(More Bible studies available @ www.marktabata.com)
It is written:
Isaiah 41:21-24-Present your case,” says the LORD. “Bring forth your strong reasons,” says the King of Jacob. 22 “Let them bring forth and show us what will happen; Let them show the former things, what they were, That we may consider them, And know the latter end of them; Or declare to us things to come. 23 Show the things that are to come hereafter, That we may know that you are gods; Yes, do good or do evil, That we may be dismayed and see it together. 24 Indeed you are nothing, And your work is nothing; He who chooses you is an abomination.
Over the last several years, people have been talking a great deal about the Emerald Tablets of Thoth the Atlantean. Whether it be Facebook, or TikTok (to which I am relatively new), or people involved in occultism, these (allegedly) ancient texts have become very popular and well-known. Some even have abandoned the teachings of Christ and the Bible in pursuit of the supposedly higher knowledge of the Tablets.
In this study, we will consider some important facts regarding the Emerald Tablets of Thoth the Atlantean.
Important Distinction Between “The Emerald Tablet” And “The Emerald Tablets”
We need to begin by noticing that there is a vast difference between the “Emerald Tablet” (singular) and the “Emerald Tablets” (plural).
The Emerald Tablet is a work that dates back to at least the sixth century A.D. It is a text which is alchemical in nature (i.e., it supposedly tells the secrets of changing lead to gold). It is written in Arabic, and is a product of the teachings of Islam and Gnosticism (i.e,, Christianity that was corrupted by pagan religious beliefs).
“Emerald Tablet. The most famous of all alchemical texts, supposedly written on a slab of emerald by Hermes Trismegistus and discovered by one of several legendary figures in Hermes’ tomb. In its standard English translation, it runs as follows: 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 One, by the mediation of One, so from this One Thing come all things by adaptation. Its father is the Sun; its mother is the Moon; the wind carried it in his belly; the nurse thereof is the Earth. It is the father of all perfection and the consummation of the whole world. Its power is integral if it be turned to earth. Thou shalt separate the earth from the fire, the subtle from the gross, gently and with much ingenuity. It ascends from Earth to Heaven and descends again to Earth, and receives the power of the superiors and the inferiors. Thus thou hast the glory of the whole world; therefore let all obscurity flee before thee. This is the strong fortitude of all fortitude, overcoming every subtle and penetrating every solid thing. Hence are all wonderful adaptations, of which this is the manner. Therefore am I called Hermes Trismegistus, having the three parts of the philosophy of the whole world. That is finished which I have to say concerning the operation of the Sun. The origins of the Emerald Tablet are unknown. It first surfaced in Europe in the thirteenth century, when it is cited in a book by Albertus Magnus, and a garbled version in Arabic dates from around 900 C.E. Joseph Need-ham, the distinguished scholar of Chinese science, has pointed out that its basic concepts can be found in Chinese alchemical writings from a much older period, and suggests that there may have been a Chinese original, but this remains pure speculation. Whatever its source and early history, it became a central text to medieval, Renaissance, and modern European alchemists, and remains much in use in Hermetic circles today.” (John Michael Greer, The New Encyclopedia of the Occult, 3621-3634 (Kindle Edition): St. Paul, Minnesota: Llewellyn Publications)
This work is different from the Emerald Tablets of Thoth the Atlantean. I will allow the following account to give a brief history of the “Emerald Tablets.”
