Tetramorph

A tetramorph is a symbolic arrangement of 4 differing elements. Or the combination of 4 different elements in 1 unit. The term is derived from the Greek tetra, meaning 4, & morph, meaning shape. The word comes from the Greek for “4 forms” or “shapes.” In English usage, each symbol may be described as a tetramorph in the singular, & a group as “the tetramorphs,” but usually only in contexts where all 4 are included.

The tetramorphs were especially common in Early Medieval art, above all in illuminated Gospel books. But remain common in religious art to the present day. In Christian art, the tetramorph is the union of the symbols of the 4 Evangelists, derived from the 4 living creatures in the Book of Ezekiel, into a single figure or, more commonly, a group of 4 figures. Each of the 4 Evangelists is associated with 1 of the living creatures, usually shown with wings.

The most common association, but not the original or only, is: Mark the King, Lion; Luke the lowly Servant, Ox; Matthew the Angel; & John the Eagle.

In Christian art & iconography, Evangelist portraits are often escorted by tetramorphs. Or the symbols alone are used to represent them. Evangelist portraits that depict them in their human forms are often accompanied by their symbolic creatures, & Christ in Majesty is often shown surrounded by the 4 symbols.

The prophet Ezekiel lived among the Jews who were exiled to Babylon in the 6th century BC. The creatures in his vision, from which the images of the tetramorph came, are reminiscent of ancient Assyrian art.

The animals associated with the Christian tetramorph originate in the Babylonian symbols of the 4 fixed signs of the zodiac: the ox (Taurus); the lion (Leo); the eagle (Scorpio); the man/angel (Aquarius). In Western astrology, the 4 symbols are associated with the elements of Earth, Fire, Water, & Air, respectively.

The Christian tetramorph creatures were also common in Egyptian, Greek, & Assyrian mythology. These early Christians adopted this symbolism & adapted it for the 4 Evangelists as the tetramorph, which 1st shows up in Christian art in the 5th century. But its interpretative origin dates back to Irenaeus in the 2nd century.

The association of the 4 living creatures with the 4 Evangelists originated with Irenaeus in the 2nd century. The interpretation of each creature has changed through church history. The most common interpretation, 1st laid out by Victorinus & adopted by Jerome, St. Gregory, & the Book of Kellis, is that the man is Matthew, the lion Mark, the ox Luke, & the eagle John. The creatures of the tetramorph, just like the 4 Gospels of the Evangelists, represent 4 facets of Christ.

The 5 main outlines are summarized below with a representative proponent & rationale. The given rationale major themes in each Gospel, or the aspect of Christ emphasized in each Gospel:

• 1st Outline (Irenaeus): The man is Matthew, because his Gospel begins with the genealogy of Jesus; the lion is John, because his Gospel begins full of confidence; the ox is Luke, because his Gospel begins with priestly sacrifice; & the eagle is Mark, because his Gospel begins with the prophecy of Isaiah. Irenaeus establishes this connection between the 4 living creatures & the 4 Evangelists because he’s seeking an answer to the question “Why 4 Gospels?”
• 2nd Outline (Most common; Jerome): The rationale given for this outline is how the scheme is how each Gospel narrative begins. Matthew is the man because he begins with a genealogy; Mark is the lion, roaming in the desert with prophetic power; Luke is the ox because he begins heavenwards like the divine Word. It’s gotta be said that at a certain point, once enough interpretive authorities in the church backed this scheme, many who followed simply defaulted to their authority.
• 3rd Outline (Augustine): The lion is Matthew, because Matthew’s Gospel shows Christ’s royal character, he who descended from the tribe of Judah; the ox is Luke, because Christ is shown in his priestly character; the man is Mark, because of the humanity of Christ shown in that Gospel focusing on the things the man did; & the eagle is John, because the mystery of the Word ascends to Heaven.
• 4th Outline (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown): The Lion is Matthew, because Matthew portrays the Lord Jesus as the King; the ox is Mark, because Mark portrays Him as a servant; the man is Luke, because Luke portrays Him as a perfect, genuine man; the eagle is John, because John portrays Him as God. This view takes the creatures as symbols of “not the personal character of the Evangelists, but the manifold aspect of Christ…presented by them severally.”
• 5th Outline (Aimee Semple McPherson): The Eagle is Matthew, who presents Jesus as the King who will soon return to seek his people, Jesus will return; the ox is Luke, where he presents Jesus as the suffering servant who bore our sickness, Jesus healing; The Face of Man (representing Mark) presents Jesus as the perfect man who came to save us, Jesus saves; the Lion is John presents Jesus as the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit.

The creatures of the tetramorph (they appear in their animal forms) are predominantly shown as winged figures. The wings (an ancient symbol of divinity) represent the divinity of the Evangelists, the divine nature of Christ, & the virtues required for Christian salvation.

