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The Emerald Tablet, also known as Smaragdine Table, Tabula Smaragdina, or The Secret of Hermes, is an ancient text purporting to reveal the secret of the primordial substance and its transmutations. Its claims to be the work of Hermes Trismegistus ("Hermes the Thrice-Great"), a legendary Egyptian sage or god, variously identified with the Egyptian god Thoth and/or the Greek god Hermes. This short and cryptic text was highly regarded by European alchemists as the foundation of their art, in particular of its Hermetic tradition. // Transmutation is the conversion of one object into another. ...
Hermes Trismegistus (Greek for Hermes the thrice-greatest, Greek: ΕÏμης ο ΤÏισμεγιστος) or Mercurius ter Maximus in Latin, is the syncretism of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian Thoth. ...
Egyptian mythology or Egyptian religion is the succession of tentative beliefs held by the people of Egypt for over three thousand years, prior to major exposure to Christianity and Islam. ...
Thoth (Ramesseum, Luxor) In Egyptian mythology, Thoth (also spelled Thot or Thout), pronounced Toe-th, is the Greek name given to Djehuty (also spelt Tahuti, Tehuti, Zehuti, Techu, Tetu) - the original pronunciation of his name is disputed, and may have been approximately Tee-HOW-ti -, who was originally the deification...
Greek mythological characters (Most of the gods and goddesses had Roman equivalents. ...
Hermes bearing the infant Dionysus, by Praxiteles Hermes (Greek IPA: ), in Greek mythology, is the Olympian god of boundaries and of the travellers who cross them, of shepherds and cowherds, of orators and wit, of literature and poets, of athletics, of weights and measures and invention and commerce in general...
For other articles with similar names, see Alchemy (disambiguation). ...
Hermes Trismegistus depicted as European in a medieval rendering. ...
The tablet text
Newton's translation One translation, by Isaac Newton, found among his alchemical papers: Sir Isaac Newton, FRS (4 January 1643 – 31 March 1727) [ OS: 25 December 1642 – 20 March 1727][1] was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, alchemist, and natural philosopher, regarded by many as the greatest figure in the history of science. ...
For other articles with similar names, see Alchemy (disambiguation). ...
- 1. Tis true without lying, certain & most true.
- 2. That which is below is like that which is above & that which is above is like that which is below to do the miracles of one only thing.
- 3. And as all things have been & arose from one by the meditation of one: so all things have their birth from this one thing by adaptation.
- 4. The Sun is its father, the moon its mother,
- 5. The wind hath carried it in its belly, the earth its nurse.
- 6. The father of all perfection in the whole world is here.
- 7. Its force or power is entire if it be converted into earth.
- 7a. Separate thou the earth from the fire, the subtle from the gross sweetly with great industry.
- 8. It ascends from the earth to the heaven & again it desends to the earth and receives the force of things superior & inferior.
- 9. By this means you shall have the glory of the whole world & thereby all obscurity shall fly from you.
- 10. Its force is above all force, for it vanquishes every subtle thing & penetrates every solid thing.
- 11a. So was the world created.
- 12. From this are & do come admirable adaptaions where of the means (or process) is here in this.
- 13. Hence I am called Hermes Trismegist, having the three parts of the philosophy of the whole world.
- 14. That which I have said of the operation of the Sun is accomplished & ended.
Hermes Trismegistuss axiom, As Above, So Below is a key metaphysical concept. ...
Beato translation Another translation from Aurelium Occultae Philosophorum by Georgio Beato: - 1) This is true and remote from all cover of falsehood.
- 2) Whatever is below is similar to that which is above. Through this the marvels of the work of one thing are procured and perfected.
- 3) Also, as all things are made from one, by the consideration of one, so all things were made from this one, by conjunction.
- 4) The father of it is the sun, the mother the moon.
- 5) The wind bore it in the womb. Its nurse is the earth, the mother of all perfection.
- 6a)Its power is perfected.
- 7) If it is turned into earth,
- 7a) separate the earth from the fire, the subtle and thin from the crude and coarse, prudently, with modesty and wisdom.
- 8) This ascends from the earth into the sky and again descends from the sky to the earth, and receives the power and efficacy of things above and of things below.
