Before the rise of Christianity, light had a strong symbolic meaning in different cultures. Christianity transferred this metaphor, however, it also adopted the symbol of light to match religious peculiarities of Christian religion. More specifically, in Ancient Greece light was foremost associated with Zeus, his divine abilities and power. Apart from this, some scholars argue that ‘in the ancient Greek pantheon, one encounters Hestia, the goddess of the Hearth, whose light was associated with the home and with the family altar’ (Webb 155). As to the Hebrew tradition, light was not associated with God, given that God was perceived as something unpersonified, as well as something that cannot be presented symbolically. However, in Hebrew interpretation, light was also given a metaphoric meaning. According to Webb, ‘light was Hebrew’s God first act of creation’ (155). Light was thus perceived as something divine that has the power to protect from the ‘darkness’, which symbolized evil. However, in early Christian empires, more specifically, in Byzantine, the symbol of light was adopted to illustrate a Christian concept.
In the Byzantine empire, light was the symbol of Jesus Christ, as well as of the other two persons of God. Namely, it is argued that ‘in Byzantine thought, Christ emerged as the Light of the World, in him light was again personified’ (Webb 155). Light was thus one of the main characters of iconic works, given that icons mostly were to depict God (see Image 1). In iconography, light could symbolize Jesus Christ, God, or the Holy Spirit, however, it was most of the time used to depict Jesus. Apart from this, the analysis of Byzantine churches demonstrates that illumination played an important role in architecture plans in the Byzantine empire, given that churches were to give the feeling of God ‘being close’. Scholars argue that ‘in practical terms, churches had to be illuminated sufficiently for worship to take place; in experimental terms, lightning can be seen as the medium by which iconographic programmes and liturgical practices were staged and enhances’ (Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies 139). As noted above, the special attention paid to the illumination of churches had a strong contextual significance. Light symbolised the presence of God, messiah, and thus contributed to the so-called ‘holiness’of the place where people were to gather to praise God, and the special illumination created the needed atmosphere for religious ceremonies.
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In conclusion, one should mention that light is one of the symbols that Christianity managed to adapt. It is the symbol that had been widely used by pre-Christian societies before. Thus, giving light a special meaning was not an inventory, rather, a re-interpretation of an earlier understanding of this symbol. While in the earlier cultural traditions light was also used to symbolize something divine, in Christian tradition light had a close-ended meaning – it was the metaphor for personified Jesus. This metaphor is strongly embedded in the visual culture of Byzantine, and the analysis of the specificity of the illumination of churches back then, as well as the analysis of Byzantine iconic works are a proof.
- “Shaping The Sacred: Light And The Experience Of Worship In Middle Byzantine Churches1.” Byzantine And Modern Greek Studies 36.2 (2012): 139-160.
- Webb, Chris A. “Greek, Roman, Hebrew, And Byzantine Interpretations Of Light And Its Origins.” Greek Orthodox Theological Review 54.1-4 (2009): 155-167
