Who Are the Evangelists?

The New Testament[1] begins with the four Gospels written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These Gospel writers are known as the Four Evangelists. Each of the four Evangelists wrote for a different audience and these audiences varied dramatically in terms of culture. Everything they wrote is in conformity with each other, contrary to the false claims of some atheists, and understanding this to counter their errors is necessary for a Catholic.

How Are the Evangelists Depicted?

A winged symbol is associated with each of the four Evangelists (Gospel writers): Matthew is shown as a man, Mark as a lion, Luke as an ox, and John as an eagle.

These four symbols have their scriptural origins in a prophetic vision given to Ezekiel (1:10). They correspond to the four cardinal directions (north, south, east, west), which indicates the Gospel of Christ shall be proclaimed in every direction and cover the face of the earth.

Matthew is shown as a winged man because he begins his Gospel with Our Lord’s genealogy from Abraham – thus emphasizing His human heritage. Mark is represented by a lion – a symbol of strength and courage – because his Gospel details the royal dignity and power of Jesus. Luke as an ox, which is a figure of sacrifice and strength, because he focused on the priesthood of Jesus. John as an eagle because his Gospel emphasizes the divine nature of Christ. Thus, these four symbols present foundational dogmas concerning Jesus Christ. He is true God (John) and true man (Matthew). He is our high priest and the victim (sacrifice) who redeems man (Luke). He is King of all, now and forever (Mark).[2]

Why Are There Four Gospels and Not Only One?

St. Mark wrote the first Gospel around 65 to 70 A.D., shortly after the persecutions by Nero. There were probably two main reasons for him to do this. First, many of the eyewitnesses had died in the persecutions; and second, the Faith was spreading across the world and a reliable, written account of Jesus’ life was needed. Mark was not an Apostle but he travelled with both Paul and Peter. Tradition tells us he was the young man who fled the Garden of Olives (cf. Mark 14:51-52) and his family owned the house where the Church gathered to pray for St. Peter when he was imprisoned (cf. Acts 12:12). St. Mark was St. Peter’s assistant in Rome and recorded St. Peter’s preaching to the gentiles. St. Peter later sent him to found the Church in Alexandria. Egypt, where he was a bishop and martyred. St. Mark’s Gospel is the shortest of the four Gospels.

The next Gospel was written about 80 A.D. by the Apostle Matthew, although there are also scholars who argue that Matthew wrote his Gospel first.[3] (Several ancient sources list St. Matthew as the oldest, and this was the commonly held view prior to modern scripture studies. In fact, that is why his Gospel was placed first.) St. Matthew recorded the preaching of St. Peter to a Jewish audience and his Gospel emphasizes how Jesus fulfills the Old Testament. Matthew shows Jesus as a teacher. Jesus is the new Moses explaining the Faith. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is a continuation and fulfillment of the commandments given by Moses.

St. Luke was a Greek writing for the Greeks. Luke was not an eyewitness, but he gathered together as much information as he could, as he states in the beginning of his Gospel. He joined Paul as a travelling companion. During the years after Paul was taken captive in Jerusalem and held prisoner in Caesarea (cf. Acts 21-26), Luke personally interviewed many people who knew Jesus and His family. From his Gospel, it is clear the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of St. Luke’s primary sources, for he records information only She could have known. Luke is the only Evangelist who writes of John the Baptist’s nativity, describes the Annunciation, and records the Magnificat prayer. Dom Prosper Gueranger notes his great connection with Our Lady:

“According to tradition, he was an artist, as well as a man of letters; and with a soul alive to all the most delicate inspirations, he consecrated his pencil to the holiest use and handed down to us the features of the Mother of God. It was an illustration worthy of the Gospel which relates to the divine Infancy; and it won for the artist a new title to the gratitude of those who never saw Jesus and Mary in the flesh. Hence, St. Luke is the patron of Christian art.”

According to tradition, St. Luke also “painted” the first icon. In fact, the two most important icons in the world are attributed to him: “Salus Romani Populi,” which is the Roman Icon at St. Mary Major, and Our Lady of Częstochowa, which was the Byzantine Icon in Constantinople. The icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa was later brought to Jasna Gora, which is the largest Marian shrine in the world. Also of note, ‘Częstochowa’ is believed to be written on the table the Holy Family used in Nazareth.

What Are the Synoptic Gospels?

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the synoptic Gospels. The synoptic Gospels contain much of the same narration, often with the same words and in the same sequence. The Gospel of John is different. For instance, this is how John’s Gospel begins (John 1:1-5):

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him: and without Him was made nothing that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

St. John emphasizes Jesus’ divinity. John does not mention the nativity of Jesus, nor does he repeat the parables. Instead, he provides us with the teachings of Jesus about the attributes of God, as seen in John, Chapter 10, verses 11-15.

