"All Seeing Eye"

[EddieArent]

Can anyone explain the significance of the “all seeing eye” in Catholicism and it’s origins? Of coarse, many know the symbol through Masonry, but I’ve seen it here and there in Catholicism. Most recently in my Tridentine Missal as I guess depicting the Holy Trinity as it was linked together with a Cross, and on the bottom a symbol of the Holy Ghost.

 

[Todd_Easton]

In the article on “Anthropomorphism” in the 1917 Catholic Encyclopedia, it says:

The Bible, especially the Old Testament, abounds in anthropomorphic expressions. Almost all the activities of organic life are ascribed to the Almighty. He speaks, breathes, sees, hears; He walks in the garden; He sits in the heavens, and the earth is His footstool. It must, however, be noticed that in the Bible locutions of this kind ascribe human characteristics to God only in a vague, indefinite way. He is never positively declared to have a body or a nature the same as man’s; and human defects and vices are never even figuratively attributed to Him. The metaphorical, symbolical character of this language is usually obvious. The all-seeing Eye signifies God’s omniscience; …

The expression appears in Sirach 14:22:22 Blessed is the man that shall continue in wisdom, and that shall meditate in his justice, and in his mind shall think of the all seeing eye of God.

 

[NightRider]

Well, this is interesting. I don’t think I recall seeing an image of the “all-seeing eye” anywhere before. Where is it shown most?

I understand the scriptural explanation above, but I just can’t seem to recall seeing any image of this anywhere.

 

[Genesis315]

NightRider:

Well, this is interesting. I don’t think I recall seeing an image of the “all-seeing eye” anywhere before. Where is it shown most?

On the back of the one dollar bill. It’s above the pyramid.

 

[slinky1882]

Genesis beat me to the point. The back of the dollar bill is most common. You can see it alot of the stone Masonic temples. But here’s an interesting reference. Is anyone from CA familiar with this Mission??? Thanks and God Bless.

gocalifornia.about.com/bl_mis_sm_bldg.htm

 

[EddieArent]

Many thanks for the explanation.

 

[Meggie]

I think I used to see it in my children’s baltimore chatechism book…in the trinity…