Canon Status
Not canonical in any tradition.
Date & Provenance
Composed in Greek in Alexandria, Egypt, in the 1st–3rd century CE.
Language & Manuscripts
Greek text preserved in the same manuscripts as CH I.
Why It Matters for Study
Discusses the nature of the divine and the cosmos, emphasizing the role of the divine in the world.
" God is the source of all things, and the cosmos is the manifestation of God." — Corpus Hermeticum XVII (paraphrase)
Read the Text & External Resources
Public-domain translations and scholarly databases where the text can be read online or downloaded.
- " God is the source of all things, and the cosmos is the manifestation of God." — Corpus Hermeticum XVII (paraphrase) " God is the source of all things, and the cosmos is the manifestation of God." — Corpus Hermeticum XVII (paraphrase)
External links open in a new tab. Sources are chosen for public-domain or open-access availability; always verify edition and translation when citing in academic work.
Further Reading
Copenhaver, B. P. Hermetica. Cambridge University Press, 1992.
Festugière, A.-J. La Révélation d'Hermès Trismégiste. Les Belles Lettres, 1944–1954.
Corpus Hermeticum XVII — Sacred Texts|https://www.sacred-texts.com/gno/th1/index.htm|G. R. S. Mead's translation.;; Corpus Hermeticum — Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corpus_Hermeticum|Background and discussion.