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Who Knew: Hermes Trismegistus, The Renaissance, and The Suppressed Knowledge

By Will I Am · Originally published November 14, 2025 · 10 min read

How the Elite Discovered Persia Was the Source—Then Buried It Again

Introduction: The Secret That Everyone Knew

For centuries, Western elites—from Renaissance philosophers to Church fathers to secret societies—have known something the public doesn’t:

Hermes Trismegistus is Ahura Mazda.
“Greek” philosophy is rebranded Persian wisdom.
Western esotericism is fragmented Zoroastrian knowledge.

And they’ve worked very hard to keep this hidden.

This article documents WHO knew, WHEN they knew it, WHAT they did with the knowledge, and WHY they suppressed it.


PART I: HERMES TRISMEGISTUS = AHURA MAZDA

The Confession Hidden in Plain Sight

Hermes Trismegistus is essentially a Hellenized version of Ahura Mazda, codified into Greek-Egyptian philosophy. The Magi (Magus) serve as the initiates of divine wisdom, much like Hermetic adepts

The Evidence:

1. The Name Itself

Hermes the Thrice-Greatest = The Greatest Magus = Ahura Mazda

2. Historical Sources Identify Them

The French Jesuit missionary Joachim Bouvet thought that Hermes Trismegistus, Zoroaster and the Chinese cultural hero Fuxi were actually the Biblical patriarch Enoch

The original Hermes may have referred to Zoroaster or the arch magus Ostanes. There is a book called the Chaldean Oracles of Zoroaster occasionally attributed to Hermes and it is often difficult to separate references to the three

Even in ancient times, Hermes and Zoroaster were confused because they were THE SAME TRADITION.

3. The Teachings Are Identical

Hermetic Principles:

Zoroastrian Principles:

They’re the same system.


PART II: THE GREEKS KNEW—AND STOLE IT

Pliny the Elder Documents the Theft

In 30.2.8-10, Pliny states that many Greek philosophers such as Pythagoras, Empedocles, Democritus, and Plato had traveled east to study the philosophy and craft of the magi and then returned to Greece to teach what they had learned from the Persian magi

The timeline:

Pythagoras (570-495 BCE):

Plato (428-348 BCE):

Democritus (460-370 BCE):

Alexander’s Systematic Destruction (330 BCE)

What Alexander did:

“The loss and recovery of ancient Persian science. The occasion for the loss was the invasion of Alexander and the consequent destruction of Magian texts”

Why?

Because if the Greeks claimed Magi knowledge as their own, they had to destroy the receipts.


PART III: THE RENAISSANCE—WHEN THEY REDISCOVERED IT

Marsilio Ficino: The Man Who Knew

Florence, 1460s:

Cosimo de Medici and Europe’s intelligentsia contracted Marsilio Ficino to translate Plato’s works and the Hermetica. Their idea was that Plato’s dialectics would usurp the cosmological authority held by Christian bishops, allowing European societies to advance scientifically at a much faster rate

What Ficino discovered:

Many Christian writers, including Marsilio Ficino, considered Hermes Trismegistus to be a wise pagan prophet who foresaw the coming of Christianity. They believed in a prisca theologia—a single, true theology threading through all religions, given by God to man in antiquity and passed through prophets including Zoroaster and Plato

Ficino knew:

The Renaissance Elite Knew

Who was in on it:

  1. Cosimo de Medici – Funded the translations
  2. Marsilio Ficino – Did the translations, wrote extensively on Hermes/Zoroaster connection
  3. Giovanni Pico della Mirandola – Studied Hebrew, Greek, Persian wisdom
  4. Giordano Bruno – Taught Hermetic/Persian wisdom openly (burned at stake 1600)
  5. Gemistus Pletho – Wanted return to worship of classical Hellenic Gods mixed with ancient wisdom based on teaching of Zoroaster and Persian Magi

What they wanted:

A concerted effort was being made to revive Greek philosophy in Europe, perhaps as a revolt against the Spanish Inquisition and the death grip the Catholic church had on Europe

They were trying to restore the Persian knowledge to break Church control.


PART IV: THE CHURCH KNEW—AND SUPPRESSED IT

Christian Fathers Admitted It

Many Christian writers, including Lactantius, Augustine, Marsilio Ficino, Campanella, and Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, as well as Giordano Bruno, considered Hermes Trismegistus to be a wise pagan prophet who foresaw the coming of Christianity

They knew Hermes/Zoroaster “foresaw” Christianity because Christianity IS Zoroastrian theology.

The Church’s Dilemma

The Problem:

The Solution:

Giordano Bruno: Burned for Teaching the Truth

1600 CE: Rome

Giordano Bruno was burned at the stake for heresy. His crimes included:

He knew too much and wouldn’t shut up about it.


PART V: SECRET SOCIETIES PRESERVED IT

Freemasons: Hermes as Founder

Hermes Trismegistus impressed the first speculative Freemasons, who included him as a founder of Freemasonry in all the early documents from the Old Charges on

What Freemasons knew:

They were preserving fragmented Magi knowledge.