In regard to the depiction of St. Mark in particular, the use of wings distinguishes him from images of St. Jerome, who’s also associated with the image of a lion. The perfect human body of Christ was originally represented as a winged man. The perfect human body of Christ was originally represented as a winged man. Later, it was adapted for St. Matthew to symbolize Christ’s humanity.

In the context of the tetramorphs, the winged man implies Christ’s humanity & reason. As well as Matthew’s account of the Incarnation of Christ. The lion of St. Mark represents courage, resurrection, & royalty. This coincides with Christ’s theme as king in Mark’s Gospel. It’s also interpreted as the Lion of Judah as a reference to Jesus’ (Christ’s) royal lineage.

The ox, or bull, is an ancient Christian symbol of redemption & life through sacrifice, signifying Luke’s records of Christ as a priest & his ultimate sacrifice for the future of humanity. The eagle represents the sky, heavens, & the human spirit, paralleling the divine nature of Christ.

In their earliest appearances, the Evangelists were depicted in their human forms, each with a scroll/book to represent the Gospels. By the 5th century, images of the Evangelists evolved into their respective tetramorphs. By the late Middle Ages, the tetramorphs in the form of creatures were used less frequently. Instead, the Evangelists were often in their human forms accompanied by their symbolic creatures, or as men with the heads of animals.

In images where the creatures surround Christ, the winged man & the eagle are often depicted at Christ’s sides. The lion & ox are positioned lower by His feet, with the man on Christ’s right, taking precedence over the eagle, & the lion to the left of the ox. These positions reflect the medieval great chain of being. The Great Chain of Being is a hierarchical structure of all matter & life, thought by the medieval Islamic & Christian world to have been decreed by God.

The use of the tetramorph in architecture is most common in the decoration of Christian churches. In medieval churches, the symbols of the Evangelists are usually found above the west-facing portals & in the Eastern apse. Particularly surrounding the enthroned figure of Christ in Glory in scenes of the Last Judgment.

This image of Christ in Glory often features Christ Pantocrator (This is basically an Eastern church’s equivalent of Christ/Jesus sitting on the throne of the world) in a mandorla (This is the “halo effect,” or an “aura” that surrounds the whole being/person), surrounded by the creatures of the tetramorph, and is often on the spherical ceiling inside the apse. This is typically as a mosaic or fresco.

In older Roman churches, like Santa Pudenziana & Santa Maria in Trastevere, mosaics often picture the 4 creatures in a straight line rather than in a circular shape. Medieval churches also feature sculptures of bas-relief symbols of the Evangelists on the west facades, externally around the eastern apse windows, or as large statues atop apse walls.

Generally, all 4 creatures of the tetramorph will be found together in either 1 whole image or in 1 whole structure. But it’s not uncommon to have a single Evangelist monopolize the imagery of the church. This is usually found in cities that accept 1 of the Evangelists as their patron saint. An example is St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, where the winged lion is the city’s mascot & St. Mark is the city’s patron spirit.

Most illuminated Gospel books were prefaced with Evangelist portraits. They are often combined on a single page. Insular manuscripts (It’s exactly what you think, but these “insulars” are monks.) were very focused on abstract linear patterns that combined Mediterranean, Anglo-Saxon, & Celtic influences, the latter mostly traceable from surviving metalwork.

For the most illuminated manuscript portraits, the Evangelist typically occupied a full page. Though numerous examples of Late Antique portraits featured each figure in a standing position. The Evangelists were depicted predominantly in a seated position at a writing desk or with a book or scroll. This is in reference to the Gospels.

The tetramorph of the 4 living creatures is depicted on the World card of many tarot decks. Including the Tarot of Marseilles & the Rider-Waite tarot deck.

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El domingo 26 de abril me pasé por el CaixaForum a ver la expo "Soy Asurbanipal, rey del mundo, rey de Asiria".

Impresionante, y magnífica la manera de animar los relieves mediante proyecciones de luz.

#history #AbcientMiddleEast #Assyria

From @joannechocolat

Naqiʾa was a wife of the Assyrian king Sennacherib (705–681 BC).

She was highly influential in Assyrian #history as well as being one of only a few Assyrian women to be depicted in art,

... and is the only known ancient Assyrian figure other than kings to write and issue a treaty. 🤩

#CelebratingWomen #Zakūtu #Naqiʾa #Assyria

Sheol

This is in the Hebrew Bible (the Tanakh). Sheol is the underworld, or the place of the dead. This is a place of stillness & darkness & dust, which is death.

Within the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), there are a few, brief (& nondescript) mentions of Sheol. Sheol wasn’t a punishment or reward. It was the great equalizer. Whether King or beggar, wicked or righteous, every single person went to Sheol. Irregardless of their moral decision in their mortal life.

