A New Proposal for the Origin of the Hermetic God Poimandres Author(s): Howard M.Jackson Source: Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, Bd. 128 (1999), pp. 95-106 Published by: Dr. Rudolf Habelt GmbH, Bonn (Germany) Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20190521 . Accessed: 14/05/2013 15:09 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. . Dr. Rudolf Habelt GmbH, Bonn (Germany) is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 128.119.52.165 on Tue, 14 May 2013 15:09:49 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Poimandres. A. and those which is rooted. Der Poimandres: Ein paganisiertes Evangelium. they found in what a advocates Reitzenstein.his being? to the two cultural soils of tradition at a solution fall into two basic groups corresponding Attempts a Greek origin for the name. PW XXI 1193. San Francisco. of men". and Martin Aufbau und Theologie Der des 'Poimandres' 153 n. further on (? 19) has Hermes Trismegistos instruct Hermeticum TeXema?a (?nwi%ox)Ga) his initiand . 1986 (1950)] 368. H. ed. howeverand it is doubtful enough (to select but two scholars. that the name Poimandres was. Gustave Bardy. championed derivation followers from 7coipr|v and ocvr|p and has the name mean "shepherd to passages in CH Xlll and in a treatise of the alchemist it appears in which clear. author intended such a meaning in CH XIII 1Richard Reitzenstein. in the name Poimandres. tov g?v that A?yov 83 in the Nock-Festugi?re 7toiu<x?v?i ? Nove. J. oou)tt|v (? 8) 'knoxh eTityvcp? xcov (pvoiKcov Tfj? vXx\q KaT?rcTuaov Kai ?ajmoOeioa Kai Kaia?pauo?ca ?rc! tov uoiuivavopa T<p Kpaxfipi Tat ?va?pajie erci to y?vo? t? c?v.D. at the very least. idemwith H. R. Traktat des Corpus Hermeticum (WUNT. and later summarily in his Studien zum anti ken Synkretismus 10. Harnack-Ehrung. Robert McLachlan Wilson. B. 1904) 8with n. interpreted as having this meaning. Among those who follow Reitzenstein in favouring the Greek derivation are Hans Jonas. and J?rg B?chli.) The form in which Zosimos cites the name - for the first element of the original form noijiav?pri? and with a third declension ending on the second element .. Die mytholo gische Gnosis (3. . The Nature and History of Gnosticism (trans. et av?pa?". RB 20 [1911] 391-407. Jewish Elements in Corpus Hermeticum I (Poimandres). ZThK 53 (1956) 152-53. 12. Herm?tica II (see n. G?ttingen. after earlier (? 15)mentioning Poimandres by name and in a context that suggests direct reference to CH I (e. edition of the Corpus (Note remarks ad loc: "L'auteur fait d?river de 7ioi|xr|v. 1983 [1980]) 26. Studien zur griechisch-?gyptischen undfr?hchristlichen Literatur (Leipzig. Aufl. On this passage and on ?oiu?vavOpa. 2 C7/XIII. without the syncopation of-ev- posited by the theory of Greek derivation Zosimos' dependence on CH I see Garth Fowden.with that. that among themany details that the Shepherd (IIoiut|v) of Hermas adapted from CH I in some earlier form or other is the revelatory being who appears axiiuccTi rcoijieviKcp inVis. 3Reitzenstein proposed the theory. 1987) 15-16. however. Leiden. review of Walter Scott. that which in which Hermetism proposes an share the Both that the name Poimandres did not view. Dibelius. T?bingen. however or.. Egyptian a in Hellenistic and vibrant cult actual divinity with late early Roman Egypt. Behind the Hermetic onomastics. 32-36. similarly Haenchen. "shepherd-man".3 Itmay simply be a matter of later emergence.) where name (and to CH I as the context of Panopolis Zosimos (later 3rd are all but certainly punning allusions to the the name). Beitr?ge zur This content downloaded from 128. Poimandres.Vermaseren.1-2. 14 May 2013 15:09:49 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions . Le Pasteur d'Hennas et les livres herm?tiques. 125. 27. .) In his [II 217-8] ?oiu?vopric rcoijia?vco. Even if this theory were true. H.makes it clear that he wants Theosebeia to see rcoiurjv + ?vrjp. (I cite the superior text offered by Festugi?re in La r?v?lation d'Herm?s Trism?giste I. The awkward a name with problems occasioned no real and close connection by this view of the name's origin as to the environment of living Graeco god Poimandres lurks an are obviated by the new proposal.52. replacing the earlier Berthelot-Ruelle edition. Studies in Gnosticism and Hellenistic Religions presented to Gilles Quispelon the Occasion of his 65th Birth day (EPRO 91. 5 below). groups propose origin.. in modern times particularly by Richard The Greek solution.g.2 in CH I to indicate that the There is nothing. Schaeder. or at least could be. Gnomon 3 (1927) 267-268. Gundel. van den Broek andM. V 1-3 and after whom the Christian work is named. Ernst Haenchen. by identifying Poimandres as ? tfj? oc?Oevx?acvo?? as does CHI ??2. Gnosis und sp?tantiker Geist I. 32.1 Reitzenstein and his point to early 4th century A. otocv his Zosimos orders addressee Theosebeia: tote ?? Kai TeXeicoOe?oav. 1986) 122-123. 1. first in his Poimandres 11-13. Reihe. Leipzig & Berlin. 2. treatise.95 A New What Proposal for the Origin solution of the Hermetic God Poimandres I offer here is a case for a new for centuries: whence did the revealer-divinity to a problem Poimandres that has plagued scholars of the Herm?tica of the first treatise of the Corpus Hermeti cum (CH) derive his name and. Sprachliche und begriffliche Untersuchungen zum 1. 6. Pearson.119. Aufbau und Theologie des 'Poimandres'. Egyptian was its appearance in CH I but coined ad hoc by or for the have an independent history antedating author of the Hermetic an artificial construct. A Historical Approach to the Late Pagan Mind (Cambridge etc. idem. The Egyptian Hermes. 1926) 9-10. 1964) 344. L'astrologie et les sciences occultes [Paris. 1981) 340 n. 30).165 on Tue. Kurt Rudolph. Gnosis. nothing at all specific for the name. Studien zum antiken Synkretismus aus Iran und Griechenland (SBW 7. Offenbarungstr?ger im 'Hirten' des Hermas. Poimandres 3. Roscher's Lexikon III 2601. for avoidance of noijiav?po?. Georg Heinrici. Die Hermes-Mystik und das Neue Testament (Leipzig. it is one of the great merits of his.52-1209. JWCI56 (1993) 1-24. They also point out that with the presuppo sition of Greek coinage it is problematic that the form lToip?v8pr|c (genitive -8po\) CH I ?? 7. glance Pape-Benseler no reason so that there was to avoid noun a common them on the grounds in Aeschylus. 1.19-1043. "the witness". though reflects that the element Brugmann's suggestion in Asia the name of a divinity worshipped -uav Minor Mandra]. Poimandres: The Etymology is the correct of the Name and the Origins of the Herm?tica. ? 61: "Osiris" means "holy (and) sacred" ("Ooipi? < ooio? (Kai) iepo?). (For his part B?chli. Plutarch's De hide et Osiride (University of Wales. 515-516. but other properly-formed founder of Tanagra options of equivalent or potentially equivalent One is left wondering existed why the author of CH I did not meaning (IToip?vcop or Iloipev?vcop). 1.165 on Tue. Pape & G. ?prj? Brugmann. as a were never possessed at shows the former to noiuocv?pric (though by anyone. 5 Reitzenstein's explanation which is at Poimandres 8 n. The onomastically available 1959 [1911]) noijievocvcop properly s. 30) as owing Reitzenstein the malformation its of proper Greek onomastics. 11-15. Jackson and more in Zosimos.. Notes the Corpus Hermeticum (Oxford. Herm?tica. 400.52. but these passages are. PW XXI 1207. that the Corpus Hermeticum possibility was in and view he that that the is a corpus proposes composed originally Coptic.119. W. Granger. vv. On Isis and Osiris ? 