Evangelists Matthew Mark Luke and John symbols. Symbols of the Evangelist Apostles: Angel, Lion, Taurus and Eagle

Symbols of the Evangelists

images of four living beings, which the ancient iconographic tradition appropriated to the evangelists; as is commonly believed, these symbols are borrowed from the vision of John the Theologian. The symbols reveal various aspects of the redemptive feat and the teachings of the Savior as presented by the evangelists. Under the Evangelist Matthew, an Angel is depicted as a symbol of the Messianic mission to the world of the Son of God, foretold by the prophets. Evangelist Mark is symbolized by a lion, in commemoration of the power and royal dignity of Christ (see Rev. 5, 5). Evangelist Luke is depicted with a calf, emphasizing the sacrificial, redemptive ministry of the Savior. The eagle under the Evangelist John depicts the height of the gospel teaching and the divine Mysteries communicated in it. On some ancient icons and frescoes, these symbols, having the same meaning, are combined in a different order. The images of the four evangelists and the creatures symbolizing them in the traditional composition of the murals of an Orthodox church are usually placed on the four sides of the cross-domed vault, on the so-called "sails" that support the dome, inside which the Lord Almighty is usually depicted.

Orthodoxy. Dictionary-reference. 2014 .

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), 2) Christ. preachers, 3) readers.

In non-Christ. texts the word "E." is extremely rare. 2 inscriptions are known, in one of which E., perhaps, a pagan priest is called (CIG. XII 1. 675. 6), in the other - the priestess of the goddess Hera is called the word εὐαγγελίς (GDI. 5702. 22, 37; see: Dieterich 1900).

In the NT, the word "E." used 3 times: in Acts 21.8, where Philip, one of the 7 deacons, is named the evangelist (cf. Acts 8.4-5, 12, 35, 40); in Ephesians 4:11, where we are talking about E. as one of the church ministries along with the apostles, prophets, shepherds and teachers; in 2 Tim 4. 5, where the author of the epistle calls Timothy to do "the work of an evangelist" (ἐργὸν εὐαγγελιστοῦ), the content of which, as one might assume, is conveyed in the words of 1 Thess 3. 2 - ap. Paul calls Timothy "a servant of God" and his fellow worker "in the gospel of Christ."

The Vulgate translates the Greek. εὐαγγελιστής by the word evangelista. In the Peshitta Greek εὐαγγελιστής in Acts 21.8, Eph 4.11 and 2 Tim 4.5 is conveyed by the word (from Sir. - news, gospel, possibly etymologically related to Hebrew.,). In the synodal translation, the word "E." used only in Eph 4:11; in Acts 21.8 and 2 Tim. 4.5 Gk. εὐαγγελιστής translated rus. "evangelist".

In patristic literature, the word "E." often used to refer to Christ. preachers. Thus, in one of those attributed to St. Athanasius I the Great of writings is called the evangelist ap. Paul (Athanas. Alex. De sancta Trinitate. 1. 12 // PG. 28. Col. 1136). However, more often E. is a wandering Christ. missionaries, followers and continuers of the work of the apostles. Eusebius of Caesarea says this about their activities: “Many of the then disciples, whose soul the word of God struck with great wisdom, fulfilled first of all the saving commandment: they distributed their property to the poor, and then set off to travel and do the work of evangelists, hastening to teach the word of faith to those who about did not hear it at all, and to pass on the books of the divine Gospels. Having laid somewhere in a foreign land only the foundation of faith, they made other people pastors, entrusted them with a newly acquired field, and themselves, accompanied by God's grace and help, went to other countries and to other peoples. Many miracles were then performed by them by the power of the Spirit of God, so that after the very first sermon, every single person readily accepted in their souls faith in the Creator of the whole world ”(Euseb. Hist. eccl. III 27. 2-3). Among E. Eusebius includes Thaddeus, ap. from 70, to-rogo ap. Thomas sent to Edessa as a “messenger and evangelist [for preaching] the doctrine of Christ” (κήρυκα κα εὐαγγελιστὴν τῆς τοῦ διδασκαλίας - Ibid. I 13. 4), as well as the Holy Martians of Ignatius of Antioch (Ibid. 1) and the founder of the Alexandria catechumen of Panten (Ibid. V 10. 2-3). In addition, in the writings of Christ. writers have examples of the use of the word "E." in the same sense in relation to God (Clem. Alex. Strom. III 12), Christ (Hippolytus. In Ps. 109 // PG. 10. Col. 609) and angels (Orig. In Ioan. 1. 12).

As an epithet for the names of the apostles who wrote the canonical Gospels, the word "E." in Christian literature begins to be used from the turn of the II and III centuries. Shmch. Hippolytus of Rome (De Christ. et Antichrist. 56) names the Evangelist Luke, Tertullian (Tertull. Adv. Prax. 21, 23) and Dionysius of Alexandria (Euseb. Hist. eccl. VII 25. 8) - John.

