The Emerald Tablet was purportedly written by Hermes Trismegistus (which means Hermes Great Three Times) Hermes is believed to be a synthesis of the Greek God Hermes and the Egyptian God Thoth. Hermes Trismegistus reportedly wrote many texts. By analysing the style of Greek used in the texts, they were determined to be from around 300 AD, which would mean Hermes lived around that time. There is some disagreement on this point, though. Some believe that Hermes may have been an oral teacher, and it was only in 300AD that his teachings were written down, so he could have lived much earlier. Cicero (106BC to 43BC), a Roman statesman and philosopher, noted several Hermes in his writing, so it is possible that Hermes was around just before the Birth of Christ or it may be that many people were called Hermes then.
Hermes was apparently both a philosopher and an alchemist (someone who tries to change base metals into gold, searches for a panacea (one drug that cures everything) and searches for the elixir of longevity). His writings were revisited during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, when those pursuits enjoyed a revival.
It is confusing whether Hermes was a person or a god. If he is a god, or the combination of two gods, as his name suggests, where is he now? Aren’t gods immortal? And if he were a god, why would he need earthly things, such as an elixir of life or a panacea? It seems much more likely, given his pursuits, that he was a person.
Given that Hermes is credited with writing both in Greek and texts about Egyptian priest rituals, there may have been several writings that were collected under his name. Hermes’ writings were known collectively as Hermetica. He was very secretive, hence his writings containing “The Secret”. In fact, the term “hermetically sealed” comes from his reputation of sealing treasure chests with magic so that no one and nothing could get into it. The hermetic tradition refers to alchemy, magic, astrology and related subjects.
Read what the Emerald Tablet says>
