Motto Magazine has compiled their first annual list of the best college mottos from around the country, as well as a few runners up. Motto Magazine's Top Ten College Mottos
Cornell University “I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study”
Brown University “In God we hope”
Wellesley College “Not to be ministered unto, but to minister”
Stanford University “The wind of freedom blows”
University of Pennsylvania “Laws without morals are useless”
Seton Hall University “Whatever risk, yet go forward”
Dartmouth College “A voice of one crying out in the wilderness”
Carnegie-Mellon University “My heart is in the work”
Clark Atlanta University “I’ll find a way or make one”
Brigham Young University “Enter to learn, go forth to serve”
Runner's Up for Best College Motto
Amherst College “Let them give light to the world”
Washington and Lee University “Not unmindful of the future”
Yesterday our pastor shared with the congregation an interesting story about Harvard University’s seal and motto. The original motto, “Truth (Veritas) for Christ (Christo) and the Church (Ecclesiae),” was adopted in 1692 and was a part of their original seal as seen below (in Latin):
Original Harvard seal
The motto and shield with this original verbiage can still be found at multiple places on Harvard's campus. It may be difficult to discern from this picture, but the Harvard Graduate Christian Community website states the following:
Interestingly, the top two books on the shield are face up while the bottom book is face down. This symbolizes the limits of reason, and the need for God's revelation.
At some point in Harvard’s history the motto was changed to simply “Truth” and the seal changed to that pictured below:
Modern Harvard seal
Notice all three books are now face up. This symbolizes a belief that there is no limit to man’s reasoning and God’s revelation is no longer needed. The change in the motto reflects a change in the university’s mission. The Harvard Graduate Christian Community website states this:
Harvard University was founded in 1636 with the intention of establishing a school to train Christian ministers. In accordance with that vision, Harvard’s “Rules and Precepts,” adopted in 1646, stated (original spelling and Scriptural references retained):
2. Let every Student be plainly instructed, and earnestly pressed to consider well, the maine end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life (John 17:3) and therefore to lay Christ in the bottome, as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and Learning. And seeing the Lord only giveth wisedome, Let every one seriously set himself by prayer in secret to seeke it of him (Prov. 2:3).
3. Every one shall so exercise himselfe in reading the Scriptures twice a day, that he shall be ready to give such an account of his proficiency therein, both in Theoreticall observations of Language and Logick, and in practical and spiritual truths, as his Tutor shall require, according to his ability; seeing the entrance of the word giveth light, it giveth understanding to the simple (Psalm 119:130).
This is obviously no longer their mission, and thus “Christ and the Church” were removed from the motto. How sad to see a university that was founded by a minister—solidly believing that knowledge, wisdom, and understanding come only from God’s Word—now believe that truth can be found apart from God and elevate man above God as the ultimate authority. As I was searching the Harvard website, I came across this article entitled, “Intuitive? Try God.” The article related the research done by several students and professors at Harvard showing that people who believe in God are more likely to rely on intuition then people that don’t. The article states the following: By linking religious belief to intuition, the study supports the idea that there is something in the cognitive makeup of humans that promotes belief in a higher power. For example, the natural tendency that people have to see a purpose behind random events, or the need to reduce uncertainty in their lives — as well as the anxiety it causes — may promote a belief in God.
In other words, the reason we want to believe in God or some higher power is due to our “cognitive makeup” which is the result of millions of years of evolution and thus may afford some evolutionary advantage.
The Bible states that people believe in God for very different reasons than the Harvard researchers postulate.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen,being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools(Romans 1:18–22, emphasis added)
Oh, how the hearts of those at Harvard have been darkened, and how foolish they have become because although they know God, they deny Him. Instead of rejoicing in the truth that comes from God’s revelation (1 Corinthians 13:6), they suppress the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18). We’ve come to expect such thinking from secular institutions like Harvard, but sadly, this same form of thinking has infiltrated many Christian colleges today.
I encourage you to get our book, Already Compromised, to learn more about the compromise in American Christian colleges today. Also if you’re a student preparing for college (or parent of one!) and want to explore colleges and universities that affirm AiG’s Statement of Faith please attend our College Expo and Conference November 11–12 at the Creation Museum.
