"Matthew 3: John says, “I did not ‘know’ him who baptizes with the Holy Spirit, but I have testified he is the son of God.” This icon portrays the fate of John the Baptist amidst the mountain heights, desert expanse, and at the river’s edge. We are told that John spent his life calling people to repentance, speaking the wisdom he gained from his time in solitude. He lived an austere life, eating locusts and honey. John is often identified in iconography by his wild hair, camel hair shirt, and shaggy garments. John is a cousin of Jesus; yet because he lived in the wilderness of Judea, he perhaps did not “recognize” Jesus when he arrived in the River Jordan. John the Baptist in the Wilderness shows two events happening at different times within the same icon. Narrative icons of ten distort time to include related events that are not in chronological order. This icon depicts John, the saintly teacher of repentance, receiving wisdom and knowledge from God above. The blessing hand of God reaches out from space, conferring a blessing upon John before or after his martyrdom. Sacred time merges with the eternal present to reveal where what was and will be."

Narrative Icon Collection

The collection of 12 narrated biblical event and feast days are taken from my book Life in Christ 2021, Knowledge of God made visible in Jesus the Man.

Mary Jane Miller is a self-taught Byzantine style iconographer with over 28 years of experience, born in New York and living in Mexico full time. Her collections of sacred art are contemporary, with a proficient command of egg tempera. The work is extraordinarily rich in style and has been exhibited in museums and churches in both the United States and Mexico. As an author, Miller blends historical content and personal insights to arrive at contemporary conclusions about faith. Her six self-published books include Icon Painting Revealed, Mary in iconography, In Light of Women, and Life in Christ and The Stations. Miller has been published online and in publications such as Divine Temple, Russian Orthodox Journal, Faith and Forum Magazine, Liturgy Today and Profiles of Catholicism. She teaches 4 courses annually, 5-day immersion workshops throughout the US and Mexico. Website: https://www.millericons.com/, https://sanmiguelicons.com/