In some liturgical-canonical monuments, the word “E.”, apparently, denotes a special position of a church reader. So, in the Didascalia of the Apostles (III century), in the description of the qualities necessary for a candidate for reader, it is said, in particular, that he must “understand that he is performing the ministry of an evangelist” (- Didasc. Apost. 3. 6). In modern the practice of the Orthodox Church, the word "evangelist" in this sense is used in the text of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom in the address of the deacon to the serving priest before reading the Gospel: "bless, master, the evangelist (εὐαγγελιστήν)..."

From con. 2nd century to characterize the features of the canonical gospels, images of 4 heavenly beings, known from the Book of the prophet Ezekiel (Ezek 1. 4-14) and the Revelation of John the Theologian (Rev. 4. 6-8), begin to be used. For the first time, this symbolism appeared in the schmch. Irenaeus of Lyons. Proving that the unity of the Gospels is not violated by the differences between them, he speaks of them as a single Gospel given to Christians in 4 forms, and compares the Gospel of John with a lion, symbolizing the "effectiveness, dominion and royal power" of the Son of God, the Gospel of Luke - with a calf, since it means the "sacred and priestly dignity" of the Word, the Gospel of Matthew - with a man, since it "depicts His appearance as a man", and the Gospel of Mark - with an eagle, as indicating "the gift of the Spirit, hovering over the Church" (Iren. Adv. haer. III 11. 8).

In the subsequent tradition, the use of this symbolism continued, but the specific images symbolizing this or that Gospel were not constant for some time. The least stable was the symbolism of the Gospel of Mark: blzh. Augustine compared him with a man (Aug. De cons. Evang. I 6.9), St. Ambrose of Milan and Blessed. Jerome of Stridon - with a lion (Ambros. Mediol. De instit. virgin. 114; Idem. De Abr. II 54; Hieron. In Ezech. I 1; Idem. In Matth. Prol.). The symbolism proposed by Blessed. Jerome, in which the eagle corresponds to the Gospel of John (due to the “unattainable height of theology” of the prologue), the lion to the Gospel of Mark (beginning with the words about “the voice of one crying in the wilderness”), the calf to the Gospel of Luke (beginning with the story of the sacrifice of Zechariah ), and man - the Gospel of Matthew (which showed the genealogy of the Savior according to humanity), prevails in the further tradition.

Lit.: Dieterich A. εὐαγγελιστής // ZNW. 1900. Bd. 1. S. 336-338; Leclerq H. Evangelistes (Symboles des) // DACL. 1922 Vol. 5.Col. 845-852; Harnack A. Mission und Ausbreitung des Christentums. Lpz., 19244. 2 Bde; Schlier H. Der Brief an die Epheser. Dusseldorf, 1957. S. 196; Hadidian D. Y. Tous de euangelistas in Eph. 4. 11 // CBQ. 1966 Vol. 28. P. 317-321; Käsemann E. Epheser 4, 11-16 // Idem. Exegetische Versuche und Besinnungen. Gott., 19706. Bd. 1. S. 288-292; Merklein H. Das kirchliche Amt nach dem Epheserbrief. Münch., 1973, pp. 73-75, 79-80, 348-392; Ernst J. Die Briefe an die Philipper, an Philemon, an die Kolosser, an die Epheser. Regensburg, 1974. S. 354; Schnackenburg R. Der Brief an die Epheser. Zurich, 1982. S. 183; Podosinov A. V. Symbols of the 4 Evangelists: Their Origin and Meaning. M., 2000.

A. V. Ponomarev

Iconography

The importance of the meaning of E. images in Christ. art corresponds to their historical role as writers of the gospels, recognized as canonical. The images of E. are found in the apostolic cycles, in the scenes of the NZ from the 4th-5th centuries. Since 400, with E., they begin to compare their symbols, known from the vision of the prophets. Ezekiel and according to the Revelation of St. John the Theologian - a man, a lion, a calf and an eagle. The parallel between E. and their symbols in the West is revealed both in the field of eschatological visions and in the theological. In some cases, the symbols may represent the E themselves. In addition to the traditions. system of identification of the tetramorph with the images of E. blzh. Jerome of Stridon, other interpretations can be used (Schm. Irenaeus of Lyon, Blessed Augustine, St. Athanasius of Alexandria, alleged author of the Synopsis).

Early Christian era

The earliest image of E., whose figures are identified by a box with 4 scrolls at the feet of the Savior, is in Rome. catacombs of Saints Mark and Marcellian (before 340). By the 4th century relief images of E. on sarcophagi include: in the cathedral of Apt (France) - inscriptions over John and Mark have been preserved; with the image of the Cathedral of the Apostles (Museum of ancient Arles and Provence); with an allegorical image of the Church-ship with Jesus Christ at the helm and E.-rowers, each has an inscription with a name (Lateran Museum, Rome; fragment). From the 6th century E. are depicted together with the Mother of God or St. John the Baptist, for example. on carved plates of the throne (pulpit) ep. Maximian (546-556, Archbishop's Museum, Ravenna). From the same time, images of E. are found in miniatures of manuscripts: the Rossan codex (Gospels from Mark and Matthew, VI century., Museum cathedral, Rossano); The Four Gospels of Ravvula (Laurent. Plut. I. 56, 586). One of the early images of the symbols of E. - a calf and an angel among swirling clouds - is present in the composition of the “Myrrh-Bearing Woman at the Holy Sepulcher” on a carved plate of Ivory, OK. 400 (VI century?) (diptych from the Trivulzio collection, Milan).

