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Here I Stood: The Christian Lamp

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We read of in the Bible of lamps placed on lampstands. These lamps were ceramic, made of two saucer-like pieces that were joined together. There was usually a spout and hole on the top. The two apertures would allow air to be drawn in to supply oxygen for fire, oil, usually olive oil, was poured into the lamp, and then a wick was inserted which was then ignited. Because these were small objects, they needed to be elevated to gain the most light; hence, the lampstand.


When my wife and I visited museums situated in the domains of the former Roman Empire, lamps were prominently displayed. It is truly amazing not only how many of these ancient lamps survive, but how many different artifacts from the Romans remain today. I can think of museums we have visited in Rome, Paestum, Athens, Corinth, Carnuntum near Vienna, Naples, London, Berlin, and many other places. We usually found ourselves migrating to museums to see items that provided a picture of the daily lives of Greeks and Romans.


Lamps were usually decorated with pictures of gods and goddesses; thus, the lamps had

a religious message to convey, and Greeks and Romans were religious people. However, when Christianity triumphed in the context of the Roman Empire, there was a natural and understandable shift in the decorations placed on these lamps. We find Christian symbolism in the form of a shepherd holding a sheep and the Chi-Rho, the first two Greek letters in the word Christ. We have bought modern copies of some of these lamps, and I share pictures of a couple of them below.




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