Hebrew Terms in Seals of U.S. Universities

Sacred Tongue Inspires American Educators

Tradition, Begun at Columbia in
1755, Sprung from Love of Bible

By PHILIP SLOMOVITZ

Hebrew is required as part

of the curriculum in most theo-

logical schools, Catholic as well
as Protestant. It is considered
as necessary for a complete un-
derstanding o1 the Old Testa-
ment as Greek is in studying
the New Testament.
In Colonial times, Hebrew was
a required subject in American
universities. The interest in the
language of the Bible was an
inheritance from the Quakers
and the Pilgrims, linking He-
brew with the Old Testament,
regz•ding it as part of the rev-
erence for the spiritual values of
their faith.
Today, more than a score

of American colleges have He-
brew departments and 1,400
colleges recognize Hebrew as
a subject for admission. The
fact that 78 high schools in
13 American cities have in-
cluded Hebrew in their cur-
ricula is an added factor of
interest in viewing- the posi-
tion of the Hebrew language
in this country.

Recognition of the importance
of Hebrew for a basic under-
standing of the Bible inspired
the inclusion of Hebrew phrases
in university seals and book
marks. Yale University was
among the first to adopt such an
inscription, by inserting the
words : mill
in its coat of arms. Columbia
_University, in 1754, incorporated
the words h4 401114

in the official imprint of its
publications.
Andover Theological Seminary
inserted • the words

College in the early
eighteenth century. The un-
known designer identified the
Book as the Bible by charac-
ters which read "Urim and
Thummim," probably names
of sacred lots to be cast for
the purpose of ascertaining
the divine will (cf. • Exodus

Yale

28:30; I Samuel 14:10 f.; Ezra
2:63). Their suggestion that

the Book contains divine rev-
elations would be clear to
scholars who read the Scrip-
tures in the original Hebrew.
But for others the designer
added a translation. in the
Vernacular.
"When the translation of the
Old Testament was made in
Greek, the real meaning of
"Urim and Thummint" was no
longer known and different
words were used in different
passages to translate them.
Among the renderings given
were 'Light' and 'Truth,'
and it is this interpretation
which was chosen for the seal-
legend and placed outside of
the shield in Latin: Lux et

Veritas.

"The seal bars the arms
within the circular inscrip-
tion—Sigill: Coll: Yalen: Nov:
Port: Nov: Angl. It is the prop-
erty of the President and Fel-
lows of the University and the
symbol of their legal author-
ity. The seal is impressed
upon official documents of the
University for the purpose of
authenticating signatures and
should be used in w • other

way."

.

*

To Miss Nancy A. Carmody,
secretary of Columbia Univer-
sity in the City of New York,
in its book plate in 1907.
we are indebted for the follow-
Dartmouth College, in 1770, ing explanation of the Columbia
incorporated in its slogan the University Seal:
terms 0,`i tpti

Brandeis University, the
youngest in the land, uses in
its slogan, "Truth even unto its
innermost parts," the word

J. Richard Banks, associate
director of Yale University News
Peareau, New Ha-%, Conn., pro-
vides us with these interesting
facts regarding the "Urim v'-
Thummim" and the "Lux et
Veritas" in the Arms of Yale
University:

"With the exception of a
change in the name and some
alteration on the figure, the

"The coat of arms of Yale
University is blazoned: azure
(blue); upon an open book,
edges gold (or yellow), covers
and ties silver (or white) the
letters t9 , 7:ri1 r.1114

sable (black). The motto LUX
ET VERITAS is usually in-
scribed beneath the shield on
a ribbon.

"The Yale arms may be
displayed in full color or in
black and white; they may be
surrounded by ivy, laurel or
elm leaves. They may be
drawn within any proper or-
namental border or cartouche
but without helmet, crest,
mantling, or supporters. They
form the distinctive decora-
tion used by Yale men and
Yale associations.
"The source of the arms is
the device upon the seal
adopted by the Trustees of

