<p>theres like hebrew text inside a book... is it because the majority of whites there are jewish?</p>
<p>Much of the Bible was written in Hebrew, so if it represents a Bible, that would make logical sense.</p>
<p>It also says "Lux et Veritas" right above that, so does that mean that a lot of Romans go to Yale? Not necessarily lmao</p>
<p>EDIT: here ya go: JHS</a> of Greater New Haven - Yale Seal</p>
<p>Back in the day under President Ezra Stiles, it was required that all freshman took Hebrew in order to study the Bible. He incorporated the Hebrew words into the Yale seal.</p>
<p>Exactly. And at the time the seal was made, there were no Jewish students at Yale (the first one enrolled in the early 19th c.) The</a> Yale University Shield</p>
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is it because the majority of whites there are jewish?
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<p>The University’s official seal was adopted in the late 18th century. Hebrew was included in it because of then-President Ezra Stile’s interest in Hebrew as a classical language:</p>
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Serious American students of theology and divinity, particularly in New England, regarded Hebrew as a classical language, along with Greek and Latin, and essential for study of the Old Testament in the original words. The Reverend Ezra Stiles, president of the College from 1778 to 1795, brought with him his interest in the Hebrew language as a vehicle for studying ancient Biblical texts in their original language (as was common in other schools), requiring all freshmen to study Hebrew (in contrast to Harvard, where only upperclassmen were required to study the language) and is responsible for the Hebrew words "Urim" and "Thummim" on the Yale seal.
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<p>Yale</a> University - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yale</a> University Library - Hebraica Cataloging Team: How Hebrew Came to Yale</p>
<p>At that time, there were almost certainly no Jewish students at Yale, and today, the Jewish undergrad population is roughly 20%.</p>
<p>It's a shame they don't use Aramaic.</p>
<p>As stated above, it is because of Ezra Stiles himself.</p>
<p>HAH. The slogan is definitely not because there were tons of Jewish students at Yale. There used to be a quota on us, in fact. Thankfully, those days are long past. =P It still pleased my mother to see the Hebrew, though. Wants me to go with my people and all that, heh.</p>
<p>Fun fact:
Rumor has it that Ezra Stiles had a nightmare that he was denied entry to heaven because he didn't know Hebrew, hence learning it and requiring all of his students to learn it.</p>