The Yale University coat of arms is the primary emblem of

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

. It has a field of the color

Yale Blue Yale Blue is the dark azure color used in association with Yale University. History Since the 1850s, Yale Crew has rowed in blue uniforms, and in 1894, "dark blue" was officially adopted as Yale's color, after half a century of the univer ...

with an open book and the

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

words ''Urim'' and ''Thummim'' inscribed upon it in Hebrew letters. Below the

shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry or projectiles such as arrows, by means of a ...

on a scroll appears Yale's official motto, ''Lux et Veritas'' (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

for "Light and Truth").

History

The first known seal of Yale appears on the master's diploma of its future president

Ezra Stiles Ezra Stiles ( – May 12, 1795) was an American educator, academic, Congregationalist minister, theologian, and author. He is noted as the seventh president of Yale College (1778–1795) and one of the founders of Brown University. According ...

in 1746. In addition to the Hebrew words "Urim ve'Thummim" inscribed on two books on a shield, it had the Latin words ''Lux et Veritas'' surrounding the shield. The Hebrew words ''Urim'' and ''Thummim'' are used due to a belief among scholars at the time that "Light and Truth" was an adequate translation for these words. According to the Hebrew Bible, the priests used tools called the

Urim and Thummim In the Hebrew Bible, the Urim ( he, ''ʾŪrīm'', "lights") and the Thummim ( he, ''Tummīm'', meaning uncertain, possibly "perfections") are elements of the ''hoshen'', the breastplate worn by the High Priest attached to the ephod. They are ...

to discern the will of the Lord.

Sources

{{Academic heraldry

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

Shields of Yale University Yale University

History

See also

Sources