present Columbia seal is a
counterpart of the original
designed by Dr. Samuel John-
son, the first President of
King's College, and adopted
by the Governors of the Col-
lege at. a meeting on June 3,
- 1755. Today there is but one
official seal, used for all
schools of the University, in-
chiding Barnard College,
Teachers College, the College
of Physicians and Surgeons,
and the College of Pharmacy.
This seal may be described as
follows:
"Symbolizing Columbia is
the figure of a woman seated
upon _a throne, with three
nude children at her . knees.
The children represent her
pupils, taith 'I - PET - II -
1 ,- 2 - &C -' beneath them,
which is to suggest that they
should receive her instruc-
tions, 'laying aside all malice
and guile and as newborn
babes desire the sincere milk
of the Word, that you may
grow thereby.' Her left hand
touches one of them, while
in her right is poised an open
Bible, displaying the words
0 IA Z NTA, the lively
oracles, alluding to St. Steph-
en's words, A-' 7.38. Over her
head is the sacred name, (in

motto was determined, records' explantory note on the Andover
of the Board of "leustees do not ex libris:
indicate. It is my understand-
ing that the calligraphy of the
LVMINE TVO VIDEBIMVS Hebrew words 'God Almighty'
LVMEN (`In Thy Light shall has on occasion been challenged
we see light.' Psalms 36.9). by Hebrew scholars."
Wheelock, refereed to above,
To the left of her mouth is a
ribbon containing the words, was the first president of Dart-
(in Hebrew), AURI AL: 'God mouth College. He was a Le-
is my light,' referring to banon, Conn., parish minister
Psalms 27.1: 'The Lord is my and a leader in the movement
light and my salvation,' which to Christionize savage Indians.
* *
is in acknowledgement of God
Emanuel M. Gilbert, director
as the fountain of all natural
and revealed light. Under of the office of public affairs of
these characters is a rising Brandeis University, explains
sun, in symbolic reference to that the Brandeis seal with the
Malachi 4.2: 'The Sun of word "Emeth" was adopted in
Righteousness shall arise with 1948, the year the university
healing in His wings.' Round was opened.
Dr. Abram L. Sachar, presi-
on the edge are the words:
SIGILLVM COLLEGII CO- dent of Brandeis University, ex-
plains the Seal of Brandeis Uni-
LVMBIAE NOVI EBORACI.
ANDOVER NEWTON.THSOLOGICAL LIBRARY
"Although nearly all of the versity as follows:
"To work out the or 'nal seal
constitutent schools at one
NEWTON CENTRE. MASSACHUSETTS
time possessed their own in- of the University, we asked for
"The
bookplate of Andover
counsel
from
Professor
Kenneth
dividual seals, they are no
longer used for formal desig- Conant of Harvard. He is a Theological Seminary shows a
simple pediment, supported by
great authority
nation."
Doric columns. On the archi-
* * *
on seals and
trave is printed: `Institutio The-
heraldry. It was
Equally fascinating is the
ologica • An do IT e r Fundata
throe gh his
story of the seal of Dartmouth
MDCCCVII.' The Hebrew Tetra-
counsel
that
the
College, Hanover, N. H. Frank
grammaton
Pemberton, director of Dart- core part of the
apears above in a blaze of
mouth College, tells this story: seal was de-
glory. Leaning against the base
veloped, show-
of the portico is an open book
ing the three
hills of Boston with beacons partially surrounded by shining
on the top of each. I never rays. On the left page is written
realized why the name "Tri- Ps. CXIX:169
nrzn 1.1215
mount" occurs so frequently in
this area but it is apparently (Give me undeestanding accord-
the reference to three hills ing to Thy word.) On the oppo-
site page is found in Greek
on which Boston is built.
"We then began to work in a `Thy word is truth) (John
relationship with the Hebraic 17:17)."
The word Yahweh appears in
tradition, since this is a Jewish-
founded university. We felt that Hebrew on the seal of the Cath-
of
the Hebrew word gemeth' be- olic Biblical Association
longed in the seal. It had the America, that functions as part
advantage of emphasizing the of the Catholic University of
major goal of education, which America, located in Washington,
is the search for truth, and we D. C. The Rev. Louis F. Hart-
"The official seal first came to felt that it ought to be in the man, executive secretary of the
light in 1773, when it was original H e b r e w. • Harvard Catholic Biblical. Association,
adopted at a meeting of the adopted a similar symbolic goal who provided us with a copy of
Board of Trustees on Aug. 25. but used the Latin • term 'yeti- the seal, accompanied the pho-