Images of winged animals - symbols of E. - were placed in compositions of a triumphal nature, glorifying the greatness of God or the worship of the heavenly forces to Him: the mosaics of the conch of the apse of c. Santa Pudenziana in Rome (c. 400) - above the image of Heavenly Jerusalem, a man (angel) is first presented with wings; the arch of the apse of Santa Maria Maggiore (432-440) in Rome; vault of the baptismal of St. John the Baptist in Naples (4th century); the sails of the vault of the mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna (c. 440) - in the center of the starry sky, the composition “Triumph of the Cross” is presented. In the same period, images of E. symbols with books appeared: the apse of c. San Paolo fuori le Mura in Rome (5th century); vault of the Archbishop's Chapel in Ravenna (494-519); the triumphal arch of Sant'Apollinare in Classe in Ravenna (c. 549) and others.

The theme of the vision of the prophet. Ezekiel was developed in the composition "Maestas Domini", where the symbols are located diagonally around the medallion with the image of the Savior standing or sitting on the rainbow. The earliest example is the relief of the gates of c. Santa Sabina (c. 430). In the same composition, the symbols of E. in the form of a tetramorph under the mandorla of the ascending Jesus Christ are presented on a miniature from the Gospel of Ravvula (Fol. 13v) and on a mosaic in the apse of c. Osios David in Thessalonica (last quarter of the 5th century). The arrangement of symbols (a man at the top left, a lion at the bottom left, an eagle at the top right, a calf at the bottom right) corresponds to the description of the vision of the prophet and became traditional in the future. As a theme of altar paintings, this composition has become widespread in the art of Christ. East: the chapel of the Mon-rya Bauit and the Mon-ry of St. Jeremiah in Saqqara, Egypt (6th century); icon of the 7th century “Christ is the Old Denmi” (monastery of the Great Martyr Catherine in Sinai).

In the V-VI centuries. images of E. themselves appeared with their symbols. One of the first examples is the mosaic of the chapel of c. San Giovanni in Laterano (461-468): the symbols are depicted in the clouds next to standing E. On the mosaics of vima c. San Vitale in Ravenna (546-548) E. are presented without books and with wingless animals: Matthew with a man, Luke with a calf, Mark with a lion, John with an eagle; miniature from the Gospel of St. Augustine of Canterbury, con. 6th century (B-ka Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. Ms. 286. Fol. 129v), Luke is depicted with a winged calf.

Byzantine art

In the post-iconoclastic period, images of E. writing the Gospels became widespread. This iconographic type, which developed in the early Christ. art, goes back to antique portraits of poets, orators and philosophers, pondering and writing their works or inspired by the muses (Viennese Dioscorides - Vindob. Med. gr. 1. Fol. 4v, c. 512, K-pol; Codex Virgilius Romanus - Vat. lat. 3867. Fol. 3v, 500; Corpus Agrimensorum - Library of Hertz Augustus in Wolfenbüttel (N. Saxony) Guelf. 3623. Fol. 69v, 6th century. Most often, E. were depicted sitting in front of tables with writing instruments or music stands, with books and scrolls, meditating on the text, reading or writing. By the X century. several were developed. The iconography of their images is also traditional: John and Matthew are gray-haired elders, Mark and Luke are middle-aged men with short dark hair and a beard, Luke is sometimes with Humenets (tonsura). Less common are figures of standing E. with open book or with a scroll in hand (Paris. gr. 70. Fol. 4v, 3rd quarter of the 10th century). Such portrait miniatures of E. have been known since the 6th century. In the Gospel of the Ravvuls, on sheets with tables of canons, E. are represented by 2 types of portraits: seated E. - one writes in a scroll, the other reflects on the open code lying on his knees, pointing right hand up; standing E. with closed codes in their hands. In the Gospel of Rossano (Fol. 121r), Mark is shown seated in an armchair in front of his wife blessing his work. figure (personification of Divine Wisdom?). The main types of compositions with portraits of E. that developed in the post-iconoclastic period differ in the poses of the latter, the number of characters, the number of furnishings and the nature of the background (backgrounds without architectural scenes, architectural or landscape backgrounds, for example, images of John on the island of Patmos). The most common is the iconography of sitting E., less often there are figures of standing E. (for example, the Four Gospels from the library of Princeton University - Princeton. Garrett. 6, 2nd half of the 9th century; Paris. gr. 70. Fol .4v).

In the decoration system of the cross-domed church, images of E. were placed in sails under the dome, which symbolizes the spread of the gospel teachings to all parts of the world. Icons of E. could be part of the deesis row of the templon (c. 1360, the monastery of Hilandar on Athos).

