Poemandres
Encyclopedia
Poimandres is a chapter in the Corpus Hermeticum. Originally written in Greek
, the title was formerly understood to mean "Man-Shepherd" from the words ποιμήν and ἀνήρ, but recent studies on its etymology have shown that it is actually derived from the Egyptian phrase Peime-nte-rê meaning "Knowledge of Re
" or "Understanding of Re". It is also a sort of deity
or attribute of God
as nous
.
To quote (John Everard
translation):
And in the G.R.S. Mead translation:
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, the title was formerly understood to mean "Man-Shepherd" from the words ποιμήν and ἀνήρ, but recent studies on its etymology have shown that it is actually derived from the Egyptian phrase Peime-nte-rê meaning "Knowledge of Re
Ra
Ra is the ancient Egyptian sun god. By the Fifth Dynasty he had become a major deity in ancient Egyptian religion, identified primarily with the mid-day sun...
" or "Understanding of Re". It is also a sort of deity
Deity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
or attribute of God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
as nous
Nous
Nous , also called intellect or intelligence, is a philosophical term for the faculty of the human mind which is described in classical philosophy as necessary for understanding what is true or real, very close in meaning to intuition...
.
To quote (John Everard
John Everard (preacher)
John Everard was an English preacher and author. He was also a Familist, hermetic thinker, Neoplatonist, and alchemist. He is known for his translations of mystical and hermetic literature.-Life:...
translation):
- Then said I, "Who art Thou?"
- "I am," quoth he, "Poemander, the mind of the Great Lord, the most Mighty and absolute Emperor: I know what thou wouldest have, and I am always present with thee."
And in the G.R.S. Mead translation:
- And I do say: Who art thou?
- He saith: I am Man-Shepherd [Ποιμάνδρης], Mind of all-masterhood; I know what thou desirest and I’m with thee everywhere.
External links
- Pœmandres, the Shepherd of Men – Translation by G.R.S. Mead, 1906.
- Poemander – Translation by John Everard, 1650.
- Pimander – Latin translation by Marsilio Ficino, Milano: Damianus de Mediolano 1493.
- The Corpus Hermeticum from Thrice Great Hermes: Studies in Hellenistic Theosophy and Gnosis, Volume II at The Internet Sacred Text Archive