Declaration on the Name of Jesus

BOOK I.

A ij

...born Hermes Trismegistus A legendary Hellenistic figure portrayed as a combination of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth, credited with writing the Hermetic corpus., and many after him: Plotinus, and Iamblichus original: "statio" — this word is unclear; it may be a corruption of "citato" (cited) or a reference to a specific school or location.: who say that with those names, uttered in the manner described, the Demons In this Neoplatonic context, 'Demons' (daimones) refers to intermediary spirits or supernatural entities that inhabit the air, rather than purely evil beings. are conquered. And this: through God's providence, whenever the need arises, we may rightly use them, invoking help from them. They say that this was first used and observed by Pythagoras, of whom they say that with certain divine words he cured some of many infirmities, both of the soul and of the body. We find this same way of proceeding in the wisdom of Zoroaster: which Plato calls divine in the Alcibiades The Alcibiades I, a Socratic dialogue, discusses the "magic" of Zoroaster as being the true worship of the gods.. No one should marvel at such power|virtù: In Renaissance philosophy, this refers to the 'occult' or inherent efficacy of a thing to produce a specific effect. hidden in divine names if they consider this natural power: when we see knowledge descend from the object to the sense, and from the senses to the imagination, and from this to the mind; and from the mind, the first concept is conceived, then, almost as if by way of childbirth, it is expressed by means of the voice. Therefore, in this voice, formed of its various parts, the power of the thing remains hidden under the form of meanings. This power, or life, first originates from the mind through the seeds of things The "seminal reasons" (logoi spermatikoi), a concept suggesting that the rational blueprints for all things exist within the divine mind., then is brought forth by the voice, and ultimately is preserved through writing. Wherefore, if all names include within themselves a certain power...