Even though such practices are prohibited, the residents of Sheol can, under certain circumstances, be summoned/called by the living to the mortal realm. Like when the infamous Witch of Endor makes Samuel’s spirit show up for King Saul.

It’s often pictured as being “down.” Either deep under the earth or the floor of the ocean.

The residents of Sheol were called Raphaim (shades or ghosts). They weren’t exactly “alive” per se. But they weren’t totally gone either. They exist in a state of extreme lethargy, cut off from the living & importantly, often pictured as being cut off from active communion with God.

As Jewish thought evolved, particularly during the Second Temple period (circa 500 BCE to 70 BCE), the idea of Sheol began to change. Sheol began to be viewed as having “compartments.” Like a pleasant area for the righteous (often called “Abraham’s Bosom”) & a separate place for the suffering of the wicked.

When the Hebrew Bible was translated into Greek (the Septuagint), Sheol was almost always translated as Hades. By the time the New Testament was written, the focus shifted further toward Gehenna (a place of fiery judgment) & Tartarus. So in the New Testament, Hades is both the underworld of the dead & the personification of the evil it represents.

Sheol is mentioned 66x throughout the Hebrew Bible. The 1st mentions of Sheol within the text associate it with the state of death & eternal finality. Jacob says that he’ll “go down to Sheol,” because he was still mourning the apparent death of his favorite son, Joseph (of Technicolor Dreamcoat fame).

Later in Genesis, the same scene plays out for a 2nd time when Jacob’s sorrow is repeated when another 1 of his sons, Benjamin, couldn’t return to him with his other brothers.

Sheol shows up again during Korah’s story in the Book of Numbers. After Korah attempted to provoke the Israelites to rebel against Moses, Moses vows that Yahweh will prove his legitimacy by splitting open the earth to hurl Korah & his conspirators into Sheol. Sure enough, after Moses stops talking, Yahweh splits the earth open. This causes Korah, his family, & all of his earthly possessions to “enter Sheol alive.”

In Deuteronomy, Moses sings that the anger of Yahweh is a flame which burns in the “depths” of Sheol, consuming the entire earth from the bottom up.

Later mentions of Sheol in the Tanakh picture it as a representation of death. Suggesting that entry into Sheol is an unavoidable consequence of dying.

I Samuel describes Yahweh as the 1 who brings souls down to Sheol. II Samuel further cements Sheol as humanity’s ultimate postmortem destination. I Kings uses “going down to Sheol” as a metaphor for death. Describing those who go do it both “in peace” & “in blood.”

Isaiah, the prophet, explains Sheol at great length during some of his “sermons.” He personified it as possessing an ever-increasing hunger for living people, with a great propensity for the souls of sinners, & where pleas to Yahweh cannot escape.

Ezekiel, during his prophecy of Egypt’s downfall, described Egypt metaphorically descending into Sheol as a dead person would, where all the spirits of the dead, as well as other fallen empires, such as Assyria, jeer & mock its fall from might.

The remaining mentions of Sheol are in the poetic literature of the Hebrew Bible. Job mentions Sheol in several of his laments, calling it his “home” as he lies in anguish & yearning for death to take him there to put an end to his suffering. Sheol is also mentioned in several Psalms as the grave of humanity.

Other biblical names for Sheol were/are: Abaddon (“ruin,” Psalms 88:11; Job 28:22; & Proverbs 15:11) & Sahat (“corruption,” Isaiah 38:17 & Ezekiel 28:8).

Owing to the evolution of its interpretation, some aspects of Sheol seem to contradict each other:

• Those who are in Sheol don’t remember anything. Not even Yahweh. But elsewhere, in Sheol, its residents have an otherwise impossible perception of earthly events. Even those that happen AFTER their demise.
• Pleas to Yahweh cannot escape Sheol. Yet, Yahweh stays its unmistakable master.
• Those who go to Sheol can’t escape. Yet Yahweh raises souls from it.

Despite the abstract nature of Sheol, there’s some physicality to it. Because it was clearly understood to be underground, which is further supported by the term bor (“pit”, Isaiah 14:15 & 24:22 & Ezekiel 26:20).

It’s a “land,” has “gates,” has sections (think Dante’s Inferno), & there are multiple mentions of its “deepest depths” & “farthest corners.”

The concept of both the righteous & unrighteous eventually going to Sheol seems to be an unspoken assumption in the Hebrew Bible. With the codification of Rabbinical Judaism & the Talmud, Jewish theology concerning the afterlife largely rejected the idea of a single place for EVERYONE after death.

It adopted what we recognize today. It maintains a place of reward for the righteous & punishment for the wicked called Gehinnom. As a result, Sheol, Abaddon, Bor, Shakhat, & other related terms were reduced to synonyms for a realm of punishment.

In Mandaeism, the World of Darkness (the underworld) is sometimes called Sheol in the Ginza Rabba & other Mandaean scriptures.

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