The tetramorph: man, lion, ox, eagle

Look up above the doorway of a Romanesque or Gothic cathedral. Often, at the centre of the tympanum, Christ in majesty. And around him, at the four corners, four creatures: a winged man, a winged lion, a winged ox, an eagle.

This group is called the tetramorph, "four forms". The books of this journey devote several pages to it, linking these figures to the signs of the zodiac and to the elements. This time, a large part of the correspondences is historically documented.

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From Ezekiel to Revelation

We met these four creatures in the article on the Merkaba. In Ezekiel's vision (1:10), each of the four living creatures carrying the heavenly chariot has four faces: the face of a man, the face of a lion, the face of an ox, the face of an eagle.

Six centuries later, the Book of Revelation (4:7) takes up the image around the throne of God: "And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle."

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The four evangelists

Very early on, the Church Fathers linked these figures to the four Gospels. Irenaeus of Lyon, in the second century, proposed a first attribution. It was Saint Jerome, in the fourth century, who fixed the one that would prevail throughout Christian art:

• The man for Matthew, whose Gospel opens with the human genealogy of Jesus;
• The lion for Mark, which opens with "a voice crying in the wilderness";
• The ox (or calf) for Luke, which begins with Zechariah's sacrifice in the Temple;
• The eagle for John, whose prologue soars straight to the heights: "In the beginning was the Word".

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The four fixed signs

Ancient astrologers classified the twelve signs into three groups. The four so-called fixed signs, located in the middle of each season, are Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius.

The correspondence with the tetramorph is striking: the bull, the lion, the man (Aquarius is depicted as a man pouring water). For Scorpio, tradition associates an older or higher symbol, the eagle. They are also linked to the four elements: Taurus-earth, Leo-fire, Aquarius-air, Scorpio-water.

Historians debate whether Ezekiel's vision drew directly on these constellations, known to the Babylonian astronomers among whom the prophet lived in exile. It is a serious hypothesis, not a certainty. What is certain is that these four figures have crossed religions and eras, making them one of the richest symbols of Western culture.

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Four directions of being

Beyond history, the tetramorph can be read as an inner map — and that is the reading the books of this journey propose.

• The man: intelligence, reflective awareness, speech.
• The lion: courage, strength of heart, sovereignty over oneself.
• The ox: patience, work, the quiet strength that ploughs.
• The eagle: elevation, the overall view, intuition that sees from above.

An accomplished being unites all four. Intelligence without courage remains theoretical. Courage without patience burns out. Patience without elevation goes round in circles. Elevation without intelligence gets lost in the clouds. Here we find again the logic of the four elements and of the three pillars of the Tree of Life: balance.

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Practice: the four faces

A five-minute practice, found in a similar form in the chariot meditation.

1. Sit down. Three slow breaths.
2. The man. Ask one clear question about your current situation. A single sentence.
3. The lion. Ask yourself: what would take courage here? Feel the answer in your chest.
4. The ox. Ask yourself: what is the small, patient step to take every day?
5. The eagle. Rise above: in five years, what will have mattered?
6. Return to the centre, among the four. Write one line for what each face told you.

Four faces, one consciousness. The path is not to choose one of them, but to make them walk together.

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Further reading

• Ezekiel 1:10; Revelation 4:6-8.
• Irenaeus of Lyon, Against Heresies, III, 11, 8.
• Saint Jerome, Commentary on Matthew, preface.
• É. Mâle, The Gothic Image: Religious Art in France of the Thirteenth Century, 1898.