The symbols of the four Evangelists are here depicted in the Book of Kells. The four are, clockwise from top left, Matthew, Mark, John, and Luke.

The four Evangelists appear on the ceiling of the choir in the 15th-c. Church of St. Moritz in Rottenburg am Neckar, Germany. Clockwise from top right are Matthew (man), Mark (lion), Luke (ox), and John (eagle).

The Four Evangelists refers to the authors of the four Gospel accounts in the New Testament that bear the following ancient titles: Download high resolution version (958x1215, 290 KB)Image of Folio 27v, with the four evangelist symbols from the Book of Kells, a 1200 year old book. ... Download high resolution version (958x1215, 290 KB)Image of Folio 27v, with the four evangelist symbols from the Book of Kells, a 1200 year old book. ... This page (folio 292r) contains the lavishly decorated text that opens the Gospel of John. ... Matthew the Evangelist (מתי, Gift of the LORD, Standard Hebrew and Tiberian Hebrew: Mattay; Septuagint Greek: Μαθθαιος, Matthaios) is an important Christian figure best known as one of Jesus Twelve Apostles. ... Mark the Evangelist (מרקוס, Greek: Μάρκος) (1st century) is traditionally believed to be the author of the Gospel of Mark and a companion of Peter. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with John the Apostle. ... Luke was, according to tradition, the painter of the first icon Luke the Evangelist (Greek Loukas) is said by tradition to be the author of both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, the third and fifth books of the New Testament. ... The choir stalls in the quire of Bristol Cathedral, Bristol, England A quire is the area of a church where the liturgical singers sit, also known as the choir located usually in the western part of the chancel (between the nave and the altar), but occasionally in the eastern part... Railway station of Rottenburg. ... Matthew the Evangelist (מתי, Gift of the LORD, Standard Hebrew and Tiberian Hebrew: Mattay; Septuagint Greek: Μαθθαιος, Matthaios) is an important Christian figure best known as one of Jesus Twelve Apostles. ... Michelangelos David is widely considered to be one of the finest artistic portrayals of a man. ... Mark the Evangelist (מרקוס, Greek: Μάρκος) (1st century) is traditionally believed to be the author of the Gospel of Mark and a companion of Peter. ... Binomial name Panthera leo (Linnaeus, 1758) Distribution of Lions in Africa Synonyms Felis leo (Linnaeus, 1758) The lion (Panthera leo) is a mammal of the family Felidae and one of four big cats in the genus Panthera. ... Luke was, according to tradition, the painter of the first icon Luke the Evangelist (Greek Loukas) is said by tradition to be the author of both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, the third and fifth books of the New Testament. ... Binomial name Bos taurus Linnaeus, 1758 Cattle are domesticated ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with John the Apostle. ... Genera Several, see below. ... For other uses, see Gospel (disambiguation). ... John 21:1 Jesus Appears to His Disciples--Alessandro Mantovani: the Vatican, Rome. ...

• Gospel according to Matthew (Greek: Ευαγγέλιον κατά Μαθθαίον),
• Gospel according to Mark (Greek: Ευαγγέλιον κατά Μάρκον),
• Gospel according to Luke (Greek: Ευαγγέλιον κατά Λουκάν),
• Gospel according to John (Greek: Ευαγγέλιον κατά Ιωάννην).

However, the evangelists do not introduce themselves by name; and there is no evidence that the ancient titles stating these names were already in, or appended to, the autographs of the four Gospel accounts. Most modern scholars therefore consider it safer to assume the authors to have been anonymous, and the names to have been attributed to the accounts by later generation Christians for reasons other than actual authorship. Traditionally, though, the four evangelists have been held to be two of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus of Nazareth and two "apostolic men", and this is still the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church today: The Gospel of Matthew is one of the four Gospels of the New Testament. ... The Gospel of Mark is the second in the familiar sequence of the New Testament Gospels, as they were established by Jerome and appear in many but not all early manuscripts of complete gospels, and as they are commonly printed. ... The Gospel of Luke is the third of the four canonical Gospels of the New Testament, which tell the story of Jesus life, death, and resurrection. ... The Gospel of John is the fourth gospel in the sequence of the canon as printed in the New Testament, and scholars agree it was the fourth to be written. ... Autograph of king Charles XII of Sweden (1682-1718) An autograph is a document written entirely in the handwriting of its author, as opposed to a typeset document or one transcribed by an amanuensis or a copyist (see allography). ... This article is about the religous people known as Christians. ... “Apostle” redirects here. ... This article concerns critical reconstructions of the Historical Jesus. ... Dei Verbum, the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, is one of the principal documents of the Second Vatican Council, indeed their very foundation in the view of one of the leading Council Fathers, Bishop Christopher Butler. ...

