The Four Evangelists
St.Matthew , St.Mark, St.Luke and St.John.
Mark is depicted as a youth in a white sheet. "A certain young man, dressed only in a linen cloth, was following Jesus.
They tried to arrest him, but he ran away naked, leaving the cloth behind", (Mark14:51-52).
The writer of any one of the four gospels is referred to as an Evangelist. Below are portrayed symbols for the four Evangelists: St.Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke, and St. John. At the far right, below, are the more universally used representations of these writers of the Four Gospels.
ST. MATTHEW
as an Evangelist is symbolized by three purses to indicate his occupation as a tax gatherer prior to his
call to apostleship. (The battle axe is used as with other apostles to indicate martyrdom.)
ST. MARK,
the writer of the second gospel, can be thought of in connection with the scroll which commonly stands for the
Holy ures. This emblem, used with the branch bearing figs, suggests this Evangelist’s fruitfulness and fidelity both as a writer and as a man
of missionary spirit as he accompanied St. Paul.
ST. LUKE.
The three open books may well signify the most learned of the Evangelist, St. Luke. He was a physician and was
the author of the third gospel as well as the Book of Acts. The battle axe reminds us that he, too, because of his faith, suffered death by martyrdom.
ST. JOHN as an apostle is represented often by a serpent emerging from a chalice to indicate an attempt made to poison him.
The serpent entwined about a sword indicates justice, power, and authority. The serpent refers to the wisdom and power of John.
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| The writers of the Four Gospels are more often represented by the
winged creatures shown in the design at the right. The Winged Man represents St. Matthew because his gospel lays stress upon the incarnation
of the Son of God. In his writings he traces the human lineage of Jesus. The Winged Lion symbolizes St. Mark, for he opened his inspiring gospel by describing St. John the Baptist as "a voice of one crying in the wilderness." The Winged Ox is chosen to represent St. Luke who gives a full account
of the sacrificial death of our Lord. The Winged Eagle signifies the heavenly nature of Christ, embodied in the inspiration of St.John.
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4 Evangelists, St.Matthew, St.Mark, St.Luke and St.John.
12 Apostles / St.Andrew / St.Peter & Paul / St.Simon / St.Philip / St.Thomas
St.James / St.Jude / St. Matthias / St.Bartholomew / St.JameGreater / Goto Menu
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