The Definitions of Hermes Trismegistus to Asclepius: 1.5
God is eternal and uncreated; man is mortal, becoming ever-living.
Translation choices
- "becoming" - the verb has several meanings including "to be" and "to become". Mahé's possibly more literal translation has this as "is ever-living", which makes no sense to me, as being ever-living is in direct opposition to mortality.
Definitions
- eternal - ἀΐδιος - describes a timeless existence, without beginning or end
- ever-living - ἀείζωος - emphasises unbroken life
Interpretation
Ever-living is explicitly distinguished from eternal in CH VIII.2 which compares God (eternal - uncreated) to Cosmos (ever-living, but created by God). Here, we have the mortal man in a condition of becoming ever-living. Further Definitions will teach us how to accomplish this.