A system of theological and mystical philosophy that developed around the second century, although believers came to accept that the texts were much older than they really were, possibly even predating Moses of the Old Testament. The Hermetic works are assigned to the authorship of Hermes Trismegistus ("Hermes Thrice-Greatest"), but were, in fact, composed by several anonymous individuals.
Hermeticism developed at roughly the same time as Neoplatonism and Gnosticism, and the three share several commonalities.
The Hermetic texts stress the unity of God and humanity's attempt to return to that unity. This context made it appealing and acceptable to many Christians when the texts were rediscovered during the Renaissance, although the texts are not specifically Christian in nature.
