The Secret Source. Maja D'Aoust

Asclepius, a student of Hermes Trismegistus, as suggested by the existence of the Corpus Hermeticum writing, “The Asclepiad.” The cult of the Asclepians was popular around 300 BC, the same time that Alexandria began to flourish, when Asclepius was adapted by the Greeks and came to be known as the Greek god of healing. Like Christ, Asclepius died and descended to the underworld before being resurrected. Both Asclepius and Christ were the sons of a mortal woman and a god, Asclepius being born to Apollo and Christ being born to Jehova.

      Asclepius, like Jesus, used no small amount of faith when healing the sick in his temples:

      Tales of the marvelous cures effected at the healing temples spread the fame of the healing deity, Asklepios, throughout Greece. It was such common knowledge that the sick, in going to these sanctuaries for relief, were probably already imbued with a certain religious fervor, while their imagination was excited by the hope that they also might be the recipient of the divine grace.⁴⁸

      In the Iamata, Asclepius is recorded as healing such illnesses as paralysis and blindness, some of Jesus’ most famous accomplishments. The early Christian church Fathers were not ignorant of these similarities, and went about replacing the Asclepian temples with Christian churches whenever possible. In the Byzantine empire, for example, where the popularity of Asclepius was rampant, the Christian church made quick work of pronouncing him an agent of the Devil, and then converted or killed all of his followers:

      Despite the institutionalization of Christianity as the state religion of the Byzantine Empire, the popularity of the pagan cult of Asclepius was unshaken. Christianity’s inability to triumph provoked resentment on the part of the Church Fathers, which they released in demonizing Asclepius who, according to Lactantius and the Acta Pilati, cast out devils in the name of the Devil, and in ostracizing Asclepius’ medical disciples—the doctors. The vindictiveness unleashed in the destruction by Christians of Asclepius’ shrines, notably at Dor, was the popular expression and outlet of the same frustration. As Asclepius persisted in attracting followers, the Church changed its tactics. It absorbed physically the sacredness inherent in Asclepian sanctuaries by building churches over them, as at Dor, as well as appropriated and Christianized the healing rites of Christ’s main rival.⁴⁹

      We also find parallels to the miracle “mind cure” healings of Jesus in the Hermetic individual known as Apollonius of Tyana. A contemporary of Christ, Apollonius of Tyana’s life was so similar to that of Jesus, many argue that they were the same individual⁵⁰

      All through the third century, there is repeated mention of this (Apollonius’ teachings). But it was not until Hierocles, in the beginning of the fourth century, boldly charged upon the Christian priesthood their plagiarism of the teachings and works of Apollonius that the latter found it necessary to set every means at work that could in any way help to conceal the great truth that Hierocles proclaimed with such portentous force.⁵¹

      Apollonius became known as a great healer when he spent time in the Asclepian temple of Aegae. Apollonius remained there for years, and he showed an astonishing gift for healing and clairvoyance. If one were to agree with several scholars’ suppositions that Apollonius and Jesus were in fact the same person, this would indicate that Christ was directly involved in a lineage to the Hermetic healing arts. Among Apollonius’ credits are raising the dead, exorcizing a devil afflicting a boy by writing the devil a threatening letter, and curing a blind man and a man with a withered hand. Apollonius was also resurrected and ascended to heaven in front of witnesses.⁵² We cannot confirm that the origins of the mind cure are solely Hermetic, either, as we also find this information in Indian and Chinese healing modalities that predate Egypt. Additionally, shamanic teachings that stretch back to pre-history echo Hermetic procedures.

Giant Fiery Flying Serpents

      The origin of the mind cure takes us back to the initial problem of the origins of Hermetic philosophy: giant fiery flying serpents. Can it be coincidental that the serpent is known for hypnotizing, or mesmerizing, its prey before ingestion? Or is the mind cure linked to serpent knowledge? In the Hermetic Asclepian temples, healing was always performed while the healers were surrounded by serpents. In all mythological language, the snake is an emblem of immortality. The shedding of its skin makes the serpent a symbol for rebirth and renewal in all cultures.