gives rise to the diversity of the cosmos, emphasizing the interplay between unity and plurality.
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Both passages discuss the nature of a divine or cosmic principle that governs the universe. They describe a hierarchical structure where a higher, divine entity (the Demiurge/Sun in Passage A and Intellect in Passage B) emanates and sustains lower realms, including the material world and various forms of life. The passages also emphasize the continuous and interconnected nature of this divine principle.
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Both passages discuss the concept of an ultimate, omnipresent reality that encompasses and sustains all existence. They describe a divine principle that is both transcendent and immanent, providing the foundation and sustenance for the visible universe.
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Both passages discuss the nature of a transcendent unity or principle that is beyond being and form. They explore the difficulty of comprehending this principle and the need for purification and unification to approach it, though they use different metaphors and frameworks.
taoism|Tao Te Ching|Chapter 21
The grandest forms of active force From Tao come, their only source. Who can of Tao the nature tell? Our sight it flies, our touch as well. Eluding sight, eluding touch, The forms of things all in it crouch; Eluding touch, eluding sight, Th…”
Both passages discuss the nature of a fundamental, transcendent principle (Tao in Passage A and the Demiurge/Sun in Passage B) that underlies and sustains all existence. They describe this principle as elusive to direct perception yet manifest in the essences and forms of all things.
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p. 143 CHAPTER XIII The apparent and the hidden side of life. Positivism as the study of the phenomenal side of life. Of what does the "two-dimensionality" of positive philosophy consist? The regarding of everything upon a single plane,…”
Both passages discuss the limitations of empirical or positivistic approaches to understanding reality. They emphasize the existence of hidden or deeper aspects of phenomena that are not accessible through conventional methods of study.