The Feasts of the Evangelists Used to Be Holy Days of Obligation

All the Feasts of the Apostles used to be Holy Days of Obligation. And the same can be said for the two Evangelists who were not Apostles – St. Mark and St. Luke.

The first catalog of Holy Days comes from the Decree of Gratian in c. 1150 A.D. It shortly thereafter gave way to the Decretals of Pope Gregory IX in 1234, which listed 45 Holy Days. In 1295, Pope Boniface VIII enacted the decretal Gloriosus, which “commanded that each of the feasts of the twelve apostles, four evangelists, and four doctors of the Church be celebrated as an officium duplex” (The Cambridge History of Medieval Canon Law by Anders Winroth and John Wei).

In 1642, His Holiness Pope Urban VIII issued the papal bull Universa Per Orbem, which mandated the required Holy Days of Obligation for the Universal Church to consist of 34 days as well as the principal patrons of one’s one locality (e.g., city and country).[4]

Ultimately Universa Per Orbem helped bring more uniformity to the Church, since some parts of the Catholic world observed even more holy days of double precept (i.e., mandatory attendance at Mass and rest from servile work). Two of those former days kept in some places were the Feasts of St. Mark and St. Luke.

For instance, in what is now modern-day Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California – which were at that time included in the ecclesiastical province of Mexico – the Feast Days were regulated by the Third Council of Mexico in 1585.[5]

Ideas to Honor St. Luke’s Day on October 18

St. Luke is the patron of butchers. For years, whenever St. Luke’s Day is not on a Friday, it would be an appropriate custom to honor him with a nice cut of steak. October 18th is also known as “Sour Cakes Day” in Scotland because baked cakes were eaten with sour cream in Rutherglen in his honor.

We can also honor St. Luke’s Day by praying for doctors and artists, since he is the patron saint of both. And we can take time to read on his Feast Day the Acts of the Apostles or the Gospel according to St. Luke.

For other ways on how to honor Saints Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John, please check out Restoring Lost Customs of Christendom.

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ENDNOTES:

[1] There are 27 books in the New Testament – Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, and Apocalypse.

[2] We have written evidence that this understanding of the four Gospels represented by these four symbols goes all the way back to St. Irenaeus of Lyon (+202 AD). See his work Against Heresies, Book III, Chapter 11, No. 8. St. Irenaeus‘ testimony is very important for several reasons:

• He was a disciple of St. Polycarp who knew St. John. Thus, Irenaeus’s witness goes directly back to the Apostles.
• Twice he traveled to Rome to help the Pope resolve several dogmatic issues and prevent schism in the Church.
• He compiled an encyclopedia-like work of all the heresies known in his time and refuted them all.
• He served as bridge between the Christian East and West.
• He gave his life as a martyr.

[3] Dates for the Gospels are approximate. These are based on scholars’ best extrapolation of extant evidence. We are quite certain that all four Gospels were recorded (written down) in the period 60-90 AD. However, by the time they were written, the content was already well-established tradition. Since the time of Pentecost (~33 AD) the Apostles had been preaching the ”words and deeds” of Jesus Christ. When the first generation of Christian leaders began to die, it became necessary to commit their testimony to writing.

[4] Those 34 days consisted of the following:

• Feasts of Our Lord (7): Nativity, Circumcision, Epiphany, Ascension Thursday, Most Holy Trinity, Corpus Christi, and Finding of the Holy Cross;
• Feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary (4): Purification, Annunciation, Assumption, and Nativity;
• Octaves (4): Monday and Tuesday within the Octave of the Resurrection, Monday and Tuesday within the Octave of Pentecost;
• Feasts of the Apostles (10): SS. Peter and Paul, St. Andrew, St. James, St. John (December feast day), St. Thomas, SS. Philip and James, St. Bartholomew, St. Matthew, SS. Simon and Jude, and St. Matthias.
• Other saints (9): Dedication of St. Michael the Archangel, Nativity of St. John the Baptist, St. Stephen the First Martyr (December feast day), Holy Innocents, St. Lawrence, St. Sylvester, St. Joseph, St. Anne, and All Saints.

[5] American Catholic Quarterly Review states:

“In these parts besides those already mentioned, the faithful observed as holy days of obligation St Fabian and St Sebastian (January 20th), St Thomas Aquinas (March 7th), St Mark (April 25th), St Barnabas (June 1), the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin (July 2), St Mary Magdalene (July 22), St Dominic (Aug 4), the Transfiguration (Aug 6), St Francis (Oct 4), St Luke (Oct 18), St Catharine (Nov 25), the Expectation of the Blessed Virgin (Dec 18).”

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