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| Thoth, Hermes and Mercury is the Figure of the Prophet Idris (Enoch) in Various Religious Traditions and Mythology |
“Hermes' real name was Enoch. He was a resident of the Chinese highlands..." So reads a fragment of an anonymous letter written 900 years ago.
Identifying Hermes with Enoch (known as the Prophet Idris in Islamic tradition) is not surprising because many thinkers since ancient times have also given such opinions.
It was the mention of Hermes or Enoch as a resident of the Chinese plateau that made the anonymous letter sensational.
Moreover, because the person identified as the author of the anonymous letter is a major scientific figure, which if you think about it, it seems like there is no longer a need to create something controversial just to make himself famous.
The author was identified as Ibn Arfa 'Ra's, a Spanish Muslim known as a chemist from the 12th century. At least, that's what Joseph Needham said, in his book Science in Traditional China: A Comparative Perspective - which quoted the anonymous letter.
To be more complete, Ibn Arfa 'Ra's, said this:
Hermes' real name was Ahnu (in other words, Enoch). He was a dweller in the Chinese highlands, as the author of “Golden Particles” shows, where he says the mines were guarded by Hermes in China, and Ares (probably Horus) discovered how to protect the workings from waterlogging. Now, Ares lives in lower China and belongs to the first Indians.
He further says that Ahnu, peace be upon him, descended from the highlands to the lowlands of China to India and up the river valley in Serendib (i.e. Ceylon), until he arrived at the top of the mountain on the island where Adam descended. That's how he discovered the cave, which he called the Cave of Treasures.
Regardless of whether the contents of the article are true or not, for me, this statement is worthy of consideration. Especially when considering Ibn Arfa 'Ra's reputation as a 12th century alchemist, famous for his work Shudhur al-Dhahab , considered the greatest poetic alchemical text in the Muslim world – one of the main books of Arabic alchemy.
Likewise, Joseph Needham, who quoted this article, is a great world scientist whose credibility cannot be doubted. He was a British biochemist, historian and expert on Chinese culture.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1941, a Fellow of the British Academy in 1971, and in 1992, Queen Elizabeth II awarded him a Companionship of Honour.
The Royal Society notes that he is the only living person to have held all three titles. Needham, with his colleague Julian Huxley, was one of the founders of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
However, before I discuss the equation of Hermes with Enoch (especially regarding the expression that he was a resident of the Chinese highlands), I first want to discuss the equation of Hermes with the god Thoth, the god of wisdom, writing, science and art in Egyptian mythology.
Hermes – Thoth
The identification of the similarity of Hermes, who was a god in Ancient Greek religion and mythology, with the god Thoth (a god in Egyptian mythology) began when Greek culture and influence spread with the conquests of Alexander the Great.
This is known as the period of syncretism – or “ interpretatio graeca ” meaning “Greek translation” or “interpretation using Greek [models]” – was an attempt to interpret or try to understand the mythology and religion of another culture, by comparing it with ancient Greek concepts in terms of practice. religions, gods, and myths, to see similarities and shared characteristics. [Mark S. Smith: God in Translation: Deities in Cross-Cultural Discourse in the Biblical World, 2008: 39]
In this case, the god Thoth is identified as the Egyptian form of Hermes. Both gods were worshiped at the Temple of Thoth at Khemenu, a city later known in Greek as Hermopolis. [DM Bailey: “ Classical Architectur e” in “ The Oxford Handbook of Roman Egypt” edited by Christina Riggs, 2012: 192]
Something similar is also revealed in an astrological document of the third century BC, in which the priest Petosiris wrote to King Nechopso, saying that Hermes was the teacher of all secret wisdom, which, however, could be experienced only in a state of ecstasy. [ Marie-Luise von Franz: Projection and Re-collection in Jungian Psychology: Reflections of the Soul, 1995: 150]
As a god, Hermes had many roles, among them, he was considered to function as a messenger or herald of the gods, protector of heralds, protector of people who travel, merchants, orators. He is thought to be able to move freely between the mortal and divine worlds, and plays the role of “guide of souls” to the afterlife.
