From: ptrei@bistromath.mitre.org (Peter Trei)
Subject: Re: Annuit Coeptis
Organization: The MITRE Corporation
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 14:15:21 GMT

In article <1992Sep9.000114.28865@cco.caltech.edu> heathh@cco.caltech.edu (Heath Ian Hunnicutt) writes:
>spg@Xenon.Stanford.EDU (Stephen P. Guthrie) writes:
>
>>I need to know the significance of a symbol that appears on the reverse
>>of the U.S. $1 bill. It is in the left hand circle and includes a pyramid
>>with an eye at the top and the text 'Annuit Coeptis' and 'Novus Ordo Seclorum'.
>>I'm sure I've seen the symbol elsewhere - I think it might be Masonic and
>>perhaps used by the Rosicrucians. If so, what is it doing on U.S. currency?
>>Does anyone have the story behind this, and what does the Latin mean?
>
>	Well, I have heard that the symoblism present on our dollar
>bill was borrowed from the Masonic lodge, too.  This makes sense, as
>both Thomas Jefferson and George Washington were Masons.  However,
>the Masons are a secretive bunch, so the symbolism in question 
>is probably of the well-known variety, not anything secret.
>
>	Also, I heard the pyramid with great eye is meant to represent
>the watchful eye of God over the 13 colonies.  (Note that the pyramid
>contains 13 levels, one for each colony.)
>
>	One of the Latin phrases means "from one, many."
>See ya,
>Heath

Ho Hum, time to repost my FAQ on the Great Seal of the United States...
       
BTW, Jefferson was probably *not* a Mason, unlike Washington and Franklin.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                Subject: The Great Seal of the United States.

     The allegation "The back of the dollar bill is loaded with Masonic
symbols" is one which pops up perrenially. Here is a little FAQ file I've 
prepared on the subject.

* What does the "Novus Ordo Seclorum" mean and why is it on the dollar?
* What's the significance of the pyramid with the eye on top?

     Novus Ordo Seclorum means "A new order of the world." When the US
was founded, the idea of a "new nation" was a novelty - other
countries claimed royal descent from antiquity. Even 87 years later,
the concept was alien enough to warrant mention in the Gettysburg
address.

     As for Masonic content in the seal, it's minimal. Contrary to
popular belief, the seal was NOT designed by a Mason. While the
All-seeing Eye of God is a Masonic symbol, putting it in a triangle is
not, nor is the pyramid, nor is perching the eye on top of it.

     An isolated eye as a symbol is not specifically Masonic either;
it's a common emblem, used by many people in different contexts. Are
all Greek fishermen are Masons? After all, they paint eyes on the prow
of their boats. The most recent time I saw an eye in a triangle on the
outside of a building, it was on the door of a Catholic church in
Watertown, NY.

          --------------------------------------------------

           A brief history of the seal of the United States.

                        The first committee

     On July 4, 1776, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams
were given the job of designing a seal for the United States. Pierre
Eugene Du Simitiere, a portrait painter with some knowledge of
heraldry, acted as a consultant, and is credited with introducing the
shield, 'E Pluribus Unum', and the eye of Providence in a triangle.

     Franklin wanted an allegorical image of Moses parting the Red
Sea.
     Jefferson wanted an image of the Children of Israel being led by
a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day on one side, and Hengst
and Horsa on the other.
     Adams wanted an allegorical image of Hercules deciding between
Sloth and Virtue.

     These three suggestions indicate their ignorance of heraldic
convention.

     Du Simitiere wanted a shield with six sections representing
England, Scotland, Ireland, Holland, France, and Germany, supported on
one side by the goddess of Liberty, and on the other by a buckskinned
Minuteman.

     All of these suggestions were rejected by Congress in January
1777.

                        The second committee

    The second committee was formed 3 years later, and consulted with
Francis Hopkinson, who had designed the American flag, some currency,
and seals for government departments. His proposal included white and
red stripes on a blue background for the shield, a radiant
constellation of 13 stars, and an olive branch.

     Hopkinson also designed a 1778 50-dollar colonial note, which
included an unfinished 13 step pyramid.

                        The third committee

     The third committee was formed May 4, 1782, when Secretary of
Congress Charles Thomason appointed William Barton as artist and
consultant. Barton came up with what is essentially the current form
of both sides.

     Thomason and Barton gave this exegis of the reverse:

    "The pyramid signifies Strength and Duration. The Eye over it &
     the Motto allude to the many signal interpositions of providence
     in favor 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."

     'Annuit Coeptis' means "God has favored our undertakings".

     Of the people involved, only Franklin is known for certain to
have been a Mason (though a case can be made for Jefferson).

     The seal's reverse was never cut, and was not widely seen until
Roosevelt put it on the dollar bill in the mid-30's. (He apparently
linked "Novus Ordo Seclorum" with his New Deal).

[    This info is lifted from: "America's Secret Destiny", by Robert
Hieronimus (Destiny Books, 1989, ISBN 0-89281-255-9). This is rather
weird volume - the author has an obsessive interest in the history of
the seal, and wrote his doctoral thesis on the topic. His history
seems airtight, but he goes off into Never Never Land in discussing
the "mystical significance" of the seal.

      I've seen papers prepared by Masons ascribing detailed Masonic
interpretations to almost everything on the $1 bill - including the
number of feathers in the eagles tail!  These claims all either fail
under close investigation - they allude to details which are
unofficial and can vary in different cuttings of the seal, or they are
plausible as coincidence.]


--------------------------------------------------

    If you need more info on Masonry, may I suggest John Hamill's "The
Craft: A history of English Freemasonry" (Crucible, 1986 ISBN
0-85030-460-1). If you can find them, also try "Coil's Masonic
Encyclopedia" and "Freemasonry through Six Centuries" (also Coil).
You might also want to subscribe to the Masonic Digest (write me for
more info).

						Peter Trei
						Senior Warden
						Wilder Lodge
						Leominster
						Massachusetts 

PS: Just in case it's not absolutely clear, yes, I am a Freemason.
							-pt
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