Eye of Providence
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2008-07-15T07:10:50Z
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tatoots ==> tatoos
{{redirect|All-seeing eye}}
[[Image:Dollarnote siegel hq.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The '''Eye of Providence''' can be seen floating above an unfinished pyramid on the back of the [[United States one-dollar bill|US $1 bill]].]]
The '''Eye of Providence''' or the '''all-seeing eye''' is a symbol showing an eye surrounded by [[Ray (optics)|rays]] of [[light]] or a [[Glory (religion)#Glory in Art|glory]], and usually enclosed by a [[triangle]]. It is sometimes interpreted as representing the eye of [[God]] keeping watch on [[humankind]] (see [[Divine Providence]]).
==Origin==
In its current form, the symbol first appeared in the west during the 17th & 18th centuries, but representations of an all-seeing eye can be traced back to [[Egyptian mythology]] and the [[Eye of Horus]].
However, it is first in [[Buddhism]] that the eye is associated with a triplicity. [[Gautama Buddha|Buddha]] is also regularly referred to as the "Eye of the World" throughout Buddhist scriptures (e.g. [[Mahaparinibbana Sutta]]) and is represented as a trinity in the shape of a triangle known as the Tiratna or [[Triple Gem]].
17th-century depictions of the Eye of Providence sometimes show it surrounded by [[cloud]]s. The later addition of an enclosing triangle is usually seen as a more explicit [[trinity|trinitarian]] reference to the God of [[Christian]]ity.
<center><gallery>
Image:Eye of Horus.svg|Eye of [[Ra]], chief deity of the [[ancient Egypt]]ians, also called the [[Eye of Horus]]<ref>''Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache'' 1, 268.13</ref>
Image:QuoModoDeum.gif|An [[alchemy|alchemical]] woodcut, showing the all-seeing eye of God floating in the sky
Image:ChristianEyeOfProvidence.png|A [[Christian]] version of the Eye of Providence, emphasising the triangle representing the [[Trinity]] {{Fact|date=March 2008}}
Image:Allsehendes Auge am Tor des Aachener Dom.JPG|An all-seeing eye that appears on the tower of [[Aachen Cathedral]]
Image:Alexander Column 2006.jpg|An all-seeing eye that appears on the pedestal decorations of [[Alexander Column]]
Image:Declaration of Human Rights.jpg|An all-seeing eye that appears on the top of Declaration of Human Rights (1789)[[French Revolution]].</gallery></center>
==United States==
[[Image:SealOfTheUS Prototype.png|thumb|175px|Original design for the [[Great Seal of the United States|Great Seal]] by [[Pierre Eugene du Simitiere|Simitiere]]]]
In 1782 the Eye of Providence was adopted as part of the symbolism on the reverse side of the [[Great Seal of the United States]]. The Eye, however, was first suggested as an element of the Great Seal by the first of three design committees in 1776, and is thought to be the suggestion of the artistic consultant, [[Pierre Eugene du Simitiere]].<ref name="GSUSbooklet">''[http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/27807.pdf The Great Seal of the United States]'' booklet, published by [[United States Department of State|US Dept. of State]]</ref>
On the seal, the Eye is surrounded by the words "[[Annuit Cœptis]]", meaning "He approves (or has approved) [our] undertakings," "[[Novus Ordo Seclorum]]," meaning "New Order of the Ages," and the lowest level of the pyramid showing the year 1776 in Roman numerals. The Eye is positioned above an unfinished [[pyramid]] with thirteen steps, representing the original thirteen states and the future growth of the country. The combined implication is that the Eye, or God, favors the prosperity of the United States.
{{Expand|date=March 2008}}
Perhaps due to its use in the design of the Great Seal, the Eye has made its way into other American seals and logos, notably the [[Seal of Colorado]] and [[DARPA]]'s [[Information Awareness Office]].
==Freemasonry==
[[Image:MasonicEyeOfProvidence.gif|thumb|left|An early [[Freemasonry|Masonic]] version of the Eye of Providence with clouds and a semi-circular glory.]]The Eye of Providence also appears as part of the [[iconography]] of the [[Freemasonry|Freemasons]]. Here it represents the all-seeing eye of God, and is then a reminder that a Mason's deeds are always observed by God (who is referred to in Masonry as the [[Grand Architect of the Universe]]). Typically the Masonic Eye of Providence has a semi-circular glory below the eye — often the lowest rays extend further down. Sometimes the Eye is enclosed by a triangle. Other variations of the symbol can also be found, with the eye itself being replaced by the letter ‘G’, representing both the art of [[geometry]] and [[God]].
[[Image:Roosevelt dollardesignapproval.png|thumb|250px|right|President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|Franklin Roosevelt]]'s conditional approval of the [[United States one-dollar bill|one-dollar bill]]'s design in 1935, requiring that the appearance of the sides of the [[Great Seal of the United States|Great Seal]] be reversed, and together, captioned.]]It is a popular [[conspiracy theory]] that the Eye of Providence shown atop an unfinished [[pyramid]] on the [[Great Seal of the United States]] indicates the influence of Freemasonry in the founding of the United States. This was dramatised in the 2004 Disney film ''[[National Treasure (film)|National Treasure]]''. The Masonic use of the Eye does not incorporate a pyramid, although the enclosing triangle is often interpreted as one.
