April A to Z Challenge 2020: It’s that time of year! Every April, bloggers around the world make posts for each letter of the alphabet. It’s a lot of fun and a great way to make friends online. Here’s my post for today:
[The following is an adapted excerpt from my book, Understanding Cemetery Symbols. I hope you enjoy it! Also, full disclosure: that’s an Amazon affiliate link. If you buy stuff after clicking it, I make a few pennies at no additional cost to you.]
Cemetery Symbols for the Four Evangelists
If you’re Christian, then you probably know that the first four books of the Bible’s New Testament are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Taken together, these four books are called “the Gospels,” and then men who wrote them are referred to as “the four evangelists.”
Angel, Lion, Ox, and Eagle
But did you know there are specific symbols linked with each of the four evangelists? An angel stands for Matthew, a winged lion means Mark, an ox stands for Luke, and an eagle stands for John.
This is why the city of Venice is full of winged lion imagery. Their patron saint is Saint Mark. Keep an eye out for these symbols the next time you visit a church.
Symbolic Headstone Features the Evangelists
As you can see, I found symbolic references to the four evangelists at this unique family headstone in Fort Worth’s historic Oakwood Cemetery.
Zodiac Signs for the Four Evangelists, too?
The four evangelists are also associated with the zodiac! This may seem strange to us now, but in the early days of Christianity, there was no distinction between astrology and astronomy . (Watch my video to learn more about this.)
Take a Virtual Cemetery Tour with Me:
I recently visited the unique headstone featured in this post over in Fort Worth’s historic Oakwood Cemetery. Would you like to come along? If so, click here to see the video.
Learn more at my Historic Cemetery Podcast & YouTube Channel:
Do you have questions about headstone symbols? Drop by my YouTube channel and let me take you one some virtual cemetery tours! You can also tune in to my 30-minute historic cemetery podcast on the first Tuesday of each month: Tombstone Tuesday with Tui Snider.
READ MY BOOK: If you enjoy historic cemeteries and want to learn more, check out my book: Understanding Cemetery Symbols. It’s available on Amazon in paperback and ebook form.
Grab a FREE copy of my book:
Tui Snider is an author, speaker, and photographer who specializes in North Texas travel, cemetery symbols, and haunted lore. As she puts it, “I used to write fiction – but then, I moved to Texas!”
Snider’s best-selling books include Paranormal Texas , Understanding Cemetery Symbols, and 100 Things to Do in Dallas - Fort Worth Before You Die.
Snider has several more books in progress, and enjoys connecting with writers and readers all over the globe through social media, her newsletter and her website: TuiSnider.com.
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