2: "Isis"means "knowledge" CIoi? of ei??vai -gi?) ? 60: "Isis" means "hastening knowledge" (TIoi? < i'ea?ai U?t' ?tuottjutic). Aufl. F.5 derivation of the name Poimandres. 1921] 112-114.12. particularly p. 1925) 15. the earli favouring an Egyptian it Frank to est to advocate is the he entertain seems. 517 (here noting the Egyptian etymology for Osiris given earlier in ? 10).] Burckhardt. as equally B?chli (p. see [O. syncopated is particularly thorough. name Poimandres in that case since one would than not. involving with the names of Egyptian divinities proved to have a < the io gratifying Greek significance and/or origin note Plutarch. 1970) 258-259. v.20) is unlikely on a number of grounds. 14 May 2013 15:09:49 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions .Kingsley. at best extremely tenuous support.Mai 1921) dargebracht von einer Reihe seiner Sch?ler [Leipzig. M. the former may overlie the latter (Kingsley. Der Poimandres 16. or ?iostems citing excellent + examples). Poimandros.) On noijiav?po? Gerhard Radke. with as to its actual expect him extraction for which of a Greek meaning phenomenon in Greek transliteration and the Greek foisted upon a word for etymology of foreign together. to say the least. a fine discussion. 4 Though I do not think that the proposal for the Coptic origin of the name Poimandres presented by Peter Kingsley one. Benseier.4 But the silence from the author of CH I himself was coined by or for him with this intended meaning. finds Brugmann's hypothesis attractive. Though willing it is Granger's existed from the start in both Coptic and Greek. of the his Critics Greek derivation for readership hypo meaning thesis rightly stress this as a substantial chink in its armour.52. violates the rules choose To one of them but chose turn now an un-Hellenic barbarism instead. was. Poimandros. explains to avoidance of convergence with the name rioipocv?po? existence attested as possessed the by mythical in Boeotia. W?rterbuch der griechischen Eigennamen (3. the most recent article devoted to the subject. Mandros [oder the least of which is the difficulty of explaining how and why so obscure and alien a divinity should appear in a document from so strongly Egyptian a milieu as Hermetism. on The Poemandres of Hermes Trismegistus. as names noiuotvcopand formed 1216 s. 15). often of the common existence passion and combined original meaning ignorance name a to be gratify in the cultural milieu from Greek be teased Greek derivation meaningful enough to the view that the is obviously very inconvenient ing. For the onomastic problem posed by the form noiuxxv Spri? and for the alternative options available the discussion by C. 1918) 15-16 and n. to ensure that a of this intended to have been forthcoming with some direct reference to and/or exploitation never a name had encountered before. posits Reitzenstein This content downloaded from 128. presented with the aid of the eminent Classical philologist and grammarian of Karl Indo-European languages name in the noiuxxv?prj?. alternatives occurs as Graz. Walter Scott. Persians 241).96 H. He posits a mythological of the name in the role of Thoth as adjudicator of the quarrel of background Kirchengeschichte ihrem Lehrer Adolf vonHarnack zu seinem siebzigsten Geburtstage (7. from noijievouotvopric.) Haenchen (p. together with J. will have none of it) .itwould prove nothing about what the Hermetist intended in Poimandres' name. 152) argues.Gwyn Griffiths' comments. The Ancient Greek and Latin Writings Contain Religious or Philosophic Teachings Ascribed Trismegistus II. that it recognizes that a Greek etymology and an Egyptian etymology are not mutually exclusive. (B?chli.] H?fer. Poimandres 3. preferred Iloipav?pri? to the hypotheses such an etymology Greek transliteration of what was for this original meaning an original Coptic nurlTpe. posits the influence of the shepherd-motif going in the reverse direction. not (on whom see [A. Critics of the Greek derivation hypothesis to Hermes include Frank Granger.13?2602. JThS 5 (1904) 395?412. Der Poimandres 20-21. that Poimandres as "Hirtenmann"makes him a "Schutzgott" and that this role of his is alluded to in Poimandres' statement (? 2) cruveijii ooi rcavTa%o? and in the god's protective remarks at the end of ? 22. and For other examples. though with a twist of his own. PW XIV 1042. assumption that nM?Tpe/IToip?vopric Granger finds support was for his proposed he holds. Peter Nagel. This improbability the of pertains primarily grounds offered by the advocates the Greek derivation hypothesis. assumes) a proposed vocalization of the Coptic intended to demonstrate how is or could be a transliteration thereof. Halle. who. unlikely grounds. the word is never creation. the two other Coptic derivations a solid grounding in CH I itself. ibid. something all prior solutions. claim seem to have in their favour is that they both thing.165 on Tue. The author's readership may not have been aware of this doubling. not even on the view.6 It is not surprising that Granger's aside the dubious value proposal never won acceptance. Tito Orlandi.. Jan Koptische. and that. 1. a Greek translation of the Coptic etymology. The Poemandres of Hermes Trismegistus 398-402. They both present Coptic which vou?. It is unlikely that the name Poimandres in CH I is a lone exception. Helmut Satzinger. Die altkoptischen Texte als Zeugnisse der Beziehungen zwischen ?gyptern und Griechen. 181-203. Griechen und Kopten im byzantinischen Aegypten (ed. though in the Corpus Hermeticum. Herm?tica II. never formed directly from Coptic.) But the form is "Poemandres". But the Coptic etymology. that the corpus is of Christian origin. but they are Coptic. notnav?pri? eschewing throughout f?MHTpe own artificial a back-formation name from the very Greek it is meant to explain. yev?oei? Sioc?o^oi tov rcccvTo? ei? to?? nolXovc. De la OLP de r?criture 13 Quaegebeur. which and Seth. 1959) 90-93. as once common does he but the untenable Sharing of CH I but of the whole he holds in what to be allusions of the Corpus to the the title not only etymology Hermeticum. stems from the eminent Egyptologist The first of the two new Coptic derivations Francis Llewellyn a that consulted is Greek transliteration of Coptic neme Griffith. Egyptian myth and to heraldic testimony from the Hermetic Hermes in CH XIII 13 ?voc \m\ obpev xcov ?v?potmcov ei? ?pycov and in CH III ? 3 xoc? . at least. La traduzioni dal greco e lo sviluppo della letteratura copta. Aufbau und Theologie des 'Poimandres' 152. including texts in "Old" is replete with bizarre names. proposed noipav?pri? "the knowledge of the Sun-god".7 It is fair to say that Granger's proposal for name a Coptic etymology is improbable. Haenchen. 8 Reitzenstein. Siegfried Morenz. I shall offer a reason for the presence of the Greek definite article later.to in CH I it is now clear.. but rather the herald of the "witness" Poimandres. Hermes/Thoth is not himself the witness. as it was not to Granger. Granger prints nuilTpe as nRFiTpe. Reitzenstein. Graeco-Coptica. the phrase which etymologies One Poimandres uses to describe himself when he first introduces himself (CH I ? 