Research of the Symbolic and Allegorical Composition of the "Eye of Providence" in the Cultural Heritage of the Trypillia Protocivilization and Religious Analysis Context

Abstract

Well known in religious culture, the symbol “Eye of Providence” or “All-seeing eye” is an emblem sign with deep foundations, which lies in the architectural and iconographic tradition of Christianity, Masonic societies, various esoteric circles. The Radiant Delta became a visual icon in the 15th century and was used in mystical philosophical teachings, and as a decoration on religious paintings and works of art. “The Eye”, as an emblem, was incorporated into the interiors and exteriors of both Orthodox and Catholic churches, often in the most visible way. The glow of the all-pervading “Eye” inside or above the triangle has become a metaphor meaning the One God with his essence of all-encompassing and all-seeing and is sometimes interpreted as a symbol beyond the reach of human imagination and objective cognition. However, referring to archaic religions and mythologies, the author reveals archetypal images and schemes, signs and their combinations, which are hiding concepts, notions and structural-semantic patterns, that are obvious precursors to the formation of the modern cult symbol of the “Eye of Providence”. The article examines the history of the “Eye of Providence” as a symbol, which in the biblical tradition undergoes its formation from a textual sign to an iconographic image and leads its common thread of “written history” from the ancient temple cult. From this the specificity of the semantic structure of the studied sign-symbol and certain historical and cultural contexts in which the above symbol is developing, is determined. The author proves that the metaphorical symbol of the “Eye” with its semantic specificity existed long before the emergence of the biblical expression and was specifically reproduced in different ancient peoples. Initially, it was associated with cult buildings. From the point of view of the archaic human cognition of the symbol under study, the regularities concerning natural phenomena and the visible Cosmos, by the “patronage” of which the original expression of the sacred “Eye” was born, are revealed. The work involves research on the temple of Trypillia culture, because the establishment of a universal „thread of history” of the „Eye” expression from the archaic temple cult and cult buildings gives rise to such an appeal. With this it is established that the „Heavenly Eye” expression originated from the astronomical situation and was associated with the stellar allegory of Taurus / Taurus constellation – a sacred image in many cultures of the Eneolithic era.