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INITIATION IN THE HERMETICA
I wanted to make the point that in the Hermetic texts, certain elements
suggest that some originally empirical cultic performances had existed
in these communities, such as a ritual meal, baptism or the drinking of
a special drink, the life-giving ambrosial water; and that in all probability,
these rituals were transformed into a symbolical, spiritual form. I think these
ritual acts formed the Hermetic drömena, that is to say, the instruments
of a symbolically interpreted and internalized cultic practice which led to
the Hermetic initiation.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
BULL, Christian, H., The Tradition of Hermes Trismegistus: The Egyptian
Priestly Figure as a Teacher of Hellenized Wisdom, Leiden, Brill, 2018.
BousseT, Wilhelm, Kore Kosmu, in Paulys Real-Encyclopddie der classischen
Altertumswissenschaften, Vol. 11/2. 1386-1391.
BURKERT, Walter, Greek Religion, Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 1985.
BURKERT, Walter, Ancient Mystery Cults, Cambridge, Harvard University
Press 1987.
BUTLER, Rex, Sacramentum: Baptismal Practice & Theology Of Tertullian
& Cyprian, The Journal for Baptist Theology & Ministry, 6/1 (2009), 8-24.
BUCHLI, Jörg, Der Poimandres, ein paganisiertes Evangelium, Tübingen,
Mohr-Siebeck, 1987.
CAROZZI, P. A., Gnose et soteriologie dans la Kore Kosmou Hermetique, in
Ries, Julien (ed.), Gnosticisme et monde hellénistique: actes du colloque de
Louvain-la-Neuve, 11-14 mars 1980, édité par Julien Ries, Louvain, Peters
Publishers, 1982, 61-78.
CoLPE, Carsten — HOLZHAUSEN, Jens, Das Corpus Hermeticum Deutsch.
Im Auftrag der Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenscahften bearbeitet
und herausgegeben von Carsten Colpe und Jens Holzhausen, Stuttgart-Bad
Cannstatt, frommann-holzboog, 1997. 2 Volumes.
COPENHAVER, Brian, Hermetica (The Greek Corpus Hermeticum and the
Latin Asclepius in a new English translation, with notes and introduction),
Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1992.
CosMoPouLos, Michael B. (ed.), Greek Mysteries: The Archaeology and
Ritual of Ancient Greek Secret Cults, London-New York, Routledge, 2013.
gebraucht worden sein. Diese Form hermetischer Organisation bietet sich uns als
die wahrscheinlichste an; aber man muß natürlich damit rechnen, daß sie auch anders
gewesen sein kann.”
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