Twenty-Four Elders
The Twenty-Four Elders are figures from the Book of Revelation who appear in the Revelations 4, 5, 7, 11 and 19 of the Christian Bible; in white robes and golden crowns they sit with musical instruments on thrones before God during the Apocalypse and praise and worship him.
Religious scholars have pointed out the thrones indicate that these are beings of power and authority in Heaven, the crowns indicate that their faith has been tested and the white robes indicate that they are clothed in righteousness.
They are described in the King James Bible, Book of Revelation 4 as:
From Revelation 5:
From Revelation 11:
Depiction in artwork
File:KellsFol027v4Evang.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Illumination from the Book of Kells, showing the Four Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.The Elders are often depicted in medieval and Renaissance artwork with musical instruments.
The same medieval and Renaissance artwork draws from Revelation 4, showing the Elders with Christ. That artwork also depicts the "four beasts" who surround Christ.
The eagle, lion, calf and man may be the symbols of the Four Evangelists or their Gospels.Alternatively they may be the four cherubim from Ezekiel 1 and Ezekiel 10.
Non-Christian allegorical interpretation
, a 20th-century Jain writer claimed that the "Four and Twenty Elders" mentioned in the Christian Bible are "Twenty-four Jain Tirthankaras". In his book, Jainism Christianity and Science, he wrote:However, this is a view which comes out of Jainism. It doesn't come from the Bible or Christian tradition.