2). review of Scott. of the Coptic strokes. This content downloaded from 128. that Greek readers could not have understood the name and would not have had a clue as to its Coptic origin. Herm?tica II 16. Leaving as evidence for influence of the myth of Thoth as arbitrator in the quarrel of Horus of the cited passages . whether Greek or Coptic. Der Poimandres 15. Handbuch der Orientalistik I. by Scott. sorely see in ? Tfj? a?Geviioc? lack. in the Greek phrase which quali ?pH with the literal meaning 6 Granger. also points out that. Das 1 (?gyptische Schrift und Sprache) (Leiden. 268. on the reckoning that the name was coined from Coptic and (as is true of all the Coptic origin hypotheses) that the initial letter of the name represents theCoptic definite article. 14 May 2013 15:09:49 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions . 1984) 137-146. but the author himself certainly would if the name was his own creation. for the Poimandres All the other as "the witness". anyone who knows the early history of Coptic What literature a on it number of I that CH alone of the whole the is. Granger's (and could never be) written this way by Coptic and in any case the Greek no-iji-av?pr|? could not possibly be a phoneti scribes. 268 n. Kai 8e?cov yvcoGiv (p-uaeoo? evepyovaav paprup?av.119.8 Rather it is that early Coptic literature. i (?gyptologie). his article. adhered to by Granger but composed originally shared by no one now. They hypothesis wisely an or someone remains author coin that would have coin for it the name Poiman general improbability on not dres from Coptic. copte. B?chli. an Egyptian proposals positing origin for the name Poimandres suggest a equally a all abandon Granger's of Coptic original for CHI. cally representative replication supralinear closely renders the Greek 7 For the early history and development of Coptic and literature in Coptic see. which evidently represents (so too Scott. account for why Granger no-tu-av?pn. it is odd that in CH I the name is always additionally accompanied by theGreek definite article as well.The Origin of theHermetic God Poimandres 97 Horus and Seth.? (This may consistently with the diphthong. (let Corpus in Coptic. there is nothing whatsoever that we must restrict ourselves if the name Poimandres was an ad hoc Hermetic to support the role creation of Poimandres knows how utterly was Hermeticum) is more. pr?histoire (1982) 125-36. and many of them have an ultimately Egyptian origin.52. for example. [viz. The problems 9 12Poimandres 5. the phrase is in fact in the so-called "Old" Coptic utterly artificial Coptic. expects. one a Coptic never either for renders voC?. word of Egyptian origin. 1. As if this chain from Greek term for the rational part of the soul. Greek statements that he found none of the proposed of. the appearance understandable.15 The verb erne may. largely because by the early Roman with translation of ?pH. rather. Sun" or "the god Sun" (hence Griffith's Scott. The 15.165 on Tue. transcription phonetic itwould not be unlikely inherent The improbabilities fulsome closer particle ?Te than Griffith's would into Greek Marcus were laterproposed by Ralph Marcus. as Griffith points out. 42-43. The Gnostic Scriptures (Garden City. an attempt to render what still more originally was the Stoic technical original "the ruling (element)". similarly later in The Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel (Cambridge. Kurt Rudolph and Birger Pearson cited in n. Jackson fies the name. 1954) 30 (with n. voe?v.g.98 H. particularly pp.10 are patent enough. with the more genitive to -voprjc substituted for Griffith's mounts ?pH. philosophical etymology terminology". frequently personifications the Coptic neme I as "the enjoys "Knowl Sj3.14 no such expression an or in the newer. further proposes that neme ?TM?Tepo "[i]n broad and "[bjecause of the syllable of the reduplication makes giving a form peimentero". Herm?tica II 16-17. for haplophony inMarcus' not complexity to get a closer Coptic enough. In his study of Hellenistic Judaism and the Herm?tica C. . in turn. accepts Griffith's etymology. to have been. approximation rendered ment. in his suggested Coptic etymology. Kingsley 450. points out. Herm?tica II 16.11Kingsley himself offers a refinement of the Griffith etymology. Egyptian underlie that Re/Helios of the Griffith etymology (erne rendered by vo??. pHby oc?oevx?a).52. Kingsley brands Marcus' unfairly proposal term to TjyeuoviK?v is indeed what Marcus "based avers on some it to have ideas very confused been. he found FipH be peimentmentero" to occur. as Kingsley erne. M?Tepo. Itwas probably equally for this reason that others with expertise inCoptic (e. vou? renders eme and auGevx?oc renders pH. demonstrating with formidable erudition translates Greek that the Coptic verb erne frequently that the Classical the status of oc?Gevxioc. ?Te pH and of Re" that the common affiliation of Sj3 with Thoth and the equation of Thoth with the heart (= the vo??) of Re would perfectly in CH intelligence This is all certainly very attractive. but it is becoming imperial period the god Re is increasingly rarely. etymologies.12 Kingsley ?-.. Dodd. 16 In Scott. The Bible and the Greeks (London.. himself an expert Coptologist. or sons of Re might as associates edge". cially or Coptic. Moreover. remarks: "Its (5 n. M.13 make of Thoth. "Command". Noyc or. JNES 8 (1949) 40-43. partly on the grounds that ?Te pH brings us an impressive defense of the essential features voe?v.119. 1935) 99 n.16 "the "the rc/pH (or pe) does occur without the definite article in lateEgyptian (Demotic or "Old"Coptic). The Name Poimandres. 2) -31. whether noun rare enough but the translate creation. 1) favour the Greek derivation hypothesis over any of the Coptic ones. and Hw. 'Poimandres' has not been discovered the name Poimandres'] etymology superfi 1987) Layton nte 'the knowledge stem andrthe Greek resembles three words: 'man'. . with into with then rendered Greek Marcus holds this oc?Gevc?oc. lie elsewhere. i. the Egyptian Hermes. *3 Poimandres 5-10. . 4 above) 4 n. 2HT. which is attested as rendering vo??. 15 Itwas doubtless for this reason that Bentley Layton (see n. and Copticp-eime Greekpoim?n 'shepherd'. to fiyepoviKov. 14Poimandres 7. 14 May 2013 15:09:49 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions . and proposes a derivation rendered back into Coptic to Greek noipav?pri?.9A partly different Coptic etymology was "the reason of sovereignty" from Coptic neme ?TM?Tepo. 12). in itself (and mostly Bohairic). While he thoughtGriffith's neme difficult satisfactory." These suggest convincing. and Peter Kingsley hypothesis short shrift of it. H.e. but theGriffith Coptic derivation hypothesis' claim that ? xfi? has its own speci oc?OevT?occ vou? is a Greek translation of the Coptic original in the name Poimandres as neme ?. 19) owes this refinement to Bentley Layton. 