Traditional iconography represents each evangelist with a specific symbol that reveals much about the emphasis of the gospel he has written.
Matthew’s symbol is a man because he speaks primarily to the house of Israel about the coming of their own king, the Messiah, the Anointed One.
Mark’s symbol is a lion, taken from his opening image of John the Baptist as a voice preaching and roaring in the desert like a lion.
Luke’s symbol is an ox, as he opens with the passage about Zechariah sacrificing oxen in the temple before the Archangel Gabriel shatters his world.
And John’s image is an eagle because his gospel takes a high, bird’s eye view of Jesus’s life, written after and building on the other accounts.
The next time you see an evangelist symbol, you will have an insight into the very nature of his gospel account of Christ.
