The Eye of Providence, also known as the All-Seeing Eye of God, is a well-known and popular symbol. It has been used for centuries in both religious and secular contexts, making it a symbol that can be found in many places. For Americans, The Eye of Providence is most commonly seen on the reverse side of the United States one-dollar bill. This design is derived from the reverse side of the Great Seal of the United States. The Eye of Providence has also been associated with the Masons, and thanks to movies like 2004’s National Treasure, starring Nicolas Cage, conspiracy theories linking the Masons to the foundation of the United States have become popularized.
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The Ancient Egyptian Eyes
One of the most famous symbols is the Eye of Horus (also known as Wadjet, meaning ‘Whole One’), which was immensely popular among the ancient Egyptians. According to ancient Egyptian mythology, Horus lost his left eye during a battle with his uncle Seth. This eye was magically restored by the goddess Hathor, who is believed to be Horus’ mother or wife. Thus, the Eye of Horus became a symbol of healing.
In another myth, Horus presented his eye to his father, Osiris, to help him rule the Underworld. Osiris ate the eye and was resurrected. Therefore, in this myth, the eye became a symbol of life and resurrection. These myths served to popularize the Eye of Horus as a protective symbol and, therefore, amulets depicting the eye became commonly worn for protection. Such amulets remain popular even today.
The ancient Egyptians had another symbol similar to the Eye of Horus, known as the Eye of Ra. Unlike the Eye of Horus, this was an aggressive symbol that focused on the destructive aspect of the god Ra. In one of ancient Egypt’s myths, Ra was growing old and weak, which caused people to disrespect him. Ra was furious because they no longer adhered to the laws and were making jokes at his expense. Therefore, he decided to punish humanity by sending the ‘Eye of Ra’ to destroy them.
The Eye of Ra was a goddess (said to be different goddesses, including Hathor, Sekhmet, and Bast, all possessing this title) sent to earth in the form of a lioness, and she immediately began her killing spree of humanity. Seeing the magnitude of destruction caused by the goddess, Ra regretted his action and called on his daughter to stop. The goddess, however, was bloodthirsty and ignored her father’s pleas. Ra, fearing that all of humanity would be annihilated if the goddess was allowed to continue her rampage, devised a cunning plan. The god had 7,000 jars of beer mixed with pomegranate juice, which made the beer turn red, and poured them into the fields surrounding the Eye of Ra. When the goddess drank the “blood,” she became so intoxicated that she fell asleep, only waking up three days later with a terrible hangover. In this way, humanity was saved by Ra.
The Origins of the Eye of Providence
Like the ancient Egyptian Eye of Horus and the Eye of Ra, the Eye of Providence is also associated with the divine. As mentioned earlier, the oldest known representation of the Eye of Providence is from the Renaissance. This representation can be found in a 1525 painting called The Supper at Emmaus by Italian painter Jacopo Pontormo. The theme of this painting is the second half of the story ‘The Road to the Appearance at Emmaus,’ which is found towards the end of the Gospel of Luke.
In this story, which takes place after the resurrection of Christ, Jesus appears to two of his disciples who were headed to a village called Emmaus. After arriving at the village, Jesus stays with the two men to have dinner with them, and this is the scene painted by Pontormo. This painting was made for the Carthusians (a Catholic religious order also known as the Order of Saint Bruno) of the Certosa del Galluzzo, on the outskirts of Florence. Interestingly, some of the monks were painted by Pontormo behind Christ, who is shown blessing the bread. Above Christ’s head is the Eye of Providence, intended to show that God was watching over the entire event.
The representation of the Eye of Providence in Pontormo’s The Supper at Emmaus shows that it began as a Christian symbol. Within this context, the word “providence” refers to “divine guidance,” specifically the guidance provided by the God of Christianity. Therefore, in a way, the Eye of Providence is meant to represent a form of spiritual guidance that devout Christians should follow. The Eye of Providence can also represent the omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience of God.
