Via, Veritas, Vita
Via, Veritas, Vita (Classical Latin: [ˈwi.a ˈweːritaːs ˈwiːta], Ecclesiastical Latin: [ˈvi.a ˈveritas ˈvita]) is a Latin phrase meaning "The Way, The Truth, The Life" in English. It is attributed to Jesus Christ and has been used as motto by various educational institutions and governments.
History
It is found in verse 6 of chapter 14 of the Gospel of John: "5Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ 6Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’"(New Revised Standard Version) In the Latin Vulgate, it is written as via et veritas et vita.[1]
Usage as a motto
Educational institutions
Higher education
- University of Glasgow in Glasgow, Scotland, founded 1451
- Saint Xavier University in Chicago, Illinois, founded 1846
- Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, Massachusetts, founded 1900
- Silliman University in Dumaguete City, Philippines, founded 1901
- Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary in Madurai, India, founded 1969
- Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, Anglican evangelical theological college, Permanent Private Hall of University of Oxford, founded 1877.
Secondary education
- Sacred Heart Canossian College in Hong Kong, China, founded 1860
- Saint Anthony's Canossian Secondary School in Bedok, Singapore, founded 1879
- Our Lady of Mercy High School in Brighton, Monroe County, New York, founded 1928
- Bishop Garcia Diego High School in Santa Barbara, California, founded 1959
- St. Thomas High School in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, Canada, founded 1960
- Christ the King College in Newport, Isle of Wight, England, founded 2008
Government
It is the motto used on the coat of arms of Arad, capital of Arad County in Romania. An alternate form (Veritas, Via, Vitae) is used on the provincial seal of the Province of Negros Oriental, one of the provinces in the central part of Philippines.
See also
Notes and references