Reverse side of the Great Seal of the United States

The phrase Novus Ordo Seclorum (Latin for "New Order of the Ages") appears on the reverse of the Great Seal of the United States, first designed in 1782 and printed on the back of the American dollar bill since 1935. The phrase also appears on the coat of arms of the Yale School of Management, Yale University's business school. The phrase is often mistranslated as "New World Order," but the Latin for that phrase would be Novus Ordo Mundi. Download high resolution version (643x648, 568 KB)The Great Seal of the United States, reverse side. ... Download high resolution version (643x648, 568 KB)The Great Seal of the United States, reverse side. ... Obverse The Great Seal of the United States is used to authenticate certain documents issued by the United States government. ... For other uses, see Latin (disambiguation). ... Obverse The Great Seal of the United States is used to authenticate certain documents issued by the United States government. ... Obverse of the $1 bill Reverse of the $1 bill The U.S. one dollar bill ($1) is a denomination of U.S. currency. ... The Yale School of Management (also known as Yale SOM) is the graduate business school of Yale University and is located on Hillhouse Avenue in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. Yale SOM offers M.B.A. and Ph. ... Yale redirects here. ... One World Government redirects here. ...

Origin and meaning

The phrase is taken from the fourth Eclogue of Virgil, which contains a passage (lines 5-8) that reads: The Eclogues is one of three major works by the Latin poet Virgil. ... For other uses, see Virgil (disambiguation). ...

Ultima Cumaei venit iam carminis aetas;

magnus ab integro saeclorum nascitur ordo.

iam redit et Virgo, redeunt Saturnia regna,

iam nova progenies caelo demittitur alto.

"The last time of prophecy has come to the Cumaean Sibyl; a brand new great order of the ages is born; for now the Virgin and the age of Saturn have returned; now a new Child has been sent from the heavens."

The forms saecla, saeclorum etc. were normal alternatives to the more common saecula etc. throughout the history of Latin poetry and prose. The form saeculorum is impossible in hexameter verse: the ae and o are long, the u short by position. For the medieval exchange between ae, æ and e, see Æ; medieval is another example. Michelangelos rendering of the Cumaean Sibyl The Cumaean Sibyl was the priestess presiding over the Apollonian oracle at Cumae, a Greek colony located near Naples, Italy. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Hexameter is a literary and poetic form, consisting of six metrical feet per line as in the Iliad. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ... For Æ, the Irish writer, see George William Russell. ...

Medieval Christians read Virgil's poem as a prophecy of the coming of Christ. Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Christianity is... For other uses, see Prophecy (disambiguation). ...

The word seclorum does not mean "secular", as one might assume, but is the genitive (possessive) plural form of the word saeculum, meaning (in this context) generation, century, or age. Saeculum did come to mean "age, world" in late, Christian, Latin, and "secular" is derived from it, through secularis. However, the adjective "secularis," meaning "worldly," is not equivalent to the nominative plural possessive "seclorum," meaning "of the ages."^[1] This article concerns secularity, that is, being secular, in various senses. ... The genitive case is a grammatical case that indicates a relationship, primarily one of possession, between the noun in the genitive case and another noun. ...

Thus the motto Novus Ordo Seclorum can be translated as "A new order of the ages." It was proposed by Charles Thomson, the Latin expert who was involved in the design of the Great Seal of the United States, to signify "the beginning of the new American Era" as of the date of the Declaration of Independence. For other persons named Charles Thomson, see Charles Thomson (disambiguation). ...

Popular culture

Novus Ordo Seclorum is also the name of a high quality encryption program in Cryptonomicon, a novel by Neal Stephenson. The name is said to be a pun based on the fact that the program puts data in a "new order" that cannot be unscrambled for "ages". Encrypt redirects here. ... Cryptonomicon is a 1999 novel by Neal Stephenson. ... Neal Town Stephenson (born October 31, 1959) is an American writer, known primarily for his science fiction works in the postcyberpunk genre with a penchant for explorations of society, mathematics, currency, and the history of science. ...

It was also referred to in Dan Brown's book Angels and Demons when the hero (Robert Langdon), a scholarly expert on the Illuminati, was trying to convince a skeptical character of the reality of the secret organization's power by pointing to supposed Illuminati symbology on United States currency. The scholar mistranslates the phrase to "New Secular Order", with no indication that it is a mistranslation in the story. This article is about the writer. ... Wikibooks has a book on the topic of Angels and Demons Angels and Demons (Angels & Demons) is a bestselling mystery novel by Dan Brown. ... For other uses, see Illuminati (disambiguation). ...

Novus Ordo Seclorum is the name of an economic terrorist organization in Robison Wells' novels Wake Me When It's Over and The Counterfeit. The motto was one of the backmasked phrases in the Styx song Heavy Metal Poisoning from the album Kilroy Was Here, is the title of a song by Agathodaimon from the album Higher Art of Rebellion, and can be found in the lyrics of the Megadeth song "Washington Is Next!" off of their album United Abominations. It was also featured on episode "Triangle" of American Gothic where the character Caleb tapes a lot of these pyramids on the wall and chants "Novus Ordus Seclorum" and becomes demonic, and can also be found on a t-shirt from the band Ween. The Anime TV series "Le Chevalier D'Eon" features references to "Novus Ordo Seclorum". Robison Wells (b. ... Backmasking (also known incorrectly as backward masking)[1] is a recording technique in which a sound or message is recorded backwards onto a track that is meant to be played forwards. ... Styx (pronounced sticks) is an American rock band that was popular in the 1970s and 1980s, with such hits as Come Sail Away, Babe, Lady, Suite Madame Blue, Mr. ... Kilroy Was Here is a rock opera/concept album by the rock band Styx. ... Agathodaimon Agathodaimon is dark metal band from Germany. ... Megadeth is an American thrash metal band led by founder, frontman and songwriter Dave Mustaine. ... Washington Is Next! is the second track on the 2007 Megadeth album, United Abominations. ... United Abominations is the 11th studio album of the American thrash metal band, Megadeth. ... American Gothic is an American television series created by Shaun Cassidy and executive produced by Sam Raimi. ... This article is about the anime series based on a historical figure. ...

Notes and references

A Latin Dictionary is a popular English-language lexicographical work of the ancient Latin language, completed in 1879, published by the Oxford University Press, and still widely used by classical scholars and Latinists. ...

External links

• Great Seal Mottoes - Novus Ordo Seclorum