One of the brightest examples of incarnation in Byzantium. the art of classical traditions - portrait miniatures of E. in the Four Gospels from the monastery of Stavronikita on Athos (Ath. Stauronik. 43. Fol. 10v, 11r, 12v, 13r, X c.). E. are presented against the background of an architectural backdrop with landscape elements - a variety of massive antique buildings, emphasizing the depth of space. The figures of Matthew and John are turned to the left, Mark and Luke - to the right. E. sit in free poses on stools with pillows, resting their feet on the footstools, in front of tables with writing instruments and music stands, on which books lie. Matthew thought deeply before the open book, putting his finger to the corner of his mouth; Mark holds the stylus, ready to write, but while his hand rests on his knee; Luka dips the stylus into the inkwell, the codex, opened for writing, lies on his knees, a long scroll is thrown over the closed book on the music stand, its end is on the floor; John, with a rolled scroll in his left hand, is thinking intently in front of a book opened on a music stand, pressing his finger to his lips, near the music stand is a box of scrolls. On the tables are inkwells, transparent vessels with black and red ink, and compasses. The atmosphere of the work on the manuscript is conveyed with great accuracy and emotional authenticity. Probably, the manuscript is copied by an early Byzantine. sample.

At the same time, miniatures of another type are created. So, in the Four Gospels from the Vatopedi Monastery on Athos (Ath. Vatop. 949. Fol. 83v, 222v, 949), E. are presented on even gold backgrounds. Their figures face the same direction. The poses acquired a more restrained and conditional character, which made it possible to repeat them from manuscript to manuscript in the future. Some iconographic variants were especially popular and remained almost unchanged for centuries, for example. an image of Mark, who sits propping his head with his left hand and lowering his right hand with a stylus on the open codex lying on his knees (Ath. Vatop. 949. Fol. 83v; Ibid. 950. Fol. 72v, 11th century; Ibid. 960. Fol. 104v, 1128; Ibid. 953. Fol. 92v, 13th century; Ibid. 939. Fol. 82v, 13th century (figure turned frontally); RNB Greek No. 801, 11th century .; mosaic of the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin in Nicaea, 1065-1067, not preserved). Mark can also be depicted as reading, holding a book with both hands (Ath. Vatop. 913. Fol. 74v, early 14th century); those who write in a book, lying on their knees (Ibid. 917. Fol. 62v, XIV century); lowering the stylus into the inkwell and holding a sheet of parchment on his knee (Ibid. 974. Fol. 74v, XIII century; Ath. Stauronik. 56. Fol. 62v, XIII century); lowering his hand with a stylus to his knee and holding the codex on the music stand with his left hand (Gospel of Trebizond - RNB. Greek. No. 21. L. 5 rev., middle of the 10th century); unrolling a scroll with both hands (Ath. Laur. A-113. Fol. 210v, XIV century). Each of the E. can be represented in one of these poses, E. in one manuscript can be depicted in the same way, for example. writing in books (Ath. Vatop. 917. Fol. 7v, 62v, 14th century).

In the Paleologian era in the Byzantine. miniatures appeared images of the Evangelist sharpening the stylus (image of Matthew - Ath. Vatop. 937. Fol. 14r, beginning of the 14th century), borrowed from Western Europe. miniatures of the XI-XII centuries. (Buchthal. 1983, p. 158).

Along with the presentation of c.-l. stage in the process of creating a book by the author - writing a text, thinking, checking texts, preparing a writing instrument - special circumstances can be captured in E.'s images, under which the Gospels were written, hagiographic details that have both historical and spiritual significance are reflected. So, in the images of John, his work with the disciple Prochorus and the receipt of the Revelation from heaven are shown. There are several variants of such iconography: John stands, half-turned to the right towards the heavenly segment, listening to God, stretching out his blessing hand to the writing Prochorus sitting on a stool, against a golden background (Ath. Vatop. 960. Fol. 264v, 1128; Four Gospels of the 10th century - Ath. Dionys 588), the same scene against the backdrop of hills, i.e., on the island of Patmos (Ibid. 587. Fol. 1v, 11th century; GIM. Greek No. 41, 12th century); Against the backdrop of architecture, with an open book, John sits in an armchair, dictating to Prochorus sitting opposite (RNB. Greek No. 101. L. 116 rev., early 14th century); John sits against the background of the hills, turning to the heavenly segment, and dictates to Prochorus (Vindob. Theol. gr. 300, 1st half of the 14th century); John sits against the backdrop of the cave, half turned to the heavenly segment, dipping his stylus into the inkwell, without Prochorus (Ath. Vatop. 913. Fol. 186v, early 14th century; Ath. Laur. A-113. Fol. 4v, 15th century. ); John sits in the same position against a golden background (GIM. Greek No. 407, XIV century) or stands (ibid.) against the background of hills, turning towards the celestial segment, also without Prochorus.

The iconography of Luke reflects the legend that the first icons of the Mother of God were painted by him. In the Paleologian time, in monumental painting, in miniatures and on icons, there are images of Luke painting the icon of the Mother of God. Luke is represented seated, but instead of a music stand in front of him is an easel with an icon of the Mother of God, instead of an inkwell - paints, a brush in his hand (fresco of the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin of the monastery of Matejce, Macedonia (1355-1360); miniatures from the Lectionary (Sinait. gr. 233. Fol. 87v, late XIV - early XV century) and the Gospels of the monastery of St. John the Theologian on Patmos (e.g., Patm. 330. Fol. 82v, 1427); the icon of Domenico Theotokopoulos (El Greco) ( 1560-1567, Benaki Museum, Athens)).