But it is his attributes as a god of translation or interpretation, or more generally, a god of knowledge and learning, that seem to be easily found in common, either with Thoth or with Enoch.
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| Statue of Hermes with a beard, thought to date from the early 5th century BC. (source: Head of Hermes from a hermaic stele. marble, 5th century BC. Ancient Agora Museum in Athens | Marysyas) |
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| Thoth, Brooklyn Museum (source: egyptiangeographic.com) |
Hermes – Idris
Some circles say Idris was born in Egypt. They call it Hirmisal Haramisah, according to Syriac.
Meanwhile, in the research journal of the Salar Jung Museum, it is stated as follows:
The first person after Adam's period, who wrote with a pen was the holy prophet Idris. He is also referred to as “Hurmus Al Haramisah” and “Al Muthallath” on the grounds that he was once a prophet, king and philosopher. He is also called “Hurmus-ul-Awwal”. [Salar Jung Museum: SJM Research Journal, Volume 6-7, 1974: 109]
In this case, we can see that Idris' term "Hirmisal Haramisah" or "Hurmus Al Haramisah" is clearly synonymous with the term "hermes".
Enoch – Idris
Regarding Enoch himself, Islamic Tradition can be said to unanimously identify him as the Prophet Idris. [ PS Alexander, “Jewish tradition in early Islam: The case of Enoch/Idrs,” – in GR Hawting, JA Mojaddedi and A. Samely: Studies in Islamic and Middle Eastern texts and traditions in memory of Norman Calder, 2000: 11- 29]
here are some comments about Idris...
Al-Baizawi said: “Idris came from the descendants of Set and the ancestor of Noah, and his name was Uhnukh (Enoch). He was called Idris from the word "dars" which means "to teach", because of his knowledge of the divine mysteries, and the thirty passages of God's scriptures that were revealed to him. He was the first person to learn to write, and he was the discoverer of astronomy and arithmetic.
In the Tarikh ath-Thabariy it is stated that Burd gave birth to Akhnukh, namely Idris, and Allah appointed him (Akhnukh) as a prophet. At that time, Prophet Adam was 622 years old. Idris is said to have received 30 Suhuf.
Kamalan said, “In the book Rauzatu'l-Ahbab, Ibn Jarir relates that Idris was a special friend of one of the angels of heaven, and that this angel took him to heaven, and when they arrived in the fourth heaven, they met the angel of death.
The angel asked the Angel of Death how many years Idris had left to live, and the Angel of Death said, “where is Idris, for I have received orders to bring death to him? “Idris then remained in the fourth heaven, and he died on the wings of his angelic companions who had brought him from earth.”
Ibnu Abi Hatim also conveyed the same thing in his interpretation which narrated that the Prophet Idris died while he was in the fourth heaven accompanied by an angel.
Abu'l-Faraj (in Latin, Abulpharagius) A Syrian bishop, philosopher, poet, grammarian, healer, Bible commentator, historian, and theologian, for example, says in his book Ta'rih muhtasar ed-duwal (ed. Salhani , p. 11) that Enoch (Hanuh) was identical with Hermes Trismegistus, whom the Arabs called Idris. [Palestine Oriental Society : The journal of the Palestine Oriental Society , 1921: 198]
Islamic literature tells that Idris was made a prophet at around the age of 40, the same age as Muhammad when he was appointed as a Prophet. It is also reported that as a prophet, he divided his time into two.
He used three days for preaching and four days solely for worshiping Allah. Many early commentators praised Idris as having extraordinary wisdom and knowledge.
Exegesis shows that Idris was among the first people to use a pen as well as being one of the first people to observe the movement of the stars and establish scientific weights and measures – These attributes can be seen as consistent with the identification of Enoch with Idris, Hermes, or Thoth.
