36 HERMES TRISMEGISTUS. 



CHAPTER V. 



Of Hermes the Trismegistus, to his own Son Tat. 

 That the Invisible God is most Manifest. 



I ' 1. THIS discourse also, Tat ! I will go through with 

 ' thee, in order that thou mayst not be uninitiate in the 

 Name of The more excellent God; but do thou understand, 

 how that seeming to the many nonapparent, shall become 

 very apparent to thee. For it would not be, if it were non- 

 apparent. For everything apparent is generated (a), for it 

 hath appeared. But the nonapparent always is, for it has 

 no need to appear. For it ever is, and makes all other 

 things apparent. He being nonapparent, as ever being, 

 Himself making manifest (&), is not made manifest ; not 

 Himself generated ; but in imagination (c) imagining all 

 things. 1 For imagination is of the things generated only. 

 For imagination is naught but generation. 



(a) yevvviTOV. (&) (pctvtpatt. (c) 



which is the worker of all things, taught me : for in her is an under- 



standing Spirit, holy, One only, manifold, subtile, lively, clear, un- 

 defiled, plain, not subject to hurt, loving the thing that is good, 

 quick, which cannot be letted, ready to do good ; kind to man, sted- 

 fast, sure, free from care, having all power, overseeing all things, and 

 going through all understanding, pure and most subtile Spirit. 

 For Wisdom is more moving than any motion : she passeth and 

 goeth through all things by reason of her pureness. For She is the 

 breath of the power of God, and a pure influence flowing from the 

 'Glory of the Almighty : therefore can no defiled thing fall into her. 

 For she is the brightness of the everlasting Light, the unspotted 

 mirror of the power of God, and the Image of his Goodness. And 

 being but one, she can do all things : and remaining in herself, she 

 maketh all things new: and in all ages entering into holy souls, she 

 maketh them friends of God, and prophets. For God loveth none 

 but him that dwelleth with "Wisdom. For she is more beautiful 

 than the Sun, and above all the order of Stars : being compared with 

 the Light she is found before It." 



The Septuagint has no essential difference. 



C x Imagination, or Phantasy, seems here to be equivalent to the 



* " Idea" previously spoken of. 



