The Four Gospels

An architectural illustration shows four arches supported by five slender columns. The arches are decorated in red and blue with gold accents. To the left of the first column, there is a small illustration of a rooster, which often symbolizes the dawn or the call to prayer in Christian iconography. The columns have ornate capitals and tiered bases. Inside each archway, columns of Syriac numerals represent chapter references written in black and red ink.

The numbers in the table use the Syriac alphabetic system. The script is Estrangelo, which is the oldest and most formal style of the Syriac alphabet. Its name comes from the Greek word meaning "rounded."

These four evangelists agree with one another in summary. The first canon of the four is finished.

A Canon is a table used to locate parallel stories across the different Gospels. This system was created by Eusebius of Caesarea in the 4th century to help readers find where Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John tell the same stories.