The Eye of Providence

The Eye of Providence (or the all-seeing eye of God) is a symbol, originating in Christian iconography, showing an eye often surrounded by rays of light or a glory and usually enclosed by a triangle. It represents the eye of God watching over humanity (the concept of divine providence).

In the Great Light in Freemasonry one can find several references to the all-seeing eye of the Supreme Being, especially in books classified as "wisdom literature". Some of the earliest are from the Book of Psalms. Most of the songs in this book were written between 800 and 600 B.C., and were used in the ceremonies held in Solomon's Temple.

The Eye of God became a popular subject in late Renaissance art, usually appearing surrounded by rays of light as mentioned in another book: The Wisdom of Ben Sira, also known as 'Ecclesiasticus'.

The Eye was often depicted as contained within a triangle, with the three sides of the triangle referring to the three divine persons of the Trinity.