Gospels And Men And Animals

Similitudo autem vultus eorum, facies hominis, et facies leonis a dextris ipsorum quatuor; facies autem bovis a sinistris ipsorum quatuor; et facies aquilae desuper ipsorum quatuor. Quod enim quatuor haec pennata animalia sanctos quatuor Evangelistas designent, ipsa uniuscujusque libri evangelici exordia testantur. Nam quia ab humana generatione coepit, jure per hominem Matthaeus; quia per clamorem in deserto, recte designatur per leonem Marcus; quia a sacrificio exorsus est, bene per vitulum Lucas; quia vero a divinitate Verbi coepit, digne per aquilam significatur Joannes, qui dicens: In principio erat Verbum, et Verbum erat apud Deum, et Deus erat Verbum, dum in ipsam Divinitatis substantiam intendit, quasi more aquilae oculos in solem fixit. Sed quia electi omnes membra sunt Redemptoris nostri, ipse autem Redemptor noster caput est omnium electorum, per hoc quod membra ejus figurata sunt, nihil obstat si etiam in his omnibus et ipse signetur. Ipse enim unigenitus Dei Filius veraciter factus est homo; ipse in sacrificio nostrae redemptionis dignatus est mori ut vitulus: ipse per virtutem suae fortitudinis surrexit ut leo. Leo etiam apertis oculis dormire perhibetur, quia in ipsa morte in qua ex humanitate Redemptor noster dormire potuit, ex divinitate sua immortalis permanendo vigilavit. Ipse etiam post resurrectionem suam ascendens ad coelos, in superioribus est elevatus ut aquila. Totum ergo simul nobis est, qui et nascendo homo, et moriendo vitulus, et resurgendo leo, et ad coelos ascendendo aquila factus est. Sanctus Gregorius Magnus, In Ezechielem Prophetam, Liber Primus, Homilia IV Source: Migne PL 76 815a-c

As for the appearance of their faces, each had the face of a man, yet each of the four looked like a lion when seen from the right, like an ox when seen from the left, like an eagle when seen from above. 1 These four winged animals signify the four holy evangelists, to which the openings of each of the Gospel books bear witness. For because it begins from human generation, Matthew is rightly a man, and because of the crying out in the desert the lion rightly designates Mark, and because it opens with sacrifice, Luke is rightly given the figure of an ox, and because it begins with the Divine Word, John is worthily signified by the eagle, he who says, 'In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and God was the Word,' 2 gazing on the Divine substance as in the manner of the eagle with its eyes fixed on the sun. But because they are all elect members of our Redeemer, and He who is our Redeemer is the head of all the elect, and as His members they have been figured, nothing prevents Him being signified in all these. For He, the only begotten Son of God, was truly made man, and He in sacrifice for our redemption being worthy to die, is as the ox, and He through the strength of his fortitude rose up like the lion. For the lion is accustomed to sleep with its eyes poen, whence our Redeemer in His death by our humanity slept, and by His immortally persisting Divinity He was vigilant. Then after His resurrection, ascending to heaven, into the heights He rose like the eagle. So He is all akin to us, He who in birth was as a man, in dying as an ox, in rising as a lion, and ascending to the heavens was as an eagle. Saint Gregory the Great, On the Prophet Ezekiel, Book 1, from Homily 4 1 Ezekiel 1.10 2 Jn 1.1