KEY TO QUESTION COLORS:
LIGHT BLUE = Easy (well, sort of...)
GREEN = Medium
YELLOW = Difficult
RED = Very difficult. Not many people know this.
1. When and where was the Corpus Hermeticum written? ANSWER
2. The Corpus Hermeticum was often known by the Latinized form of the name of its first book. What was this? ANSWER
3. What work, closely associated with the Corpus Hermeticum, has survived (with one exception) only in its Latin form, and that similar to a deck of cards which has been shuffled? ANSWER
4. In what language and as part of what collection do folios 21-29 of the above work survive in a version that tells the same story with different wording? ANSWER
5. This short work is often incorrectly claimed to be part of the Corpus Hermeticum. Its origin is contended, but it may in fact be from Alexandria in the first centuries CE. It is the work attributed to Hermes Trismegistus which contains references to alchemy. What is its name? ANSWER
6. Although it is preserved in completeness only in Armenian, fragments of this Hermetic work in the original Greek were discovered in the Bodleian Library during the late 20th century. It probably predates the Corpus Hermeticum. What is it? ANSWER
7. What text in the Nag Hammadi Codices, written in the 2nd Century CE, is a discourse from Hermes Trismegistus to his son? ANSWER
8. What alchemical symbolism is contained in this discourse? ANSWER
9. With what school of philosophy are the Hermetic writings associated? ANSWER
10. Renaissance Hermetic thought says man is composed of three parts. What are they? ANSWER
11. What does the word spiritus mean in Latin? ANSWER
12. What is the oldest Kabbalistic "scripture?" ANSWER
13. This form of practical Kabbalah is concerned with finding hidden correspondent meanings between words by calculating their numerical values. It forms the basis for modern numerology? What is it called? ANSWER
14. What form of practical Kabbalah treats the letters of a word as an acronym, each letter beginning a word in a sentence? ANSWER
15. What form of practical Kabbalah finds hidden meanings using anagrams? ANSWER
16. In the Kabbalah, who is the symbol of the state of man before the Fall? ANSWER
17. What is the purpose of Kabbalistic "meditation?" ANSWER
18. What characteristic is shared by Paths on the Cabalistic Tree of Life, the letters in the Hebrew alphabet, and the Major Arcana in the Tarot deck? ANSWER
19. Both the Kabbalah and Hermetic practices have the same end goal. What is it? ANSWER
20. Who invented the "Hermetic Cabala," merging the teachings of Christianity, the Jewish Kabbalah and Neo-Platonic Hermeticism? ANSWER
21. What Byzantine Macedonian collector created, in the 5th Century CE, an Anthology in which are preserved many Hermetic writings, today usually called "Extracts" or "Fragments?" ANSWER
22. When did the Corpus Hermeticum have a revival in Constantinople? ANSWER
23. Who headed the Hermetic Revival in Constantinople in the middle ages? ANSWER
24. What Spaniard wrote the Sepher-ha-Zohar? ANSWER
25. In what language was the Sepher-ha-Zohar written, in order to make it seem more authoritative? ANSWER
26. Who was the founder of the Knights Templar? ANSWER
27. In chronological order, in what five locations did the Knights of the Hospital of St. John have their headquarters? ANSWER
28. Who was the last (provable) Grand Master of the Knights Templar, burned at the stake in Paris in 1314? ANSWER
29. This man from Majorca was the first Christian Cabalist. Who was he? ANSWER
30. This Byzantine was the first teacher of Greek in Florence. Among others he taught Boccacio. Who was he? ANSWER
31. This Greek octogenarian was forbidden to speak at the Council of Florence in 1439 because he was too cantankerous and contentious. He got bored and began holding lectures on Plato in the afternoons. Who was he? ANSWER
32. What two great Florentine figures attended these lectures? ANSWER
33. What printed work had more editions in Europe than any other except the Bible by 1600? ANSWER
34. This abrasive and outspoken Cardinal did philological analysis, by which he proved that the Donations of Constantine were a forgery, thus laying the foundation for the removal of the major source of income of the Catholic Church. Then he proved that the "Celestial Hierarchies," long thought to be written by an associate of St. Paul, were much newer. Who was he, and who was the Greek he exposed? ANSWER
35. By what name was the pagan messenger god generally known in the Renaissance? ANSWER
36. What does the word "trismegistus" mean? ANSWER
37. Why did the Hermetists of the Renaissance think the Corpus Hermeticum was authoritative? ANSWER
38. Whose manuscript of the Corpus Hermeticum found its way to Italy from Macedonia almost five hundred years after his death? ANSWER
39. What monk, working as an agent for Cosimo de' Medici, brought him the manuscript of the Corpus Hermeticum? ANSWER
40. Which family doctor did Cosimo de' Medici choose to translate the Corpus Hermeticum into Latin? ANSWER
41. Who was the first head of the Platonic Academy of Florence? ANSWER
42. What what Byzantine exile who had attended the Council of Florence many years earlier was in possession of a manuscript of the Corpus Hermeticum two years before Cosimo de' Medici? ANSWER
