▁The ▁church ▁father ▁Clement ▁of ▁Alexand ria , ▁in ▁the ▁sixth ▁book ▁of ▁his ▁work ▁St rom ata , ▁mentions ▁forty - two ▁books ▁used ▁by ▁Egypt ian ▁pri ests ▁that ▁he ▁says ▁contain ▁" the ▁whole ▁philosophy ▁of ▁the ▁Egypt ians ". ▁All ▁these ▁books , ▁according ▁to ▁Clement , ▁were ▁written ▁by ▁Herm es ▁( a ▁pre - ex isting ▁Greek ▁god ▁that ▁the ▁Gree ks ▁li ken ed ▁to ▁Th oth , ▁claim ing ▁they ▁were ▁one ▁and ▁the ▁same ▁god , ▁having ▁similar ▁qual ities , ▁e . g . ▁both ▁invent ed ▁writing ). ▁Trans lation ▁from ▁Egypt ian ▁language ▁and ▁concepts ▁to ▁Greek ▁language ▁and ▁concepts ▁was ▁not ▁entirely ▁accurate ▁and ▁some ▁of ▁the ▁Egypt ian ▁authentic ity ▁was ▁lost . ▁Among ▁the ▁subjects ▁they ▁cover ▁are ▁h ym ns , ▁rit uals , ▁temple ▁construction , ▁ast ro log y , ▁ge ography , ▁and ▁medicine . ▁ ▁The ▁Egypt olog ists ▁Richard ▁Lewis ▁Jas now ▁and ▁Karl - The odor ▁Z au z ich ▁have ▁dub bed ▁a ▁long ▁Egypt ian ▁text ▁from ▁the ▁P to le ma ic ▁period ▁" the ▁Book ▁of ▁Th oth ". ▁This ▁Dem otic ▁text , ▁known ▁from ▁more ▁than ▁forty ▁fragment ary ▁copies , ▁consists ▁of ▁a ▁dialog ue ▁between ▁a ▁person ▁called ▁" The - one - who - lo ves - know ledge " ▁and ▁a ▁figure ▁that ▁Jas now ▁and ▁Z au z ich ▁identify ▁as ▁Th oth . ▁The ▁topics ▁of ▁their ▁conversation ▁include