Jay'sAnalysis Jonathan Pageau: Iconography & The Reality of Symbols - Jay Dyer
Sep 27, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Jonathan Pageau, a professional artist and icon carver, shares his journey from a Protestant upbringing to embracing Orthodoxy. He explains the profound symbolic language of icons, illustrating how they convey theological truths and connect to scripture. Pageau contrasts Orthodox and Western imagery, revealing their differing theological priorities. The conversation delves into the significance of church architecture, the reinterpretation of symbols, and hopeful movements towards Tradition in today's culture.
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Conversion Through Crisis And Liturgy
- Jonathan Pageau recounts growing up evangelical, studying fine arts, destroying his art and turning to the Church Fathers which led him to Orthodoxy.
- A chance visit to a pre-sanctified liturgy convinced him to become Orthodox and eventually to take up carving icons full time.
Icons Encode Theology In Space
- Icons present theological patterns spatially, compressing temporal scripture into simultaneous, hierarchical images.
- Their top-bottom layout maps heaven above and earth below to reveal ontological relationships at a glance.
Icons Open A Window Into The Supra-Historical
- Icons can depict the supra-historical: they condense past, present and eschaton into one revealing image.
- That allows inclusion of figures (e.g., St. Paul at the Ascension) for theological reason, not strict chronology.
