lamps. The ministry of angels in the Church is apparent on every page of the Apocalypse. They also represent bishop and pastors in the Church. [1]
6. In Biblical symbolism the sea represents human society. [2] Here the sea of crystal is the Church, the society of the faithful permeated by the light of divine truth which Christ brought to earth.
The four living creatures are the four greater prophets of the Old Law and the four Evangelists of the New Law. The number "four" signifies the universality of the Church which carries the Gospel to the four quarters of the earth. The eyes before and behind and round about the living creatures also refer to the universality of the Church in time and place. They see on all sides and have regard to all times, both before and after Christ, from the creation of the world until its final consummation.
7. The four creatures symbolize the principal virtues necessary for those who preach the Gospel of Christ. The lion is a symbol of strength and courage; the ox, of patient labor. The creature with the face of a man denotes reason and prudence. The eagle in flight represents contemplation. From the earliest times the Evangelists have been represented in art by these four living creatures.
8. Each of the four living creatures has six wings.
