1–2, and in Revelation. The symbols are shown with, or in place of, the Evangelists in early medieval Gospel Books, and are the usual accompaniment to Christ in Majesty when portrayed during the same period, reflecting the vision in Revelation. They were presented as one of the most common motifs found on church portals and apses, as well as many other locations. When surrounding Christ, the figure of the man usually appears at top left – above Christ's right hand, with the lion above Christ's left arm. Underneath the man is the ox and underneath the lion is the eagle. This both reflects the medieval idea of the order of "nobility" of nature of the beasts (man, lion, ox, eagle) and the text of Ezekiel 1:10. From the thirteenth century, their use began to decline, as a new conception of Christ in Majesty, showing the wounds of the Passion, came into use. Sometimes, in Evangelist, portraits they appear to dictate to the writing evangelist. Naming Matthew is often cited as the "first Gospel account," not only owing to its place in the canon, but also in view of the patristic witness to this effect. Most biblical scholars however, see the gospel account of Mark as having been written first (see Markan priority) and John's gospel account as having been written last. It has become customary to speak of "the Gospel of Matthew" ... "the Gospel of John", not least because of its shorter length; but it is worth noting that the ancient titles do not use the genitive of possession, but the preposition "according to", signifying that each evangelist sets forth the one "Gospel of God" according to his own capacity, but not in the sense of creating his own story. Depictions See also Gospel harmony Authorship of the Johannine works Tetramorph Gospel Four Gospels References External links The Four Evangelists in Stained Glass Catholic Encyclopedia: Evangelist PBS Frontline: The Story of the Storytellers The Four Evangelists at the Christian Iconography web site Quartets Canonical Gospels Christian iconography Christian terminology Groups of Christian saints Groups of Roman Catholic saints Groups of Eastern Orthodox saints