Thrice-Greatest Hermes; Studies in Hellenistic Theosophy and Gnosis [Three Volumes in One] Paperback – October 2, 2013

The book, three volumes in one, is really a must have for anyone who has studied modern books on the Western Esoteric Tradition and wants to dive more deeply into the source material. This book is essentially a reader of Gnostic and Hermetic literature accompanied by Mead's insightful commentary. The first section provides a historical,critical, and spiritual context for the texts, as well as offering substantial quotes from a wealth of sources. The second volume presents the Corpus Hermeticum. Mead's translation can be faulted in places for lack of clarity, a common failing of Victorian writing in general, especially when viewed in the light of more recent translations. Nevertheless, the language is dignified and is easy on the ear. Mead's commentary more than makes up for any lack of clarity in the translation by clarifying the difficult doctrines espoused in the the texts. The third volume rounds out the collection with fragmentary texts and a compilation of references by the Fathers of the Christian Church.Now more than 100 years old, Mead's Thrice Greatest Hermes is simply an astonishing accomplishment. Mead clearly was not merely a scholarly translator of these texts, but rather a man who lived with them and loved them and found his own Gnosis in them. It is one thing to study a modern translation, but if one wishes to approach these texts as devotional literature - a scripture - Mead's lyrical translations are a great deal more satisfying.

I am more than happy with this book. It arrived exactly in the condition stated, it is precisely what I was looking for, and was timely.

A very good read - a classic for anyone interested in these themes.

Great!

A classic work on the philosophical Hermetica and the figure of Hermes Trismegistus, G.R.S. Mead's three volume (here in one) The Thrice-Greatest Hermes (1906) is a book I've been interested in for some time.The first volume (Prolegomena) gives an extensive study of the Hermetic corpus and the origins of Hermeticism, situated in the context of Egyptian religion and Hellenistic theology and philosophy. The scholarship isn't current, so while it is very good it should be supplemented by a reading of something like Garth Fowden's The Egyptian Hermes: A Historical Approach to the Late Pagan Mind (1986) if you are interested in the more up-to-date scholarship on the subject.The second volume gives a translation of the entire Corpus Hermeticum and the Asclepius, with extensive commentary following each section.The third volume gives the excerpts and fragments that make up the rest of the Hermetica, namely from Stobaeus, but also from the Fathers (Clement of Alexandria, Augustine, etc) and the philosophers of antiquity (Zosimus, Iamblichus, etc).As a side note, there are a lot of bad reprints of this and other similar books floating around on the internet, for sale on sites like Amazon. This is the second book I've purchased from Martino press, and both have been of good quality, as far as printing and binding go. I would recommend that if you are interested in getting a copy of this book, get one of the older hardback editions (Samuel Weiser) or this Martino paperback.

This is only Vol. 1 of 3 volumes. The Corpus Hermeticum is in Vol. 2, but I returning this in exchange for a copy that has all 3 volumes