• Matthew – a former tax collector who was called by Jesus of Nazareth to be one of the Twelve Apostles,
• Mark – a follower of Peter and so an "apostolic man",
• Luke – a travel companion of Paul, hence an "apostolic man",
• John – a disciple of Jesus of Nazareth and possibly the youngest of his Twelve Apostles.

In iconography the evangelists are represented by the following symbols: Matthew the Evangelist (מתי, Gift of the LORD, Standard Hebrew and Tiberian Hebrew: Mattay; Septuagint Greek: Μαθθαιος, Matthaios) is an important Christian figure best known as one of Jesus Twelve Apostles. ... This article concerns critical reconstructions of the Historical Jesus. ... “Apostle” redirects here. ... Mark the Evangelist (מרקוס, Greek: Μάρκος) (1st century) is traditionally believed to be the author of the Gospel of Mark and a companion of Peter. ... Saint Peter, also known as Simon ben Jonah/BarJonah, Simon Peter, Cephas and Kepha — original name Simon or Simeon (Acts 15:14) — was one of the Twelve Apostles whom Jesus chose as his original disciples. ... Luke was, according to tradition, the painter of the first icon Luke the Evangelist (Greek Loukas) is said by tradition to be the author of both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, the third and fifth books of the New Testament. ... Paul of Tarsus (b. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with John the Apostle. ... This article concerns critical reconstructions of the Historical Jesus. ... “Apostle” redirects here. ... Iconography usually refers to the design or creation of images and more specifically to the historical study of art which aims at the identification, description and the interpretation of the content of images. ...

• Matthew the Evangelist, the author of the first gospel, symbolized by a man, to represent the human nature of Christ, and also because the Gospel starts with Jesus' genealogy from Abraham (Albeit paternally, which in some way conflicts with his divine patronage).
• Mark the Evangelist, the author of the second gospel, symbolized by a lion, to represent Christ as king. Mark has John the Baptist preaching "like a lion roaring" at the beginning of his Gospel.
• Luke the Evangelist, the author of the third gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, symbolized by a bull or a calf, to represent Christ as sacrifice and as priest, or to symbolize God's power. This also represents Mary as obedient, like an ox, as this is the only Gospel where she says something. Also, the gospel starts on the temple duties of Zacharias in the temple.
• John the Evangelist, the author of the fourth gospel, symbolized by an eagle, to represent the Christ as God, or to represent God's "all-seeing eye", and also due to the fact that John has some things recorded in his Gospel which the other three synoptic do not contain. Having a "higher" level of theology and also to separate it from the other "terrestrial" animals are more reasons as to why an eagle was chosen. This replaced the scorpion as a sign early on (see Tetramorph).