Among the three members of the original design committee for the Great Seal, only [[Benjamin Franklin]] was a confirmed Mason. [[Thomas Jefferson]] was an open supporter of the aims of Freemasonry who attended lodge meetings and corresponded with many masons, but no direct evidence exists to support that he was a member himself.<ref>[http://srjarchives.tripod.com/1998-03/beless.htm Scottish Rite Journal], Article about Jefferson by 33° Mason James W. Beless</ref><ref>[http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/anti-masonry/jefferson.html Jefferson on Weishaupt], Grand Lodge of B.C. & Yukon</ref>
Possibly the most famous use of the eye is on the [[:Image:United States one dollar bill, reverse.jpg|back]] of the [[United States one-dollar bill]]. The original design for the 1935 bill was initially approved by then-president [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]. Roosevelt, a 32° [[Scottish Rite]] Mason,<ref>[[Time Magazine]], [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,762444,00.html?iid=chix-sphere Letters], Monday, Aug. 21, 1939</ref> then changed his mind and placed conditions on his approval. With his signature, Roosevelt included a drawing that reversed the appearance of the sides of the [[Great Seal of the United States]] on the dollar, such that the Seal's [[Obverse and reverse|reverse]] ''(back)'' including the Eye, counterintuitively appears first on the left. He then added the words "The Great Seal" to appear beneath the Eye of Providence design, and added "of the United States" to appear below the [[Bald Eagle]] design of the [[Obverse and reverse|obverse]] of the Seal, which he moved to the right. [[Secretary of Agriculture]] [[Henry A. Wallace]] and [[Secretary of Treasury]] [[Henry Morgenthau, Jr.]], both Freemasons, were heavily involved in the 1935 dollar design change as well.<ref>''[http://books.google.com/books?id=SGICN1DT1gsC&printsec=frontcover&sig=lvdFHtzN-4GeFg5aE9MsU8d3uV4 The Secret Symbols of the Dollar Bill]'' by [[David Ovason]], pg 15</ref>
Some Masonic organizations have explicitly denied any special connection to the original creation of the Seal.<ref>[http://www.rosslyntemplars.org.uk/eye_in_the_pyramid.htm Rosslyn Templars], ''The Eye in the Pyramid'' by S. Brent Morris</ref><ref>[http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/anti-masonry/anti-masonry02.html#eye_pyramid Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon], ''Anti-masonry Frequently Asked Questions''</ref> Frequently cited as public evidence to this are the claims that the pyramid portion of the seal holds no symbolic significance to Masons, and that records suggest the Eye of Providence was not adopted as a Masonic symbol until 1797.<ref>[http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/masonic_dollar.html Pietre-Stones Review of Freemasonry], ''The "Masonic" One Dollar: Fact or Fiction?'' by W.Bro. David Barrett</ref>
==Esoteric schools==
{{Expand|date=March 2008}}
[[:Category:Esoteric schools of thought|Esoteric schools]], among them [[Cao Dai]] (''Thien Nhan'') and Christian [[Rosicrucian]], use the Eye of Providence, All-Seeing Eye, to symbolize [[God]].<ref>His Holiness [[Ngô Văn Chiêu]] (1921 & 25 February 1926): see [http://www.daocaodai.info/ daocaodai.info]</ref><ref>The [[Rosicrucian Fellowship]]'s diagram: [http://www.rosicrucian.com/images/rccen006.gif The Supreme Being, the Seven Cosmic Planes, and God]</ref>
==Other notable uses of the symbol==
[[Image:500-Hryvnia-Skovoroda-back.jpg|thumb|right|Ukrainian 500 [[Ukrainian hryvnia|hryvnia]] bill]]
[[Image:50-1994a.jpg|thumb|right|Estonian [[50 Krooni]] bill]]
*[[Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen]], the official depiction of which also borrows iconography of the [[Ten Commandments]]
*The Eye of Providence is a proposed symbol for the recently classified dwarf planet, [[Eris (dwarf planet)|Eris]], along with the Hand of Eris
* In [[The Lord of the Rings]], [[Eye of Sauron|Sauron]] is described as having an all-seeing eye. In the [[Rankin-Bass]] animated [[Return of the King]], the insignia for Sauron's troops closely resembled a stylized [[Eye of Horus]]. In the [[Peter Jackson]] trilogy, Sauron himself is physically manifested as an eye.
===Currency===
*The [[50 Krooni|50 Estonian Kroon]]
*The 500 [[Ukrainian hryvnia]]
===Seals and logos===
*The [[:Image:MI5.jpg|former logo]] of [[MI5]], a British intelligence service
*The [[:Image:IAO-logo.png|former logo]] of the US [[Information Awareness Office]]
*The [[Steve Jackson Games]] logo
*Several college [[Fraternities and Sororities|fraternities]] use the Eye of Providence in their coats of arms and/or badges, notably [[Delta Tau Delta]], [[Phi Kappa Psi]], [[Phi Delta Theta]] and [[Delta Kappa Epsilon]]
*The CBS logo.
*In 'A series of unfortunate events' some of the characters have tatoos of an eye inside a triangle
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{commons|Eye of Providence}}
===Freemasonry===
*[http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/kneph/kneph_images.html Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon] - graphics from the kneph
[[Category:Eye]]
[[Category:Masonic symbolism]]
[[Category:Symbols]]
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[[pt:Olho da Providência]]
[[ru:Всевидящее Око]]
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