Ibn Arabi described Idris as “the prophet of the philosophers”. Ibn Ishaq narrated that he was the first person to write with a pen and that he was born when Adam still had 308 years to live.
During his lifetime Idris is said to have received "thirty parts of the holy writings" which in Islamic tradition are called 30 Suhuf for Idris.
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| Elijah and Enoch – seventeenth century icon, Historical Museum in Sanok, Poland. (source: id.pinterest.com/wikimedia) |
Idris in the Qur'an
The name Idris is mentioned twice in the Qur'an:
- And tell (O Muhammad to them, the story of) Idris (that) in the Koran. Indeed, he was a very righteous man and a prophet. And We have raised him to a high dignity. (QS. Maryam :56-57)
- And (remember the story) Ismail, Idris and Dzulkifli. All of them are patient people. We have included them in Our mercy. Indeed, they are among the pious people. (QS. al-Anbiyaa' :85-86)
In Hindu tradition
If in Egyptian mythology he is known as Thoth, in Greek mythology as Hermes, in divine religion (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) he is known as Enoch or Idris, then what is he known as in Hindu tradition?
If we look at his attributes, it is very likely that in Hindu tradition he is personified as Varuna.
Varuna is a complex god in the Hindu pantheon, initially he was the god of the sky and then became the god of the sea. In his original position as a sky god, he was thought to have infinite knowledge. At the end of the Vedic period, he became the lord of the seas and rivers. [Tamra Andrews : Dictionary of Nature Myths: Legends of the Earth, Sea, and Sky , 1998: 215]
Generally, literature discussing Indian mythology identifies Varuna as a very ancient deity in the pantheon of supreme gods of Indian mythology.
In the earliest layers of the Rigveda, for example, Varuna has the responsibility to uphold the moral order, “justice” (Rta), and “truth” (Satya). Meanwhile, his capacity as “Master of all comprehensive knowledge” is found in the Atharvaveda.
In the Avesta, the book most associated with the prophet Zoroaster, we find that the Iranian people viewed Varuna as an “ahura” ('lord'), like their supreme god Ahura Mazda.
In the Rig Veda, the oldest Indian religious text, he is described as a dispenser of justice – administering harsh punishments as “a binder of the wrongdoers”.
He is also described as an omniscient God. Varuna knew the tracks of birds in the sky, the paths of ships on the seas, as well as the course of the moon and the winds.
Thus, from some of the identification descriptions regarding the god Varuna above, I think it is enough to give us an idea of why the god Varuna in Indian mythology is recorded as a god who experienced a shift in position from the god of the sky to the god of water.
This is interesting, because it is only with Varuna that this happens.
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| Illustration of Lord Varuna (source: wikipedia.org) |
And here is the interpretation that I can describe regarding this phenomenon….
Regarding Varuna's initial position as the god of the sky, it can be seen as a metaphor for Enoch's (Prophet Idris) achievement in mastering the science of astrology (astronomy).
That's why in the Rigveda there are expressions like: "Varuna prepared the path of the sun for the god Surya (or Mitra)" ; "Varuna knows the tracks of the birds in the sky, as well as the course of the moon and the winds."
Varuna's task of changing from the god of the sky to the god of the sea, is a metaphor for Enoch's next achievement, which was to be able to implement his knowledge of astronomy as a navigational guide in sea voyages. Hence there are expressions like: Varuna knows the course of ships in the sea.
We can find something similar in the attributes of Hermes, who is considered the protector of people who travel (travelers).
In this case, it must be understood that astrology was not only used for navigation on sea voyages, but was also used by people in ancient times as a guide when traveling on land.
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| Statue of Hermes in the Vatican Museums, wearing a traveler's robe. (Source: wikipedia.org) |
In Chinese tradition
In Chinese Legend, it is narrated that shortly after unifying China, the Yellow Emperor (Huang Di) was dissatisfied with the “knot tying” (Quipuo) method, he felt that using knots to make records, was far from meeting the requirements.
