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The Symbol of St. John - The Serpent and the Chalice |
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According to church tradition, the enemies of St. John attempted to murder him by putting poison into the sacramental chalice. However God protected him so that even though he drank of it he did not die. A more elaborate version of the story says that the poison actually turned into a serpent and slithered away so that the aged apostle was left unharmed. The symbol of the serpent and the chalice is therefore an ancient symbol for John. |
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The Symbol of St. John - The Eagle |
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The more popular symbol for St. John is the eagle. Sometimes with wings spread and sometimes depicted as being perched, the eagle is usually portrayed with a parchment in his talons. It is a reminder that John’s Gospel, his epistolatory writings, and the book of Revelation, all of which he authored by the Spirit’s inspiration, could not be bound by his exile, but would set the world free in Christ and soar to the doctrinal heights of God’s boundless wisdom. |
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| This page was last updated on Friday January 25, 2008 | ||||||||||
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