The phrase comes from the in the Gospel of Matthew (5:14): "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden" .
It represents spiritual illumination and the idea that true faith cannot (and should not) be concealed. 2. Historical Foundation: John Winthrop (1630) City on a Hill image
Puritan leader famously applied this image to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in his sermon, "A Model of Christian Charity" . The phrase comes from the in the Gospel