WORDS (cont.) Continuation of the texts. Dual character: philosophical and practical-magical.
ASCLEPIUS: A discourse addressed by Hermes to Asclepius. Latin translation as well as excerpts from the Greek original. The Trismegistus Hermes was named after the Greek version of the Egyptian god Thoth following the syncretism of Greek and Egyptian religion during the Hellenistic period.
Thoth, as a bearer of a dual theosophical tradition with both philosophical and practical-magical character, bequeathed it also to Trismegistus Hermes. From the Greek translation of the sacred texts of Thoth and with the addition of elements from Greek philosophy (mainly Platonism, Pythagoreanism, and Stoicism) as well as from Jewish tradition and various other Eastern philosophies, the first Greek Hermetic texts emerged, also with dual orientation, philosophical and practical-magical.
The Hermetic tradition continued to be cultivated in the Greek language until the early post-Christian centuries, when those philosophical texts were formed that were collected during the Renaissance and continue to be published today under the title Hermetic Texts. Meanwhile, however, the other side of the dual Hermetic tradition continued to produce a series of more popular works with a magical-practical character, among which the 'Kyraanides' hold a prominent position.
