The Great American Seal

Annuit Coeptis, Novus Ordo Seclorum.

Those Latin phrases appear on the back of the Great Seal of the United States of America. The first phrase, annuit coeptis, basically means, “Providence favors our undertaking.” The second phrase is slightly more difficult to translate because it is an allusion to a classic poem by Virgil (Eclogues). It has been translated as, “a new order of the ages,” but here is the fuller context of the poem:

“The great order of the ages is born afresh. Now justice returns, honored rules return. Now a new lineage is sent down from high heaven.” 

Charles Thomson, one of the designers of the Great Seal, said the phrase was chosen to signify “the beginning of the new American era.”

Taken together, these phrases show that the idea was that America was favored by God, and the founding of the New World was meant to be a blessing to the rest of the world. Of course America has made its share of mistakes; there are black marks on our history that we would rather forget. That is what happens when fallen people are involved in anything. There isn’t a nation in the history of the world that can boast of a flawless history, but I would argue that America’s history is better than most, if not all, other nations. Other countries have gotten better because they were liberated by other countries, but America has corrected its own problems from within. 

I believe that America was favored by the providence of God from the beginning because Christian men and women set out to find a place where they could worship in freedom. Over the years many have recognized that this country was destined to be a shining city on a hill to give hope to the rest of the world. Those of us who are American Christians should continue in that tradition of using our place of providential favor to be a blessing to others. “To whom much is given, much will be expected (paraphrase of Luke 12:48).” 

We cannot control whether or not our country is a shining city on hill to the rest of the world, but as individuals we can be that city to our neighbors and coworkers. 

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.”