Primary Bibliography of Ancient Hermetic Literature (c. 1–500 CE)
A catalog of Greek, Latin, Coptic, Armenian, and related ancient Hermetic writings, fragments, and testimonies.
This bibliography documents 78 primary-source entries and related ancient witnesses associated with Hermetic literature, particularly its development during the Roman Imperial and Late Antique periods.
Dating remains approximate. Several works survive only through medieval manuscripts, later translations, papyrus fragments, or quotations preserved by other authors. The bibliography distinguishes the central philosophical Hermetica from supplementary fragments, ancient testimonies, and related technical literature.
I. Corpus Hermeticum — Greek Philosophical Treatises
Period: Primarily c. 100–300 CE, although individual composition dates remain disputed.
Original language: Ancient Greek.
Transmission: Principally medieval Greek manuscripts.
These seventeen treatises constitute the conventional Greek Corpus Hermeticum. The traditional numbering skips Book XV.
- CH I — Poimandres (Ποιμάνδρης)
Original Greek text - CH II — General Discourse to Asclepius
Original Greek text - CH III — Sacred Discourse (Λόγος ἱερός)
Original Greek text - CH IV — The Mixing Bowl / Monad (Ὁ κρατήρ / ἡ μονάς)
Original Greek text - CH V — God Invisible and Visible
Original Greek text - CH VI — The Good Is in God Alone
Original Greek text - CH VII — Ignorance of God
Original Greek text - CH VIII — Nothing That Exists Perishes
Original Greek text - CH IX — On Understanding and Sensation
Original Greek text - CH X — The Key (Κλείς)
Original Greek text - CH XI — Mind (Νοῦς) to Hermes
Original Greek text - CH XII — On the Mind Shared in Common
Original Greek text - CH XIII — Secret Discourse on the Mountain: Rebirth
Original Greek text - CH XIV — Hermes to Asclepius
Original Greek text - CH XVI — Definitions of Asclepius to King Ammon
Original Greek text - CH XVII — Asclepius to King Ammon
Original Greek text - CH XVIII — On the Soul Hindered by the Body's Affections / Encomium
Original Greek text
Supplementary textual resources:
- Asclepius / Perfect Discourse (Λόγος τέλειος)
Original language: Greek.
Surviving languages: Complete Latin version, Greek excerpts, and a Coptic excerpt.
Period: Probably the Roman Imperial era; precise dating debated.
Surviving Greek excerpts | English translation - The Greek source does not contain the complete Asclepius.
II. Nag Hammadi and Independent Hermetic Writings
These writings survive outside the conventional seventeen-treatise Greek corpus and are particularly important for studying Hermetic ritual, mystical ascent, and theological transmission.
- NHC VI,6 — Discourse on the Eighth and Ninth
Language: Coptic, probably translated from Greek.
Manuscript: Nag Hammadi Codex VI, 4th century CE.
Composition: Possibly 2nd–3rd century CE.
A Hermetic initiatory discourse involving spiritual ascent, visionary experience, sacred vocalizations, and entry into the eighth and ninth heavenly spheres.
English translation | Coptic scholarly edition - NHC VI,7 — Prayer of Thanksgiving
Languages: Coptic, with Greek and Latin parallels.
Manuscript: Nag Hammadi Codex VI, 4th century CE.
A Hermetic prayer of gratitude associated with divine knowledge and religious initiation. Compare Greek Magical Papyri III.591–611 and Latin Asclepius 41.
English translation | Coptic scholarly edition - NHC VI,8 — Asclepius 21–29 (Coptic)
Language: Coptic.
Manuscript: Nag Hammadi Codex VI, 4th century CE.
A Coptic textual witness corresponding to a portion of the Latin Asclepius, not an independent complete composition.
English translation | Coptic scholarly edition - Definitions of Hermes Trismegistus to Asclepius (DH)
Original language: Probably Greek.
Surviving language: Armenian, with Greek parallels.
Dating: An early Roman Imperial Greek origin has been proposed; the surviving Armenian tradition is later.
A collection of philosophical and theological definitions attributed to Hermes Trismegistus. This work must not be confused with CH XVI, Definitions of Asclepius to King Ammon.
