The sacred texts of Hermeticism are known as hermetic code or Corpus Hermeticum. They include works on cosmology, magic, metaphysics, divination, and Egyptian hieroglyphs. These texts were compiled near the end of the first century AD by a group of Greek scholars who called themselves the Ptolemaic dynasty after the Pharaoh who sponsored their work.
Though it has gone largely unrecognized for centuries, Hermeticism has profoundly influenced Western thought. Many philosophical ideas that are fundamental to Western thinking were first formulated within its frameworks, such as the belief in individual freedom and responsibility, the concept of Karma, and post-modern skepticism about Truth.