L’image de Mercure, inventeur des Lettres et des Lois, à l'époque moderne
Résumé
The image of Hermes, author and inventor of Words, Language and Law, derives from Plato. Immensely popular in Early Modern European culture, the Platonic tradition has naturally rooted Hermes as one of the main sources for the construction of the Early-Modern images of Law and Justice. This article will argue that Renaissance humanists have understood Hermes as a symbol of divine word, human inspired invention, hieroglyphic writing and applied rhetorics. The latter refers mainly to professions that use words as instruments of negotiation or persuasion.