43. This man was a colleague of Marsilio Ficino (not his student, as some have stated) even though he was one generation younger. He offered pay the way of opponents to Rome to debate his 900 Conclusions which proved that all religions were part of a single stream that culminated in Roman Christianity. Who was he? ANSWER
44. Who was probably the only Christian in Europe to be fluent in Hebrew in 1492? ANSWER
45. Why was the Cabala such a good fit with the Corpus Hermeticum? ANSWER
46. What pope, himself a dabbler in Hermeticism, wrote a bull which permitted the Hermetic Cabala to flourish throughout Europe for the next 150 years? ANSWER
47. This German was sent to Italy by the Elector Palatine in order to collect Hebrew texts. While there, he studied under Ficino, Pico and John Argyropoulos at different times. He later taught Greek and Hebrew at Ingolstadt. Who was he? ANSWER
48. What German Cabalist wrote a book on cryptography that is used by computer security experts today? ANSWER
49. Two major Hermetic figures of the Renaissance, one from the South and one from the North, both wrote treatises recanting their Hermetic views which they had previously published with great fervor. Perhaps their recantations were sincere, or perhaps they were just a front to protect them from the authorities. Who were they? ANSWER
50. What Venetian Hermeticist published the widely influential De harmonia mundi in 1525, which dealt with the Music of the Spheres? ANSWER
51. This head of the Augustinian Order was an associate of Ficino and Erasmus, and acknowledged his debt to Pico. He knew Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, Syriac and Arabic. He introduced the Sepher-ha-Zohar and the Koran to Italy. He wrote an exhaustive survey of the Cabala, concerning which he was an enthusiast, for Pope Clement VII. Who was he? ANSWER
52. What French Cabalist published the first translation of the Sepher Yetzirah in 1552? ANSWER
53. What widely roving Italian Hermetic philosopher was burned at the stake in Rome for refusing to recant his belief that life exists on other planets? ANSWER
54. What Anglican priest and Hermetic writer corresponded with Ficino, studied with Pico and was a friend of Erasmus? ANSWER
55. Who did an English translation of the biography of Pico which his (Pico's) nephew wrote? ANSWER
56. Who was Queen Elizabeth I's court astrologer? ANSWER
57. Today this man is known as a poet. But in his day, he spent many of his short 32 years working as a secret agent and spy on the Contintent for Queen Elizabeth. Who was he? ANSWER
58. Who used a translation of the first lines of Pico della Mirandola's "On The Dignity Of Man" as a speech in one of his works? ANSWER
59. What Holy Roman Emperor created a haven in Prague for Hermetic thinkers during the persecutions of the Counter-Reformation at the beginning of the Seventeenth Century? ANSWER
60. What two Proto-Rosicrucians met in Prague? ANSWER
61. A Dane and an Austrian served successively as court astrologer to the Holy Roman Emperor. Who were they? ANSWER
62. This man, in his Amphitheatrum sapentiae aeternae, published the Emerald Table, thus paving the way for the advent of Rosicrucianism. Who was he? ANSWER
63. What Elector Palatine set up a Rosicrucian state in Bohemia, whose open defiance of the Pope began the Thirty Years War? ANSWER
64. What daughter of James I of England married the Winter King of Bohemia? ANSWER
65. What French philosopher was mentor to the daughter of the Winter King of Bohemia? ANSWER
66. What Genevan Calvinist did a philological analysis on the Corpus Hermeticum in 1614 and concluded that it was post-Plato? ANSWER
67. Who wrote the so-called Rosicrucian Manifestos, the "Fama Fraternitatis" and the "Confessio?" ANSWER
68. In what language was the "Fama Fraternitatis" written? ANSWER
69. In what language was the "Confessio" written? ANSWER
70. Who is mentioned by name in the "Fama Fraternitatis" as "Theoph:Par.Ho." ? ANSWER
71. Who wrote "The [Al]chemical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreuz?" ANSWER
72. What Rosicrucian emblematist was body-surgeon to the Landgrave of Hesse? ANSWER
73. What mathematician went to Germany to seek out the Rosicrucian Brotherhood? ANSWER
74. When and by whom was the Corpus Hermeticum first translated into English? ANSWER
75. Who were the Cambridge Platonists? ANSWER
76. This man who styled himself a "natural philosopher" owned English translations of the "Fama Fraternitatis" and the "Confessio." He spent more than 30 years studying and wrote over a million words on the subject of alchemy. We know him for what appear to be his secondary areas of interest. What is his name? ANSWER
77. This Englishman was a prolific writer on Magia and Hermetica. He wrote a public defense of the Rosicrucian Brotherhood. Who was he? ANSWER
78. Who did an English Translation of the Emerald Table? ANSWER
79. This famous American became Grand Master of the Neuf Soeurs Lodge of Freemasonry in France, and initiated what French writer? ANSWER
80. What Jesuit founded the Ancient and Illuminated Seers of Bavaria (the "Bavarian Illuminati") in 1776? ANSWER
81. Two countries had successful revolutions led by Freemasons. Many of the same individuals were active in both revolutions. What were these countries? ANSWER
82. What nineteenth century Englishman, the eponym of a literary award, wrote Zanoni, A Rosicrucian Novel? ANSWER
83. What transvestite held Rosicrucian salons in Paris in the second half of the nineteenth century? ANSWER
