Evangelist portrait

The four evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, which are considered authors of the four Biblical Gospels are represented in Christian iconography since the 4th century by four winged symbols. The most common mapping is since then: A man symbolizes Matthew, the lion, Mark, Luke, and the eagle, the bull John.

These symbols are also found as attributes in figurative representations of the Evangelists.

By the 13th century, the symbols were combined into a single entity, which bears the name taken from the Greek Tetramorph what shape or Four Four animals means.

• 2.1 Irenaeus: oldest interpretation
• 2.2 Hieronymus: determining interpretation
• 2.3 Old Church, other interpretations

• 3.1 Locations
• 3.2 forms 3.2.1 Basic forms
• 3.2.2 Special forms
• 3.2.3 manuscripts

Origin

Babylonian mythology

Probably the religious historical roots of Tetramorphs lie in Babylonian mythology. There, the four figures represent the four male planetary gods. The bull stood for the Babylonian city god Marduk, the Lion of the war and the underworld god Nergal, the eagle for the wind god Ninurta and the man of Nabu, the god of wisdom. This is accompanied by ancient Near Eastern notions of guardians of the corners of carriers of the heavens in the first ( bull), fourth (Lion), seventh ( Scorpio man) and tenth Constellation ( Aquarius, which is close to the constellation of the eagle is ) the ancient Babylonian zodiac.

Prophet Ezekiel

The symbols of the Christian reception history going back to visions of the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel, especially in the first chapter:

In Ezekiel 's vision initiates the appointment of the prophets, the people of Israel to warn the Babylonian exile to conversion, to allow for the later return to Judea. In Ezekiel there are more temples visions that describe both a double facial two cherubim and the four face in a different order and composition:

Here appears instead of the bull a cherub, a winged human-like creatures; in the temple carvings are seen, with several pairs cherubim and palm fronds that map a surrounding gallery - as well as on the two door leaves:

Revelation of John

The Book of Revelation in the New Testament takes the throne visions of the cherubim ( four wings ) from Ezekiel, but also that of the Seraphim ( six wings ) from Isaiah 6.2 EU, composes them to a new vision and so founded the Christian tradition. The original meaning and context of the image in the Old Babylonian mythology plays no role in Rev 4. In the Book of Revelation is not human-like four faces, but four individual beings, are compared with their whole figure appear as follows:

Importance

The tradition of the symbols of the Evangelists is not connected with the order of the last New Testament book to, but corresponds to the first, oldest mention in Ez 1.10 to the sequence of human - Leo - Taurus - Adler. Strikingly, only is the eagle in all descriptions alike last.

The development of symbols as indicators for certain four Gospels goes back to the Church Fathers. These seek to explain why the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - and not many others - are to be understood as a divine revelation, together with the already completed Tanakh. The Church Fathers recognized the four headings in the four faces of those beings again, which are located in the immediate presence of God. As these were four of them, different but the same nature. Specifically, the ratio between the Gospels and symbols are interpreted as follows:

Irenaeus: oldest interpretation

In the Christian tradition the symbols according to Rev. 4.7 EU first from the church father Irenaeus of Lyon ( † 202) in the four-faced creatures from the book of Ezekiel ( Ez 1.10 EU) were taken as notice of Christ: The four faces of the four living creatures showed Christ, majestic as the " lion " of priests as " bull calf ", became man in the "People" and spirit -giving as " eagle ". Irenaeus found this Christ typology in the Gospel of John, Luke, Matthew and Mark again, reasoned with why there must be four gospels, making a major contribution to the canonization. Irenaeus ordered these gospels the four forms to: the lion to John the bull to Luke, the man to Matthew, and the eagle to Saint Mark. However, this mapping does not prevailed.

Jerome: determining interpretation

Jerome ( 4th century) founded as Irenaeus, the number and choice of the four Gospels with reference to the biblical sources ( Ez 1 and Revelation 4). In the introduction to his commentary Matthew sat Jerome " Word of God " from the Gospel of John, John 1:1 EU is " gospel", deduced from Ez 1.10 EU, so that four single copies are meant explained using the four beings who gospels these are, and so delivered the decisive interpretation of the Church's tradition:

Thus man stands for Matthew, the lion for Mark, the bull for Luke, and the eagle for John.