Blessing for E.'s work can be received directly from Christ. Such is the miniature from the Van Gospel (Kekel. A 1335, end of the 12th century), which shows Christ standing and blessing with both hands, on the sides of Whom they bowed in prayer poses E. The iconography of this scene (similar - in Vat. gr. 756, 11th century) corresponds to the composition "Sending the Apostles to Sermon".

Widespread in the early Christ. period of the image of symbols E. in Byzantium. in art they were more often found in the composition “Maestas Domini”: on a miniature from the Gospel (Marc. gr. Z 540, XII century); on a double-sided icon ca. 1395 from Poganov (National Art Gallery, Sofia). The symbols were also included in the miniatures with E. (HIM. Greek No. 519, 2nd half of the 12th century: above Mark, according to the identification system adopted by St. Athanasius of Alexandria, - Taurus) or placed against the background next to the headband and the beginning text (Maten. 7347. L. 165, 1113 - calf before Luke). In the Paleologian era, symbols and tetramorphs began to be depicted separately from E. figures (Ath. Vatop. 937. Fol. 17r, 129v - tetramorphs, 128r - an eagle with a book, 322r - a lion with a book, beginning of the 14th century). Tetramorphs are found in various contexts, including in the composition “Heavenly Liturgy” (frescoes of the Church of the Arch. Michael in Lesnov, Macedonia, 1346-1349) and in various systems of identification with E., for example, according to shmch. Irenaeus of Lyon, next to the eagle - Mark (Ath. Vatop. 937. Fol. 129r, XIV century), next to the lion - John (Ibid. Fol. 322r). Instead of tetramorphs, half-figures of symbolic animals can be depicted in a row, as the symbols of E. are depicted on the lower margins of 2 sheets of canons (for example, in the Gospel - Ibid. 247. Fol. 21r, 21v, XIV century).

Old Russian art

Depictions of E. and their symbols appear in the earliest surviving writings of Dr. Russia. According to the Byzantine The program of the temple decoration included images of E. sitting at the tables and writing E. in the sails of St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv (40s of the 11th century). In the Transfiguration Cathedral of the Euphrosyne Monastery in Polotsk (60s of the XII century), E. are presented in different poses: John, throwing his head back, looks up, pointing with his right hand to heaven. Portrait miniatures of E. with their symbols are available in the most ancient Russian. manuscripts - Ostromir (RNB. F. n. I. 5. 1056/57, Kyiv) and Mstislav (GIM. Syn. No. 1203. Beginning of the XII century., Novgorod) Gospels. Following the Byzantine. traditions, Russian icon painters of Galicia-Volyn Rus, Novgorod, Tver, Rostov used the accepted iconographic schemes, and also applied complex compositional solutions (for example, a paired portrait of Luke and Mark - the Spassky Gospel, Yaroslavl, YaIAMZ. No. 15690. L. 102v.). Typical for Russian. art was the image of E. on the wings of the royal doors, as well as in the deesis ranks of iconostases (Kirillovsky iconostasis, 1497, PIAM). In the works of the XIV-XV centuries. reflected the close ties of the Russian. art with the art of the Balkans. In Novgorod manuscripts and frescoes, Tver icons of the XIV-XV centuries. images of E. with personifications of Divine Wisdom appeared (painting of the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin on the Volotovo field in Vel. Novgorod (80s of the XIV century); miniatures from the Gospel - RSL. F. 247. Rogozh. No. 138; a fragment of the royal gates from Tver, 2nd half of the 15th century, TsMiAR). In the XVI century. in Pskov, the icon "The Evangelist Luke paints the icon of the Mother of God" (PIAM) was created. To the beginning 15th century include 2 Moscow luxurious manuscripts with images of E. on separate sheets and their symbols (Gospel of Khitrovo - RSL. F. 304. III. No. 3 / M.8657, circa 1400; Gospel of the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin - GMMK. Book. No. 34, 1st quarter of the 15th century) and a manuscript decorated with the composition “Maestas Domini” (Andronikov Gospel - State Historical Museum. Diocese No. 436, 1st quarter of the 15th century), the iconographic program of which reflected the Paleolog trends. At the same time in Russian In art, the composition “The Savior is in Strength” appeared, in which the symbols of E. are depicted in the corners of a red rhombus. E. and their symbols can also be placed on the precious frames of the Gospels (the frame of the Khitrovo Gospel, the Gospels from the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin). In con. 16th century in the paintings of temples, instead of E., only their symbols were sometimes depicted (Smolensk Cathedral of the Novodevichy Convent, the Church of the Holy Trinity in Vyazemy).

Lit.: Friend A. M. The Portraits of Evangelists in the Greek and Latin Manuscripts // Art Studies. Camb. (Mass.), 1927. Vol. 5. P. 115-147; 1929 Vol. 7. P. 3-29; Klein D.St. Lukas als Maler der Madonna: Diss. B., 1933; Weitzmann K. Die byzant. Buchmalerei des IX. und X. Jh. B., 1935; Djuric V.J.

Everything we know about God is found in the Gospels. Their authors are 4 apostles-evangelists. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John.