11 Poimandres about with Greek Marcus' (see n. This content downloaded from 128. declined to invest any faith in it. 10 Ralph Marcus.or ?Te pH is attested in fic problems. reign" Coptic literally "kingdom. As Kingsley himself notes. "supreme authority". and papyrological.C. 2) 32-33. that any one of them represents it improbable period Egypt. from restricted evidence. dres: all the pios/Imouthes. In the first the Egyptian place. son Horus. In sum. was..r|? god ([oi npapappe[i]oTj? son of Eirenaios.17 When one for solemnity than the ordinary n-pH" it is simply special pleading.are and some others actual Ammon/Amun. famous among his fellows in the Herm?tica like or never in the enumerated and his Horus list had bestowed above. I context and then turn to shall then briefly trace the roots of the cult into its earlier. to the to that area and. while most are from Late Egyptian Egyptian models or precedents. Tat (Thoth). in the Die from Hermann ?gyptischen Personennamen. behind the name This Poimandres lurks a real and actual is. Eirenaios. Stele showing the god. and why his name has the form noipav?pri? divinity became a god of the The list is as follows: 1)npapocppfj? from Soknopaiou Nesos (probably). and for the same reasons: he is a local god (Horus of Letopolis) with no international connections and no Greek identity. like his compa cult is epigraphic triot divinities Kamephis and Arnebeschenis. Poimandres' originally Egyptian Greek. enormously popular on it.). but his relatively obscure local status meant that universally accepted Greek form achieved by the more extracts preserved by by name in two Hermetic was Hellenized various into by transcriptions name never more his achieved the standardized. dated 104 B. 18See Fowden. H(elmuth) Ja(cobsohn). 18. and Erich L?ddeckens (et al. 14 May 2013 15:09:49 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions . Harnebeschenis. person upon it the a or an Hermes Imouthes Greek made Thoth that and that thus assured their wider identity Asklepios a in Hellenocentric world. LdAe III 309-310.165 on Tue. perhaps. 19 On Kamephis (Stobaei fragmentum XXIII ?32) = K3-Mwt-fsee theNock-Festugi?re edition of the Corpus Hermeti cum III clxii. Isis. Ammon. was the pey?Axn)) whose priest for life. judge surviving Fayyum seem to not does have it. spread beyond Secondly. Kamutef. This content downloaded from 128. The Egyptian Hermes (above n. learned and solemn would have a more that "pH without the article would Griffith claims "Re"). the evidence and those. indeed.119. Corpus Hermeticum dependent attesting to the god and his not literary. within period that apply to all of them. better. asserts Poimandres that "it is hardly Kingsley. not ex nihilo in Coptic. however outside the there. npapccpprjou? xfj]? [pe]yoc?. serving as e7upe?tr|Tr|? and thus himself a man of high standing. mentioned name John of Stobi. not artificial creations.e. present problems which make the origin of the name Poimandres.or FlTe pH "is out of the ordinary". all of these proposed etymologies. Ranke. In fact. Arnebeschenis' experience with multiple Greek tran scription of his name parallels that of the god behind the Hermetic Poimandres. from the of a cult-society members of the inscription eK auv?Sou 0eo? or. Most stem from the universal presupposition that the name was coined ad hoc by of these problems ultimately an artificial creation. the inscription goes on to tell us. contexts. . the crocodile-god a dedicatory who was lord of the Fayyum). of ?. to keep that conspired in the centred cult. deity's rather expect nipH. real hidden. auyyevri? connected of the man to the power currently elite. Pharaonic Egyptian I proceed the more Herm?tica this Egyptian important issue here.18 native Egyptian There were several things true of Poimandres' predecessor the Hermetic where god's identity it originated. appearance whether Greek or Coptic. under what circumstances there. a divinities with contemporary living cult in Egypt. seated behind Souchos uraeus-serpent (Sobk. with on his brow and grasping a w3s-sceptre. like Zosimos. and thus is not widely known.52. On Arnebeschenis (Stobaeifragmentum XXVI ?9) = Hr nb-Shn see J(an) Q(uaegebeur).19 familiarity dress instances of the Egyptian first by listing all known pre-Hermetic god's name in Greek a occur as to provenance context of the in with which details and and they together description the broader parameters of the Fayyum and the Ptolemaic date. exactly what we would expect of the Herm?tica other dramatis personae Isis and her and early Roman divinity of Hellenistic to find to have been the case with Poiman Hermes Askle Trismegistos/Thoth. but the proper were nevertheless formed after Classical 17 true names that omission Kingsley of cites the article in support in such a case" i. Lastly. LdAe II 998-999. Demotisches Namenbuch. as I stated at the or for the author of CH I and that it is thus onomastically the truth about outset. Below.The Origin of theHermetic God Poimandres 99 not with Sun-god". well case 5 n. The Flinders P?trie Papyri with Transcriptions. daughter and our god ('Ap7to%p?xT) Kai npepa[p]pe?. report on Rubensohn's article.from Hawara. W. 4): Max L. and pl. whose long reign -pocppfj?. begun around 1000 B. I quattro inni di Isidoro. Ulrich Wilcken. x?v (or x?v p?yav aG?vaxov). hymns of one Isidoros inscribed on the pillars at the entrance into the vestibule mouthis/Renenutet ascribes the foundation call noppocp?vpr)v the Egyptians 33-34) The hymn of Isidoros. a seated behind another divinity. 17). and the initial npoc-. 1974) 161.APF 3 (1906) 136 (no. wearing the 3) Opocpocpfj? as crown of Lower Egypt. renders Amenem spanned most of the second half of the 19th century B. Hermathena 21 (1895) 243-247. Vera Frederika Vanderlip. 7): Campbell Cowan Edgar. 51). G?tter und Kulte 58. J.C.R?bsam. temple by one Nekhthnibis. Stele with relief showing 4) npeapappfj? the god seated in a chapel and holds the wls-sceptre. Demetrios. Inschriften aus ptolem?ischer Zeit III. following het Ill's throne-name N(j)-M3c. 640-641. M.2. 1936) 485^196. Etienne Bernand. G?tter und Kulte 144. Below the relief. SB 8141. 1972). the great Middle Kingdom pharaoh of the Xllth Dynasty. StudAeg 1 (1974) 27-37. a Prophet of Souchos/Sobk.S5 8884. probably dedication Opocpocpfjxi0ecppey?Axppey?Axpfrom one Akhilion. Ex-voto dedication npeepocppfjxi Geco in an unnamed of uncertain son of Sokomenis. 3): SB 5755. Gli scavi della Missione Archeologica Milanese a Tebtynis.R?bsam. Flinders P?trie. past a Hermaion..from Euhemeria. etc. Philon. lines 65-66). At the foot floodwaters from encroaching a the canal and the location of the requested palisade. who is probably from Herakleides. VI (no. son of Akousilos.C. 8) noppocpavprj? early 1st century B. R?bsam. R?bsam. Winfried J. Nicola Turchi. renders Pr-C3. Du probl?me de la datation des hymnes d'Isidore.. The last of the four of the temple of Ther of the temple to a god-king whom Isidoros informs us (lines . animals requesting from a neighbouring canal. the royal dress in 1). has drawn map showing a physician to the temple of Poremanres named Artemidoros. G?tter und Kulte in Faijum w?hrend der griechisch r?misch-byzantinischen Zeit (Bonn. 1969) no. 1911) 21 and pl. children. G?tter und Kulte 161. 5) ??peepappfi? pey?cAxp of a propylon . 175. and his sons. IX. The god wears royal headdress two crocodiles behind the chapel stands Isis. the latter as her Oeo?? E\)%apiaxoi?) Harpokhrates a cost of the the direct from the for road assumption synnaoi? recording temple of Premarres an to for locales and altar. confirmed what had already been deduced our Hellenistic Egyptian god is none other than the deified Amenemhet III. 635-636. discovered evidence (cp. sort reflected forms of the title's Coptic descendant in Sahidic later in the various and ("king") 201): SB 1269. whose probably [??p]eapappei. P.C.100 H. Mahaffy. The element etc. Boll?k. particularly pp. G?tter und Kulte 91. The Four Greek Hymns oflsidorus and the Cult of Isis (ASP 12. inscription father was on top of which are sprawled. ZAeS 42 (1905) 111-115 with pi. G?tter und Kulte 84. probably 172-170 B. SEG VIII 551. Narmouthis (Medinet Madi). 