Why an eagle on the lectern? The explanation that hit home for me was from a retired priest from the UK, Rev. Alec Mitchell. The eagle is a symbol of the fourth evangelist, John, and presumably became associated with his gospel because of the many links between “the Word of God” of which he writes (made flesh in Christ, made real in preaching) and the Bible as being, almost literally, God’s word. The eagle soars upwards; it is strong, direct in its flight and inspiring in its over-arching majesty. Just like good public reading of scripture or oratory!
There are 32 references to eagles in the Bible, all but four of them in the Old Testament, and most of them positive. According to Isaiah: “Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength (and) mount up with wings like eagles”; and Psalm 103 blesses the Lord “who satisfies you with good… so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
The eagle is also one of the four “living creatures” around God’s throne, according to Revelation 4:7. As early as the second century (CE), these four creatures had been linked to the four gospels (the other three being, respectively, Mark, Luke and Matthew), while also becoming symbols of four events in the life of Christ – the Nativity (man), his sacrificial death (ox), the Resurrection (lion) and the Ascension – represented by a flying eagle. Occasionally, an eagle is used as a symbol for the Holy Spirit, but usually the more gentle dove is employed. For lectern purposes, however, an eagle certainly has bigger wings than a dove on which to rest large books!
The carved lectern in St. Thomas’s is engraved “in memoriam Waldron Shapleigh”. Mrs. Waldron Shapleigh gave the eagle lectern to St. Thomas’s in memory of her husband. Mr. Shapleigh was chemistry professor and he worked with incandescent lighting. His mother was Elizabeth Blandy, the daughter of one of St. Thomas’s founders, Thomas Blandy. Mr. Shapleigh died in 1901 at age 53 and is buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.
Written by Cana Hartman, Parish Administrator
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