Hellenistic ἑρμηνεύειν means “to explain”. Latin equivalent “hermeneutica” and the adjective “hermeneuticus” both appear in literature after the 15th century. As the art of interpreting texts, hermeneutics is almost synonymous with exegesis in theology and discourse analysis in linguistics.
For our purposes, it is completely irrelevant who Hermes was, as long as he existed as a historical figure, whether he was Thoth, Hermes Trismegistus, or an ancient Hellenistic god at Zeus’ beck and call. The fact is that this figure has become the property of culture and language, and this is already serious. Two sciences go back to his name. One of them is hermeneutics as the science of interpreting texts and searching for meanings, the other is Hermeticism, the secret science of alchemy, from which chemistry and modern natural sciences emerged. Without any occult background, we must give proper respect to this mythological character, whoever he really was.