7) ??opepavpfi? Philadelphia.165 on Tue. A New Inscription from the Fayy?m. arguing for a date late in the 3rd century B.5): SB 10046. known from elsewhere. Jackson from Soknopaiou Nesos. Inscriptions m?triques de l'Egypte gr?co-romaine. 1893) 141 (no. 84). XX. 1931) 162-163 with pl. Strack. from one Petenephies. Memorandum to Zenon 6) npepocvpfi? account of palm orchards mentioning p?oTj?) in the village of Apollonias.C. . Rubensohn. tax and date provenance (Gurob?) (3rd century B. in Souchos/Sobk and with 1). R?bsam. other (npepocppeiou?) of uncertain from Hawara.20 p?yocv. 63-74. reign of Ptolemy XIII Neos Dionysos. npe-. APF 4 (1908) 211-212 (no. 8): Achille Vogliano. Commentaries and Index II (Dublin. npe-. date. "Pharaoh". SMSR 22 (1958) 139-148. M. Atti del IV Congresso internazionale di Papirologia (Milano.52. of prefixing etc.Toronto. a heavily damaged dedicatory in conjunction with Souchos/Sobk. Papyrus one such orchard associated with an altar of Premanres (npepocv II. 2): J. Pramarres.C.C.t-Rc. 9-16. and 4)): late in the reign of Ptolemy probably of the pig-breeding the superintendent to Zenon the construction help underwrite industry at Philadelphia to protect his of a palisade of the letter Herakleides to run from the house of (nopepocvpfjxo?).?). R?bsam. Recherches sur la po?sie ?pigrammatique des Grecs en Egypte (ALUB 98.. Zenon Papyri in the University ofMichigan Collection (Ann Arbor. Paris. Thases. XLIIIb. Mahaffy. R.119. Stele with relief showing the god. 146-148. especially pp. 3). This content downloaded from 128. 14 May 2013 15:09:49 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions . Roman Portraits andMemphis (IV) (London. O. 648-652. particularly pp. the common this title to royal names. VI.C. OGIS 175. dated 104 B. in the Greek transcription of Pr-C3 preserve contemporary variation of the dialectical upa-. (?). The variants convention. aG?vaxov on other in 1935. Dedicatory from one Diony 2) npepocppfi? inscription son to wife of and Isis of his their Sononais and to sos. 6): John P. This content downloaded from 128. itwas probably at this time.from -pp. for example. both (Akhilion. Egyptian becoming Coptic This loss of N(j)III is included Amenemhet in a Demotic is also present the deified papyrus of 180/179 B. however. That the cult was centred in the Fayyum was due to the facts that it was Amenem the prodigious of land reclamation and project. 6 on the loss of the feminine ending . to the 2nd century A.gebildeten Namen?. Essai d'interpr?tation (PLB 7. Rome. and 86 n. 5) transcriptions equally phenomenon. and the -vp. Aegyptologische Randglossen zu Herodot 1. Mocvpfj?. one wnm to in choose Classical the latter a phenomenon apparent.21 MGNpe-.For -vp.t inm3c. period early to the great and long-lasting popularity of the cult of century B. doubtless with politically or direct a coinci It is not likely to be merely indirect. particularly pp.. vv. A stele possibly from Hawara and perhaps dating to as late as the Roman period shows.t)-Rcet Together with the evidence attesting npocpocppfj? in the list in these date the from the 3rd al. Pramarres 113-114. though 3).in 6). Une st?le gr?co-romaine au cartouche 21 d'Amenemhet III. 1984) 381-397. adjoining huge complex in which focus was the king's mortuary his funerary cult was celebrated in conjunction.t-Rc. 7). precisely on one view. RSO 17 (1938) 280.C. from royal patronage. 1954) 9-10. On the original meaning of N(j)-M3c. proposing a different view of the relationship of -jiocppiic to -uxxvpfj?. ifRubensohn is right Hawara) efforts taken in the Fayyum. an example of the dissimilation of the double rho which is also commonly attested in one to in select but Bohairic for Akhmimic. 8-10. as our 3) and 4) (and 6) as well. splendid monuments a the Nile channel into the architectural whose central and. 2). Wilcken. and 8) is. 290 (verso. Festschrift Wolfgang Helckzu seinem 70. npea-. that the cult of Amenemhet III still knew the pharaoh's throne-name in its original form. quently. evidently. (n)ppo.ASAE 40 (1940) 553-560 with pl.D. 1). Le Roi Moiris-Mar?s. and Dionysos. temple. then. ZAeS 87 (1962) 66-76. spanning anthroponyms. Geburtstag (SAK 11. vv. to the cult of the god-king Pr-C3 M3c(. example.9]). 5.Die demotischen Papyrus (Stra?burg. report on Rubensohn 211-212.. in Coptic ppo and its variants for Pr-C3. probably The cult of the god-king Amenemhet in and with III.by Ptolemy II Philadelphos broughtwith them a revival of the cult of Ptolemy's useful encouragement. Giulio Farina.119. in cartouches between them: O. The among -pp Fayyum doubling a common in in the Greek of the throne-name and is 4).. 74-75. particularly pp. having originated that the village of Apollonias ancient is modern show. col. 1908) 286-290 (no. 5). visible. Koptische Grammatik (Leipzig. with the cult of other gods. and 8). whence ??pa-. equally conse that the cult of Amenemhet in addition to native Egyptians 2). The extensive new this mortuary reclamation is temple. roughly 15 centuries later. under again attested atHawara in theHellenistic period. on our dence. 1984. Noterelle egizie agli inni greci di Isidoro scoperti nel Fayy?m. worshippers Rubensohn.t (common in Late Egyptian: Jaroslav Cerny and Sarah Israelit Groll. If it had not already done so. Vergote. bear witness the deified het III who pharaoh. 3rd ed. 31178). MeppiT example. the stele shows the god-king infriendly encounter with Souchos/Sobk and their names.see Ludwig Stern. ??oppacase our In Ill's all the Greek forms attested in the of Amenemhet list reflect throne-name. Opa-. that the earliest attestation list.165 on Tue. Catalogue g?n?ral des antiquit?s ?gyptiennes du Mus?e du Caire. 7616.t-Rc see Wolfhart Westendorf. consequently. L?mares und Rathures als Kronzeugen f?r die mit nj.K?nig Moiris. for example. Mavpfj? and Mocppfj?. begun by his predecessors. Jozef Vergote.C.. course) show the same range of variants in transcribing Amenemhet Ill's throne-name: Mocpfj?. even and (once) Mocvppfj?. 22 See Preisigke's Namenbuch s. 4). the of for whole the basin and that he dedicated engineering hydraulic Fayyum many consequently over there. propretonic position evidently following m. in 4) and Nekhthnibis in (Petenephies the latter's wife Thases bears an Egyp that native Greeks appear. 2. ZAeS 43 (1906) 84-86. III spread to other sites in the Fayyum. Wilhelm Spiegelberg.52. presented above. 85 with nn. J. probably dates 7) from late in Ptolemy IF s reign. as 5). particularly p. Leiden. where as other divinities of the Pr-C3-M3c. Gu?raud. it. or to to its assimilation into due either the the loss of N(j)-. 14 May 2013 15:09:49 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions .The Origin of theHermetic God Poimandres 101 Akhmimic in our 1). 3). The grandest of these was the king's (southern) pyramid at Hawara. to the renewed cult of the god-king.E. Fayyumic. Bruxelles inv. Les noms propres du P. 6 [? 1. written in hieroglyphs. Nor is it a surprise. Foraboschi's Onomasticon alterum papyrologicum s. mgnpit Heppe-. Coptic again The personal names of individuals named after the god (minus the prefix element representing Pr-C3 of oycuM. A Late Egyptian Grammar.. but (n)ppa.Hamburg. in this reclamation deified predecessor effort. 1880) 52 (? 