St. Luke is represented as a winged bull or a winged ox because it shows the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for the world, and because St. Luke minor patronage of butchers and butchering.
St Luke is a represented by a winged ox not a winged bull. The ox is supposedly representing the sacrifices that Jesus made for all men and women,
The symbol of St. Luke is an ox or bull, which represents sacrifice and strength. This symbol is often associated with St. Luke because his Gospel emphasizes Jesus' sacrifice and portrays him as the powerful and compassionate Son of Man.
From St. Luke's Catholic Church website: The symbol for St. Luke is the ox (or bull). This may account for his also being patron of butchers. In art, Luke is represented by a winged ox because he begins his gospel with an account of the priest, Zachary, (Zechariah), sacrificing in the temple. The ox represents Christ's sacrifice.
In christianity, the bull symbolizes sacrifice. As it does with St Luke
St. Luke is the patron saint of:artistsbachelorsbookbindersbrewersbutchersdoctorsglass makersglassworkersgold workersgoldsmithslacemakerslace workersnotariespaintersphysicianssculptorsstained glass workerssurgeonsunmarried menWorshipful Company of PaintersCapena, ItalyHermersdorf, Germany
In Christian iconography, the ox is frequently used as a symbol for the evangelist Luke.
Matthew is sometimes represented by:angel holding a pen or inkwell bag of coins halberd inkwell king lance man holding money money bag money box purse spear sword winged man young man
I believe St. Matthew is represented as a winged man not angel because his gospel stressed the human nature of Christ's two-natures: divine & human ( hence the angels)
The symbol of St. Matthew generally represents an angel or winged man, symbolizing Matthew's Gospel focus on Christ's humanity. It may also reference his profession as a tax collector before becoming a disciple.
St. Luke is thought to have been a physician.
The ox symbolizes sacrifice, strength, and service, which are traits associated with St. Luke in his Gospel. The ox is a traditional symbol in Christian art representing one of the four evangelists, with each evangelist being represented by a different living creature (man, ox, lion, eagle).
St. Mark's symbol is a lion because it is believed to represent the courage and strength of his Gospel writings. Additionally, the lion is often associated with royalty, which reflects St. Mark's emphasis on Christ as the King of Kings.