St. Matthew and the Angel

In this work by an unknown artist, Saint Matthew is shown seated on a rock, writing his gospel in the presence of an angel. Traditionally, each of the four Gospel writers is associated with a symbol: Saint Mark, a winged lion; Saint Luke, a winged ox; Saint John, an eagle; and Saint Matthew, an angel, which became his traditional symbol because the first story in his gospel describes how Saint Joseph saw an angel in a dream. In the New Testament of the Bible, Matthew 18:10 is also sometimes interpreted as evidence of guardian angels.