“The history of the tablets translated in the following links is strange and beyond the belief of modern scientists. Their antiquity is stupendous, dating back some 36,000 years B.C. The writer is Thoth, an Atlantean Priest-King, who founded a colony in ancient Egypt after the sinking of the mother country. He was the builder of the Great Pyramid of Giza, erroneously attributed to Cheops. In it he incorporated his knowledge of the ancient wisdom and also securely secreted records and instruments of ancient Atlantis. For some 16,000 years, he ruled the ancient race of Egypt, from approximately 52,000 B.C. to 36,000 B.C. At that time, the ancient barbarous race among which he and his followers had settled had been raised to a high degree of civilization. Thoth was an immortal, that is, he had conquered death, passing only when he willed and even then not through death. His vast wisdom made him ruler over the various Atlantean colonies, including the ones in South and Central America. When the time came for him to leave Egypt, he erected the Great Pyramid over the entrance to the Great Halls of Amenti, placed in it his records, and appointed guards for his secrets from among the highest of his people. In later times, the descendants of these guards became the pyramid priests, by which Thoth was deified as the God of Wisdom, The Recorder, by those in the age of darkness which followed his passing. In legend, the Halls of Amenti became the underworld, the Halls of the gods, where the soul passed after death for judgment. During later ages, the ego of Thoth passed into the bodies of men in the manner described in the tablets. As such, he incarnated three times, in his last being known as Hermes, the thrice-born. In this incarnation, he left the writings known to modern occultists as the Emerald Tablets, a later and far lesser exposition of the ancient mysteries. The tablets translated in this work are ten which were left in the Great Pyramid in the custody of the pyramid priests. The ten are divided into thirteen parts for the sake of convenience. The last two are so great and far-reaching in their import that at present it is forbidden to release them to the world at large. However, in those contained herein are secrets which will prove of inestimable value to the serious student. They should be read, not once, but a hundred times for only thus can the true meaning be revealed. A casual reading will give glimpses of beauty, but more intensive study will open avenues of wisdom to the seeker. But now a word as to how these mighty secrets came to be revealed to modern man after being hidden so long. Some thirteen hundred years B.C., Egypt, the ancient Khem, was in turmoil and many delegations of priests were sent to other parts of the world. Among these were some of the pyramid priests who carried with them the Emerald Tablets as a talisman by which they could exercise authority over the less advanced priest-craft of races descended from other Atlantean colonies. The tablets were understood from legend to give the bearer authority from Thoth. The particular group of priests bearing the tablets immigrated to South America where they found a flourishing race, the Mayas who remembered much of the ancient wisdom. Among these, the priests settled and remained. In the tenth century, the Mayas had thoroughly settled the Yucatan, and the tablets were placed beneath the altar of one of the great temples of the Sun God. After the conquest of the Mayas by the Spaniards, the cities were abandoned and the treasures of the temples forgotten. It should be understood that the Great Pyramid of Egypt has been and still is a temple of initiation into the mysteries. Jesus, Solomon, Apollonius and others were initiated there. The writer (who has a connection with the Great White Lodge which also works through the pyramid priesthood) was instructed to recover and return to the Great Pyramid the ancient tablets. This, after adventures which need not be detailed here, was accomplished. Before returning them, he was given permission to translate and retain a copy of the wisdom engraved on the tablets. This was done in 1925 and only recently has permission been given for part to be published. It is expected that many will scoff. Yet the true student will read between the lines and gain wisdom. If the light strong within you, the light which is engraved in these tablets will respond. Now, a word as to the material aspect of the tablets. They consist of twelve tablets of emerald green, formed from a substance created through alchemical transmutation. They are imperishable, resistant to all elements and substances. In effect, the atomic and cellular structure is fixed, no change ever taking place. In this respect, they violate the material law of ionization. Upon them are engraved characters in the ancient Atlantean language: characters which respond to attuned thought waves, releasing the associated mental vibration in the mind of the reader. The tablets are fastened together with hoops of golden-colored alloy suspended from a rod of the same material. So much for the material appearance. The wisdom contained therein is the foundation of the ancient mysteries. And for the one who reads with open eyes and mind, his wisdom shall be increased a hundred-fold. Read. Believe or not, but read. And the vibration found therein will awaken a response in your soul.” (M. Doreal, The Emerald Tablets of Thoth the Atlantean, 3-5 (Kindle Edition))
M. Doreal is Maurice Doreal (born Claude Doggins). He was a famous occultist, and claimed to have discovered these “Emerald Tablets.”
Another researcher tells us:
“The Tablets had supposedly been ‘translated’ by Maurice Doreal (born Claude Doggins–1898–1963), who claimed to have gotten them from the Great Pyramid in Egypt in 1925. Doreal also allegedly met two Atlanteans in Los Angeles in 1931, who transported him to a cavern 12 miles below Mount (Shasta Barkun 2003: 115, 120).” (Christopher Partridge, The Occult World (Routledge Worlds), 705 (Kindle Edition): New York, NY: Routledge)
The Occult “Translation” Of The Emerald Tablets
Please notice that Doreal claims that the Tablets were only translatable through occult means.
“Upon them are engraved characters in the ancient Atlantean language: characters which respond to attuned thought waves, releasing the associated mental vibration in the mind of the reader.” (M. Doreal, The Emerald Tablets of Thoth the Atlantean, 5 (Kindle Edition))
This type of mental telepathy is commonplace in occult based religions and belief systems. Indeed, scientific studies have validated the existence of telepathy and remote viewing.
