A Thousand Words: Reflections on Art and Christianity

A Thousand Words by Mary Elizabeth Podles is a collection of her popular columns on art from Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity. She once observed, “An appreciation of art is not mere aestheticism: as Christians, we see beauty in the world as the stamp of God’s hand, his signature on the canvas of creation, a foretaste of the uncreated light that shone on Mt. Tabor.”

Yet such an appreciation of art requires guidance, as she admits, “Sometimes it is hard to begin, to find any explication of the frequently disguised symbolism contained in religious painting, since we have ceased to speak the language of Christian
iconography.”

A Thousand Words originated as her response to this need—an ongoing response, as she continues writing her bimonthly columns
today. Included here are her first 62 essays, which appeared in Touchstone from 2012 through 2022. She has also added thirteen
new essays introducing each historical period—from the Ancient World to the Modern Era—by which her subjects have been arranged.

In addition to insights on many religious paintings and icons, the reader will also delve into architecture, sculpture, a pagan altar and temple, an illuminated manuscript, a chalice, a massive woodcut,
a throne, a crown, a fountain, and even an astronomical clock. These thousand-word reflections offer readers a wide array of illuminating
insights on art, culture, history, and especially the Christian faith.