Furthermore, the elements surrounding the eye also take on Christian meaning. For example, the triangle is a clear reference to the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The burst of light and clouds are meant to symbolize divinity, holiness, and God Himself. In fact, these elements are also sometimes used when depicting God in artwork, such as when He is represented by the tetragrammaton, i.e., the name of God in Hebrew transcribed into the four letters, YHWH. Such depictions can be found in the stained glass windows of Christian churches, like the Church of the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris, where the Merovingian kings of Neustria were buried.
Freemasonry and Conspiracy Theories
Over time, the Eye of Providence was adopted by the Masons, who were inspired by the use of human organs to represent abstract concepts from ancient cultures. Thus, the open eye was meant to symbolize vigilance, and the Eye of Providence, being the eye of the Supreme Being (as by then many no longer believed in the Christian God but in some other kind of divine or higher power), was intended to represent the vigilance and care of the divine over the universe.
Additionally, this symbol was meant to remind Masons that they should uphold their standards of morality, as they are being watched by a higher force. Furthermore, the Eye of Providence can be seen as a sign of spiritual enlightenment and revelation. In some cases, the Eye of Providence is placed within or above the square and compass, possibly the most recognizable symbol of the Masons.
Numerous conspiracy theories have linked the Masons to the foundation of the United States through the Eye of Providence. This symbol can also be found on the reverse side of the Great Seal of the United States. The seal (both obverse and reverse) is also printed on the reverse side of the United States one-dollar bill, thus the symbol is literally in the pockets of most Americans.
A common conspiracy theory claims that the inclusion of the Eye of Providence on the Great Seal was a way for the Masons to project their watchful power over the country. As mentioned earlier, the Masons saw the Eye of Providence as a symbol of the Supreme Being, rather than their own power, and it was meant to remind them to uphold their standards of morality. Therefore, it is unlikely that they would have used it as a symbol of their power.
A slight variation of this conspiracy theory is that the US government is always watching its people. Although certainly not the intention of the symbol, if one were to return to its original meaning, it is meant to show that God is watching over America and that the country was founded under His watchful eye. The phrase “In God We Trust” on the reverse side of the one-dollar bill is further evidence of the symbol’s association with God, rather than the US government.
The Great Seal
The Eye of Providence on the Great Seal of the United States is surrounded by a triangle and a burst of light (similar to those used in Christian art) and is placed at the top of an unfinished pyramid. The design of the seal was finalized in 1782, and the description of the reverse side, as found in Charles Thomson’s (who was the Secretary of the Congress) “Comments and Explanation,” adopted by the Continental Congress (June 20, 1782) is “Reverse, The pyramid signifies Strength and Duration: the Eye over it & the Motto allude to the many signal interpositions of providence in favour of the American cause. The date underneath is that of the Declaration of Independence and the words under it signify the beginning of the new American Era, which commences from that date.” Interestingly, while drawings of the obverse side were made as soon as the design was adopted, the first drawing of the reverse side was only made four years later, in 1786. This was drawn by James Trenchard, an engraver from Philadelphia, for the October 1786 edition of the Columbian magazine.
By the way, the Continental Congress received a die design for the reverse of the Great Seal in case it wanted to impress the backs of wax pendant seals, which it had been using for treaties between 1815 and 1871. However, the backs were never impressed, and enthusiasm for cutting a reverse die gradually waned. Thus, no reverse die has been cut to this day.
Trenchard’s design of the Great Seal places the Eye of Providence on an unfinished pyramid with 13 steps. This number is symbolic, representing the original 13 British colonies that formed the United States. The two mottos mentioned in Thomson’s description are in Latin and are as follows: Annuit Coeptis (which means “He [God] has favored our undertakings”) and Novus Ordo Seclorum (which means “a new order of the ages”). The former is placed above the Eye of Providence, while the latter is below the pyramid. The year of the Declaration of Independence, in Roman numerals MDCCLXXVI (1776), is found on the bottom step of the pyramid. One change made by Lossing to Trenchard’s design was replacing the right eye of Providence with the left eye, and this has remained since then. Additionally, Lossing’s pyramid, which is quite square as opposed to Trenchard’s elongated one, has a deep perspective, and the terrain around it is filled with flowers and grass.
Cover Image: The All-Seeing Eye symbol Source: markus dehlzeit / Adobe stock
Author: Wu Mingren