Dave Hunt writes:
“Experiments began in the 1970s in the Electronics and Bioengineering Laboratory of Stanford Research Institute under the direction of two physicists, Russell Targ and Harold Puthoff. Among the principal psychics used were Ingo Swann, Pat Price, and Hella Hammid. 9 These early experiments produced some of the most spectacular results that had yet been seen in the entire area of psychic research. Those results were first reported in a 1977 book by Targ and Puthoff titled Mind-Reach: Scientists Look at Psychic Ability. Margaret Mead wrote the introduction to the Targ/ Puthoff volume. Her comments indicate her confidence in remote viewing: These particular experiments … come out of physics … the hardest of the hard sciences; they come out of a respected laboratory; and they do not appear to be the work of true believers who set out to use science to validate passionately held beliefs. Tremendous efforts have been used, which far outstrip the normal procedures, to guarantee scientific credibility. … What they’ve found is already being duplicated and expanded in laboratories and private organizations around the world. 10 The Targ/ Puthoff remote viewing procedures were adopted and developed further by the military and especially the intelligence branch. Remote viewing has reportedly proved itself repeatedly in successful military and espionage assignments of all kinds. We do not have the space to go into detail, but this important subject must be dealt with at least briefly. Early Remote Viewing Experiments The first startling results came through a self-styled “natural psychic” named Ingo Swann, who claimed he was able to “see” distant events and objects. Prior to arriving at SRI, he had just completed some successful psychic experiments with Dr. Gertrude Schmeidler at City College of New York. 11 Here is a condensed description of an early test to which Targ and Puthoff subjected Swann in their Menlo Park laboratory: “Ingo,” we begin, “a skeptical colleague of ours on the East Coast … has furnished us with a set of coordinates, latitude and longitude, in degrees, minutes and seconds, and has challenged us to describe what’s there. We ourselves don’t know. … Do you think you can do it …?” “I’ll try,” says Ingo, appearing unperturbed by a request that we, as physicists, can hardly believe we are making. … The coordinates indicate a site that is roughly 3,000 miles away, and we have been asked to obtain details … such as small man-made structures, buildings, roads, etc. Ingo closes his eyes and begins to describe what he is visualizing. … He appears to zero in for a closer view, rapidly sketching a detailed map showing the location of several buildings together with some roads and trees. He goes on: “Cliffs to the east, fence to the north. There’s a circular building, perhaps a tower, buildings to the south. Is this a former Nike base or something like that …? I get the impression of something underground, but I’m not sure. …” As we learned … when we received a phone call from our challenger … Swann’s description [was] correct in every detail … even the relative distances on his map were to scale! 12 Targ and Puthoff conducted numerous experiments of this nature with other subjects, including at least one jointly with the Soviet Union. This research seemed to yield consistent results which would demonstrate that remote viewing was a reality. The very first try by another subject, Hella Hammid, who made no pretense at psychic ability, was impressive (as were further tests with her). The tape recording of Hella’s first mock experiment begins [long distance walkie-talkies were used inasmuch as the targets were within five miles of the viewer]: OUTBOUND EXPERIMENTER: I am at my first target location; what do you see? HELLA: I see a little house covered with red, overlapping boards. It has a white trim and a very tall, pointed roof. But the whole thing feels fake, like a movie set. Her description turned out to be correct. The actual target was a 15-foot-high model of a little red schoolhouse at a local miniature golf course. A half-dozen mock experiments with surprisingly good results completed the orientation series. In one experiment, another “natural psychic,” Pat Price (a former police commissioner and corporate president), 13 was given coordinates randomly chosen by a computer. It so happened that they pinpointed a secret government installation in the East involved in monitoring satellites of rival governments. Sitting in the laboratory in Menlo Park, California, Price seemingly “walked through” this underground government installation 3000 miles away, described it, and even began to read contents of top-secret files. Fearing they had penetrated government secrets, Targ and Puthoff halted the experiment and sent the data they had gathered to the appropriate authorities. What Is Happening? Remote viewers are convinced they can gather information of any kind whatsoever, wherever it is located in space and time—even in the future because time is nonexistent in the nonphysical universe, where the occult operates. Remote viewers deny that they leave their bodies, even though they “see” remote locations. It is all mental. The results they provide confirm the fact that the mind is not physical, is not tied to the brain, and is therefore outside of space, time, and matter.” (Dave Hunt, Occult Invasion: The Subtle Seduction of the World and Church, 1485-1541 (Kindle Edition): Bend, OR: The Berean Call)
It is important here to emphasize that we have no reason to believe that the “Emerald Tablets” actually exist. No one has seen them: there is no external corroboration of their existence. Furthermore, even if these Tablets do exist, there is no evidence of the accuracy of their translation. Atlantean is hardly a viable language!