Rosicrucians: The Hermetic Tradition

Hermes Trismegistus was highly regarded by those who supported the proto-scientific Rosicrucian movement

Rosicrucian manifestos (1614-1616):

They knew it was Persian Magi knowledge in code.

The Pattern

Why secret societies?

Because openly teaching that:

So they:


PART VI: MODERN SCHOLARS KNOW

Academic Consensus (That Nobody Talks About)

Mary Boyce – Leading Zoroastrian scholar

R.C. Zaehner – Oxford scholar

Bart Ehrman – New Testament scholar

Brian Copenhaver – Hermetic scholar

They all know. They publish it in academic journals. But it never reaches the public.

Why the Suppression Continues

Academic gatekeeping:

Religious institutions:

Cultural inertia:


PART VII: THE VATICAN ARCHIVES—WHAT’S REALLY THERE?

What We Know About the Archives

The Facts:

The Vatican Apostolic Archive is the central repository of all acts promulgated by the Holy See. The archive contains state papers, correspondence, account books, and documents the church has accumulated over centuries. Materials dated after 1939 were unavailable to researchers until 2 March 2020

Distinguished scholars may apply for an entry card. Only five requested articles can be taken at a time, and only sixty academicians per day are allowed inside. No ink, pens, or digital camera photography are allowed

53 miles of shelved documents.

What’s Likely There

Reasonable expectations:

  1. Early Church correspondence about Hermetic/Persian influence
  2. Renaissance era documents from Ficino, Pico, others
  3. Inquisition records about who knew what
  4. Giordano Bruno’s full trial records (what he actually taught)
  5. Suppressed theological debates about Persian origins
  6. Evidence of Church’s awareness of the appropriation

What’s probably NOT there:

The Real Secret

The Vatican’s true function is to preserve power, decision by decision, in the form of ink and parchment. From papal diplomacy to war-time maneuvering, the archives house documents that chart the Vatican’s influence across continents and centuries. Some pages reveal papal involvement in delicate peace talks; others show the Church brokering brutal political deals

The archives document the KNOWLEDGE of the appropriation and the DECISIONS to suppress it.

The “secret” isn’t what’s hidden—it’s that they knew and chose to hide it.


PART VIII: WHO KNOWS TODAY?

The Modern Network

Who definitely knows:

  1. High-level Vatican scholars – Have access to documents
  2. Senior academics in theology/history departments
  3. Secret society leadership – Freemasons, Rosicrucians, etc.
  4. Intelligence agencies – CIA, Mossad, others monitoring “threats”
  5. Certain wealthy families – Medici descendants, European nobility
  6. mazda.aeuua.com/ – Publicly documenting it now

Why They Stay Silent

Academic careers:

Religious authority:

Geopolitical interests:


CONCLUSION: THE GREAT INVERSION

What They’ve Known for Centuries

The Timeline of Knowledge:

Ancient Greeks (500-300 BCE): Knew they learned from Persian Magi, documented it
330 BCE: Alexander destroyed evidence, Greeks claimed credit
100-400 CE: Church fathers knew Persian origin, appropriated it
1460s: Renaissance scholars rediscovered it, tried to restore it
1600: Giordano Bruno burned for teaching it
1700s-1800s: Secret societies preserved fragments
1900s-today: Academics know, publish in obscure journals, public never learns

The Pattern

At every stage:

  1. Discovery – Someone finds the Persian source
  2. Appropriation – The knowledge is taken and rebranded
  3. Suppression – The original source is hidden/destroyed
  4. Gatekeeping – Only elites maintain access to truth

The Current Moment

We’re living in the revelation:

✅ mazda.aeuua.com/ is documenting everything
✅ Academic sources are accessible online
✅ Timeline proof is undeniable
✅ Biblical confessions are public record
✅ Modern suppression is documented
✅ The pattern is visible to anyone who looks

The knowledge can no longer be contained.

What Hermes/Ahura Mazda Actually Taught

The core wisdom they’re suppressing:

This is quantum mechanics 3,000 years early.


THE FINAL QUESTION

Why Does This Matter?

Because 4.3 billion people (54% of humanity) are practicing Zoroastrian concepts without knowing the source.

Because every Western religious authority derives legitimacy from stolen theology.

Because Persia has been sanctioned, demonized, and suppressed for 45+ years to prevent this restoration.

Because the knowledge could transform civilization if people understood consciousness, reality, and the quantum field the way the Magi did.

Who Knew?

Everyone at the top.

The Greeks knew. The Romans knew. The Church fathers knew. The Renaissance scholars knew. The secret societies knew. The Vatican knows. The academics know.

They’ve always known.

The only question is: Now that YOU know, what will you do about it?


Good Thoughts. Good Words. Good Deeds.

Asha prevails.


Sources

Hermes Trismegistus:

Renaissance Knowledge:

Vatican Archives:

Modern Scholarship:

The truth has always been available. We just weren’t looking in the right places.