Old church, other interpretations

Augustine offers by receiving the order from Revelation 4:6-8 EU a different assignment: the lion corresponds to Matthew, Luke, the bull, the man Mark and John the eagle. He bases his assignment unlike Hieronymus not with the respective characteristic beginnings of the Gospels, but with the entire theology of the particular Gospel. Augustin follow a few more boom of Revelation, among them Primasius ( 552 - 570 ) and the Venerable Bede († 735 ). The eagle for the author of the " spiritual Gospel" ( Clement of Alexandria, AD 200 ) can be brought into relationship, which is often also as a bird (though as a dove ) also presented with the symbolic representation of the Holy Spirit. The symbol for Matthew is popular - comparable to the revelation of the Quran - understood as the angel who had dictated the Evangelist.

The four symbols of the Evangelists also part of the symbolism of the four as a number of the world and so symbolize the universality of the message of Christ.

Representations

Following the biblical texts and the man who is not to be confused with an angel, the lion and the bull are mostly winged, which may also apply to the eagle, although he already has wings. More rarely, the four beings are shown littered with eyes as it is described in Revelation.

Keller is the first presentation to the around the year 400 resulting from Santa Pudenziana in Rome and identifies as an early representation of the four joined together to form a figure being ( Tetramorph ) a book painting in a dated around the year 775 Echternach Gospel Book, which is 1979 in the Cathedral Library was in Trier. Throughout the history of art, the representation of the Evangelists has changed, set of isolated icon - being towards a group of people ( Pieter Aertsen ), which even do without their symbols (Jacob Jordaens ).

Locations

Especially often the Evangelist symbols can be found in the portal area of Western medieval churches, where they adorn the tympanum in connection with the Majestas Domini, or, for example, act in the Portalausschrägungen under the feet of individual representations of the evangelists as attributes. Beautiful examples provide slur fields in portals of Saint- Fortunat Charlieu and the cathedrals of Chartres and Angers. Dimensional representations are also found on a sarcophagus, on pulpits of organ brochures and on baroque church domes. In painting the symbols appear mostly in the apse, in the Gothic style on winged altars, in village churches to color wood panels on Empor parapets, in the goldsmith's art on the cover, in the textile art on the back part of the Casel ( Gosser regalia ), in the book illumination on the flyleaf liturgical manuscripts and ivory carvings. The most prominent non- church location is to find on the largest oil painting in the world The paradise: Jacopo Tintoretto painted the Doge's Palace, the icons next to the Evangelist in Venice offered for order (from left) Mark, Luke, Matthew and John.

Molding

Linear side by side, the symbols are very rarely located. Instead of stringing the grouping is selected, which corresponds to the arrangement method of Ezekiel ( in four directions).

Basic shapes

Thus, the symbols appear, in itself, in the four corners around the rosette of an exterior facade. If Christ is imaged on the facades, in the portal area or in a church ( apse wall, ceiling) sitting on a throne or surrounded by a mandorla, then are usually located on either side of him two evangelist symbols are superposed in the order (for example Sant ' Angelo in formees or tympanum of the parish church of Lassouts ):

Eagle

Man

Lion

Taurus

Or the exchange of positions eagle and man ( for example, in the Cathedral of Chartres ):

Man

Eagle

Lion

Taurus

In this case, man and lion are united on one side, as in the temple vision Ez 41,19 EU.

The task that perceive these arrangements is primarily a didactic Education is following in the Western Church, Nilus of Ancyra, significantly mediated by intuition in and with the church.

Special shapes

In addition there are a number of special forms: Am Basler Münster, right from the gate of grace, man and eagle among the persons who are for the respective evangelists, shown on the left of this is the series with lion, bull and, among them, the associated sculptures completed. In Arles- sur-Tech, the symbols are arranged in a cross shape, above the eagle, left the man, the right of the lion, the bull down. Among the representations in other places of the church building stands out: the pulpit in the church of Santa Maria del Lago in Moscufo where the symbols - which is extremely rare - no book and no Majestas Domini be arranged.

Manuscripts

In books (Byzantine, iro - Scottish, Carolingian, Ottonian and Romanesque illuminated manuscripts ) occur similarly different orders and modes of representation: icons in two on two fields in a cross shape and eckliegend a depiction of Christ around.

Special

There is the grave of the Apostle Mark's in Venice, where the lion is ubiquitous for over 1000 years.

Gallery

Essen Cathedral Treasury ms 1

Ceiling painting Christ Pantocrator in the Basilica of San Isidoro, Spain ( 1180 )

Majestas Domini (13th century), Ivory work, Musée de Cluny, Paris

Art Nouveau murals in the crypt chapel Ramholz