Presences of Hermetism in Martianus Capella De nuptiis Mercurii et Philologiae

Abstract

The present paper aims to study the traces of Hermetism in De nuptiis Mercurii et Philologiae, written by Martianus Capella in 5 A.D., within the context of cultural transformations of Late Antiquity. We will focus in two aspects: the prologue of the work, which refers by some intertextual allusions to the beginning of the Aslcepius, and the figure of Mercurius, in which many hermetic elements are concentrated. Through our analysis we expect to demonstrate the relevance of the presence of hermetic features in the composition level of Martianus’ work.