Ezekiel, dreaming of something that is almost but not quite like the Living Creatures of Ezekiel 1,
Ezekiel, dreaming of something that is almost but not quite like the Living Creatures of Ezekiel 1, as these are not tetramorphs– but on the other hand I wouldn’t like to try fitting a tetramorph and a sleeping Ezekiel into an illuminated initial that only spans six lines.In the Middle Ages, these four creatures – angel, lion, ox, and eagle – were also thought to symbolize the four writers of the Gospels. This is easy to remember because the order in which the Gospels are arranged – Matthew, Mark, Luke, John – turns the first letters of the symbols into the handy-dandy mnemonic ALOE. Good for the soul in need of salvation and for skin in need of recovery from sun damage!Manuscript description and digital images can be found here at OPenn.Fol. 271v, Ms. Codex 236Title: Bible. Latin. Vulgate. [Biblia sacra manuscripta] [manuscript]Origin: [France?, ca. 1235-1240] -- source link
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