- 9) By this means you will acquire the glory of the whole world, and so you will drive away all shadows and blindness.
- 10) For this by its fortitude snatches the palm from all other fortitude and power. For it is able to penetrate and subdue everything subtle and everything crude and hard.
- 11a) By this means the world was founded
- 12) and hence the marvelous cojunctions of it and admirable effects, since this is the way by which these marvels may be brought about.
- 13) And because of this they have called me Hermes Tristmegistus since I have the three parts of the wisdom and Philsosphy of the whole universe.
- 14) My speech is finished which I have spoken concerning the solar work.
Latin text Original edition of the Latin text. ([[Chrysogonus Polydorus, Nuremberg 1541): Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ...
In Greek mythology, Polydorus referred to three different people. ...
Nuremberg (German: Nürnberg) is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. ...
Verum, sine mendacio, certum et verissimum: Quod est inferius est sicut quod est superius, et quod est superius est sicut quod est inferius, ad perpetranda miracula rei unius. Et sicut res omnes fuerunt ab uno, meditatione unius, sic omnes res natae ab hac una re, adaptatione. Pater eius est Sol. Mater eius est Luna. Portavit illud Ventus in ventre suo. Nutrix eius terra est. Pater omnis telesmi* totius mundi est hic. Virtus eius integra est si versa fuerit in terram. Separabis terram ab igne, subtile ab spisso, suaviter, magno cum ingenio. Ascendit a terra in coelum, iterumque descendit in terram, et recipit vim superiorum et inferiorum. Sic habebis Gloriam totius mundi. Ideo fugiet a te omnis obscuritas. Haec est totius fortitudinis fortitudo fortis, quia vincet omnem rem subtilem, omnemque solidam penetrabit. Sic mundus creatus est. Hinc erunt adaptationes mirabiles, quarum modus est hic. Itaque vocatus sum Hermes Trismegistus, habens tres partes philosophiae totius mundi. Completum est quod dixi de operatione Solis.
Contemporary rendering of Latin text True, without error, certain and most true: That which is above is as that which is below, and that which is below is as that which is above, to perform the miracles of the one thing. And as all things were from [the] one, by [means of] the meditation of [the] one, thus all things of the daughter from [the] one, by [means of] adaptation. Its father is the sun, its mother[,]the moon, the wind carried it in its belly, its nurse is the earth. The father of all the looms of the whole world is here. Its power is integrating if it be turned into earth. Separate the earth from the fire, the fine from the dense, delicately, by [means of/to] the great [together] with capacity. It ascends by [means of] earth into heaven and again it descends into the earth, and retakes the power of the superior[s] and of the inferior[s]. Thus[,] you have the glory of the whole world. Therefore[,] may it drive-out by [means of] you of all the obscurity. This is the whole of the strength of the strong force, because it overcomes all fine things, and penetrates all the complete. Thus the world has been created. Hence they were wonderful adaptations, of which this is the manner. Therefore I am Hermes the Thrice Great, having the three parts of the philosophy of the whole world. What I have said concerning the operation of the Sun has been completed. - sometimes written Thelesmi. This indicates a Greek origin. The Latin word "Tela" (ae,fem.) roughly means "loom" or "incomplete cloth". The true meaning of the word is somewhat obscure.
Textual history The oldest documentable source for the text is the Kitab Sirr al-Asrar, a pseudo-Aristotelian compendium of advice for rulers authored by Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani in around 800 AD. This work was translated into Latin as Secretum Secretorum (The Secret of Secrets) by Johannes "Hispalensis" or Hispaniensis (John of Seville) ca. 1140 and by Philip of Tripoli c. 1243. Sheikh Muhyiddeen Abdul Qadir Gilani (1077 – 1166 CE) was a mystic scholar and saint of Islam. ...
Two charts for determining whether a person will live or die based on the numerical value of the patients name. ...
John of Seville (Latin: Johannes Hispalensis or Johannes Hispaniensis) was a twelfth-century translator, perhaps however working at Galician Limia (Ourense), for he signed himself Johannes Hispalensis atque Limiensis, during the Reconquista, the Christian campaign to regain the Iberian Peninsula. ...
Events Henry Jasomirgott was made count palatine of the Rhine. ...
