The motto as it appears on the arms of the city of Arad in Romania

Via, Veritas, Vita (Latin pronunciation: [ˈwi.a ˈweːritaːs ˈwiːta]) 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.

[edit] 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]

[edit] Usage as a motto

[edit] Educational institutions

[edit] Higher education

• Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, Massachusetts, founded 1900
• Saint Xavier University in Chicago, Illinois, founded 1846
• Silliman University in Dumaguete City, Philippines, founded 1901
• Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary in Madurai, India, founded 1969
• University of Glasgow in Glasgow, Scotland, founded 1451

[edit] Secondary education

• Bishop Garcia Diego High School in Santa Barbara, California, founded 1959
• Our Lady of Mercy High School in Brighton, New York, founded 1928
• Sacred Heart Canossian College in Hong Kong, China, founded 1860
• Saint Anthony's Canossian Secondary School in Bedok, Singapore, founded 1879

[edit] Government

It is the motto used on the coats 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.

[edit] See also

• List of mottos
• List of university mottos

[edit] Notes and references