Christian Tradition

Christian tradition has long connected the authors of the four canonical Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) with four “living creatures” that surround God’s throne. Four creatures symbolize the four evangelists: Matthew as the Human/Angel, Mark as the Lion, Luke as the Ox, and John as the Eagle. The symbols are mentioned in the bible in books of Ezekiel, Daniel and others. Not only they are mentioned in the bible but also are depicted in art. Symbols of the four evangelists are often found in Christian art and architecture. They appear in illuminated manuscripts of the Bible, stained glass windows, and sculpture on churches. Sometimes the animal symbols are shown next to the corresponding saint writing his Gospel, but more frequently the animals appear without their human counterparts, usually as a group of four. The symbols of the Four Gospels are not often seen separately, but a notable exception is in Venice, where St. Mark is the patron saint of the city and the winged lion is meaningful in local art. Historians are well aware of the symbols and their meaning but their origin is uncertain. The question of how the evangelists got their symbols is uncertain but through excavations of churches, historians have a better understanding of their origins.

Although the connection between the four gospels and their symbols is unclear, historians have found many ways in which each evangelist could have been related to their symbols. Some historians say that the association between the Four Evangelists and the four living creatures seems to have been made by St. Irenaeus of Lyons(c. 120-202 AD), as part of an argument against heretics that there are only four gospels. St. Irenaeus argued that it was not possible that the gospels can be either more or fewer in number

than they are. He believed that there were only four zones in the world in which people live and therefore four gospels. According to St. Irenaeus of Lyons, the four gospels represented the four pillars of the church. Other historians believe that the symbols for the Gospels probably come from how each one begins. The Gospel of Mark begins with the lines: “A voice cries out in the wilderness.” In the wilderness you can hear the roar of the lion for miles around. Matthew’s gospel opens with the genealogy of Jesus, and represents Jesus’ human roots. The Gospel of Luke opens with the story of Zecharian the high priest, who offered a sacrifice of a bull on behalf of the nation. Many think that the symbols were developed as a way of helping people to remember the different Gospels and the perspectives that they look, especially at a time when most people could not read.

The symbols of the Four Gospels are more than representation; they have meaning. The Gospel symbols are based on the biblical imagery found in Ezekiel and Revelation. The image of a man or angel represents the Gospel Matthew and signifies Christ’s human nature. The lion represents the Gospel of Mark and is a traditional symbol of royalty and power and, therefore, denotes Christ the King. The ox, the sacrificial victim, represents the Gospel of St. Luke and highlights the priestly character of Christ’s mission. The eagle stands for the Gospel of St. John, the evangelist “who soars to the

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heavens,” because his theology is much more developed than the three Synoptic Gospels. Just as an eagle soars above the earth, so John’s theology soars above the other Gospels.

Historians performed many excavations in order to determine the origins of the symbols. EXcavations were undertaken beginning in June 1971 in the catacomb adjacent to the church of San Gennaro in Italy, in there are thought to be the apse of a large underground basilica found in 1888. These excavations revealed a large crypt area (5.5m long, 2.5m wide and 6.0m high), raised four steps above the floor level of the basilica, and contained eight arcosolia. On basis of through analysis of the topography of the area of the catacomb, the excavator, Umberto Fasola, concluded that this crypt must be dated after the first decades of the fifth century and before the early sixth century. The arcosolium of primary interest here was uncovered on September 27, 1971, and is located on the north wall of the crypt immediately adjacent to the central mosaic in the “apse”, which Mr, Falosa, believed to be the oldest of the works. The north wall of the arcosolium presents under a narrow arch a mosaic portrait with a man holding a large book before him with both hands. The book is of compelling interest her because its cover is decorated with a large golden Latin cross, with four golden beasts in the surrounding quadrants. The beasts are arranged in a rectangular field around the large Latin cross. At the upper left is the man, at the upper right the eagle, at the lower left the lion and at the lower right the ox. Unfortunately the image of the book cover is relatively small compared to the entire mosaic (the entire mosaic measures only 80cm in diameter). This small detail of the mosaic made the precise rendering of detail extremely difficult

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for historians, but following observations seem to provide an accurate description of these beats. None of the creatures have haloes, nor are any carrying books, while all four have wings. Each wing appears to be tripartite, a is most evident in the eagle and ox. Each creature has six wings. The eagle is presented at full length, whereas the other three are apparently seen a half-length figures. The ox very clearly has horns, but other details of the image cannot be described with confidence.

The symbols of the evangelists are usually seen together. They are found in Christian art and architecture. Some examples include: Basilica of San Francesco (located in Assisi) is decorated by the symbols of the Four Evangelists surrounding the rosette window on the main entrance; Battistero di San Giovanni (located in Florence) has the symbols of the Four Evangelists on the doors of the Baptistry and also outside the Orsanmichele; The Cathedral of Baptistery (Located in Padua) has paintings of the Four Evangelists and their symbols above the main pillars of the baptistery; Cappella Tega (Located in Siena)

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