In the times described by the Bible, all missionaries who preached Christianity to Jews and Gentiles were considered evangelists. But the 4 evangelists that will be discussed did a special job - they wrote four great books, from which the human race learned about Christ's love, forgiveness, repentance and salvation.

John is a fisherman, the only one of the apostles who died of natural causes.

• Symbol- eagle or lion;
• Lifespan- 72 years;
• Books - Gospel of John, 1, 2, 3 Epistles of John, Revelation;
• Death - natural age.

Christians know him by his middle name - Theologian. In his gospel, he called Jesus the Word of God (“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” John 1:1).

Jesus Christ called him "Son of Thunder" - for impetuosity and emotionality. John was a simple fisherman. After being called into the ranks of the disciples of Jesus, the apostle no longer left Him.

The evangelist saw the miracles of Jesus: the resurrection of the daughter of Jairus, the Transfiguration on Tabor. He was with Him at the Last Supper. On the day of his execution, Jesus instructed John to take care of His mother.

John preached Christianity, cast out demons from churches, healed the sick, resurrected the dead. Unlike the other apostles, John died a natural death. When his hour came, the saint prayed, lay down in a pre-prepared grave and asked the disciples to bury him.
Later, other students dug up the grave, but found nothing in it.

Matthew is a tax collector, a representative of one of the shameful social groups of that time

• Symbol - angel or person;
• Date of Birth - 1st century AD;
• Date of death - 74 AD;
• Books - Gospel of Matthew;
• Death - killed with a sword in Ethiopia.

Little is known about the Evangelist Matthew. Scripture says that Levi Matthew was a toll collector (such people were called "publicans"). One day he heard the voice of Jesus, who said to him: "Follow me." Since then, Matthew left work and home and relentlessly followed Christ. Before that, he distributed property to the poor. He witnessed many miracles of the Savior. He passed along with his Teacher of suffering. I saw him die, resurrect and ascend to heaven.

Matthew preached in Palestine, Persia, Media, Syria and Parthia. He continued his Christian work in Ethiopia, where it was interrupted by martyrdom, appointed by the ruler Fulvian.

The Gospel of Matthew stands first among all the books of the New Testament. In it, Matthew often refers to the Old Testament, showing that the prophecies written in it came true with the appearance of Jesus Christ.

Mark - an evangelist who did not see Christ, but wrote the gospel from the words of eyewitnesses

• Symbol - lion or eagle;
• Date of Birth - 1st century;
• Date of death - 68 AD .;
• Books - Gospel of Mark;
• Death - was burned for his faith in Alexandria.

Mark was born in Jerusalem. From childhood he was surrounded by the successors of Christ. His mother firmly believed in the teachings of Christ. Mark was close to his uncle the apostle Barnabas, a teacher - the apostle Peter, the apostle Paul. The saint worked with them and preached in Seleucia, Rome, Egypt, Antioch, and Cyprus.

He became the founder of many churches and a Christian school. Traveling through Africa, Libya, Nektopol, the apostle carried God's word to people. Mark accepted death in Alexandria at the hands of pagans who disagreed with the teachings of Christ. The gospel of Mark was written by him in Rome and was intended for pagan converts to the Christian faith.

Luke - a doctor by profession, assistant to the Apostle Paul

• Symbol - bull, calf;
• Lifespan - 84 years old;
• Books - Gospel of Luke, Acts of the Holy Apostles;
• Death - was hanged for his faith in Thebes.

Luke is another associate of the Apostle Paul. Born in Antioch, was a doctor, Greek by origin. He began to preach during the life of Jesus. Was throughout years companion of Paul. After the martyrdom of Paul, Luke continued his sermons in Libya, Egypt, Thebaid and Achaia.

Then he preached in Thebes, where he died a cruel death by hanging. In addition to the Gospel, Luke wrote the Acts of the Apostles. He is also credited with painting many icons that are in Russian, Roman, Western churches, as well as on Athos.

This is how the four evangelists appear to us in Scripture. Equally interesting are the symbols of the apostles of the evangelists.

What symbols did these four evangelists have

The symbols of the four evangelists appeared in the earliest depictions of the saints. Initially, they were represented in the form of four paradise rivers. Then came the symbols of the four animals that surround the throne of Jesus.
These creatures are first encountered in Old Testament in the vision of Ezekiel, where they appear as guardians of the Throne of the Lord with the face of a man, a calf, a bull and an eagle.

In the second century, Irenaeus of Lyon offers the following symbolism:

• John is the image of an eagle;
• Matthew is the face of an angel, or a person;
• Mark is the image of a lion;
• Luke is the image of a bull.

Blessed Jerome connects the image of a certain living being and the evangelist as follows:

• John is a lion image;
• Matthew is a human face;
• Mark is the image of an eagle;
• Luke is the image of a calf.

There are three versions that interpret the symbols of the apostles of the evangelists.

One of them suggests that the symbol of the Apostle Matthew is human life Jesus on earth. The symbol of Luke, the bull, embodies the sacrifice of Christ for the salvation of people. The Savior resurrects, as a symbol of John the lion. And soars into the heavens like an eagle - the symbol of the Evangelist Mark.