103) and n. Die demotischen Denkm?ler II. looking Fayyum. LVII.22 Mocppfj?. idem. completed local deities of the Fayyum. races of winged creatures heeded him with one accord. the function others Egypt. that so many Greek and Roman to the site to marvel at the Egyptian Labyrinth's size and many wonders. of /10 power. B. in the latter case a native Greek well men in to in the government. (Berlin. and of a great. /20 and it returned with a letter. Commentary 1-98 (EPRO 43. Spiegel berg.119. of the cult of the god-king Amenemhet III was like early in the 1st the theology to be the correct one). Unter Henri Le culte d'Amenemhat III au zu den Manetho und 34-35. sort Eirenaios from Ill's Educated Greeks of the is derive. most great good god. rich and pious. glory omnipotent possessed sea and the rivers with their all For earth and lovely streams. and What of that crawl earth winged things had he? Who nurtured him. That. G. W. Lloyd.165 on Tue. Anne Burton. eternal god. asserting that it surpasses even in indescribability.102 H. with Top?vSric and Mappo? 7ipoaovop?Coi)aiv)..Alan B. 1988) 120-121.CP 12 (1917) 426-430. great. if the alternate dating happens late century (or to make the leap to Porramanres' as in turn. the Pyramids trekked and his usual. 17-19. L. Labyrinthos 4: Aegyptisches Labyrinth. This content downloaded from 128. The opening lines of the hymn (1-6) ask who it was. and Asia. however. report on Rubensohn 212. connected high position to the cult that from Hero like Eirenaios in devotion It can only have served to encourage Greeks dotus' time on the god-king's mortuary complex Herodotus calls it a labyrinth for its maze was on the "must see" list of attractions for visitors to of courts and chambers.52. Westemiann. M?v?ri? ov xive? M?ppov and Strabo. Herodotus gigantic a or successors as lot is often of what anachronistic inaccurate.50-326. BIE 11 (1928-1929) 105-127.. (pseudo?)-Eratosthenes. Cambridge. preserve information. gave it him? who /30 What Seso?sis. (?ocGiAea M?v?rjv knew the builder by names that. at his command. 1)) in the cult. he appeared on earth as lord. Souchos the all-powerful. Jackson tian name) and as life-long officiants (Eirenaios. Mapr)?. say that once he commanded nor was he born of a mortal lord. 124-128. Le Roi Moiris-Mar?s 66-76. ASAE 55 (1958) 203-206 with pl. A Commentary (EPRO 29. garbled. he says (lines 7. id. derive. say there was a divine king of Egypt who revealed himself and wondrous his his excellence rivalled that of heaven. it rises sends out sweet light so resplendently for all. Audebeau Bey.. the son. of great interest because informants. JEA 56 (1970) 81-100. like the anthroponyms alluded to above. 1956) K?nigslisten ?gyptischen suchungen Fayoum ? l'?poque ptol?ma?que. 196-200.C. 1940) 68-73. inscribed. small wonder. I. of the complex and about the king who built it. For he was not a mortal man. Aegyptologische Randglossen zu Herodot 84-86. The Egyptian Labyrinth. about to Greek had access traditions that lionized the god-king and his likely to have been consequently to help foster their faith in "Pharaoh Marres/Manres".58. Land Reclamation in the Fayum under Ptolemies Philadelphus and Euergetes I. and the blowing obeyed his command. Mass. tourists after him then. Leiden. of Souchos offspring father is the giver of life. Vergote. (H. what god. /25 His mother's as well. 35-39). He was the him a reply. For these Isidoros' fourth hymn (8) above) is on local and contem it is directly dependent. 14 May 2013 15:09:49 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions . probably porary native Egyptian I offer a translation of lines 7-40. and all of these. Herodotus Book II. Manetho (LCL 350. (Mociv?ri? the Epitomizer) or seem to Amenemhet throne-name. obeyed him.C. Diodorus Siculus Book I. will provide us with a springboard from which appearance in CHI. and so it shows us what the hymns are priests of the cult in the temple on which an aretalogy since the hymn is virtually of Porramanres. Isidoros then proceeds: and Sokonopis together with her son Anchoes built Isis-Thermouthis who They lord of every land. It was he that ruler. races name on creatures sort all the of the of the skies. in the 3rd century B. 225 with n. Even without the help of with and Diodorus with Siculus.) Kees. Wilcken. that is why all things obeyed himself all who is the Zeus of Greece Ammon. 1972) 181-182. 1976) 34. Waddell. /15 and the and the sun that when of the winds. the Hermetic god Poimandres a home for its divine inhabitants and provided the temple of Thermouthis as synnaoi. 1. Manetho. Ch. Commentary 99-182 (Leiden. PW XII 323. has gone to the West that gave him the beautiful 23 On the foregoing three paragraphs: Rubensohn. Wolfgang Helck. La l?gende du Lac Moeris. what one of the immortals? name of of heaven. the great. W. what king. Riad. It is clear that birds heeded him because those who have read through the inscriptions of the temples bringing a crow to send a message. Leiden. Pramarres 114-115. M.23 achievements Native Egyptians naturally had their own tales to tell. Isidoros' intimately. is now They and with live there because show that they they are that the two or. rationalist version of too. This content downloaded from 128.165 on Tue. on this theologoumenon in classical Egyptian tradi tion see Fowden. the ?e?c aretalogy of the god-man. 21-23. immortal. rendered in the translation with "revealed the later emer yearning for direct contact with divinity that underlies in Isidoros' the form in of Poimandres CHI. 7-8. The Egyptian Hermes 24-29. to assist or tradition. But. how frequently and purposefully the two are in it (particularly confused 16. Dietrich Wildung. 83.24 the of divinities humans-become-gods gods-become-humans in the twilight the worlds between live zone between the two worlds. as an 140 viewed ancient king). of Thoth in the late Egyptian Setne-Khamwas romance. to this new identity for the god-king the god appreciate how appropriate actually is. of humankind and divinity. but in their own language the Egyptians cruise on marvel also I heard from others. In Isidoros' aretalogy man Poimandres more ruled the world and commanded its elements. 1902). (Ammon. who was Imhotep. 30). lives in this twilight Porramanres. Greek theology of Poimandres of kingship embodied in the cult of Pr-C3 M3c(. after all. as human beings a manner treated by the Herm?tica in true to ancient largely because. the deified vizier were of Zoser. 7). like Imouthes/Asklepios. informants about the cult knew that Pr-C3 M3c(. 24 For theHerm?tica see Fowden. the world-ordering philosophical/theological incarnate inmankind? CHTs theology the ancient Egyptian is merely an updated. now man. himself is consequently It is this typically Hellenistic gence of the deified Amenemhet an accident that so many the god incarnate. what suitable Greek Mind of God that is identity for him. Imhotep. fragmentum XXIII. ??6. in inclusion the Hermetic If ? ifj? pantheon. Sun. how he would having learned all this reliably from the men who give the great. on some primeval occasion. as with Egyptian enlighten the Herm?tica intermediaries worlds zone. For deities come to earth note. in line 24. III) (Sesostris Eeao?xn? It is clear from was or ignorant misreading to fill the need for them. 1977). to earth in human form. use made of it by the Ptolemies Machiavellian and their Seleucid cousins. on Imhotep see Kurt Sethe. of a king he names Mapr)?. Stobaei 5-6 ple. in turn interpreted it for Greeks and made it public record here. Porramanres. der Asklepios der Aegypter. they had descended or But whether humankind. 14 May 2013 15:09:49 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions . It is not III. personae of the Herm?tica had either actually once been others of the dramatis human beings but had long before become gods. 205 (Hermes Trismegistos). 