Read the Definitions
III. Stobaean Hermetica — Greek Fragments (SH I–XXIX)
Language: Ancient Greek.
Transmission: Quotations preserved by Joannes Stobaeus, whose anthology was compiled in the 5th century CE.
Composition: Generally earlier than the anthology, although individual dating remains uncertain.
These twenty-nine Hermetic excerpts preserve philosophical, cosmological, theological, and mythological material otherwise lost or absent from the conventional Corpus Hermeticum.
The numbering follows the scholarly convention used in M. David Litwa's Hermetica II. Fragment divisions and titles vary between editions.
Primary textual resources:
The links above lead to collection-level resources; they are not individual fragment PDFs.
- SH I — Stobaean Hermetic Excerpt 1
Greek philosophical Hermetic passage preserved through Stobaeus. - SH II — Stobaean Hermetic Excerpt 2
Greek philosophical Hermetic passage preserved through Stobaeus. - SH III — Stobaean Hermetic Excerpt 3
Greek philosophical Hermetic passage preserved through Stobaeus. - SH IV — Stobaean Hermetic Excerpt 4
Greek philosophical Hermetic passage preserved through Stobaeus. - SH V — Stobaean Hermetic Excerpt 5
Greek philosophical Hermetic passage preserved through Stobaeus. - SH VI — Stobaean Hermetic Excerpt 6
Greek philosophical Hermetic passage preserved through Stobaeus. - SH VII — Stobaean Hermetic Excerpt 7
Greek philosophical Hermetic passage preserved through Stobaeus. - SH VIII — Stobaean Hermetic Excerpt 8
Greek philosophical Hermetic passage preserved through Stobaeus. - SH IX — Stobaean Hermetic Excerpt 9
Greek philosophical Hermetic passage preserved through Stobaeus. - SH X — Stobaean Hermetic Excerpt 10
Greek philosophical Hermetic passage preserved through Stobaeus. - SH XI — Stobaean Hermetic Excerpt 11
Greek philosophical Hermetic passage preserved through Stobaeus. - SH XII — Stobaean Hermetic Excerpt 12
Greek philosophical Hermetic passage preserved through Stobaeus. - SH XIII — Stobaean Hermetic Excerpt 13
Greek philosophical Hermetic passage preserved through Stobaeus. - SH XIV — Stobaean Hermetic Excerpt 14
Greek philosophical Hermetic passage preserved through Stobaeus. - SH XV — Stobaean Hermetic Excerpt 15
Greek philosophical Hermetic passage preserved through Stobaeus. - SH XVI — Stobaean Hermetic Excerpt 16
Greek philosophical Hermetic passage preserved through Stobaeus. - SH XVII — Stobaean Hermetic Excerpt 17
Greek philosophical Hermetic passage preserved through Stobaeus. - SH XVIII — Stobaean Hermetic Excerpt 18
Greek philosophical Hermetic passage preserved through Stobaeus. - SH XIX — Stobaean Hermetic Excerpt 19
Greek philosophical Hermetic passage preserved through Stobaeus. - SH XX — Stobaean Hermetic Excerpt 20
Greek philosophical Hermetic passage preserved through Stobaeus. - SH XXI — Stobaean Hermetic Excerpt 21
Greek philosophical Hermetic passage preserved through Stobaeus. - SH XXII — Stobaean Hermetic Excerpt 22
Greek philosophical Hermetic passage preserved through Stobaeus. - SH XXIII — Korē Kosmou / Virgin of the World
Greek Hermetic cosmological and mythological discourse. Together with SH XXIV, forms the material commonly identified as Korē Kosmou. - SH XXIV — Korē Kosmou / Virgin of the World
Additional Greek Hermetic material associated with Korē Kosmou. Forms a continuation of the tradition represented in SH XXIII. - SH XXV — Isis to Horus
Greek Hermetic excerpt presented within the Isis–Horus instructional tradition. - SH XXVI — Isis to Horus
Additional Greek Hermetic material preserved within the Isis–Horus tradition. - SH XXVII — Isis to Horus
Further Greek Hermetic material associated with Isis and Horus. - SH XXVIII — Stobaean Hermetic Excerpt 28
Greek Hermetic passage preserved through Stobaeus. - SH XXIX — Stobaean Hermetic Excerpt 29
Greek Hermetic passage preserved through Stobaeus.