Jerome explains the symbols thus:

• Matthew in his gospel reflects the human origin of Jesus, his race;
• Mark describes the word of John the Baptist resounding like a lion's roar in the wilderness;
• Luke describes the sacrifice to Zechariah, which can be compared with the pagan custom - to sacrifice a bull;
• John: its elevated style resembles the high flight of an eagle.

For the Jerusalem Patriarch Sophronius, a man means the appearance of Jesus in the flesh, a lion - the ability to lead Christ, a calf - the service of the Savior to people, an eagle - the embodiment of the holy spirit.

The four gospels describe and reveal life path and teachings of Jesus Christ from different angles. The names of 4 evangelists: Matthew, John, Mark, Luke entered the history of Christianity.

Answered by Dmitry Trofimov,

head of creative workshops "Tsargrad"

We are accustomed to images behind the backs of the evangelists: an angel leans over Matthew, a lion reclining at the feet of Mark, a calf looks at Luke, an eagle overshadows John with wings. We recognize them both on the wooden royal doors in a rural church and under the dome of a Roman cathedral.
But where did this tradition come from?

In the Old Testament, tetramorphs - four winged animals - are mentioned in the vision of the prophet Ezekiel, and in the New - in the Revelation of John the Theologian:

And the first animal was like a lion, and the second animal was like a calf, and the third animal had a face like a man, and the fourth animal was like a flying eagle... (Revelation 4:6-8).

In the first centuries of Christianity, the teachers of the Church, interpreting the vision of Ezekiel, pointed to the symbolic connection of winged creatures with the evangelists. Orthodox (and Catholic) iconography was based on the interpretation of the blessed Jerome: Matthew was given a man because he showed the human nature of Christ; - calf, a symbol of sacrifice, he showed Christ as a priest; Marku is a lion, because he announced the royal dignity of the Savior; but an eagle was given for the flight of faith.

However, there is another interpretation of these symbols. It belongs to St. Irenaeus of Lyons. This tradition has survived to this day in the Christian East, in the temples of Asia Minor and among the Russian Old Believers. In 1723, Pomeranian Answers was published - one of the most important apologetic works of the Old Believers. Among other things, they claimed an alternative iconography of the symbols of the evangelists: “In the ancient church books of printed saints, the four evangelists are represented as Matthew with a human face, Marco with an orlim face, Luke with a telechim, John with a lion…”.

So if Venice was built by the Old Believers, its symbol would not be the lion of St. Mark, but the eagle.

Originally posted by vladmow at Tetramorph. The history of the origin of man, lion, eagle and ox
Friends, I think most of those present here are quite erudite and have some idea about the four animals: a lion, an eagle, a bull and a man. With my sometimes characteristic corrosiveness, I decided to dig a little deeper into this issue and clarified for myself many new and interesting facts because the history of these symbols is very ancient. Which I will gladly tell you.

These are the symbols of the four evangelists, you will say, and you will be right. However, you must understand that the editors could not allow such a terrible boyan, so let's start with an even more terrible boyan, but closer to us on the timeline. Three of these four animals are mentioned in Boris Grebenshchikov's song Golden City:

One is like a yellow fire-maned lion,
Zhrugoe ox, full of eyes.
With them the golden eagle of heaven,
Whose eyes are so bright and unforgettable.

"Evangelists!" you say happily, “Not yet.” I will answer you. The next on the time scale from now to the past is the mention of this symbol on the coat of arms of the Grand Masonic Lodge of England.

And now the evangelists. The generally accepted identification of each of the four animals by one of the evangelists belongs to Jerome. According to his preface to the commentary on the Gospel of St. Matthew, the sequence of the evangelists is as follows: the first is St. Matthew, followed by St. Mark, borrowed from St. Luke and finally St. John. Jerome then compares this order with the order in which the “faces” of the four beasts appeared in the vision of the prophet Ezekiel (see below).

Thus it turns out: St. Matthew is symbolized by a man (angel), St. Mark - lion, St. Luke - calf, St. John is an eagle. At first, the evangelists were allowed to be depicted in a symbolic form, that is, in the form of animals, later a ban appeared and animals were depicted side by side with human images.

The patron saint of Venice, St. Mark. Column in St. Mark, actually in Venice.

Symbols of the four evangelists in the handwritten "Book of Armagh" (IX century Ireland)

Animal Evangelists.

In the New Testament, four animals are mentioned in the Apocalypse:

1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven, and the first voice which I heard, as it were the sound of a trumpet, speaking to me, said, Come up hither, and I will show you what must be after this.
2 And immediately I was in the spirit; and behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne;
3 and this seated one was in appearance like a jasper stone and a sardine stone; and a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.
4 And around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes and having crowns of gold on their heads.
5 And from the throne proceeded lightnings and thunders and voices, and seven lamps of fire burned before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God;
6 and before the throne there was a sea of ​​glass like crystal; and in the midst of the throne and around the throne were four living creatures full of eyes before and behind.
7 And the first animal was like a lion, and the second animal was like a calf, and the third animal had a face like a man, and the fourth animal was like a flying eagle.
8 And each of the four animals had six wings around, and inwardly they were full of eyes; and neither day nor night they have rest, crying: holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, is, and is to come.
9 And when the animals give glory and honor and thanksgiving to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever,
10 Then the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:
11 You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for you created everything, and [everything] exists and was created according to your will.
(Rev. 4)

In general, the Revelation of John is characterized by the fact that it makes extensive use of Old Testament symbolism to describe the events that must occur before and after the second coming of Christ. There are various interpretations of this vision. For example, 24 elders can symbolize time. In the Babylonian tradition, the duodecimal number system was used and therefore, to the present day, the day is divided into two halves of 12 hours each.