附6注:哈佛提供的上页文献的说法“Amicus Plato,Amicus Aristotle, Sed Magis Amicus VERITAS was a well-known quotation”也未必绝对可靠。多次再版、页码达414页的《The Routledge Dictionary of Latin Quotations (2005, Stone, Jon R.)》并无该语的原貌。
John T. Noonan Jr., who received his B.A. ('47) and LI.B. ('54) from Harvard, is United States Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit and Robbins Professor Emeritus of Law at the University of California at Berkeley. His latest book is Bribes.
Address to the Donors to the Harvard-Radcliffe Catholic Center, October 30, 1991:
Veritas is one Harvard motto, adopted by the Board of Overseers in 1643, but not used and forgotten until dug out and made public by President Quincy 200 years later. In the meantime Harvard's charter of 1650 used the phrase In Christi gloriam, “For the glory of Christ,” and, under the influence of the Mathers, Harvard's seal of 1693 adopted the phrase Christo et Ecclesiae, “For Christ and the Church.” In 1885 the corporation, with its usual balance and prudence, put both Veritas and Christo et Ecclesiae into the seal of Harvard, and both slogans remain on the seal today.
Two other venerable institutions, I am informed, bear the motto, Veritas. They are the Dominican Order and the Holy Roman Inquisition. The last association may be suggestive enough to make the motto “Truth” not an appropriate theme for further discourse on this occasion.
I turn to Harvard's other motto, “For Christ and the Church.” Half a century ago, Learned Hand, speaking to the Harvard Alumni Association as president of that association, pondered what these charged theological terms could mean to the Harvard graduates of 1936. Using the words of the Gospel, he offered to put new wine in the old bottles. He argued that the early makers of Harvard could be reinterpreted as saying that the purpose of a university is not to teach the way to acquisition or affluence or power, but to teach self-knowledge, for in true self-knowledge there is freedom. A community of souls who truly knew themselves, he suggested, would act both freely and harmoniously. With impunity they could actually adopt the motto of the Abbey of Theleme, cribbed from St. Augustine: “Do what you will.” Such freedom of the soul, he implied, was what was meant by “for Christ”; such harmony of the community was the good of “the Church.” Reinterpreted, Christo et Ecclesiae retained vitality.
