L’occhio di dio: Dall’antichità ai nuovi media

The article proposes a semiotic reflection on an ancient mythical con- figuration, that of the divine face, often associated with eyes, vision, sight, and observation. Having reviewed the mythical modes of representation of the divine gaze in some ancient cultures, as well as their theological significance, the article shows how the idea and the figure of a divine gaze that sees everything, that foresees everything, and that provides for everything, with tones that are sometimes eupho- ric and providential, sometimes dysphoric and threatening, emerged in the Jewish and then in the Christian culture. The article concludes with a hint at how such symbolic expressions, and in particular the so–called “Eye of Providence”, have given rise to mostly dysphoric inversions in the symbolism of power and conspiracy circulating through the new myths of contemporary digital social media.