Hermeticism, also called
Hermetism, is a religious, philosophical, and esoteric tradition based primarily upon writings attributed to
Hermes Trismegistus ("Thrice Great"). These writings have greatly influenced the
Western esoteric tradition and were considered to be of great importance during both the
Renaissance and the
Reformation. The tradition claims descent from a
prisca theologia, a doctrine that affirms the existence of a single, true
theology that is present in all religions and that was given by God to man in
antiquity.