icon – lion; traditionally a powerful animal of action; predatory; alert, watchful (medieval bestiary notes that lions sleep with their eyes open); king of the jungle
Considered the first literary portrait of Christ. Probably written around the late 60's or early 70's A. D. and draws from the oral tradition of the early church. Mark is interesting in that it begins en medias res, with John the Baptist on the move, "a voice crying in the wilderness, 'Prepare ye the way of the Lord.'" By verse 10 of chapter one, Jesus is getting baptized and moving straight away into his temptation and the beginning of his ministry; the gathering of disciples, preaching, healing the sick, casting out devils, and taking on the established authorities. In other words, the text begins with a roar which is echoed by the lion icon associated with Mark's gospel.
Two sources of the Lion image as linked to Mark.
1: Legend of St. Mark and his father encountering two lions and escaping via prayer.
2: The lion image may be a reference to Mark's paradoxical depiction of Christ throughout the text. Christ is referred to as the Lion of Judah in other scriptures (Revelation 5:5 - And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof; Rev. 5:4 I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.") But while the powerful imagery of the lion does match the power and action of Christ in the initial chapters of Mark, it creates tension in the later chapters of Mark as Christ chooses not to use his power to avoid the passion of the cross.
Lion in St Mark’s square, Piazzetta at Venice
C. S. Lewis draws from Mark's paradoxical depiction of Christ as both powerful and passive Lion in his Chronicles of Narnia series. Specifically, in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, Lewis presents Aslan, the lion, as an incarnation of Christ in the world of Narnia.
