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BIBLICAL PROBLEMS
 
FR PAUL KARIAMADOM
 
What do the Gospel Symbols Indicate?
 
These symbols depict Jesus as human in his birth; and a sacrificial victim in his death (ox); strong and powerful in his resurrection (lion); rising to his Father in his ascension (eagle).

The question that several people ask regarding the meaning of symbols representing the four Gospels is a relevant one. The study of these symbols is a great help to grasp the meaning of the Gospels.
 
Atleast from the time of St Augustine and St Jerome, these four symbols came to be used to indicate the main themes in the Gospels. A two-winged figure of a man, a lion, a bull and a soaring eagle represent the Gospels of Mathew, Mark, Luke and John respectively. They were based on the four living creatures that appeared in the vision of prophet Ezekiel. "As for the appearance of their faces: the four had the face of a human being, the face of a lion on the right side, the face of an ox on the left side, and the face of an eagle; such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above; each creature had two wings, each of which touched the wing of another, while two covered their bodies" (Ez 1:10-11). These four living creatures are also described in John's book of Revelation (cf 4:7).
 
A two-winged lion represents the Gospel of Mark because this Gospel begins with the cry (roar) of St John the Baptist in the wilderness (cf Mk 1:2-3). The lion roars in the desert. It is said that this animal keeps its eyes open while it is asleep. The lion, therefore, is also the symbol of the resurrected Christ. Jesus, though laid in the sepulchre, is always alive through his resurrection. He is also of a royal race. The early Church believed that "He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep" (Ps 121:4) and this belief was fulfilled in the resurrection of Jesus.
 
The Gospel of Mark ends with the account of the resurrection of Jesus. There is great importance attached to the resurrection in this Gospel. The lion subdues the sound of its footsteps with the gentle tap of its tail. By being incarnate in the womb of a virgin, Jesus concealed the glory of his divinity. Mark is also a Gospel that records very much the humanity of Jesus .We can see in this Gospel a dramatic manner of presentation that easily evokes emotion and pain. It contains much that can give strength and courage to those dwelling in the wilderness of suffering. The lion, which is a symbol of this Gospel, reminds us of these ideas also. In the early Church, the lion itself was an image of Christ.
 
The symbol representing the Gospel of St Mathew, is the figure of a winged man. The reason is that this Gospel begins with the lineage (human ancestry) of Jesus. This Gospel highlights the humanity of Jesus, particularly the good Master that Jesus was. The fulfillment of the law and the prophets and instructions necessary for the leaders of the Church, for the ministers of the word and for the faithful can be seen in plenty in this Gospel.
 
The Gospel of Mathew is divided into five sections based on the five discourses of Jesus. They are the following:
   
Woven in the beginning, end and middle of these discourses, are the narratives on the life and works of Jesus. As St Mathew's Gospel is written in an orderly and organised manner, it is considered by some as the Gospel for the thinking man.
 
From the time of St Iraneus, a winged ox has been considered the symbol of St Luke's Gospel. This picture can be seen in some of the churches in Rome dating from the 4th century (for example in the church of St Pudentiana). the beginning of St Luke's Gospel is Zachariah's prayer of the evening sacrifice in the temple (cf Lk 1:5-25). The ox is a sacrificial beast. Moreover, Luke em-phasises the fact that it is through the passion and death of Jesus that he saved the whole human race. To indicate Jesus who became the sacrificial victim for all mankind, the picture of the ox which is a sacrificial animal, is used as an symbol of the Gospel. The third Gospel can be seen as a Gospel that touches the heart as it presents Jesus' mercy and love towards the poor, the marginalised, women and outcasts of society. The symbol of an ox which is an animal of service is fitting to a Gospel of Jesus who is the liberator of the poor and oppressed.
 
The symbol of St John's Gospel is a soaring eagle. The eagle, which of all birds flies the highest, is the king of birds. It can stare at the sun much longer than other birds. It has a keen sight. St John (like an eagle) has the most penetrating gaze of all the Gospel writers and contemplates Christ's divinity. It is Christ's' divine rather than his human nature that is highlighted in this Gospel. The opening passage refers to the Word, which was with God, becoming flesh and dwelling among us (cf Jn 1:14). In the synoptic Gospels the human birth of Jesus is given much importance. (The symbol of the eagle was used to depict Christ himself in the early Church).
 
John is presenting sublime thoughts about Jesus for our contemplation through symbols, metaphors and similes. It is only proper, therefore, to consider this Gospel as a book of "mysticism".
 
In short, these symbols depict Jesus as human in his birth and a 'sacrificial victim in his death (ox); strong and powerful in his resurrection (lion); rising to his Father in his ascension (eagle). It can be seen from the study and contemptation of the symbols existing from ancient times, that they are the four aspects of the same Christ.
 
These symbols also bring to mind the virtues necessary for Christian life. Man, a thinking animal, renouncing worldly pleasures(1Jn 2:16-17) must become a victim pleasing to God. He should show great courage in daily life like a lion and rise to the heights of spirituality, contemplating eternal truths.
 
Though the four Gospels looked at Christ from four different angles, they are united by the same spirit. So says St Iraneus. What St Paul says about the Holy Spirit making his gifts operative according to each one's need(1Cor12:11) is very true regarding the authors of the Gospels.