| The All Seeing Eye By David A. Roach, PM |
The All-seeing Eye, which hangs in the East in many Lodges, was used, by the Hebrew, as a symbol of
the omnipresence of God.
the omnipresence of God.
"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom He hath chosen for His own
inheritance. The Lord looks from heaven. He beholds all the sons of men. From the place of His habitation
He looks upon all the inhabitants of earth. He fashions their hearts alike. He considers all their works.
There is no king saved by the multitude of a host. A mighty man is not delivered by much strength. A
horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength. Behold the Eye of the
Lord is upon them that fear Him, upon them that hope in His mercy; to deliver their soul from death, and
keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the Lord. He is our help and our shield. Our heart shall
rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name. Let Your mercy, oh Lord, be upon us, according
as we hope in You." (Psalms 33:12-22)
inheritance. The Lord looks from heaven. He beholds all the sons of men. From the place of His habitation
He looks upon all the inhabitants of earth. He fashions their hearts alike. He considers all their works.
There is no king saved by the multitude of a host. A mighty man is not delivered by much strength. A
horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength. Behold the Eye of the
Lord is upon them that fear Him, upon them that hope in His mercy; to deliver their soul from death, and
keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the Lord. He is our help and our shield. Our heart shall
rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name. Let Your mercy, oh Lord, be upon us, according
as we hope in You." (Psalms 33:12-22)
The "All Seeing Eye", sometimes confused with the "Eye of Providence" on U. S. currency, first arrived in
Masonry in The Freemason's Monitor by Thomas Smith Webb, in 1797. This was 15 years after the
adoption of the "Eye of Providence" on the great seal of the United States currency.
Masonry in The Freemason's Monitor by Thomas Smith Webb, in 1797. This was 15 years after the
adoption of the "Eye of Providence" on the great seal of the United States currency.
This is Webb's explanation of the symbol: "And although our thoughts, words and actions, may be hidden
from the eyes of man, yet that All Seeing Eye, whom the Sun, Moon, and Stars obey, and under whose
watchful care even comets perform their stupendous revolutions, pervades the inmost recesses of the
human heart, and will reward us according to our merits."
from the eyes of man, yet that All Seeing Eye, whom the Sun, Moon, and Stars obey, and under whose
watchful care even comets perform their stupendous revolutions, pervades the inmost recesses of the
human heart, and will reward us according to our merits."
On 4 July 1776, Ben Franklin, a Mason, was appointed to serve on the first committee to prepare the Seal
along with John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Franklin wanted a design featuring Moses with Pharaoh and
his soldiers drowning in the Red Sea as a background inscribed with, "Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to
God." Jefferson wanted a scene with the children of Israel led by a pillar of cloud by night and a pillar of
fire by day. (Ref. Church History In Plain Language by Bruce Shelly, pg. 361
www.lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/religion)
along with John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Franklin wanted a design featuring Moses with Pharaoh and
his soldiers drowning in the Red Sea as a background inscribed with, "Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to
God." Jefferson wanted a scene with the children of Israel led by a pillar of cloud by night and a pillar of
fire by day. (Ref. Church History In Plain Language by Bruce Shelly, pg. 361
www.lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/religion)
Francis Hopkinson, Charles Thomson, and William Barton, of the second and third committees on the
development of the great seal, were the artist and consultants responsible for the final design. They were not
masons. The original idea for the eye in a triangle came from another non-Mason, Pierre Du Simitiere, who
was a consultant on the first committee. Robert Hieronimus, in America's Secret Destiny, says, "The single
eye was a well established artistic convention for an 'omniscient Ubiquitous Deity' in the medallic art of the
Renaissance." Early Christians recognized the eye in a triangle as a symbol of God's watchful care and the
trinity of His power (omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence) and of His personage (Father, Son, and
the Holy Ghost).
development of the great seal, were the artist and consultants responsible for the final design. They were not
masons. The original idea for the eye in a triangle came from another non-Mason, Pierre Du Simitiere, who
was a consultant on the first committee. Robert Hieronimus, in America's Secret Destiny, says, "The single
eye was a well established artistic convention for an 'omniscient Ubiquitous Deity' in the medallic art of the
Renaissance." Early Christians recognized the eye in a triangle as a symbol of God's watchful care and the
trinity of His power (omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence) and of His personage (Father, Son, and
the Holy Ghost).
The Latin inscription on the seal reads:
"E PLURIBUS UNUM-COEPTIS-MDCCLXXVI-NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM"
Which roughly means: One out of many - God has smiled on our undertakings - 1776 - A New World Order
of the ages.
of the ages.
| Religion and the Founding of the American Republic > Library of Congress Click on the picture |