In this miniature, the Lord is framed by Cherubim.

This is a 17th century engraving.

The images of the four animals in Revelation go back to the vision of the prophet Ezekiel, described in the Old Testament:

4 And I saw, and behold, a stormy wind came from the north, a great cloud, and a swirling fire, and a brightness round about it,
5 and out of the midst of it is like the light of a flame from the midst of fire; and from the middle of it was seen the likeness of four animals, and such was their appearance: their appearance was like that of a man;
6 and each has four faces, and each of them has four wings;
7 And their feet were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf's foot, and shone like bright copper.
8 And the hands of men were under their wings, on their four sides;
9 and their faces and their wings are all four; their wings touched one another; during their procession, they did not turn around, but walked each in the direction of his face.
10 The likeness of their faces is the face of a man and the face of a lion on the right side of all four of them; and on the left side the face of a calf in all four and the face of an eagle in all four.
11 And their faces and their wings were parted above, but each had two wings that touched one another, and two covered their bodies.
12 And they went, each one in the direction that was before him; where the spirit wanted to go, they went there; during their procession they did not turn around.
13 And the appearance of these animals was like the appearance of burning coals, like the appearance of lamps; [fire] walked among the animals, and radiance from the fire and lightning came from the fire.
14 And the animals moved quickly hither and thither like lightning.
15 And I looked at the animals, and behold, on the ground beside these animals, one wheel in front of their four faces.
16 The type of wheels and their arrangement is like the type of topaz, and the likeness of all four is one; and by their appearance and by their constitution it seemed as if a wheel was in a wheel.
17 As they went, they went to their four sides; did not turn around during the procession.
18 And their rims were high and terrible; their rims around all four were full of eyes.
19 And when the animals went, the wheels went beside [them]; and when the animals rose from the earth, then the wheels also rose.
…
26 And above the vault that was over their heads, [there was] the likeness of a throne, in appearance, as it were, of a sapphire stone; and above the likeness of the throne was, as it were, the likeness of a man above it.
(Ezek. 1:4-26)

Vision of Ezekiel Matthaus Merian (1593-1650)

Vision of the prophet Ezekiel (Raphael, 1518)

From this description the four animals are seen as the means of transportation for God, but it is the Cherubim that are considered the means of transportation.

Cherub and Macarius the Great

And according to the Talmud, Ezekiel begged God to take Cherubim instead of the bull, so that God would not constantly have a bull in front of his eyes, which would remind him that the Jews once worshiped the Golden Calf.

An important difference between the vision of Ezekiel and John the theologian is that Ezekiel saw, as it were, one creature, combining the images of four animals, while John sees four animals separately.

In general, there is some confusion. The two illustrations of the visions of John the Theologian differ in that on one, the Lord is surrounded by exactly four animals, as they are described in the text of revelation, and on the other, four cherubs.

Christ is lifted up by angels.

Christ is lifted up by an eye-filled four-winged tetramorph with wheels "in their appearance and in their arrangement it seemed as if the wheel was in the wheel."

Well, I haven't found an answer to this riddle yet. In general, everything indicates that a cherub and a tetramorph are one and the same, for example, in the Holy of Holies of the Temple of Solomon, the Ark of the Covenant was guarded by two five-meter cherubs, which practically do not differ in appearance from Assyrian bulls and Egyptian sphinxes (see below).

In fact, the image of the four animals goes back to the Sumerian-Akkadian mythology (Babylon, Assyria, etc.), the images of which also penetrated into Egypt and other civilizations of the region.

First of all, it is tetramorphs that are striking, that is, creatures that combine the signs of four animals. Perhaps the most famous is the Sphinx.

Everything is afraid of time, and time is afraid of the sphinx.

The Egyptian Sphinx has the head of a woman, the body of a lion, the wings of an eagle, and the tail of a bull. Its Greek counterpart is distinguished by a snake tail. Here and further in different cultures we will notice variations of certain animals.

Greek version of the sphinx

Another famous tetramorph is the celestial bull (bull colossus) that guarded the gates to cities and palaces in Assyria.

On the gate to the inner part of Babylon (the Ishtar gate), the sacred animals, in particular the bull and the lion, are depicted as separate animals.

Ishtar Gate

And they ascend (who would have thought) to the zodiac:

Pay attention, just above is Aquarius (man), below is Leo, on the left is Scorpio (eagle), on the right is Taurus (bull, ox).

This is the Egyptian version of the zodiac circle (Dendera zodiac).

If anyone does not know, then the zodiac constellations are the belt of the celestial sphere, along which the sun and other celestial bodies pass during the year. Quite a peaceful astronomical phenomenon, first noted just in Babylon and had a great influence, as we see, including Christianity.