Ezekiel 1:10
Hebrew Bible
4 As I watched, I noticed a windstorm coming from the north—an enormous cloud, with lightning flashing, such that bright light rimmed it and came from it like glowing amber from the middle of a fire. 5 In the fire were what looked like four living beings. In their appearance they had human form, 6 but each had four faces and four wings. 7 Their legs were straight, but the soles of their feet were like calves’ feet. They gleamed like polished bronze. 8 They had human hands under their wings on their four sides. As for the faces and wings of the four of them, 9 their wings touched each other; they did not turn as they moved, but went straight ahead. 10 Their faces had this appearance: Each of the four had the face of a man, with the face of a lion on the right, the face of an ox on the left, and also the face of an eagle.
Date: 6th Century B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Revelation 4:7
New Testament
2 Immediately I was in the Spirit, and a throne was standing in heaven with someone seated on it! 3 And the one seated on it was like jasper and carnelian in appearance, and a rainbow looking like it was made of emerald encircled the throne. 4 In a circle around the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on those thrones were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white clothing and had golden crowns on their heads. 5 From the throne came out flashes of lightning and roaring and crashes of thunder. Seven flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of God, were burning in front of the throne, 6 and in front of the throne was something like a sea of glass, like crystal. In the middle of the throne and around the throne were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second creature like an ox, the third creature had a face like a man’s, and the fourth creature looked like an eagle flying.
Date: 92-96 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
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Notes and References
"... While redaction critics might analyze the process by which Matthew edited Mark, and narrative critics the narrative strategy of the implied author, a canon critic is more interested in how the Gospels have been read and interpreted in church settings. Though each Gospel arose under unique circumstances, the church has traditionally viewed them as an inspired collection. This canonical approach is evident in the writings of a church father like Irenaeus, who insisted on the divine necessity of four Gospels and compared them to the four winds, the four points of the compass, the four covenants (Adam, Noah, Moses, Christ), and the four living creatures of Revelation 4:7 and Ezekiel 1:10 (man, lion, ox, eagle) ..."
Strauss, Mark L.
Four Portraits, One Jesus: An Introduction to Jesus and the Gospels
(p. 114) Zondervan, 2007
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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