The following description was
tograph with a personal message
tas.'
entered in the minutes of that
"We then explored the possi- to this writer, "shalom v'khol
day's business:
bility of a cryptic phrase, pref- tuv lekha"—"peace and all that
"An oval, circumscribed by erably from the Bi ale, which is good for you"—ar_ 1 with this
a line containing SIGILL: could amplify the meaning of explanation of the seal: -
COL: DARTMOUTH: NOV:
the one word "truth." We were
HANT: IN AMERICA, 1-770.
delighted to find in the Ps'alms
Within a shield projecting a just the phrase that we were
seeking, 'The search for truth
pine grove on the right,
whence proceed native toward even unto its innermost parts.'
an edifice two storey on the
"Putting all of this material
left, which bears in a label together, we came up -with the
over the grove these words seal which is now an insepara-
`vox clamantis in deserto'- ble part of the University's tra-
the whole supported by re-
dition."
* * *
ligion on the right and justice
on the left; and bearing a
Dr. Sachar has pointed out • to
triangle radiate, with the He- us that the motto on the •seal
brew words (El Shaddai)." of Harvard University also is
"An impression of the seal "Truth," but in the Latin "Verie
was appended to this description tas."
article,
In his s c hO 1 a
in the trustees' record. The
written description is ambiguous "American Jewish Bookplates,"
in its use of right and left, in the March 1956 issue of Pub-
for the keeper of the records lication of the American Jewish
placed the pine grove on the Historical Society—an essay now
right, when he must have been available in book form, pub-
looking at the die itself, and lished in a limited edition—
then at an imprint feom it when Rabbi Philip Goodman gives
these additional interesting facts . "The only Hebrew word on
he located the figures.
our Seal is the -. sacred Tetra-
about fee Yale bookplate:
"During 167 years the old die
"The Day Missions Library of grammaton rlir0
has been in constant service. It Yale University -ses a book- the unutterable . narn.e of the
still is in good condition and plate fully descriptive of its pur- God of • Israel. We have
until recently was used as 'the pose. Dark mountain tops and this name on a scroll on our
common seal under which to overhanging clouds are -illumi- seal, representing the form of
pass all diplomas or certificates nated by the sun of righteous- the writing material on which
of degrees, and all other affairs eess whose rays are in the form the sacred books of the Hebrew
of business of and concerning of a cross. Underneath the hori- Bible were all originally writ-
Dartmouth College.' Today the zontal beams of the crucifix are ten. Our seal also shows the
seal is printed upon diplomas. the words brIN srri
Greek monogram called the Chi-
"It is known that the engraver (Let there be light. Gen. 1:3). Rho, the first two letters of the
was Nathaniel Hurd of Boston, a On the bottom half of the plate Greek word for Christ. These
famOus early American crafts- is an open scroll - 't the quota- two symbols _ represent for us
man. Apparently, Hurd was tion from the proehet_ Isaiah: the Old and the New Testa-
ment, the whole Christian Bible,
given a description and proba-
/Writ, MIZ LIireri 2:r1
which is our special field of
bly some rough sketches from
study. On our shield these two
which to draw and then to
IN 11
1 711:
engrave the official seal of the (The people that walked in symbols- are separated by a
fledgling -:ollege in the wilder- darkness have seen a great light. naked sword, representing the
ness.
(Is. 9:1). This library was estab- inspired word of God (Ephes.
"Vox clamantis in deserto' lished by Prof. George E. Day 6,17; Heb. 4,12);"
This is the fascinating story
Yale, 1833), and his wife,
was suggested by Eleasar Whee-
lock himself as the 'college Olivia Hotchkiss Day, in 1891, of Hebrew words nd phrases
motto.' This (Hanover, N. H.) as an historical library 'relating in university seals. There also
was an Indian wilderness in to the missions of all Christian are special symbols in the seals
of Jewish theological seminaries,
1769 when De r tin l _th was denominations and people.' "
We are indebted to Rabbi and they must be classed in
founded.
"By what method the Hebrew Goodman also for the following a special field of their own.

Hebrew), Jehovah, in triangu-
lar glory, the lower point
termination at her head, and
the motto round under it IN

MOCCCCX XX,