IV. Additional Greek Hermetic Fragments
These fragments supplement the conventional Greek Hermetic corpus and the excerpts of Stobaeus.
Their precise composition dates require individual examination. Some survive on papyri, while others are preserved through fragmentary textual transmission.
Primary reference: M. David Litwa, Hermetica II (Cambridge University Press, 2018).
Consult the scholarly collection
Oxford Hermetica
- OH I — Oxford Hermetica Fragment 1
Language: Greek.
Ancient or Late Antique fragment; precise date uncertain. - OH II — Oxford Hermetica Fragment 2
Language: Greek.
Ancient or Late Antique fragment; precise date uncertain. - OH III — Oxford Hermetica Fragment 3
Language: Greek.
Ancient or Late Antique fragment; precise date uncertain. - OH IV — Oxford Hermetica Fragment 4
Language: Greek.
Ancient or Late Antique fragment; precise date uncertain. - OH V — Oxford Hermetica Fragment 5
Language: Greek.
Ancient or Late Antique fragment; precise date uncertain.
Vienna Hermetica
- VH I — Vienna Hermetica Fragment 1
Language: Greek.
Greek papyrus fragment of uncertain precise date. - VH II — Vienna Hermetica Fragment 2
Language: Greek.
Greek papyrus fragment of uncertain precise date.
Access note: Freely accessible original-language editions have not been confirmed for these seven fragments. The linked modern scholarly edition may require purchase or institutional access.
V. Ancient Hermetic Testimonies and Quotations
The following ancient authors preserve quotations, references, interpretations, or testimonies concerning Hermes Trismegistus and Hermetic teachings.
These sources are particularly important because they provide evidence of the circulation and reception of Hermetic literature during Late Antiquity.
The category encompasses both direct textual quotations and indirect testimonies. These should be distinguished during source analysis.
Primary reference: M. David Litwa, Hermetica II, including the fragments and testimonies of other authors.
Hermetic fragments and testimonies — historical collection | Modern scholarly reference
- Hermetic Quotations in Tertullian
Period: Late 2nd–early 3rd century CE.
Language: Latin. - Hermetic Quotations in Pseudo-Cyprian
Period: 3rd century CE, with uncertain attribution.
Language: Latin. - Hermetic Quotations in Lactantius
Period: Late 3rd–early 4th century CE.
Language: Latin, with quotations of Greek Hermetic material. - Hermetic Quotations in Iamblichus
Period: 3rd–4th century CE.
Language: Greek. - Hermetic Quotations in Zosimos of Panopolis
Period: Late 3rd–early 4th century CE.
Language: Greek, with additional transmission in other languages. - Hermetic Quotations in Ephrem the Syrian
Period: 4th century CE.
Language: Syriac. - Hermetic Quotations in Cyril of Alexandria
Period: Late 4th–5th century CE.
Language: Greek. - Hermetic Quotations in Marcellus of Ancyra
Period: 4th century CE.
Language: Greek. - Hermetic Quotations in Gregory of Nazianzus
Period: 4th century CE.
Language: Greek. - Hermetic Quotations in Didymus of Alexandria
Period: 4th century CE.
Language: Greek. - Hermetic Quotations in Augustine of Hippo
Period: Late 4th–early 5th century CE.
Language: Latin. - Hermetic Quotations in Quodvultdeus
Period: 5th century CE.
Language: Latin.
Research note: The witnesses above are indexed by ancient author rather than by individual quotation. Their exact locations and fragment numbers should be established from a critical edition before quoting them as independent Hermetic source texts.
VI. Technical Hermetica and Related Greco-Egyptian Literature
This section records astrological, medical, magical, and alchemical works attributed to Hermes Trismegistus or closely associated with the ancient Hermetic intellectual environment.
These texts represent a broader tradition than the philosophical Corpus Hermeticum. Several contain older Hellenistic elements, while others survive through significantly later recensions.
- PGM III.591–611 — Greek Prayer of Thanksgiving
Language: Greek.
Period: 3rd–4th century CE papyrus.
A Greek parallel to the Hermetic Prayer of Thanksgiving preserved in Nag Hammadi Codex VI,7 and Latin Asclepius 41.
