The symbols of the evangelists and their meaning

Each religion is based on a large number of symbols that have a deep sacred meaning. Their interpretation reveals the basic canons of the doctrine and allows one to penetrate into its very essence with the help of simple allegories. Similar traditions exist in Buddhism, Judaism and, of course, Christianity. It can be said that the teachings of Christ are more subject to symbolism than others. This is well traced on Orthodox icons and in the murals of churches. Most of the questions are evangelical symbols and their interpretation. Particularly interested in this are people who have recently come to God and still have a poor understanding of analogies and allegories. Let's try to reveal this topic in this article and facilitate the perception of the main symbols of Christianity.

Evangelists: who are they?

It is impossible to study the meaning of evangelical symbols without coming to an understanding of who these evangelicals are and what contribution they made to the formation of the Christian religion. Many know that the Gospel is a book that tells about the teaching of Christ. This name came from the Greek language, in translation it means "good news". Therefore, those who follow this teaching, in ancient times called evangelists. This term was attributed to all Christians without exception.

But after a while the evangelists began to call the four authors of the Gospel. Their names are known to any Christian:

• Matthew.
• Mark.
• John.
• Luke.

They are revered in all Christian branches as people who brought and spread the good news of the Savior and his teachings among mankind.

Evangelists and their symbols

The symbols of the evangelists are found in almost any temple painting. They reflect the correspondence to each supporter of this current of a certain animal, which has its own meaning. In the traditional interpretation, the four evangelists and their symbols look like this:

• Matthew corresponds to the angel.
• Near to Mark there is a lion.
• Luke is depicted next to a lion.
• John is next to the eagle.

These symbols formed around the second century and are now considered classic.

Tetramorph: the vision of Ezekiel

By their appearance, the symbols of the evangelists are due to the prophet Ezekiel. Once he saw in his visions an unusual creature, descended from heaven. It had a human body and four faces:

• A human face;
• The snout of a lion;
• The head of an eagle;
• Muzzle of the body.

Initially, this image was interpreted as a story about the four cherubs who are at the throne of the Lord. But eventually the term "tetramorph" entered into the terminology, denoting the unity of the four images. This creature was even located on the murals of the first Christian churches, but over time it was replaced by a different interpretation of the vision.

Revelation of John the Divine

John the Theologian introduced the tetramorph already in the form of four separate beings:

• The angel;
• The lion;
• Eagle;
• Ox.

These creatures also began to represent the symbols of the evangelists, because each animal has its own sacred meaning, explaining the teachings of Christ in human terms. In addition, these symbols are considered the main guardians of the four corners of the world and the throne of Jehovah.

Transformation of Christian symbols

It should be noted that the animals' correspondence to the evangelists did not settle immediately. In the interpretation of different theologians, the symbols were given different meanings, and different animals were attributed to the evangelists. The theologians argued for a long time about the meaning of the symbolism and could not come to a common opinion.

The most important thing was the importance of the lion and the ox. They often treated one or the other evangelist. But in the end, after several centuries, the already described allegorical images of animals and authors of the Gospel were fixed.

Significance of symbols

We think that many readers are curious to know what evangelical symbols stand for. In this issue there is no common opinion, because this symbolism has a very deep and multifaceted meaning.

First of all, it means the unity of the Gospel, set forth in four books. Also, many theologians understood these symbols as an indication of the four directions of the world and the time of the year, which obey the command of God, how people should obey.

One of the traditional meanings explains the appearance of symbols by the life of Jesus Christ. After all, he was born as a man, was given to death as a sacrificial calf, rose again, like a royal lion, and then ascended to heaven like an eagle.

Particularly interesting is the interpretation of the symbols as to their correspondence to the evangelists. I want to talk about this in more detail.

The Evangelist Matthew

Matthew always depicts an angel. He is interpreted as the humanizing of Christ, for Matthew tells of his genealogy and birth in human form. That is why the angel is the symbol of Matthew, his good news gives people an understanding that Christ is closer to man than he thinks. It contains love and mercy, manifestations of which are so desirable in the human soul.

Symbol of the Lion: Gospel of Mark

The Gospel of Mark reveals the royal power of Christ, his dignity and dominance over all souls. It is the royal power that is expressed in the resurrection of Christ - the proof of its origin and the significance of coming to the world of people. As a lion, He defeated the enemies and remained full of dignity.

Bull or sacrificial lamb - the symbol of the Evangelist Luke

At all times, the bull was considered a sacrificial animal, it is often mentioned in the Bible, so it is perfectly suitable for the symbol. Jesus Christ sacrificed himself and thereby revealed his sacred essence, which Luke presented in his gospel. The evangelist told about the crucifixion of Christ and fully interpreted his meaning for people.

Evangelist John: the symbol

This animal has several interpretations. If we consider it in the same way as the other evangelical symbols, the eagle means the ascension of Christ to heaven. This is the final stage of his earthly journey, a return to Heavenly Father.

Many theologians believe that the eagle still symbolizes the Holy Spirit hovering over everything worldly and vain. Only the most enlightened people who have rejected all passions of the earth are endowed with the Holy Spirit.

Where and how are symbols displayed?

Most often the evangelical symbols are traced in the iconography, but in this case we can talk about a slightly different image. The fact is that on the icons usually reproduced tetramorph, this technique is considered traditional for Christianity.

But the symbolism of the evangelists is still present in the temples, usually the animals are depicted on the church dome on four sides respectively. According to the Christian canons, the image of the Lord is always in the center. At a similar list the animals observe a certain order:

• In the upper left corner there is an angel;
• The upper right corner is given to the eagle;
• The lower left corner belongs to the lion;
• In the lower right corner there is always a body.

Often animals are depicted on the Royal Gates. There they are adjacent to the image of the Annunciation.