The Emerald Tablet

The origins of Western alchemy can be traced back to Hellenistic Egypt, in particular to the city of Alexandria where the Catholic New Testament originates from. One of the most important characters in the mythology of alchemy is Hermes Trismegistus (Hermes the Thrice-Great). The name of this figure is derived from the Egyptian god of wisdom, Thoth, and his Greek counterpart, Hermes. The Hermetica, which is said to be written by Hermes Trismegistus, is generally regarded as the basis of Western alchemical philosophy and practice. In addition, Hermes Trismegistus is also believed to be the author of the Emerald Tablet.

The Emerald Tablet is said to be a tablet of emerald or green stone inscribed with the secrets of the universe. The source of the original Emerald Tablet is unclear; hence it is surrounded by legends. The most common story claims that the tablet was found in a caved tomb under the statue of Hermes in Tyana, clutched in the hands of the corpse of Hermes Trismegistus himself.

And the creator of the Emerald Tablet has been provided in myth as the Egyptian god Thoth, who Armando Mei writes “divided his knowledge into 42 plates of emerald, codifying the great scientific principles ruling the Universe. The legend tells that after the gods’ fall, the Hermetic tablets were cleverly hidden so that no human being might find them. Only Thoth, on his return to that dimension, was able to recover the mysterious book.”

Another legend suggests that it was the third son of Adam and Eve, Seth, who originally wrote it. Others believed that the tablet was once held within the Ark of the Covenant. Some even claim that the original source of the Emerald Tablet is none other than the fabled city of Atlantis.

While various claims have been made regarding the origins of the Emerald Tablet, as yet no verifiable evidence has been found to support them. The oldest documentable source of the Emerald Tablet’s text is the Kitab sirr al-haliqi (Book of the Secret of Creation and the Art of Nature), which was itself a composite of earlier works.

This was an Arabic work written in the 8th century AD and attributed to ‘Balinas’ or Pseudo-Apollonius of Tyana. It is Balinas who provides us with the story of how he discovered the Emerald Tablet in the caved tomb. Based on this Arabic work, some believe that the Emerald Tablet was also an Arabic text and written between the 6th and 8th centuries AD, rather than a piece of work from Antiquity, as many have claimed.

While Balinas claimed that the Emerald Tablet was written originally in Greek, the original document that he purportedly possessed no longer exists, if indeed it existed at all. Some say the text burned up in the Library of Alexandria. Nevertheless, Balinas’ version of the text itself quickly became well-known, and has been translated by various people over the centuries.

For instance, an early version of the Emerald Tablet also appeared in a work called the Kitab Ustuqus al-Uss al-Thani (Second Book of the Elements of the Foundation), which is attributed to Jabir ibn Hayyan. It would, however, take several more centuries before the text was accessible to Europeans. In the 12th century AD, the Emerald Tablet was translated into Latin by Hugo von Santalla.

The Emerald Tablet would become one of the pillars of Western alchemy. It was a highly influential text in medieval and Renaissance alchemy, and probably still is today. In addition to translations of the Emerald Tablet, numerous commentaries have also been written regarding its contents.

For instance, a translation by Isaac Newton was discovered among his alchemical papers. This translation is currently being held in King’s College Library in Cambridge University. Other notable researchers of the Emerald Tablet include Roger Bacon, Albertus Magnus, John Dee, and Aleister Crowley. And today knowledge of the legendary Emerald Tablet (at least one interpretation of it) is reaching new audiences with its presence in the surreal German-language series Dark.

The interpretation of the Emerald Text is not a straightforward matter, as it is after all a piece of esoteric text. One interpretation, for instance, suggests that the text describes seven stages of alchemical transformation – calcination, dissolution, separation, conjunction, fermentation, distillation and coagulation. Yet, despite the various interpretations available, it seems that none of their authors claim to possess knowledge of the whole truth. Furthermore, readers are encouraged to read the text and try to interpret and find the hidden truths themselves.

The Emerald Tablet, also known as the Smaragdine Tablet or the Tabula Smaragdina is a compact and cryptic Hermetic text from Egypt. It was highly regarded by Islamic and European alchemists as the foundation of their art. Though attributed to the legendary Hellenistic figure Hermes Trismegistus, the text of the Emerald Tablet first appears in a number of early medieval Arabic sources, the oldest of which dates to the late eighth or early ninth century. It was translated into Latin several times in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Numerous interpretations and commentaries followed.

This text is referred to as the Emerald Tablets, an ancient text supposedly carved into emerald or green stone, though the actual tablets have never been found. No one is sure when the tablets were actually written, but they were attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, or ''Hermes, the Thrice-Great. By comparing the vocabulary used with that of the Corpus Hermeticum (which had been proven by Isaac Casaubon in 1614 to date only from the 2nd or 3rd century AD), he affirms that the Emerald Tablet is a forgery by a medieval alchemist. According to the alchemist, the Emerald Tablet is a portal to the Soul of the World. The Soul of the World is a positive, unifying force that leads all things to their destiny. 

The legendary Emerald Tablet is said to reveal the secrets of the universe including the secrets of alchemy (such as how to turn base metals into gold). According to one legend, the Egyptian god Thoth wrote the tablet while another legend claims that Seth, son of Adam and Eve, was the original author. It is Balinas who provides us with the story of how he discovered the Emerald Tablet in the caved tomb, rather than a piece of work from Antiquity, as many have claimed. The Emerald Tablets Of Thoth The Atlantean: A literal Master are ye of your destiny, free to take or reject at will. Take ye the power, take ye the wisdom, shine as a light among the children of men. Be thou not proud, Oh Man! in thy wisdom; discourse with the ignorant, as well as the wise.

In conclusion, no one has found the emerald tablets and there is only word of mouth proof of its existence. We are told that what we have received are just copies of the original. Just like 2/3rds of the New Testament as none of Paul’s original writings to the churches have been found. To believe in the emerald tablets as the secrets to the universe requires faith. Many famous alchemists believed they were real. Especially the wizards for the Kings who supposedly used its magical powers to see into the future and to heal their kings. The emerald tablets never turned lead into gold. They were actually instructions on where to find the tree of life. Not a location, but a spell to cast for everlasting life. Rumors suggest the bloodlines have mastered it and its secrets will be the technology for mankind to live in their bodies forever. We are learning that magic is actually technology. What once was taboo has now become a part of our daily lives. We frown upon those that do rituals and seances to create magic and yet are doing the same thing with technology.