64-69 (Isis and Osiris). Imhotep und Amenhotep. (Hermes). ?^ecp?vr] and "appeared on earth" respectively). Gottwerdung im alten Aegypten (MAeS 36. ibid. 59. With it Isidoros has worked made up what a typically Hellenistic in line 8 and ecp?vr] ?rcicpavri? (cp. what was was what was indeed clearly the the central focus of the cult of the god-king from its inception: the ancient Egyptian theology of kingship which sons of god and lords of the cosmic order.t)-Rc the hymn that Isidoros' Egyptian name Isidoros an that a king whose ancient and transcribes with Egyptian king /noppocpocvpric was his father.The Origin of theHermetic God Poimandres 103 the brilliant /35 a wheels wonderful call him Porramanres. the power of the god and /40 how no other mortal ever had an equal power. the mountains with account of it I have and sail. and intersect In the hymn Isidoros wavers: Porramanres nature that made him a perfect candidate for III. to judge element of the cult for Isidoros from the extent of his focus as for his informants on it. had a crow for a carrier pigeon (the latter also retailed. one need only reflect on how central a doctrine the identity of divine voo? and human vo?? is in CH I. 174 n. M?nchen & Berlin. by Aelian. even as a Hellenistic oc?OevT?cc? vou? seems too grand a new identity for old Amenemhet man-god. than the Nou?. On the perhaps Characteristics most important of Animals VI. for exam 115. 32 with n. over on a cart to III Amenemhet had the desert with sails the effect that and that he parasailed glyphs. then. 83 (Asklepios/Imouthes). They also furnished Isidoros with two Wunder er Z?hlungen. 40. Ein verg?tterter Mensch aus der Zeit des K?nigs Djoser (Leipzig. 174with n.52.119. intersect. either from purposeful of hiero supplied. divinities the Hermetic Isis (and Osiris).t)-Rc. Ammon. double can. Far from having the pharaohs lost its relevance. mortal It was precisely that god. And myself king. this was a in not element of the to vital Hellenistic least due the theology Greco-Egyptian religion period. and Hermes Trismegistos himself. 201-209. co-substantial. Jonas. See now Fowden. Kerkeosiris.2b many 28 Greeks and Egyptians mixing in the Fayyum: see.. This content downloaded from 128. evangelize tractate. been granted the vision. XVIII century late A. which. the husband and wife who are the dedicants in 2) in our list of attestations to the cult of the god-king. the rationale 1939) 124-125 and pl. 16.27 of the god-king. habitual presence (I shall turn to this issue shortly).) imperial period. through their chatty exchanges of Poimandres intimate even for the appearance unusually as we are are divinities human and humans in divine saw. make it likely names the personal there is the stele from Hawara is precious period. 1947) 68-70. The little evidence attesting derived to the cult of Pr-C3 M3c(. Crawford. 2. 45). are of Greek and Egyptian extraction. would suggest that what accounts for this intimacy. to the evangelizing in the Herm?tica. support for deriving ?oiphypothesis. from Amenemhet Ill's throne-name. 3). on this reckoning. 214). Expedition Ernst von Sieglin. for the evangelizing a confessional first person singular is that the author of CH Iwas himself whose name he transcribes with and for the use of commission.2 p. if CH I Weber. 21 (no. into the as we saw. 2. 1) 348. Terrakotten (Leipzig. I xi p?A?ei?. for example.52. Thases herself is likely to have been the offspring of a bicultural marriage. ontologically personal and his devotee are close enough to prompt Haenchen and B?chli too. Aside from This. 84 (non vidi). 2 (Berlin und Leipzig.165 on Tue. then. Die ?gyptisch-griechischen Terrakotten (Berlin.t)-Rc/Uoppa\iavp. that the cult survived at least until then. attest to cult be of this the that may and may equally date. from whom he has received the revelation. Gnosis und sp?tantike Geist I (above n. as Edwin Mayser be an example. Les Grecs en Egypte d'apr?s les archives de Zenon (Bruxelles. seen on are two on a the level the of but that. unique begun with Xoinov. label deri the world with its content share a remarkably warm We relationship. Paul Graindor. commission. a fervent devotee of the cult of Pr-C3 M3%t)-Rc. Claire Pr?aux. Jackson There Roman continue in its original throne-name bearing the god-king's as as are 21 that be late Roman ad the and there terracottas may (note early fin. 14 May 2013 15:09:49 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions . it is consequently likely that CH I was written and probably. ed. 1st. with a father named Philon. in the Fayyum. 1934) ? 53. Grammatik der griechischen Papyri aus der Ptolem?erzeit examples. citing Mayser. 3) to a "Schutzgott" and to find in this support for the shepherd-motif Poimandres inherent in the Greek vation but and by whom and intimate It may not be adequate in the god's name from 7ioipr|v. 1981) 389-403. 9) Dodd. or even in the (above n. arguing on plausible n. ignoring Dodd. "wo von categorizes wenn am anwe die Kultformen Rede der lokalen Verfasser bestimmten Kultort ist. in ? 26. The Bible and the Greeks grounds for a date early favours in the 2nd century A. Hermes 27 Edwin (p. had been mingling there for centuries by the time CH I was written. goi navza%ox) of role the is the intimately at the initial from god protective palpable oweipi in ? 2.25 The date of CH I is similarly uncertain. 1924) Taf.53-1195.D.32. Proceedings of the Sixteenth Interna tional Congress ofPapyrology (ASP 23. An Egyptian Village in the Ptolemaic Period (Cambridge.. as a with and of result IPs settled been reclamation efforts had by Greeks. might explain notable features of the Hermetic understand by the author.D. where. beginning Ptolemy heavily are equally indebted. and that. Note further that this bicultural situation in the Fayyum is exemplified in the facts thatDionysos and Thases. Haenchen. Chico. We are repeatedly given to that he and the god of whom he has he is commissioned to have level. it.161-162. in turn. The Fayyum. already vo??. favors an early 2nd century date. Herm?tica. ?? 3. Ausgrabungen in Alexandria II. composition tively But it is in any case probable that the cult was still alive at the time of the anthroponyms into the 2nd century A. 1) 1194. and 20-22. Deborah H. Like Poimandres proposals (up to 1951) for a dating to the 2nd 25Wilhelm (above n. Dorothy J. so that the two cultures to which Egyptian. Greeks and Romans at Socnopaiou Nesos. 1914) 138-143 with Taf.D. one late in the century. see Gundel. insbesondere send ist oder selbst unter dem Schutz If the author was indeed a devotee des betreffenden Gottes steht". Aufbau und Theologie (above 1) 191. who speaks in the first person singular. 26 For Terres the various cuites de l'Egypte gr?co-romaine and (Antwerpen. respectively. M. at some cult-site of the god-king. add the long and important discussion by Dodd. of the article's use. II. The noipav?pri? name in the work would of the definite article with the god's thus.D.r\q et al. common in the papyri. Joseph Vogt. The Egyptian des 'Poimandres' 10-11. (no. 1971). 6.119. Roger S.28 What is more.26 of CH I. Samuel. Bagnall et al. somewhere after all.104 H. are cumula the the arguments dating although form fairly weighty. a to turn for around of the 1st and 2nd centuries A. Poimandres (above n. Greek and the Herm?tica there alluded to earlier. identified CH F s "I" with Hermes Trismegistos.. long after the death of the I. 185-186. 