The attribution of the four animals comes from the four living creatures described in the Book of Revelation, although which animal represents which apostle has sometimes been disputed. Another possibility of this is based on a vision revealed to the prophet Ezekiel. The symbol of Matthew, the man, for example, is sometimes mistaken for an angel, but this is due to the fact that wings are given to all four symbols. Matthew the Evangelist (מתי, Gift of the LORD, Standard Hebrew and Tiberian Hebrew: Mattay; Septuagint Greek: Μαθθαιος, Matthaios) is an important Christian figure best known as one of Jesus Twelve Apostles. ... The Gospel of Matthew is one of the four Gospels of the New Testament. ... Michelangelos David is widely considered to be one of the finest artistic portrayals of a man. ... Trinomial name Homo sapiens sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 Humans, or human beings, are bipedal primates belonging to the mammalian species Homo sapiens (Latin: wise man or knowing man) under the family Hominidae (the great apes). ... The angel prevents the sacrifice of Isaac (Rembrandt, 1634) Abraham (Hebrew: , Standard Avraham Ashkenazi Avrohom or Avruhom Tiberian  ; Arabic: ,  ; Geez: , ) is regarded as the founding patriarch of the Israelites and of the Nabataean people in Jewish, Christian and Islamic tradition. ... Mark the Evangelist (מרקוס, Greek: Μάρκος) (1st century) is traditionally believed to be the author of the Gospel of Mark and a companion of Peter. ... The Gospel of Mark is the second in the familiar sequence of the New Testament Gospels, as they were established by Jerome and appear in many but not all early manuscripts of complete gospels, and as they are commonly printed. ... Binomial name Panthera leo (Linnaeus, 1758) Distribution of Lions in Africa Synonyms Felis leo (Linnaeus, 1758) The lion (Panthera leo) is a mammal of the family Felidae and one of four big cats in the genus Panthera. ... Look up monarch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Icon depiction of Jesus baptism by the hand of John, Jordan River, Jordan The excavated remains of the baptism site in Bethany beyond the Jordan John the Baptist (also called John the Baptiser, or Yahya the Baptiser) was a 1st century Jewish preacher and ascetic regarded as a prophet by... Luke was, according to tradition, the painter of the first icon Luke the Evangelist (Greek Loukas) is said by tradition to be the author of both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, the third and fifth books of the New Testament. ... The Gospel of Luke is the third of the four canonical Gospels of the New Testament, which tell the story of Jesus life, death, and resurrection. ... The Acts of the Apostles (Greek Praxeis Apostolon) is a book of the Bible, which now stands fifth in the New Testament. ... Binomial name Bos taurus Linnaeus, 1758 Cattle (often called cows in vernacular and contemporary usage, or kye as the Scots plural of cou) are domesticated ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. ... Cattle calf A Calf (plural calves) is the young of an animal. ... Marcus Aurelius and members of the Imperial family offer sacrifice in gratitude for success against Germanic tribes: contemporary bas-relief, Capitoline Museum, Rome For other uses, see Sacrifice (disambiguation). ... . ... According to the New Testament, Mary (Judeo-Aramaic מרים Maryām Bitter; Arabic مريم (Maryam); Septuagint Greek Μαριαμ, Mariam, Μαρια, Maria; Geez: ማሪያም, Māryām; Syriac: Mart, Maryam, Madonna), was the mother of Jesus of Nazareth, who at the time of his conception was the betrothed wife of Saint Joseph (cf. ... According to the Gospel of Luke, Zechariah (Zacharias in the King James Version of the Bible) was a priest of the line of Abijah, during the reign of King Herod the Great, and was the father of John the Baptist and husband of Elizabeth, a woman from the priestly family... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with John the Apostle. ... The Gospel of John is the fourth gospel in the sequence of the canon as printed in the New Testament, and scholars agree it was the fourth to be written. ... Genera Several, see below. ... This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... The Synoptic Gospels is a term used by modern New Testament scholars for the Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, and Luke of the New Testament in the Bible. ... A Tetramorph (from Greek tetra, four and morph, shape) is a symbolic arrangement of four differing elements. ... Visions of John of Patmos, as depicted in the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry. ... Ezekiel the Prophet of the Hebrew Scriptures is depicted on a 1510 Sistine Chapel fresco by Michelangelo. ... The Annunciation - the Angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will bear Jesus (El Greco, 1575) An angel is a supernatural being found in many religions. ...

Note that while Matthew is often cited as the "first Gospel" – not only owing to its place in the canon but also in view of the patristic witness to this effect – nowadays most scholars see the Gospel of Mark as written first (arguing for a date for Mark around the year 65, and for Matthew around 80), also see Gospel. For other uses, see Gospel (disambiguation). ...

It has become customary to speak of "the Gospel of Matthew" … "the Gospel of John", not least because it is shorter and rolls much smoother off the tongue; but it needs to be noted that the ancient titles do not use the genitive of possession, but the preposition "according to", signifying that each evangelist sets forth the one "Gospel of God" according to his own capacity, but not in the sense of creating his own story.

See also

• Evangelist portrait
• Authorship of the Johannine works
• Tetramorph
• Gospel
• The Four Gospels

Evangelist portraits are a specific type of picture included in ancient and mediæval Bibles. ... El Grecos rendition of John the Apostle shows the traditional author of the Johannine works as a young man. ... A Tetramorph (from Greek tetra, four and morph, shape) is a symbolic arrangement of four differing elements. ... For other uses, see Gospel (disambiguation). ... The Four Gospels may refer to one of the following. ...

External links

• The Four Evangelists in Stained Glass
• The Four Evangelists (contains some information on the attribution of the four animals, and also a text by Augustine of Hippo disputing the attribution.
• Catholic Encyclopedia: Evangelist
• PBS Frontline: The Story of the Storytellers