Lit
candles and Icon lamps (lampadas) have a special symbolic meaning in
the Christian Church, and no Christian service can be held without them.
In the Old Testament, when the first temple of God was built on earth
the Tabernacle services were held in it with lamps as the Lord Himself
had ordained (Ex. 40:5, 25). Following the example of the Old Testament
Church, the lighting of candles and of lampadas was without fail
included in the New Testament Church's services.
The Acts of the
Apostles mentions the lighting of lamps during the services in the time
of the Apostles. Thus, in Troas, where Christ's followers used to gather
on the first day of the week (Sunday) to break bread, that is, to
celebrate the Eucharist, there were many lights in the upper chamber
(Acts 20:8). This reference to the large number of lamps signifies that
they were not used simply for lighting, but for their spiritual
significance.
The early Christian ritual of carrying a lamp into
the evening service led to the present-day order of Vespers with its
entry and the singing of the ancient hymn, O Jesus Christ, the Joyful
Light..., which expresses the Christian teaching of spiritual light that
illumines man of Christ the Source of the grace-bestowing light. The
order of the morning service of Matins is also linked to the idea of the
Uncreated Light of Christ, manifested in His Incarnation and
Resurrection.
The Fathers of the Church also witnessed to the
spiritual significance of candles. In the 2nd Century, Tertullian wrote:
We never hold a service without candles, yet we use them not just to
dispel night's gloom we also hold our services in daylight but in order
to represent by this Christ, the Uncreated Light, without Whom we would
in broad daylight wander as if lost in darkness [ Works, 3rd ed., Kiev,
1915, p.76]. The Blessed Jerome wrote in the 4th Century that In all the
Eastern Churches, candles are lit even in the daytime when one is to
read the Gospels, in truth not to dispel the darkness, but as a sign of
joy...in order under that factual light to feel that Light of which we
read in the Psalms (119:105): Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a light
to my path [Works, part IV, 2nd ed., Kiev, 1900, pp.301-302].
St.
Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, wrote in the 7th Century: Lampadas
and candles represent the Eternal Light, and also the light which shines
from the righteous [Writings of the Holy Fathers..., St. Petersburg,
1855, Vol. I, p.270]. The Holy Fathers of the 7th Ecumenical Council
decreed that in the Orthodox Church, the holy Icons and relics, the
Cross of Christ, and the Holy gospel were to be honored by censing and
the lighting of candles; and the Blessed Simeon of Thessalonica (15th
Century) wrote that candles are also lit before the Icons of the Saints,
for the sake of their good deeds that shine in this world [Works,
Moscow, 1916, p. 108].
Orthodox faithful light candles before the
Icons as a sign of their faith and hope in God's help that is always
sent to all who turn to Him and His Saints with faith and prayers. The
candle is also a symbol of our burning and grateful love for God. During
the reading of the Twelve Passion Gospel at Holy Friday Matins, the
faithful hold candles, re-living our Lord's sufferings and burning with
love for Him. It is an ancient custom of Russian Orthodox Christians to
take home a lit candle from this Service and to make the Sign of the
Cross with it on their doors in remembrance of Our Lord's sufferings and
as protection against evil.
At Vespers on Holy Friday, when the
Plashchanitsa (Epitaphion) is borne out of the Altar and also during the
Lamentation Matins of Holy Saturday, the faithful stand holding lit
candles as a sign of love for Christ Crucified and Dead, showing their
faith in His radiant Resurrection. On Pascha itself, from the moment of
the procession around the church, in memory of the Myrrh-bearers who
proceeded with burning lamps to the sepulcher of the Lord, the faithful
hold lit candles in their hands until the end of the Paschal Service,
expressing their great joy and spiritual triumph
Since ancient
times, at hierarchical services special candle-holders have been used.
The faithful reverently bow their heads when blessed by the Bishop with
the dikeri, representing the two natures of Christ His Divinity and His
humanity, and the trikeri, representing the Holy Trinity. Candles are
also lit during the celebration of the Holy Eucharist.
Holy
Baptism is celebrated with the Priest fully vested and all the candles
lit. Three candles are lit before the baptismal font as a sign that the
Baptism is accomplished in the Name of the Holy Trinity; and the person
to be baptized (if an adult) and the sponsors hold lit candles in their
hands during the procession around the font as an expression of joy at
the entry of a new member into the Church of Christ.
At the
betrothal ceremony, the Priest hands the bride and bridegroom lit
candles before they enter the church to receive the Sacrament of
Matrimony, throughout which they hold the lit candles as a symbol of
their profound love for each other and of their desire to live with the
blessing of the Church. At the Sacrament of Holy Unction, seven candles
are lit around the vessel of Holy Oil as a sign of the grace-bestowing
action of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. And when the body of a deceased
person is brought in the church, four candles are placed about the
coffin to form a cross to show that the deceased was a Christian. During
the Funeral service, as well as Memorial services, the faithful stand
with lit candles as a sign that the deceased's soul has left this world
and entered the Kingdom of Heaven the Unwaning Light of God.
During
the Vespers portion of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, the
Priest blesses the congregation with a lit candle and censer,
proclaiming, The Light of Christ illumines all! On the Eve of the
Nativity of Christ and the Theophany, a lit candle is placed before the
festal Icon in the middle of the church to remind us of the birth and
appearance on earth of Christ Our Savior, the Giver of Light. At all
Divine Liturgies, lit candles are carried in procession at various parts
of the service.
Thus candles and lampadas are lit at all Church
services, all with a wide variety of spiritual and symbolic meanings;
for it is God Who said, Let light shine out of darkness, [and] Who has
shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of
God in the face of Christ (1 Cor. 4:6). So too, lit candles in the
church are also an expression of the worshippers' adoration and love for
God, their sacrifices to Him, and at the same time of their joy and of
the spiritual triumph of the Church. The candles, by their burning,
remind one of the Unwaning Light which in the Kingdom of Heaven makes
glad the souls of the righteous who have pleased God.
