ABSTRACT
Asclepius of Hermes Trismegistus and the spread of the Hermetic
The Hermetic philosophy was largely anthropocentric in outlook.
greatly influenced by the Corpus Hermeticum, declared that ~an was
inconsistent with each other and may not be regarded as a unified
The gnosis might be achieved by contemplating the universe as the
divine creation of God or by rejecting the material world and elevating oneself above matter through asceticism. In both cases
unity with God would be achieved through the divine mens in man.