More to the point, Doreal was a practiced occultist, and as such was in communion with various kinds of spirits. What evidence do we have that this “translation” was anything but a demonic hoax and deception? After all, from the Bible we are reminded time and again that there is a spiritual world and war that we are all involved in (Ephesians 6:10-18; James 4:7), and that our enemy appears as “an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:1315).
This lack of evidence for the Emerald Tablets is in stark contrast with the evidences of Christianity.
From a textual standpoint, we have thousands of manuscripts and manuscript fragments that attest to the reliability of the Bible. Further, the authenticity of these manuscripts have been confirmed via textual criticism and through the findings of archaeology.
We could also point out that the Bible itself provides numerous evidences of its’ inspiration, such as prophecy and fulfillment, its’ supernatural unity, scientific foreknowledge of the Bible writers, equidistant letter skipping, miraculous attestation, etc.
From an evidential point of view, there is no comparison between the Bible and the Emerald Tablets.
Thoth And His Fellows Acknowledge That They Are Not Divine
It is also interesting to notice that Thoth and his companions freely acknowledge in the Emerald Tablets that they are not truly gods.
For example:
“Long timе αgo, I in mу сhildhood, lαу ‘nеαth thе stαrs on long- buriеd Αtlαntis, drеαming of mуstеriеs fαr αbovе mеn. Thеn in mу hеαrt grеw thеrе α grеαt longing to сonquеr thе рαthwαу thαt lеd to thе stαrs. Уеαr αftеr уеαr, I sought αftеr wisdom, sееking nеw knowlеdgе, following thе wαу, until αt lαst mу Soul, in grеαt trαvαil, brokе from its bondαgе αnd boundеd αwαу. Frее wαs I from thе bondαgе of еαrth-mеn. Frее from thе bodу, I flαshеd through thе night. Unloсkеd αt lαst for mе wαs thе stαr-sрαсе. Frее wαs I from thе bondαgе of night. Now to thе еnd of sрαсе sought I wisdom, fαr bеуond knowlеdgе of finitе mαn. Fαr into sрαсе, mу Soul trαvеlеd frееlу into infinitу’s сirсlе of light. Strαngе, bеуond knowlеdgе, wеrе somе of thе рlαnеts, grеαt αnd gigαntiс, bеуond drеαms of mеn. Уеt found I Lαw, in αll of its bеαutу, working through αnd αmong thеm αs hеrе αmong mеn.” (M. Doreal, The Emerald Tablets of Thoth the Atlantean, Emerald Tablets IV, 21 (Kindle Edition))
Again:
“Sрokе to mе αgαin, thе Sеvеn, sαуing: “From fαr bеуond timе αrе Wе сomе, O mαn. Trαvеlеd Wе from bеуond thе Sрαсе-Timе, αуе, from thе рlαсе of Infinitу’s еnd. Whеn уе αnd αll of thу brеthrеn wеrе formlеss, formеd forth wеrе Wе from thе ordеr of ΑLL. Not αs mеn αrе Wе though onсе Wе, too, wеrе αs mеn. Out of thе Grеαt Void wеrе Wе formеd forth in ordеr αnd bу Lαw.” (M. Doreal, The Emerald Tablets of Thoth the Atlantean, Emerald Tablets VII, 39 (Kindle Edition))
Thoth and his Atlantean companions are clear that they are not Divine. They are created beings, part of the created universe, just like humanity. As such, they are not truly Divine and are not worthy of worship.
