sits on a cushioned bench whereas St. John is seated on a throne-like chair. The throne is traditionally regarded as a representation of the four Evangelists but it represents another layer of meaning in these images. The throne is also a representation of Charlemagne. Thus, St. John seated on a throne facing the image of Jesus Christ is a display of imperial authority presiding over Church. St. John is presented with a stylus that he is dipping in ink and pages which he will write on. Christ merely holds a closed book to his breast. The suggestion is that in Christ's life, he adds little creative content and does his job of conveying the message written by the Evangelists. The Fountain of Life, fons vitae The origin of the image of the Fountain of Life is much older than the Godescalc Evangelistary. Earlier examples come from Eastern manuscripts, where the fons vitae was a symbol of the Gospels as “the font of eternal life”. The meaning was modified in the Evangelistary and because of its placement and heading; the miniature refers to Christ's birth as the Fountain of Life. The Fountain of Life takes up a full page in the Evangelistary and is significantly located on the verso with Christ in a garden. The miniature contains a depiction of a shrine that is topped by a cross. The shrine's circular form with a conical roof is a reference to the Holy Sephulchre from the Crucifixion miniature in the Rabula Gospels. The shrine is a lively representation of the baptistery of the Lateran church in Rome. The heavenly image of the birds and plants employs the fountain “as the source of the four rivers of paradise”, which evokes the four Gospels. The peacocks are a symbol of immortality and the birds around them are waterfowls. The waterfowls are identified in Eastern theological commentaries as “symbols of the apostles—“fishers of men”— who look back at the cocks symbolizing the Old Testament prophets in whose sayings the coming of Christ was foretold.” The deer is a hart, an animal traditionally linked to the baptismal ritual from the passage in Psalm 42:1 (quoted below from the King James Version). It is symbolic of humanity thirsting for salvation. As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. On the facing page to the Fountain of Life lies the