ISB ~ Revelation 4 v6
four living creatures:Angels that appear as animals. They symbolize the glory of God expressed in creation, e.g., divine authority (lion), strength (ox), intelligence (man), and swiftness (eagle).
ā¢ Their animal appearance (4:7) resembles the cherubim seen by Ezekiel (Ezek 1:10; 10:1), and their six wings (4:8) recall the seraphim seen by Isaiah (Is 6:2).
ā¢ Traditional exegesis connects the four living creatures with the four evangelists. Matthew is the man whose Gospel begins with the human genealogy of Jesus; Mark is the roaring lion whose Gospel begins with the voice crying out in the wilderness; Luke is the sacrificial ox whose Gospel begins in the Temple; and John is the soaring eagle whose Gospel begins with the highest mystery of Jesusā divinity (e.g., St.Ā Jerome, Against Jovinianus 1, 26).
ā¢ The living creatures also refer to the whole Church. Her courage is seen in the lion, her sacrificial service in the ox, her humility in the man, and her sublimity in the flying eagle (St.Ā Bede, Explanation of the Apocalypse 4, 6).