The Christ Centred Cosmic Civilisation
Rod Dreher wrote “to order the world rightly as Christians requires regarding all things as pointing to Christ”
Christ is the One in Whom in all things consist and humanity is not the measure of all things. If a defining characteristic of the modern world is disorder then the most fundamental act of resistance is to discover and life according to the deep, divine order of the heavens and the earth.
In this series we want to look at the big model of the universe that the Bible and Christian history provides.
It is a mind and heart expanding vision of reality.
It is not confined to the limits of our bodily senses - but tries to embrace levels fo reality that are not normally accessible or tangible to our exiled life on earth.
We live on this side of the cosmic curtain - and therefore the highest and greatest dimensions of reality are hidden to us… yet these dimensions exist and are the most fundamental framework for the whole of the heavens and the earth.
Throughout this series we want to pick away at all the threads of reality to see how they all join together - how they all find common meaning and reason in the great divine logic - the One who is the Logos, the LORD Jesus Christ - the greatest that both heaven and earth has to offer.
Colossians 1:15-23
The Christ Centred Cosmic Civilisation
Episode 82 - Candlemastide and Electric Light: The Journey of Light from Bethlehem
Discover the rich tapestry of Candlemas Tide with our special guest, PJ, who shares intriguing insights from his book, "Candlemas Through Church History." https://www.amazon.co.uk/Candlemas-Through-Church-History-Project/dp/B0DQDPX2T9/
Unravel the significance of this unique period that acts as a spiritual bridge between Epiphany and Lent. PJ takes us back in time, recounting the origins of Candlemas through the symbolic journey of candles from Bethlehem to Jerusalem, illustrating how early Christians intertwined this tradition with their daily lives. As we journey through the early life of Jesus—from his presentation at the temple to his upbringing in Nazareth—PJ helps us see the deeper connections between these historical traditions and our modern faith practices.
Have you ever considered the spiritual implications of the electric light that fills our homes? Join our conversation as we explore how the natural rhythms of light and darkness, as depicted in the Bible, are starkly contrasted by artificial illumination. PJ invites us to reflect on how electric light, much like coffee, has shifted us towards an industrial mindset that prioritizes productivity over spiritual balance. We delve into the historical resistance to these modern conveniences, offering a perspective on how candlelight can foster a more harmonious relationship between work, rest, and prayer.
Finally, we illuminate the profound symbolism of candles within Christianity, particularly during Candlemas. PJ guides us through the traditions that set Candlemas apart from pagan celebrations and highlights the significance of blessed candles in Slavic cultures. These rituals not only anchor believers in their faith but also serve as a source of comfort and spiritual connection during times of fear or uncertainty. As we discuss the rich liturgical practices surrounding Candlemas, including evocative prayers and the blessing of candles, we extend an invitation to explore these traditions further and consider their relevance in enriching our spiritual journeys today.
The theme music is "Wager with Angels" by Nathan Moore
Well, welcome to the next episode of the Christ-centered cosmic civilization. We're still in Candlemust Tide. We're in this. As we thought about it, there's 40 days after Christmas, there's 40 days before Easter, and then we've got room for a variably sized sandwich filling, and that's Candlemas Tide and it's the period where we're looking at the childhood of Jesus and it's everything really, from even including his presentation at the temple, right through the journey to Egypt, the return, his growing up in Nazareth as a Nazarite and his going to the temple and then ditching his mum and dad because he's got to get on with his father's business and all the issues around that. So it's that period, that's our sandwich filling between Epiphany Tide and Lent. Now then it's called Candlemas, and it can be as short as two days, it can be up to a month, but it's Candlemas and this idea of a candle burning and this light shining in the darkness and so on. Now we're going to explore this idea of why is it called Candlemas? Why isn't it called like Childhoodmas or something like that? Why is it called Candlemas? I'll tell you what.
Speaker 1:Let's just ask pj right away. He's still with us, don't forget. He's got this fantastic book candlemas through church history down through the ages. It's and you can get it. Um, we've provide a link, if we can, in the program notes. Uh, it's one of the several books that he has about different aspects of the church year. He's got, uh, nickelmurse and candlemurse and then he's all and well, he may have more before long. But see if you can get the book. The books just jam-packed with church history, traditions, bible study, uh even recipes and hymns and things. But but anyway, now PJ candles. Just tell us first of all why is it called candlemas, and then let's think about candles in detail in a minute. But why is it called candlemas?
