Nicholas Kotar Publishes The Song of Sirin

  (Editor’s note:  We are excited to announce that Nicholas Kotar, who has written a few great pieces for OAJ, has recently published his first novel.  Here is a version of his press release.) Orthodox Writer writes a fantasy novel inspired by Russian fairy tales and the Lives of the Saints. Discouraged by the lack…

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The Dog-Headed Icon of St-Christopher (pt.2): Encountering Saint-Christopher

This is post 2 of 2 in the series “The Dog Headed Icon of St-Christopher” Jonathan Pageau traces the pattern of meaning in Dog-headed representations of St-Christopher and how they relate to our experience of the world. Understanding The Dog-Headed Icon of St-Christopher The Dog-Headed Icon of St-Christopher (pt.2): Encountering Saint-Christopher In my last article…

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Understanding The Dog-Headed Icon of St-Christopher

This is post 1 of 2 in the series “The Dog Headed Icon of St-Christopher” Jonathan Pageau traces the pattern of meaning in Dog-headed representations of St-Christopher and how they relate to our experience of the world. Understanding The Dog-Headed Icon of St-Christopher The Dog-Headed Icon of St-Christopher (pt.2): Encountering Saint-Christopher   This post is…

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The Serpents of Orthodoxy

One of the most surprising images one is faced with considering Orthodox liturgical symbolism is the bishop’s staff sporting two snakes flanking a small cross atop it.  Especially in a Protestant North American context, this image seems to hark back to ancient chthonian cults, more a wizard’s magic staff than anything Christian.  As I have…

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