Since Alexandria was the social and religious typification of the Hellenic age, it is not surprising that Egyptian gods would be especially pliable to Graeco-Roman incorporation (Faivre 16, Mead 70). Isis and Osiris, for instance, became incredibly popular figures of Greek mystery cults after the 3rd century B.C.E. (Religion 102 notes). As such, by the time of Ptolemy II, �Greeks justifiably saw in Thoth the first configuration of Hermes, or even the same personage under a different name� (Mead 60).

Also founded in Alexandria was the Hellenic and early Christian trend of dedicating all books of art and science to Hermes Trismegistus to make sacred one�s own writings and proliferate Trismegistus� sacred corpus of knowledge, the Corpus Hermerticum. During the reign of Ptolemy II, roughly around 250 B.C.E., the Greek theologian Manetho established a school dedicated to interpreting Egyptian religion (Mead 71).

Manetho and his students subsequently began to compose a series of texts on Egyptian mysticism, philosophy, and religion that became Hellenized and incorporated into a corpus of knowledge that began what was later called the Corpus Hermeticum (Mead 71).

Besides his contributions to the literature, Manetho offers the first documented instance of Hermes incarnating at key moments in history to re-establish Order over Chaos by re-introducing his gnosis through hidden knowledge (Mead 72). Manetho states that upon certain �monuments (steles) were engraved the sacred language�by Thoth, the first Hermes,� who wrote down all of the arts and sciences to protect them from the Deluge� (Mead 72).

After the Flood, these engravings were copied by second Hermes �and stored away in books-In the inner chambers of the temples of Egypt,� which were then written in a non-sacred script by the third Hermes who was a contemporary of Manetho (Mead 72). Thus, Trismegistus preserved the sacred arts and sciences, which would allow humanity and the individual to order themselves through understanding the Universe.

It is also Manetho who first introduced the name �Hermes Trismegistus� and the concept of the Corpus Hermeticum into the extant Hellenic literature. In his address to King Ptolemy Philadelphus, dating around 250 B.C.E., Manetho states that �the sacred books, written by our forefather Thrice-greatest Hermes, which I study, shall be shown to you� (Mead 72).

While these sacred books were in reality mostly those of his and his students, these metaphysicians and theologians sought to invoke an ancient and infallible Logos in their writings by signing their books under the name of Hermes Trismegistus. Thereby, these texts were imbued with the numina of a living god and thus became a sacred manifestation of Logos on Earth (Mead 72).

Through this style of anonymously attributing texts to Trismegistus, �Thoth-Mercury was credited with a great number of books-quite real ones-under the general title of �Hermetica� from the early or middle Ptolemaic period (roughly middle of the 3rd century B.C.E. to the late 2nd century B.C.E.) to the 3rd century C.E. (Mead 16, 72).

These books �treat astrology, alchemy, and theosophy,� with a particular emphasis on the elemental foundations of the cosmological and earthly realms, through which one could achieve either exoteric or esoteric Order (Mead 16). In regards to this esoteric aspect, these Trismegistus books were initiatory addresses for �living men,� by which they committed �death unto [their] sin and the new birth unto righteousness� (Faivre 38).

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