He then ordered his historian, Cangjie, (in other literature referred to as Minister Huang Di) to find a way to create alphabet. On the other hand, this could be said to be a story that narrates the time when humans began to think of ways to draw sounds, because basically script is "the way we draw sounds".
To fulfill this request, Cangjie then built a house on the high side of the south bank of the Huangshui River at that time. However, even though he had meditated hard for a long time, he did not gain anything.
Until one day, when Cangjie was thinking, he saw a phoenix flying from the sky, and something in its mouth fell, right in front of Cangjie.
Cangjie took it and saw hoof prints on it. However, Cangjie couldn't recognize the beast's hoof prints, so he asked a hunter who happened to come by.
The hunter looked at him and said, “This is a hoof mark, which is different from the marks of other wild beasts. I know at a glance.” Cangjie heard the hunter's words and was inspired. He thinks that everything has its own characteristics.
His conversation inspired Cangjie. Leading him to believe that if he could capture and draw the special characteristics that differentiate every thing on earth, it would truly be the perfect type of character to write about.
From that day on, Cangjie noticed the characteristics of all things, including the sun, moon, stars, clouds, lakes, oceans, as well as all kinds of birds and animals. He started creating characters according to the special characteristics he discovered, in the end he managed to compile a long list of various characters.
When Cangjie had finished compiling the list of characters, the myth said that the gods and ghosts cried because with these characters the secrets of the universe could be revealed. (story source here )
It is also said that at that time the sky rained millet (a grain similar to rice) - this apparently inspired ancient traditions in Southeast Asia to India, namely the traditional "sprinkle of rice" procession which is carried out during welcoming sessions or giving blessings to someone.
Legend also says that Cangjie has four eyes that can penetrate to the depths of even the greatest mysteries to understand the truth. Because of this extraordinary ability, he is believed to be the incarnation of wisdom.
Thus, from this legendary story, it can be assumed that there is a possibility that we can find the personification of Enoch or Idris in Chinese mythology in the figure of Cangjie.
This assumption is mainly based on the consideration that Cangjie is called "the inventor of letters - a figure who is able to penetrate the depths of the greatest mysteries to understand the truth - as well as, the incarnation of wisdom" which we all know is also a legendary attribute in the figures of Thoth, Hermes, Varuna, Enoch or even Idris.
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| Illustration of Cangjie with four eyes (source: wikipedia.org) |
The true meaning of the expression "Hermes Trismegistus" or "three times the greatest Hermes"
Trismegistus or “three times greatest,” is a marriage of repeated superlative forms, thought to be Egyptian, for example: megas, megas, megas (great, great, great). At the end of the third century AD, this superlative was translated into Greek, with proper reference to Hermes, forming a thrice-pronounced superlative. [Antoine Faivre: Eternal Hermes – From Greek God to Alchemical Magus . 1995 ( source here )]
Fowden asserts that the first data occurrence of the epithet “three times great” is in the Legatio of Athenagoras of Athens and in a fragment from the Philo of Byblos, around 64-141 AD. [Fowden, G., “The Egyptian Hermes”, 1987: 216 ]
However, in a later work, Copenhaver reports that this epithet is first found in the minutes of a council meeting of the Ibis cult, held in 172 BC near Memphis in Egypt. [Copenhaver, BP, “Hermetica” , 1992: xiv]
Hart explains that the nickname comes from Thoth's epithet found in the Temple of Esna, “Thoth the great, the great, the great.” [Hart, G., The Routledge Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses , 2005: 158]
Investigations regarding the time of Hermes Trismegistus in Egypt (during the time he was known as Thoth) are so far unknown, but have been determined to be in the early days of Egypt's oldest dynasty, long before the time of Moses.
