▲The Eye of Providence has its origins as a Christian symbol, and its use in religious paintings can be traced back to the Renaissance period.

▲The reason for the inclusion of the disembodied eye is perhaps less obvious, but in fact the eye as a symbol can be traced back to the third millennium BCE.

▲The triangle in which the eye appears has long since represented the Holy Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In some early paintings, God even has a triangular halo.

▲The symbol features in ‘Iconologia’ as a representation of God’s benevolence, and it is commonly accepted that this is what the symbol signifies in Christianity.

▲The rays of light sometimes featured in the symbol are a pre-existing symbolization of God’s radiance and can be found in many Christian artworks.

▲But it was actually the Egyptians who first made use of the disembodied eye as a symbol. Indeed, one of their most famous symbols is the Eye of Horus.

▲Pontormo’s ‘Supper at Emmaus,’ for example, includes the symbol. The painting is dated 1525, but it is thought that the symbol was added later.

▲The Eye of Horus is a hybrid of a human and a falcon eye and was used as a symbol of protection. The Egyptians would sometimes carry an 'Eye of Horus' amulet in their pocket.

▲But European iconographers failed to understand Egyptian hieroglyphs. They understood them to be mystical symbols rather than the phonetic signs they actually were.

▲It is for this reason that the Eye of Providence has been interpreted in so many different and conflicting ways over the centuries.

▲As a result, the symbols included in European iconography books such as Ripa’s ‘Iconologia’ were intended to be highly complex, their meaning difficult to decipher.

▲The Eye of Horus and other depictions of detached human eyes became common hieroglyphs, which in turn went on to influence Renaissance iconography.

▲In 1794, Jeremy Bentham commissioned an architect to design a logo for a new British prison in which the inmates would be under constant surveillance.

▲Prior to both these examples, the Eye of Providence was featured in the Great Seal of the United States, which was revealed for the first time in 1782.

▲The 13 levels of the pyramid represent the original states and the Eye of Providence was used in its original, religious sense to convey that God is watching over the nation.

▲Over the years, the Eye of Providence has come to be primarily associated with freemasonry and by extension the Illuminati, who were inspired by the ideas of the Masons.

▲It appears on the reverse side of the seal, which was designed by Secretary of the Continental Congress Charles Thomson and lawyer and artist William Barton.

▲The symbol is a favorite for conspiracy theorists who concern themselves with the idea that the Illuminati are a secret group of elite individuals trying to control the world.

▲Accusations that modern artists who use the symbol, such as Madonna, Jay-Z, and Kanye West, have Illuminati links can therefore be considered unfounded.

▲However, the idea that the Eye of Providence has its origins with freemasonry is false: in reality, the Masons did not adopt the symbol until after the likes of Le Barbier, Bentham, and Barton.

▲Above the title of the text appears the Eye of Providence. In this context the symbol is said to represent paternalistic reason watching over the nation.

▲Indeed, the psychological impact of seeing an eye is undeniable. There are even some animals who have evolved with eye markings to scare off predators.

▲The design produced by the architect, Willey Reveley, had the Eye of Providence prominently at its center to symbolize judicial righteousness.

▲The Eye of Providence can also be found in certain editions of ‘Iconologia,’ which was first published by the Italian iconographer Cesare Ripa in 1593.

▲Three key examples can be used to show the diverse symbolization of the Eye of Providence. The first is drawn from the time of post-revolutionary France.

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The incorporation of the symbol into these artists’ work should not be considered evidence of any conspiracy but rather of the power of visual design.

Sources: (BBC) (Business Insider)

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The exact origins of the symbol (i.e. who created it) are unknown, but we do know that it is a composite of Christian symbols that existed long before the 'seeing eye' itself.

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Followers of one of the earliest religions, the Sumerians, gave their holy sculptures enlarged eyes to increase the feelings of watchfulness in their viewers.

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The Eye of Providence, sometimes referred to as the "seeing eye," is an iconic logo that has come to be associated with the Illuminati, a secret group of elite individuals whom conspiracy theorists believe are trying to control global affairs.

The human eye within a triangle is a favorite for conspiracy theorists for the simple fact that it appears everywhere. It is found on churches, in artwork, and even on the back of the US dollar bill.

Although there is evidence that the Freemasons, upon whose teachings the original Illuminati based their work, did use the Eye of Providence as a symbol, in fact it was originally used as a religious symbol.

Check out this gallery to learn about the true provenance of the Eye of Providence.

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Following the French Revolution in 1789, artist Jean-Jacques-François Le Barbier painted the full text of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.

The Eye of Providence: from religious symbol to Illuminati icon

Discover the truth behind the slippery symbol

19/08/24 por StarsInsider

LIFESTYLE Religion

The human eye within a triangle is a favorite for conspiracy theorists for the simple fact that it appears everywhere. It is found on churches, in artwork, and even on the back of the US dollar bill.

Check out this gallery to learn about the true provenance of the Eye of Providence.