A Royal Christian Shield
A Royal Christian Shield
E. John Erfourth, (from) 04 AUG 2019
Figure 1
Observation 1 – 18th Century
Art taken from “Ovason’s Secret Architecture”, late 18th Century.
Citing Edward Kohout,
“Mundane Astrology”, 2002:
“The progression of the signs is from left to right with the sign of Cancer upon the keystone.
A reason that the signs appear to be going in the wrong direction is that we are looking into the “temple” from the outside.
A heraldic shield that depicts an ox, an eagle, a lion and a man are direct references to the fixed signs of the zodiac, namely Taurus, Scorpio, Leo and Aquarius.”
What else might these mean? Anything else? Like what?
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Observation 2 – Present Day
Citing the Grand Lodge of
Washington State online:
“Royal Arch Masonry tradition teaches us that the symbols on the shield are representative of the ‘Four Living Creatures’, or the four principal tribes of Israel;
Judah
The Lion, representing strength,
Ephraim
The Ox, representing patience,
Reuben
The Eagle, representing swiftness,
Dan
The Man, representing intelligence.
We read in the Volume of Sacred Law about the four living creatures in Ezekiel 1:5-11 and again in Revelation 4:7.”
What else might these mean? Anything else? Like what?
2
Figure 3
The Metropolitan Museum of Art 1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street
New York, NY 10028
‘Plaque with Agnus Dei on a Cross between Emblems of the Four Evangelists’
Date: 1000–1050 A.D.
Geography: Made in Benevento (perhaps) Culture: South Italian
Medium: Ivory
Dimensions: Overall: 9 1/4 x 5 3/8 x 3/8 in. (23.5 x 13.7 x 0.9 cm)
Observation 3 – 11th Century
“The writers of the four Gospels, which relate the story of Christ's life, were often symbolized by animals. A man stood for Matthew, a lion for Mark, an ox for Luke, and an eagle for John. These symbols were based upon the vision of Saint John in the Book of Revelation (4:6–7). On this ivory plaque, the animal symbols, holding their Gospels, are arranged around the cross. At the center appears the Lamb of God, a symbol of Christ. Originally, this plaque would have decorated the cover of an Evangiliary, a manuscript containing all four Gospels.
The stylization of the symbols and the type of interlaced foliate cross find parallels in manuscript illumination produced within the southern Italian region of Benevento, including at the famed Benedictine monastery of Monte Cassino.”
Credit: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917 Classification: Ivories
Accession Number: 17.190.38
It is notable that the further we travel back in time to understand the meaning of the same symbols, the further forward in time actually exist the links ultimately referencing our understanding of them. If we are to take “The Met” at their word, then it is with great certainty that we may associate Christian symbolism with Royal Arch Masonry.
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