Jethro, Moses and Mary the prophetess

Meaning

The dedication reports a wisdom genealogy in which historians identify Hermes with Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, printed Getro. It then assigns cabala to the teaching of Moses and occult philosophy to his sister Marie, called prophetess. These are separate recipients and bodies of teaching within the narrative.

The reporting language matters: this is an ancient-authority claim used to dignify hidden philosophy, not an authenticated identification of Hermes, Jethro or Mary. Nor should the printed Marie be silently replaced by a modern harmonization of different traditions. The mention of a fragment supplies the form in which testimony is invoked, without independently establishing its origin or completeness.