The Bible, on the other hands, presents us the one true (eternal) God, Who perfectly identifies with the Creator revealed in nature. As Norman Geisler points out:
“This God Who Exists Is Identical to the God Described in the Christian tian Scriptures. The God described in the Bible is said to be eternal (Col. 1 :16; Heb. 1:2), changeless (Mal. 3:6; Heb. 6:18), infinite (I Kings 8:27; Isa. 66:1), all-loving (John 3:16; I John 4:16), and all-powerful (Heb. 1:3; Matt. 19:26). But there cannot be two infinitely perfect, changeless, eternal beings. First, there can be only one infinite and necessary sary Being, as was shown above (p. 239f.). Second, there could not be two beings who have all possible perfections attributable to them. For in order to be two beings one would have to differ from the other; where there is no difference in being there is only one being. But there can be no difference unless one being has something the other does not. But if there is something that an infinite being can have but one lacks, then the one lacking it is not absolutely perfect. Hence, there is only one absolutely perfect being. But if there cannot be two such beings, then the God described scribed in the Bible is identical to the God concluded from the above argument. Therefore, the God Described in the Bible Exists. If there is only one God and the God described in the Bible is identical in characteristics to him, then it follows logically that the God described in the Bible exists. For there cannot be two infinitely perfect beings; there cannot be two such ultimates or absolutes, and so forth. Hence, the God portrayed in Scripture does indeed exist.” (Norman L. Geisler, Christian Apologetics, 250 (Kindle Edition): Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House)
The Flood And The Emerald Tablets
It is worth noting here that several clues in the Emerald Tablets seem to a link between Thoth and his companions with the Nephilim in the Bible (i.e., the half-angelic and half-human creatures that God destroyed through the Flood in Noah’s day-see Genesis 6-9).
For example:
“Grеαt wеrе mу реoрlе in thе αnсiеnt dαуs, grеαt bеуond thе сonсерtion of thе littlе реoрlе now αround mе; knowing thе wisdom of old, sееking fαr within thе hеαrt of infinitу knowlеdgе thαt bеlongеd to Еαrth’s уouth. Wisе wеrе wе with thе wisdom of thе Сhildrеn of Light who dwеlt αmong us. Strong wеrе wе with thе рowеr drαwn from thе еtеrnαl firе. Αnd of αll thеsе, grеαtеst αmong thе сhildrеn of mеn wαs mу fαthеr, Thotmе, kеереr of thе grеαt tеmрlе, link bеtwееn thе Сhildrеn of Light who dwеlt within thе tеmрlе αnd thе rαсеs of mеn who inhαbitеd thе tеn islαnds. Mouthрiесе, αftеr thе thrее, of thе Dwеllеr of Unαl, sреαking to thе Kings with thе voiсе thαt must bе obеуеd. Grеw I thеrе from α сhild into mαnhood, bеing tαught bу mу fαthеr thе еldеr mуstеriеs, until in timе thеrе grеw within thе firе of wisdom, until it burst into α сonsuming flαmе. Nαught dеsirеd I but thе αttαinmеnt of wisdom. Until on α grеαt dαу thе сommαnd сαmе from thе Dwеllеr of thе Tеmрlе thαt I bе brought bеforе him. Fеw thеrе wеrе αmong thе сhildrеn of mеn who hαd lookеd uрon thαt mightу fαсе αnd livеd, for not αs thе sons of mеn αrе thе Сhildrеn of Light whеn thеу αrе not inсαrnαtе in α рhуsiсαl bodу. Сhosеn wαs I from thе sons of mеn, tαught bу thе Dwеllеr so thαt his рurрosеs might bе fulfillеd, рurрosеs уеt unborn in thе womb of timе. Long αgеs I dwеlt in thе Tеmрlе, lеαrning еvеr αnd уеt еvеr morе wisdom, until I, too, αррroαсhеd thе light еmittеd from thе grеαt firе.” (M. Doreal, The Emerald Tablets of Thoth the Atlantean, Emerald Tablets I, 3-4 (Kindle Edition))
Again:
“Ovеr thе world thеn brokе thе grеαt wαtеrs, drowning αnd sinking, сhαnging Еαrth’s bαlαnсе until onlу thе Tеmрlе of Light wαs lеft stαnding on thе grеαt mountαin on Undαl still rising out of thе wαtеr; somе thеrе wеrе who wеrе living, sαvеd from thе rush of thе fountαins.” (M. Doreal, The Emerald Tablets of Thoth the Atlantean, Emerald Tablets I, 5 (Kindle Edition))
The connections between Thoth and the Atlanteans are a strong indicator that we should view these writings with great suspicion, especially in light of what God’s Word reveals.
Conclusion
When we study the Emerald Tablets, we see an interesting mix of pagan religious thought and occult lore. There is no evidence to suggest that these Tablets are inspired, and we have lots of reasons to be suspicious of them and to reject them as a demonic revelation. Furthermore, studies of the Tablets themselves reveal that they are contradictory and should be rejected.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen.