Corpus Hermeticum XVI: The Definitions of Asclepius unto King Ammon · 5 of 6 · tr. G.R.S. Mead
Section 1e
bringing or drawing down; κατάγειν = deducere, elicere —used frequently of magic arts.
269:8 νοητὴ οὐσία = intelligibilis essentia.
269:9 ὄγκος = moles, mass, bulk, volume; in later philosophy it means “atom,” and may mean so here, of course in the philosophical and mystic and not in the physical sense.
269:10 ὑποδοχή = receptaculum.
270:1 The text is very corrupt.
Patrizzi translates: “ Vel quia ipso loco, et natura prope se ipsum existens, non a nobis conspicitur cogit nos per conjecturas intelligere ”—which certainly does not represent the Greek.
Ménard conjectures brilliantly but in entire emancipation from the text: “ Pour comprendre par induction ce qui se dérobe à notre vue, il faudrait être près de lui et analogue à sa nature.
” Reitzenstein discovers two lacunas in the text, but does not attempt to fill them.
As the text stands, then, all attempt at translation seems hopeless.
270:2 Lit.
his very sight,—αὐτὴ ἡ ὄψις, that is, his rays, ὄψις being used of the visual rays which were supposed by the science of the time to proceed from the eyes.
Cf.
Ex.
vii.
4.
270:3 Wearing the Cosmos as a wreath or crown; the visible sun being regarded as a “head.” See “The Perfect Sermon.” 270:4 Lit.
car or chariot—ἅρμα.
270:5 Lit.
binds it to himself—ἀναδήσας εἰς ἑαυτόν.
271:1 δημιουργεῖ.
271:2 Lit.
part.
271:3 κύτος = a, hollow, vase, or vessel.
271:4 That is, those lives subject to death, as opposed to the immortals.
272:1 Compare “Sermon to Tat,” I.
(Ménard).
Cf.
Stob., Ecl , i.
61; 274, 24 W.
272:2 Lit.
“the land of these”—that is, of the immortals.
272:3 Cf.
Ex.
ix.
5.
272:4 Or, to be pious.
Cf.
P.
S.
A.
, ix.
1.
273:1 εἱμαρμένην.
273:2 σωτήρ.
273:3 Or genus.
273:4 Or Cosmos.
273:5 ὑπὸ τὰς τῶν ἀστέρων πλινθίδας.
πλινθίς = πλινθίον, and is used of any rectangular figure, and also of groups of stars as in Eratosth.
apud Strab., II.
i.
35; v.
36 ( Lex.
Sophocles); compare αἱ τῶν πλινθίων ὑπογραφαί, the fields, or spaces, into which the Augurs divided the heavens, templa , or regiones coeli ( Lex.
Liddell and Scott).
274:1 Lit.
viscera.
274:2 Cf.
P.
S.
A.
, xxxv.
2.
274:3 Cf.
C.
H.
, xiii.
§ Ask Guru about this passage →Themes
Anthropomorphismtheology
Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery.
[auto] The passage explicitly describes the visible sun being regarded as a 'head' and the cosmos as a wreath or crown, attributing human form to cosmic bodies.
All passages →Cosmic Dualismtheology
Ontological opposition between two primal principles (light/darkness, truth/lie, spirit/matter) as the fundamental structure of reality.
[auto] The commentary contrasts 'intelligibilis essentia' (intelligible essence) with 'moles, mass, bulk' (matter), reflecting the spirit-matter opposition.
All passages →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.
References to groups of stars (πλινθίδας) and fate imply astrological influence on the cosmos.
All passages →Demiurgecosmology
A secondary creator deity—often ignorant or malevolent—responsible for fashioning the material world, distinct from the supreme transcendent God.
The Greek term δημιουργεῖ is cited in line 271:1, referring to the creator function.
All passages →Divine Hiddennesstheology
The supreme God's radical concealment beyond ordinary knowledge or perception; the Hidden Father.
A translation note states that the subject is 'not seen by us' (non a nobis conspicitur).
All passages →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.
The text cites 'fate' (εἱμαρμένην) and 'savior' (σωτήρ), indicating divine ordering.
All passages →Theurgypraxis
Iamblichean ritual practice that engages the gods directly through consecrated material symbols and actions, on the premise that divine power descends into properly prepared matter — distinct from philosophical contemplation alone.
The commentary explicitly notes that the term κατάγειν is used frequently of magic arts.
All passages →Related passages · 10 parallels
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