84. What modern Hermetic initiatory society, which became the fountainhead for virtually all "New Age" occultism, was founded in the late nineteenth century by three English Freemasons, one of whom claimed to be Scotsman? ANSWER
85. This work of fiction deals extensively with the practice of the Kabbalah in Alexandria between the two world wars. It is the second book of a tetralogy. What is its name, and who wrote it? ANSWER
86. What is the meaning of the Greek "Poimandres?" ANSWER
87. This Hermetic maxim concerning the relationship between earth and the heavens, stated in the first sentence of the Emerald Table, has become the watchword of many modern occult systems. What is it? ANSWER
88. What Christian Cabalist was known as "Dr. Illuminatus?" ANSWER
89. Who inspired Cosimo de' Medici to revive the ancient Athenian Platonic Academy? ANSWER
90. This man, known to us primarily as a mathematician, reconciled the split which ended the Council of Basle. He then led the delegation which invited the Byzantines to the Council of Florence. Later he accompanied them back to Constantinople after the Council was over, becoming a great admirer and defender of Plethon as a result. Who was he? ANSWER
91. Ficino learned Greek from what Byzantine exile who had attended the Council of Florence many years earlier? ANSWER
92. What Byzantine student of Plethon's became a Cardinal and moved to Rome? ANSWER
93. Why was Ficino particularly suited to translating the Corpus Hermeticum? ANSWER
94. What two paintings are full of Hermetic symbolism, their content having been directed by Ficino? ANSWER
95. From what exiled Spanish Jewish scholar did Pico della Mirandola learn Hebrew? (Hint: it wasn't Elia del Medigo.) ANSWER
96. What Kabbalistic trick did Pico della Mirandola use to prove that Christianity was the crown of all religions? ANSWER
97. What Greek philosopher did Pico urge Ficino to translate into Latin after he had finished his translations of Plato? ANSWER
98. Who was probably the only Christian in Europe to be fluent in Arabic in 1520? ANSWER
99. What Swiss doctor and alchemist claimed to have studied under Trithemius? ANSWER
100. What Danish astronomer had a golden statue of Hernes Trismegistus crowning the observatory he constructed for himself? ANSWER
101. This man is usually described as a charlatan. He attached himself to John Dee and aided him in attempting to communicate with angels. He also taught Rudolph II alchemical practices. Who was he? ANSWER
102. In what language did John Dee attempt to communicate with angels? ANSWER
103. Over the course of more than 35 years, Tycho Brahe made the most detailed observations of the stars ever performed in history up to that point. What was his purpose in doing this? ANSWER
104. What group merged alchemy with the Hermetic Cabala? ANSWER
105. What three English Freemasons founded the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn? ANSWER
106. The founders of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn claimed they had discovered the lost writings of what personage who was later proven to be a fictional character? ANSWER
107. What Irish writer was the most famous member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn? ANSWER
108. What occult historian and member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn designed a deck of Tarot cards in 1909 upon which almost every later Tarot deck was based? ANSWER
109. What member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn referred to himself as "The Beast" and claimed he was the most evil human alive? ANSWER
110. What secret society that still exists today was co-opted (not founded, as many think) by "The Beast?" ANSWER
111. What great occultist and author was the spiritual heir of the Golden Dawn? ANSWER
112. Where is Cosimo de' Medici's manuscript of the Corpus Hermeticum today? ANSWER
113. Where is Cardinal Bessarion's manuscript of the Corpus Hermeticum today? ANSWER
SCORING:
Less than 13 = Dilettante. You clearly have not been initiated into the Hermetic Mysteries.
13 - 58 = Seeker. Continue purifying your soul. When you become worthy, a member of the Brotherhood will contact you.
59 - 90 = Initiate. You have read well in the Book of Nature, and it has begun to reveal its secrets to you.
91 - 132 = Adept. Guard your profound Hermetic knowledge wisely and use it only for Good.
133 or more = Magus. All the ways of heaven and earth are open unto you.
This page offers clues and mentions interesting people in very condensed form.
It is hoped that it will spark the curiosity of the player and encourage further investigation.
Some of my favorite books on the subject are:
Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic Tradition by Dame Frances Yates
The Rosicrucian Enlightenment by Dame Frances Yates
George Gemistos Plethon by C. M. Woodhouse
There are also a lot of web sites. Two of the best I've run across are:
The Alchemy Web Site
(especially note the Alchemical Texts and Resources sections)
and
Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica
(note particularly the "on-line exhibitions" links toward the bottom of the page)
A very large on-line selection of some of the best Hermetic writings, including the Corpus Hermeticum itself can be found at
Twilit Grotto
If you like this web page:
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