The Early Middle Ages

Four Evangelists, from a carolingian Gospel book, Palace Chapel school, Aachen, early 9th century.

The Four Evangelists come from a Carolingian Gospel book. The four figures depicted are of course the four disciples from whom the four gospels came. The evangelists appear against a background of rolling hill seated at oblique desks seated in natural poses. The men are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. We can assume that they are working in their gospels at these writing desks. The angel, eagle, lion, and bull are symbols that represent these four evangelists. The man/angel stands for Saint Matthew, the eagle for Saint John, the lion for Saint Marks, and the bull for Saint Luke. The winged man or angel is appropriated to Matthew because he begins the gospel with the human life of Christ. His writings deal more with Our Lord’s humanity than his divine nature. The lion is for St. Mark. The lion is a power symbol reflecting God’s power in resurrecting Christ from the dead. The lion was a symbol of resurrection. St. Luke is the bull or the winged ox. The bull is a symbol of sacrifice and atonement. St. John is the eagle which stands for soaring in spirit up to the heavens to retriece the sublime mysteries.