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The Corpus Hermeticum: Recent Research on the Magicians' "Bible"

Looking at the source material for the hermetic tradition: the Corpus as well as the Arabic Hermetica, the Tabula smaragdina and other documents.


Hermes Trismegistus, the 'Thrice Great', is the legendary father of magic. The main writing that puts forth his teachings is the Corpus Hermeticum, a collection of texts from late-antique Graeco-Roman Egypt. This lecture will look at the source material for the hermetic tradition: those in the Corpus as well as the Arabic Hermetica, the Tabula smaragdina and other Hermetic documents (bonus! the speaker reveals their little-known Islamic and Byzantine history). He shares the latest scholarly views on questions such as: where did they come from? Why is the concept of the “Hermetic path” a problem? How Egyptian is this tradition? And what about the little-known fact that some texts were excluded and kept unknown, whilst others were included and promoted?

The then tells how the hermetic material became a kind of magical scripture for Western European magicians, and outlines some of the more odd and wonderful ways in which it's been interpreted by occultists down the centuries.

Earl Fontainelle (BA Classics, King's College, London; Mphil, Western Esoteric Tradition, University of Amsterdam) is interested in the history of the ongoing dialogue between Word and Being in the Mediterranean region. He is currently studying Arabic and plays with the Hermetic Country band “Earl Fontainelle and His Pearl of Great Price”.


Speaker(s):

Earl Fontainelle | talks

 

Date and Time:

6 May 2009 at 7:15 pm

Duration:

2 hours

 

Venue:

Treadwell's Books
33 Store Street
Bloomsbury
London
WC1E 7BS
020 7419 8507
http://www.treadwells-london.com/

More at Treadwell's Books...

 

Tickets:

£5

Available from:

Reserve your place via Treadwell's by email (info@treadwells-london.com), or by phone, 020 7240 8906. Payment confirms booking.

Additional Information:

Treadwell’s hosts courses and workshops taught by most experienced and gifted practitioners we know -- tutors who are not only advanced in their subjects but are also able to consider their practices thoughtfully and critically. Our aim is to make the study of esoteric disciplines available to thinking, well-read enquirers. You can also get events updates via an RSS Feed (http://www.treadwells-london.com/events.php). We have an archive of past courses (http://www.treadwells-london.com/coursespast.asp), and you can also subscribe to our mailing list (http://www.treadwells-london.com/mailinglist.php).

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