Irenaeus and the Four Evangelists

Above: A 13th-century ivory carving of Christ surrounded by four Living Creatures, in the Musée de Cluny, Paris.

Saint Ireneus, bishop of Lyon (c. 130 – c. 202 AD) is the earliest writer to record the tradition of the names of the Evangelists. In his book On the Detection and Overthrow of the So-Called Gnosis, usually abbreviated as Against Heresies (Book III, Chapter 11, section 8), he writes that “It is not possible that the Gospels can be either more or fewer in number than they are.” He relates this assertion to cosmology, saying, “There are four zones of the world in which we live, and four principal winds,” and adds that the Gospels are commissioned by the One “who was manifested to men” and “has given us the Gospel under four aspects, but bound together by one Spirit”

He recalls the description of four angelic “Living Creatures” found in the prophecy of Ezekiel and in the Revelation, both of which he considers to be scripture:

“As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man; each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side, each of the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and each of the four had the face of an eagle” (Ezekiel 1:10).

“The first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the their living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight” (Revelation 4:7).

The Gospel according to Saint Matthew (as the Face of the Man) relates the generation of Jesus as man through the genealogy and his birth. Furthermore, this is the “Gospel of His Humanity.”

Now the Gospels, in which Christ is enthroned, are like these… Matthew proclaims his human birth, saying, “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham,” and, “The birth of Jesus Christ was in this manner.” for this Gospel is manlike, and so through the whole Gospel [Christ] appears as a man of a humble mind, and gentle.

Saint Mark (as the Eagle) opens with the quote from the prophecy of Isaiah, and the descent of the Spirit of God coming down from on high to men.

But Mark takes his beginning from the prophetic Spirit who comes on men from on high saying, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet,” showing a winged image of the gospel. Therefore he made his message compendious and summary, for such is the prophetic character.

The Gospel according to Saint Luke (as the Calf) takes up the priestly character, commenced with Zacharias, in the beginning of the Gospel

[The Gospel] according to Luke, as having a priestly character, began with the priest Zacharias offering incense to God. For the fatted calf was already being prepared which was to be sacrificed for the finding of the younger son (cf. Luke 15:23).

The Gospel according to Saint John (as the Lion) reflects the original, effectual, and glorious generation of the Son from the Father

[The Gospel] according to John expounds his princely and mighty and glorious birth from the Father, saying, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” and, “All things were made by him, and without him nothing was nothing made.” Therefore this Gospel is deserving of all confidence, for such indeed is his person.

Irenaeus concludes by correlating the role of each Living Creature to Christ the Living God incarnate:

“Such then, as was the course followed by the Son of God, so was also the form of the living creatures; and such as was the form of the living creatures, so was also the character of the Gospel… For the living creatures are fourfold, and the Gospel is fourfold, as is also the course followed by the Lord. For this reason were four principle covenants given to the human race.”