St. Augustine himself, if he had heard Hand, would have said, “You are right: Acquisition and affluence are not goals but temptations; and power is not an end and not the business of a university to teach. You are right, but you have not gone far enough. In the recesses of your soul, if you truly know yourself, you will find God. And if you find God, you will love God, and in that love you will find freedom for yourself and harmony with other humans. You will come to be for Christ and the Church. Not do as you will, but love and do as you will.”
1636年,为了在这块新大陆上培训新的神职人员,麻萨诸塞湾殖民地法庭通过创建学校。年轻的约翰•哈佛牧师为此奉献了自己的图书馆和一半的财产,该校即以牧师的名字命名:哈佛大学。哈佛大学早期的校训是:真理为基督和教会。(Harvard’s Original Motto:“Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae” -Truth for Christ and the Church)。早期的毕业生中,一半人成为传道人。最早的12任校长,有10位是牧师。
哈佛大学之所以能培养这么多杰出的人才,也许与学校的办学方针有关。哈佛的校训是:Let Plato be your friend, and Aristotle, but more let your friend be truth,中文翻译为“与柏拉图为友,与亚里士多德为友,更要与真理为友”。哈佛大学的校徽也是显示哈佛的办学方针的:它的主体部分以三本书为背景(两上一下),在上面的两本书上分别印刻有“VE”和“RI”两组字母,而在下面的一本书上则印刻有“TAS”这组字母。三本书的背景则是一个盾牌图案。”VERITAS”的拉丁文就是“真理”的意思。有意思的是,这个以“真理”为主题的校徽,在1643年制定出来以后竟被搁置了100多年,直到哈佛200周年校庆时才被正式启用。当时,主持校庆200周年活动的哈佛学院昆西院长从堆积如山的历史文件中发现校徽的设计稿时欣喜若狂,他在向师生推荐时感慨万分。哈佛校徽失而复得,似乎昭示人们:真理需要付出时间和努力才能得到。大学的目的不仅是让学生认识已有的知识,而且还要让他们去创造新的知识。哈佛学者云集,这些学者可以教会我们已有的知识,所以我们要与他们为友。但这些学者也有局限性,他们对一些事物的认识不仅可能会是错误的,而且有很多他们根本没有认识到的真理,所以,学生还必须学会自己去认识真理。追求新的真理并不是一帆风顺的,不仅需要付出艰辛的努力,而且可能遭到旧的权威或当权者的反对。所以,与真理为友就显得更加可贵。哈佛校训就是要教导学生们不仅要向学术大师学习已有的知识,而且要有批判和创新的眼光,不断地创造出新的知识。
在读了中国青年报披露“哈佛校训”真相的文章之后,很容易找到了那些“人为炮制”的东西。但是同时也发现,网上关于哈佛训言的流传要比中青报记者所考证的2008年3月1日“雨巷寻香”交流英语翻译论坛上发帖要早得多。其中最经典的应当算是2002年12月上海科技教育出版社出版的《与真理为友——现代科学的哲学追思》。作者是北京师范大学教授李建会,2001年10月-2002年4月曾以访问学者身份在哈佛大学访问。回国后在其个人网站上发表了《与学术大师为友,更要与真理为友——哈佛大学留学见闻》,这篇文章是从其书中节选的。文章详细说明了显示在哈佛校徽上的拉丁文校训简称“VERITAS”(真理),其全称为:Let Plato be your friend, and Aristotle, but more let your friend be truth,中文翻译为“与柏拉图为友,与亚里士多德为友,更要与真理为友”。
走在哈佛的校园里实在是没有什么太过显著的标志和宏大的校门可供人合影留念。平心而论,这里没有耶鲁大学那样美丽的建筑,没有普林斯顿那样优美的环境,没有加州斯坦福大学的阳光灿烂,也没有哥伦比亚大学沾染到的曼哈顿的繁华。作为历史悠久的常春藤名校,校园里洋溢着一种浓郁的贵族气息。由于年代久远,新英格兰人建的房子又常常为了取暖而牺牲掉采光,所以走进哈佛的教室常常让人觉得有一种说是霉味又不是霉味,说是香味又不是香味的气息扑面而来。也许,这就是人们说的书卷气吧。就如同哈佛的校训“Amicus Plato, Amicus Aristotle, sed Magis Amicus VERITAS”---“与柏拉图为友,与亚里士多德为友,更要与真理为友”。哈佛的校徽上就刻着:VERITAS(真理)。而深红的颜色不仅是哈佛校徽和建筑的颜色,也代表了哈佛人对于追求学问的执着和热爱。
校园里有上百栋建筑物,差不多都是以与哈佛有关的著名人物的名字命名的,例如肯尼迪管理学院,拜尔里文理学院,朗费罗会堂。其中最引人注目也最让人不容错过的当然就是约翰*哈佛的雕像(Statue of John Harvard)。徜徉在校园里,我想每个人都会感受到崇敬和向往,觉得这是真正的高等学府,货真价实的象牙之塔,可是巨人也有犯错的时候,这个雕像就是最好的证明.在这个铜像的基座上刻着这样的铭文:JOHN HARVARD/FOUNDER/1638. 而这被学生们称为“三大谎言之像”(Statue of Three Lies).事实上,哈佛大学不是1638年创建而是1636年,约翰*哈佛也不是哈佛的创始人而是70名毕业于剑桥大学的学院筹委会委员游说殖民地议会通过成立的,他只是其中之一.年轻的哈佛牧师因病去世后把他的全部图书和一半遗产捐给了当时的剑桥学院,这是学校当时收到的最大捐款,当地议会为了纪念他而把学校改名为哈佛学院.其实这个铜像也不是哈佛本人,因为他去世很早,没有任何画像或照片留下,雕塑家临时挑选了一个英俊的应届毕业生穿了清教徒的衣服就当是哈佛本人而创作了铜像.虽然有这么多错误,可是事后没有人觉得有太大的问题,也没有人费心的要去改正而一直保留到今天.这也没有妨碍人们对哈佛先生的喜爱和敬意.流传在哈佛的一个风俗就是学生摸一摸先生的左鞋脚尖可以考试灵光.因此,左脚被摸的锃亮而雕像的其他部分因为铜锈而呈现暗墨绿色.我当然也学着别人在这里临时抱了抱“佛脚”。