September 24th, 2022

The Old Testament text for this Sunday is, like last week’s reading, from Amos [6:1-7]. And besides reiterating the importance of looking closely at the beginning of an ancient book, last week the significance of the number one was considered when it came to the two big issues of sin and a Savior.

It was also the case that the numbers three, four, six, and seven were said to be important numbers. The week before that was a look at the beginning of the book of Ezekiel, and the four living creatures were studied there in some detail. Some of the differences of the order of the living creatures were also just briefly discussed. The order of the living creatures in the book of Revelation was part of that focus.

At the end of next month, there will be another look at the book of Revelation, on Reformation Sunday. The first reading will be from there, and it will also be the source of the reading for the Sunday after that. Given those two factors, it may be helpful to study, in greater detail, some of the possible connections between the four living creatures and the four gospel accounts, especially in the different ways in which they are described, such as when they are brought up in Revelation.

Before tackling that big issue, it may be helpful to see just some of the confusion that has come up between the connections of the four living creatures and the four gospel accounts. This is not a recent connection, but it has existed from almost the beginning.
The Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament on the book of Revelation [by Grant R. Osborne; published by Baker Academic of Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2002; page 233] has an excellent footnote that summarizes some of this confusion. What follows are the different connections made by some of the early church fathers. To be helpful, the order of the living creatures below is that of Ezekiel 1 and that of the four gospel accounts.

           IRENAEUS
            MAN                MATTHEW
            LION                JOHN
            OX                   LUKE
            EAGLE            MARK              (This happens to be the order of Codex D.)

           VICTORINUS
            MAN                MATTHEW
            LION                MARK
            OX                   LUKE
            EAGLE            JOHN               (This is, of course, the normal order.)

            AUGUSTINE
            MAN                MARK
            LION                MATTHEW
            OX                   LUKE
            EAGLE            JOHN

            ATHANASIUS
            MAN                MATTHEW
            LION                LUKE
            OX                   MARK
            EAGLE            JOHN

Some of this confusion is to be expected, since every time the four living creatures are mentioned in the scriptures, they are given in a different order. It was stated previously that some of this confusion is also because of a connection made to the living creature using a point that is at the BEGINNING of a gospel account. A more detailed look at the connections all along in the gospel account to the living creature may therefore be helpful.

If there were just one account of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, his life would probably be seen as simply an act in history. If there were twelve different accounts of his life, each written by one of the twelve disciples, those accounts would probably be seen as a bit of a competition among his disciples. But if there are four, then those accounts might just be seen as something that is to go to the ends of the earth, in all directions, with this good news of salvation.