In its journey, there were many interpretations of "Trismegistus" that emerged from various circles. Among adherents of Prisca theology (those who believe that there is one true theology - which binds all religions - from ancient times given by God to humans - and through a series of prophets) for example, who think that Trismegistus is about three figures consisting of Enoch, Noah, and the Egyptian priest king known as Hermes Trismegistus – with the title of greatest priest, philosopher and king.
There is also an opinion that says that another account of how Hermes Trismegistus received this nickname comes from Hermes Trismegistus' statement in the Emerald Tablet, that he knew three parts of the wisdom of the entire universe.
I personally think that it is possible that the nickname "Trismegistus" or "three times greatest" is related to the three extraordinary achievements made by Enoch. Two of them are recorded in Hindu mythology. First: his success as the first human to master the science of astronomy earned him the honor of being the god of the sky. Second: his success as the first human to apply astronomy as a science of navigation, especially in sea navigation, earned him the title of god of the sea.
In some literature, he is mentioned as the god of water including seas and rivers. This can be understood because in the past shipping was not only carried out on the sea, but also on rivers, which allowed people to connect from coastal areas to inland areas.
The third extraordinary achievement, which he probably discovered earlier (before astronomy and navigation), was his success as the first human to discover a writing system. This is recorded in the figure of Cangjie in Chinese mythology as the first human to discover script as a writing system.
The attribute of being the "inventor of writing" is actually also found in the figure of the god Thoth in Egyptian mythology, and the god Hermes in Greek mythology, only this attribute is not very prominent, perhaps because there are too many forms of attributes given to these two god figures.
The term "Hermeneutics" comes from the name Hermes
Today we know the term "Hermeneutics", which is a type of philosophy that studies the interpretation of meaning. What is considered is taken from the Greek verb "hermeneuein" which means: to translate, interpret, or give understanding. Whatever it is, it is clear that the word comes from the name of the god Hermes.
However, this fact at least gives us an idea of the true meaning of the name "Hermes", namely: translating, interpreting, or giving understanding.
On the other hand, it completes our understanding of some of Enoch's epithets. Like "Idris" which comes from the word "dars" which means "teaching" - and the name of the God Thoth which some circles argue that the meaning of "Thoth" can be seen in the form of the word "thought" (sound: THot) which means: "thought".
The question is, why did Enoch get a nickname that means "translate", "interpret", or "give understanding"?
I see it has something to do with the Chinese legend which says that the letter characters created by Cangjie can "reveal the secrets of the universe".
This is the reason why in another writings, I use Hanzi characters to translate a name – to look for the hidden meaning in it. For example, in the article: This is the Answer to the Mystery of Noah's Ark .
But indeed, using Hanzi characters in their function to "translate" or "interpret" a name is not an easy matter, I could even say it is very difficult.
Currently known, the total number of Hanzi characters is estimated to be more than 50,000 characters. Modern dictionaries that are considered comprehensive will rarely list more than 20,000, while educated Chinese are thought to be able to use only about 8,000 characters. (source here )
When the translation results of a name have been obtained, sometimes the problem does not end there – because the words that emerge from the translation demand to be "interpreted" again.
For example, when I translate the name of the mountain "judi" that the name of the mountain where the Prophet Noah's ark landed, I get the translation results: "Ju" = chrysanthemum; and “in”= land. The next job of course is to interpret the meaning of these two words. (please read the discussion in this article: This is the Answer to the Mystery of the Prophet Noah's Ark )
Holistically, readers can also see this as an answer to a hadith of the Prophet Muhammad which reads: "seek knowledge all the way to China" .
He seems to know this - just doesn't want to say it openly, and chooses to express it in the form of a sentence...
Thus, at the end of this discussion it seems the reader can see that perhaps there is truth in the letter written anonymously by Ibn Arfa 'Ra's, that Enoch or the Prophet Idris "settled" or "had settled" in the highlands of China.
That's all. Hope it is useful. Regards.