// Events Innocent IV was elected pope. ...
In the 14th century, the alchemist Ortolanus wrote a substantial exegesis on "The Secret of Hermes," which was influential on the subsequent development of alchemy. Many manuscripts of this copy of the Emerald Tablet and the commentary of Ortolanus survive, dating at least as far back as the 15th century.
The Tablet has also been found appended to manuscripts of the Kitab Ustuqus al-Uss al-Thani (Second Book of the Elements of Foundation) attributed to Jabir ibn Hayyan, and the Kitab Sirr al-Khaliqa wa San`at al-Tabi`a ("Book of the Secret of Creation and the Art of Nature"), dated between 650 and 830 AD. 15th century European portrait of Geber, Codici Ashburnhamiani 1166, Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Florence Abu Musa Jabir Ibn Hayyan, in Latin Geber, was one of the most notable Islamic alchemists. ...
Influence In its several Western recensions, the Tablet became a mainstay of medieval and Renaissance alchemy. Commentaries and/or translations were published by, among others, Trithemius, Roger Bacon, Michael Maier, Aleister Crowley, Albertus Magnus, and Isaac Newton. Raphael was famous for depicting illustrious figures of the Classical past with the features of his Renaissance contemporaries. ...
Polygraphia (1518) — the first printed book on cryptography. ...
Statue of Roger Bacon in the Oxford University Museum Roger Bacon (c. ...
Michael Maier (1568–1622) was a German physician, a counsellor to Rudolf II Habsburg and a learned alchemist. ...
Aleister Crowley, born Edward Alexander Crowley, (12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947; the surname is pronounced with the first syllable sounding like the bird) was an English occultist, prolific writer, mystic, hedonist, and sexual revolutionary. ...
Albertus Magnus (1193? – November 15, 1280), also known as Saint Albert the Great and Albert of Cologne, was a Dominican friar who became famous for his comprehensive knowledge and advocacy for the peaceful coexistence of science and religion. ...
Sir Isaac Newton, FRS (4 January 1643 – 31 March 1727) [ OS: 25 December 1642 – 20 March 1727][1] was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, alchemist, and natural philosopher, regarded by many as the greatest figure in the history of science. ...
C.G. Jung identified "The Emerald Tablet" with a table made of green stone which he encountered in the first of a set of his dreams and visions beginning at the end of 1912, and climaxing in his writing the Seven Sermons to the Dead in 1916. Carl Gustav Jung Carl Gustav Jung (July 26, 1875 – June 6, 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist and founder of the neopsychoanalytic school of psychology. ...
Because of its longstanding popularity, the Emerald Tablet is the only piece of non-Greek Hermetica to attract widespread attention in the West. The reason that the Emerald Tablet was so valuable is because it contained the instructions for the goals of alchemists. It hinted at the recipe for alchemical gold, as well as how to set one's level of consciousness to a new degree. Hermetica refers to a category of popular Late Antique literature purporting to contain secret wisdom, and generally attributed to Hermes Trismegistus. ...
The 2nd line of the Emerald Tablet was used in the lyrics of the song Miracula Aeternitatis, written by Violaine Corradi in the album/show of Cirque du Soleil Dralion.
Bibliography - Holmyard, E.J. "The Emerald Table" Nature, No. 2814, Vol. 112, Oct 6th 1923, pp 525-6.
- Holmyard, E.J. Alchemy, Pelican, Harmondsworth, 1957. pp95-8.
- Needham, J. Science and Civilisation in China, vol. 5, part 4: Spagyrical discovery and invention: Apparatus, Theories and gifts. CUP, 1980.
- Ruska, Julius. Die Alchimie ar-Razi's. n.p., 1935.
- Ruska, Julius. Quelques problemes de litterature alchimiste. n.p., 1931.
- Stapleton, H.E., Lewis, G.L, Sherwood Taylor, F. "The sayings of Hermes quoted in the Ma Al-Waraqi of Ibn Umail. " Ambix, vol. 3, 1949, pp 69-90.
- M.Robinson. "The History and Myths surrounding Johannes Hispalensis," in Bulletin of Hispanic Studies vol. 80, no. 4, October 2003, pp. 443-470, abstract.
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