Papyri.info - Hermes-Related Greek Magical Papyri (PGM)
Languages: Greek, Demotic, and Coptic across the broader papyrus tradition.
Period: Primarily Roman Egypt, with individual papyri requiring separate dating.
A collection category for magical papyri explicitly invoking Hermes or containing closely related Hermetic religious and technical material. Not all writings in the Greek Magical Papyri are Hermetic.
Papyri.info - Liber Hermetis Trismegisti / Thirty-Six Decans
Language: Latin, derived from earlier Greek astrological traditions.
Period: Late Antique transmission incorporating earlier material.
A technical astrological text concerning the thirty-six decans and their associated celestial influences.
Hermes Latinus scholarly editions - Sacred Book of Hermes to Asclepius (Decans)
Language: Greek.
Period: Late Antique material; precise dating disputed.
A technical Hermetic text concerning the decans and talismanic correspondences.
Hermetic technical-text bibliography - Iatromathematica / Hermetic Astrological Medicine
Languages: Greek and Latin.
Period: An ancient tradition surviving in recensions that are frequently later.
Medical astrology attributed to Hermes and associated with the relationship between celestial phenomena, disease, prognosis, and therapeutic interpretation.
Bibliotheca Philosophica Virtualis — Iatromathematica - Kyranides / Cyranides
Languages: Greek and Latin.
Period: Composite compilation, approximately 5th–8th centuries CE.
A collection of natural-magical teachings involving plants, stones, animals, remedies, and talismanic properties. Portions may reflect earlier traditions, but the complete compilation extends beyond the chronological limits of this bibliography.
Bibliotheca Philosophica Virtualis — Kyranides - Zosimos of Panopolis — Alchemical Writings
Language: Greek, with subsequent transmission in other languages.
Period: Approximately 300 CE.
An important body of early alchemical literature illuminating the reception and development of Hermetic ideas in Greco-Egyptian chemical and religious traditions. These writings are not themselves attributed to Hermes Trismegistus.
Bibliothèque nationale de France — Bibliographic record - Nechepso–Petosiris Fragments
Language: Greek fragments.
Period: Primarily pre-1st-century CE Hellenistic material.
Astrological texts associated with legendary Egyptian sages and the broader intellectual environment in which Hermes was invoked as an authority. Included for historical context, despite predating the central chronological scope.
Historical overview of Hellenistic astrology
Editorial and Bibliographic Notes
This bibliography distinguishes four types of source evidence:
- Primary Hermetic compositions: Works directly attributed to Hermes Trismegistus or transmitted as part of the philosophical Hermetic tradition.
- Fragmentary Hermetica: Ancient Hermetic writings surviving incompletely, frequently through papyrus fragments or quotations.
- Ancient testimonies: References to and citations of Hermetic writings preserved by other ancient authors.
- Technical and contextual literature: Magical, astrological, medical, and alchemical writings associated with Hermes or with the broader Greco-Egyptian intellectual environment.
The first five centuries CE provide the principal chronological focus. Nevertheless, the collection includes some earlier Hellenistic traditions and later textual compilations where these are important for understanding the historical development and transmission of Hermetic literature.
A note on editions and copyright: Ancient compositions are public domain, but modern critical editions, translations, manuscript reproductions, and scholarly transcriptions may have separate copyright or access restrictions. A link to a text or catalog does not necessarily indicate a freely downloadable original-language PDF.
Principal modern scholarly references:
- Copenhaver, Brian P. Hermetica: The Greek Corpus Hermeticum and the Latin Asclepius in a New English Translation, with Notes and Introduction. Cambridge University Press, 1992.
- Litwa, M. David. Hermetica II: The Excerpts of Stobaeus, Papyrus Fragments, and Ancient Testimonies in an English Translation with Notes and Introduction. Cambridge University Press, 2018.
- Scott, Walter. Hermetica. Oxford, 1924–1936.
- Mead, G. R. S. Thrice-Greatest Hermes. Three volumes, 1906.
- Mahé, Jean-Pierre. Hermès en Haute-Égypte. Two volumes, 1978–1982.
Compiled as a research bibliography of ancient Hermetic primary sources and related textual witnesses.