1 ? 36. 33 See Eduard M?nchen. -t). -eioi)?/-r|o\)?. This content downloaded from 128. -od. dating probably hippopotamus. 1939) 259-260.so or that it might actually better be labeled pre-Hermetic does not figure in the work Trismegistos was widespread of Thoth/Hermes. later. the i. less Hellenized names transcribed directly ei or -T|?. -t|ti that are both characteristic of Egyptian into Greek. namely from the presence of in ocKO?p-ua for ccKpo?pua and (pocxpioc for (ppocxpia. for dissimilation. the of such fervent devotion author of CH discussed god-king had the deficiencies no international connections.the diphthong oi would be the natural result. and a crocodile on a monument to early from Crocodilopolis. Anhang (pp. 31 Labib Habachi. G?tter und Kulte 37-38.t)-Rc. Bell. represent M3c(. to make the which facilitated by the existing close asso a coincidence to be merely recipient of the revelation in CH IHermes Trismegistos himself. 34). strain Hermetism to have been the where the of is (as place 'philosophical' likely Fayyum equally was I is CH Hermes to There "Hermetic" about born. and ? 64. 120. Isidoros' noppocp?vpr|v Isidoros' in the two hundred years or so that separate the stages. As for the disappearance of the voiced dental The particularly it is plausibly as a case of the common phenomenon to be explained of loss of a liquid as a result of a second rho in -pocv(?)pr|? at the end of the word so. a chi is right. visionary and there was devotee thus plenty of occasion for a movement to become et a/. probably in CHI. tity and We latest cannot attested trace what Hellenized earlier: he was a strictly provincial divinity with no Greek iden noppocp?vpric.The Origin of theHermetic God Poimandres 105 as it is commonly itmeans that the held to be. MH 10 (1953) 225-226.32 insertion consonant of the stop ? into -vp. intervened in the Hellenistic form of the god-king's throne-name period. 14 May 2013 15:09:49 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions . is also. just letter to Zenon. But it is clear. The monument probably originally stood in the "Great Hall" Amenemhet III constructed for the temple of Sobk in the capital of the Fayyum.e. where earlier. citing examples. Schwyzer.29 The ciation transition would have been in the Fayyum. Pr-C3 in the Hellenistic the and Taweret/Tho?ris. JEA 41 (1955) 106-111 with pl. A Strange Monument of the Ptolemaic Period from Crocodilopolis.165 on Tue. of rho the disappearance from a form like Herakleides' nopeor Isidoros' IIoppoc. i. forms of the god-king's evinces. making him a pupil of the god-king. 41-42).e. May ser. as CH XIII (? 15) seems to have done. with examples. in the movement. that the form noip?voprjc represents a final accusative Pr-C3 M3c(. rightly maintains that the Hermaion at Philadelphia is much more likely to have been a shrine of Thoth/Hermes than of Olympian Hermes. 30 Sir Harold I. the earliest treatise of the Corpus Hermeticum. Anhang 6 (p. period. noipdv?pri? name show either the -r)?. Griechische Grammatik I (HAW II. theless. It is not likely of the god-king with Thoth/Hermes a next sat at Phila of Thoth/Hermes door to a temple of Poremanres shrine i. 2. R?bsam. Fayyum.223. and Graeco-Egyptian Religion.31 now properly "Hermetic". of Thoth-as-Hermes With the rise to prominence the object from the movement's founder slipped into oblivion because.52. respectively. XXI. 29 For the popularity of the cult of Thoth/Hermes in the Fayyum see Crawford. JEA 34 (1948) 85. never from the form noipav?pri? the name assumes of the name stage in the process of Hellenization shows that the name has already assumed the we as CHVs that declension Greek -r|?. as he is in all probability. Thoth. as we saw from the map in Herakleides' that the figures of a man in what was evidently pharaonic dress. 199. already had a friendship stretching back hundreds of years by the time theHermetist of CH XIII. proto-Hermetic. 2 ? 63.was inevitable due both to the impossibility as names to in in combination well of Greek imitation Greek -vpand. with examples. god-king it means that Thoth/Hermes and the god-king Sobk/Souchos. period.1a (pp./Poimandres of Pramarres to focus on Hermes/Thoth may actually have begun with a "Hermetic" and then. in the and specifically But the cult of Thoth.119. Grammatik der griechischen Papyri I. nothing 'technical') explicitly opposed . -r)To?.77. Popular Religion inGraeco-Roman Egypt. Kerkeosiris 87-88 with n. 159-160).97. unlike Thoth. 113. 7) in our list above. if any. Grammatik der griechischen Papyri I. -ocvSpo? common in the Hellenistic of the first rho (or double rho). perhaps.30 If Labib Haba delphia.t)-Rc. that a Hermaion a baboon. 168-169.. -r)v proper (genitive saw) equally -?poi). 1. 32 See May ser.33 With attested example. 35 but rather Hellenization of the earlier. for which been because the him with furnished Pr-C3 the But M3c(. and as "shepherd-man" aware that noipdv?pri? or "shepherd of men" he could be re-etymologized was no name meant. outside the Fayyum so in the case of to re-etymologize the name because (certainly no not concern. 35 For this debate see Gundel.. and what the It was only Zosimos gives sign of it. The name noipav5pr)? cult.52.106 H. Jackson 34 Scott. is wrong. gave him the beautiful name of the brilliant informants knew this too ("Seso?sis Sun").57-1207. helped him in the case of -ccv?p-. But the rest some name two the evolution antedates of and the thousand years. He knew who "noipav?pri?" and the author of CH XIII who. of in Amenemhet advocates Coptic hypotheses king right positing Egyptian that -pri? transcribed RcIsidoros' Egyptian origin for the name.119. Poimandres (see n. and Griffith was correct in proposing . Herm?tica II 15 n. M. god-king By their time the focus had shifted to Hermes/Thoth. Poimandres 11.. 43. that would have Egyptian it furthered his theology of the co-substantiality of human and divine vou?. Coptic by actually Claremont Howard M.28.t)-Rc primeval exemplar.165 on Tue. 3. utterly unknown. a cult of which an ad hoc coinage of the author of CH I to lend personality to a hypostasis of God. explicitly by altering if he was to them. god-man noip/Uoi\i?vdpi]q suggested by 7ioipr|v is a different matter. It does not fit his theology of Poimandres as ? xfj? oc?Oevx?acvo??. took the step of re-etymologizing + more to it make it Zosimos Zosimos and the author of CH XIII 7toipr|v avrjp. Kingsley.34 But in fact CH I to assimilate on the principles to noipav?pri? from Pr-C3 M3%t)-Rc is perfectly the name's evolution of explicable Advocates If Greek onomastics and Greek linguistics. 12. much the name. Jackson assert that the distance of the form noip?cv of Coptic derivation hypotheses commonly might be the product of an effort by the author of ?prj? from the various proposed Coptic etymologies the name to what the Greek derivation hypothesis would have itmean. in the case of later. 14 May 2013 15:09:49 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions . 1 above) 1206. still more purely transcriptional Greek forms of the throne-name of To a living was not a further the god were an The derivation III. if at his cult and then the least of were. The Name Poimandres. Zosimos). needed was an actual contemporary sum up then. This content downloaded from 128.Marcus. Poimandres Graeco-Egyptian divinity with the author of CH I was himself a fervent devotee.
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