The Cockshutt Eagle

Another of the Treasures of our Benefice

Traditionally, St John, the fourth evangelist has been represented by the symbol of a rising eagle, the King of Birds believed to be able to look directly at the sun. The Fourth Gospel begins with a scholarly prologue and “rises” to pierce the deep mysteries of God, the relationship between the Father and the Son, and the Incarnation: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word (the Divine Logos) was with God and the Word was God….. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.” It is one of the most important documents of western civilisation, the work of an eyewitness to the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ.

The eagle of the magnificent brass lectern in Cockshutt Church represents the eagle which for centuries has connoted St. John the Evangelist. Since early times Ezekiel’s seraphic vision of four living creatures in Chapter 1 have been associated with the four evangelists. The book of Ezekiel however presents numerous problems for modern translators. The fourth creature with the face of an eagle perhaps recalls the phrase from the book of Exodus, “Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.” Isaiah says in a passage long thought to prefigure the Resurrection, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

In the Book of Revelation, 4, 5–8, St John in his vision sees the same creatures surrounding the throne of heaven. “… and round about the throne were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a Lion, and the second beast was like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying Eagle.” Saint John came to be known as “The Eagle of Patmos” because the eagle is the closest to heaven and is revealed in his beatific vision.

Christopher Jobson