Annuit cœptis

''Annuit cœptis'' (, ) is one of two mottos on the reverse side of the Great Seal of the United States. The literal translation is " e/Shefavors (or "has favored") urundertakings", from Latin ''annuo'' ("I approve, I favor"), and ''coeptum'' ("commencement, undertaking"). Because of its context as a caption above the Eye of Providence, the standard translations are "Providence favors our undertakings" and "Providence has favored our undertakings".

On the Great Seal

In 1782, Samuel Adams appointed a design artist, William Barton of Philadelphia, to bring a proposal for the national seal. For the reverse, Barton suggested a 13-layered pyramid underneath the Eye of Providence. The mottos which Barton chose to accompany the design were ''Deo Favente'' ("with God's favor", or more literally, "with God favoring") and ''Perennis'' ("Everlasting"). The pyramid and ''Perennis'' motto had come from a $50 Continental currency bill designed by Francis Hopkinson.

Barton explained that the motto alluded to the Eye of Providence: "''Deo favente'' which alludes to the Eye in the Arms, meant for the Eye of Providence." In western art, God is traditionally represented by the Eye of Providence, which principally symbolizes God's omniscience.

When designing the final version of the Great Seal, Charles Thomson (a former Latin teacher) kept the pyramid and eye for the reverse side but replaced the two mottos, using ''Annuit Cœptis'' instead of ''Deo Favente'' (and ''Novus ordo seclorum'' instead of ''Perennis''). When he provided his official explanation of the meaning of this motto, he wrote:

Change from ''Deo Favente'' to ''Annuit Cœptis''

''Annuit Cœptis'' is translated by the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Mint, and the U.S. Treasury as, "He odhas favored our undertakings" (brackets in original). However, the original Latin does not explicitly state who (or what) is the subject of the sentence. Robert Hieronimus, a scholar of American iconography, has argued that Thomson's intent was to find a phrase that contained exactly 13 letters to fit the theme of the seal. On the obverse was ''E Pluribus Unum'' (13 letters), along with 13 stars, 13 horizontal stripes (on the shield on back of the one-dollar bill), 13 vertical stripes, 13 arrows, 13 olive leaves, and 13 olives. The pyramid under the motto, ''Annuit Cœptis'', has 13 layers. According to Hieronimus, ''Annuit Cœptis'' has 13 letters and was selected to fit the theme. ''Deo Favente'' had only ten letters. However, ''Annuit cœptis'' is written with a Œ ligature on the seal, thus forming only 12 characters.

Classical source of the motto

According to Richard S. Patterson and Richardson Dougall, ''Annuit cœptis'' (meaning "He favours our undertakings") and the other motto on the reverse of the Great Seal, ''Novus ordo seclorum'' (meaning "new order of the ages"), can both be traced to lines by the Roman poet Virgil. ''Annuit cœptis'' comes from the ''Aeneid'', book IX, line 625, which reads, ''Iuppiter omnipotens, audacibus adnue coeptis''. Vergilius Maro, Publius (2919 BC).
Aeneid
'. Retrieved 11-25-2011. It is a prayer by Ascanius, the son of the hero of the story, Aeneas, which translates to, "Jupiter Almighty, favour ybold undertakings", just before slaying an enemy warrior, Numanus.

The same language also occurred in an earlier poem of Virgil, the ''Georgics''. In line I.40 of that work is the phrase "da facilem cursum atque ''audacibus annue cœptis''". The line is addressed to Caesar Augustus and translates to "give san easy path and nod at our audacious undertakings."

Notes

See also

* ''Novus ordo seclorum''
* ''E pluribus unum''
* Eye of Providence
* List of Latin phrases
* List of national mottos
* List of U.S. state and territory mottos
* United States national motto

References

Further reading

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External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Annuit coptis
Latin mottos
National symbols of the United States