Illumination

     Light is a symbol for Christians of holiness, wisdom, grace, hope, and God's revelation. Darkness has been associated with evil, sin, and despair. As Jesus said:

“I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life”.                                               John 8 v 12.

Before the 13th-century your thought could be given a new understanding with the intervention of God and this was described as an illumination. A divine light would provide revelation; it was supernatural. Slowly theologians changed this to grace; by the grace of God something was achieved. On occasion a lightbulb moment is still used to explain how someone has come to a new understanding. The common view now is the process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through rational and analytical thought, measured experience and the senses. Christians would add that a spiritual understanding involves seeing the light in the form of Christ.

Candles lit for remembering Ukraine

Consequently, much that occurs in religion has a context of light. It was an important issue in the 7th-century. The Synod of Whitby settled several issues, especially the dating of Easter. It was established that at the Spring Equinox, falling on the 19, 20 or 21 March, the length of day equalled the length of night. At the first full moon that followed, the 24 hours for that day was filled with full moonlight and full sunlight (assuming no clouds) and thus light had overcome darkness. Easter was then the first Sunday to follow. This calculation, Computus, emphasised Jesus’s words. It was an important aspect for both Wilfrid and Bede. If Easter was the hope in resurrection then it needed much light.

Bede

            Early baptised Christians were known to have been illumined and Easter was the time for this life changing event. The apostle Paul wrote:

“For it is impossible for those who were once illuminated, have tasted also the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost”.  Vulgate Hebrews 6 v 4.

In modern translations the word inluminati becomes enlightened and it has been questioned whether a light was physically present at baptism and instead is synonymous for understanding. Some think it likely those baptised were given a lighted taper in the way a candle is given today. The orthodox church presents it as with baptism you are illumined with the grace and power of the Holy Spirit. 

There is no evidence of any ceremonial use of lights in Christian worship during its first two or three centuries, which is unsurprising since it had to be a secretive religion.[1] There were Christian practices occurring in some of the catacombs and for this purpose small terra-cotta lamps, plain or decorated with Christian symbols, were used, as is attested by the numerous discoveries in the catacombs.

 

St Paul’s catacomb in Malta where an agape meal was held on a stone table close to tombs. The tombs had wall niches which would have held an oil or fat burning lamp. Christian signs were scratched on the walls and the one shown is thought to have been 4th or 5th century. It could be a trident and symbolising the Trinity.

     With the Romans accepting Christianity as their religion in the 4th-century new well-lit churches were built. A 4th century inventory of items in the church of Cirta, in Algeria, listed 7 silver lamps, two chandeliers, 7 small brass candelabra with lamps and 11 lamps with chains. Lamps were beginning to be used in large churches in the early 4th century.[2]  Constantine I gave to the Archbasilica of the St John Lateran Church, Rome, two sets of seven 10 ft bronze candelabra with as many as 120 dolphin-shaped branches, each supporting one or more lamps.[3] When Constantine's body lay in state, lighted candles on golden stands were placed around it.

Paschal candle lit either in the late Saturday or early Easter Sunday morning service. It is also used for lighting baptismal candles.

     Sometime after 630, a change in furnishing the church occurred in the Atlantic Isles. A rough timber oratory changed into a rectangular stone church, with either a square or round apse. Stonework might have been intricately sculpted and the floor was tiled. On the walls were paintings. Windows were glazed. Wooden and stone crosses were replaced with detailed icons made from precious metals and jewels. They were now placed on an altar covered in embroidered cloth. Standing crosses with biblical scenes were erected at meeting places. Books were illustrated and pages painted artistically with colourful pigments. Libraries were commissioned. Bishops wore elaborate garments and used superior liturgical objects of value. Singing and playing music was encouraged. If God was the light of the world, then the church would reflect his illumination. It also contrasted with dark pagan temples.

Aldhelm, Abbot of  Malmesbury and Biship of Sherborne, wrote a poem, 689–709, and described the church of St Mary built by Bugga, possibly his sister, and it gave an insight into a late 7^th century church. It was described as rectangular, lofty and with 12 altars. It glowed within with gentle light, presumably from oil lamps or bee’s wax candles. It had glass windows. The altar cloth glistened with gold twisted threads. A gold chalice had jewels attached and the paten was silver. A main cross was burnished gold and silver and had jewels attached. A metal censer embossed on all sides hung down by chains and through openings, it let out the smell of frankincense.

    

Choir stalls with candles and overhead electric lighting.

               

High altar candle.
Candles on the altar did not occur before the 12th-century.

            

     Eighth century Gospel books, such as St Chad’s Gospels, were illuminated. They had painted pages to illustrate symbolically parts of the Bible. Some hold such texts must be enhanced with gold and silver pigments which can reflect the light. The presence of such metals in the St Chad’s Gospels has still to be proved analytically, but if the Gospels follow the convention of the time they should be present.

             Having strong light in a church was essential for Gothic architecture. Large windows let in much light, especially shining on the altar. This has been traced to the greater use of the eucharist in worship. See the post on the Lady Chapel with large leaded-glass windows requiring new ways to buttress the wall. Also, the transepts when separate lancet windows changed to compound windows with fine tracery. Opening up the dark inner church, choir and presbytery, by G. Gilbert Scott in the 1850s by removing plaster between the columns and taking down the screen by the crossing was part of this move to lighten the cathedral. The triangular windows near the roof of the nave bring much light into the cathedral.

   

    The use of ceremonial candles was either greatly modified, or totally abolished with Reformation. Many Anglican churches still have two candles on the altar during the Eucharist and two candles either side of someone reading the Gospels. The use of candles in a funeral service commonly occurs. It could be argued having light-shows in and outside a cathedral continues this Christian desire to bring light into the world.

[1] The ceremonial use of light occurs in the Jewish, Zoroastrian and Hindu rites and customs. Jewish temples can have an eternal lamp. Certain religions have fire-worship.

[2] Recorded in the Liber Pontificalis. Volume 1 173–6. Also called the book of the popes.

[3] Ibid, 173–6.