Speaker 2:Right. So what happened originally that started to connect candles to candlemas for most people was that a particular saint went from, I believe, jerusalem to Bethlehem with candles in her hand, or I think, actually Bethlehem to Jerusalem with candles in her hand, and that sort of represents this trip that Mary made from Bethlehem to Jerusalem carrying Jesus, who's the light of the world, the light to lighten all the Gentiles, as Simeon said on this day. So she does this journey and that inspires loads of people, loads of people. That's a great idea. And so there's this idea to start celebrating candles on this day, because it's a great way of saying that they're light to lighten the Gentiles.
Speaker 2:And, as we thought before, candle must particularly seem to get people thinking how are we going to take all these big ideas we have and stop them just being in our mind, in the realm of the, the mind to actually start applying it and make people think whatever they're using and everything to like, make sure everything is rooting us into church and teaching us something about Jesus? So candles are an absolutely important part of life that you have illumination and then, as we're doing it, we want to think about Jesus, and so this was this one way of doing it, that she made this procession in imitation of Mary, in a way that Mary carried the light of the world, and so she was carrying her own little light to say I want to carry Jesus in my heart.
Speaker 1:So it literally goes back to just one Christian lady sort of said I'm going to walk from Bethlehem to Jerusalem carrying a candle, like a light of the world kind of thing, symbolising Jesus, and that kind of went viral and loads of Christians sort of went whoa, that's a brilliant idea. It went viral at the time, like if we're going to carry candles around and that's a good thing to do, and if we carry a candle and think of that as when I'm carrying that candle I'm looking at the light shining I should be thinking about Jesus. And then it became fixed in this sense that as Mary was carrying Jesus, it was like a light shining out to the darkness of the world. So that's the kind of origin story, why candles became associated with this. It was kind of somebody went viral doing a little pilgrimage with a candle and people just thought brilliant, there's these prophecies about the birth of Jesus to do with him shining as a light in the darkness. This is a great way of making this a concrete experience for people, because it's a dark time of the year and if then people are going to be lighting candles anyway at this time of year, so let's have it, let's try and ground it so that as they light candles, they're thinking about Jesus.
Speaker 1:I mean, there's so many lessons for modern Christianity. Again, as we've thought like there's a tendency from certain kinds of Christianity to go, we don't want people associating spiritual things with day-to-day life, or physical things, or eating or drinking, or lights or clothes or anything like that. We want everything to be completely abstract and only mental. But our Christian ancestors were much wiser and realised no, no, christ is in everything. Everything's about Jesus Christ. And so when we can pick things and go, here's an opportunity to meditate on Jesus, here's another one, here's another one. And they filled life and culture with representations of Jesus. And so candles that now, then let's.
Speaker 1:I want to just think a little bit about this notion of candles and the problem of electric light. Now, this is a huge theological problem electric lights because we were created again. This is all to do with our physicality. When you read Genesis, chapter one, there is evening, then there is morning, a day, and this cycle from darkness to light and the way to handle our lives, and that the sun and the moon are to govern the days and the nights in Genesis, chapter one. So the Lord God created us in such a way that we are supposed to live in, a way that corresponds to the reign of the sun and then the reign of the faithful witness who is the moon, so that if, according to where you live in the world, that that varies the length of time you have as daytime or the length of time you have, um, as daytime, or the length of time you have as night time but that somehow you're, and that, when you know so, if you're in a part of the world where you might have very long night time periods, that corresponds to periods of the year where there isn't much growing, so that of course there isn't much to do during the day, because you know you might only have six hours of useful light or whatever, or sometimes even less or not, but the crops aren't going to be growing because there isn't sunshine. So that corresponds to this is a time to slow down and have like a hibernation period, and then when there's long hours of sunshine there's more to do. The crops are growing more, so you get out more, so your workday kind of varies according to sunrise, sunset.
Speaker 1:So in the Bible there's much, much more about living in a kind of natural way that corresponds to sunrise, sunset and sunrise and sunset are hugely important in the Bible, theologically, they're teaching us about Jesus and his reign. And then the moon is church teaching us, us bearing witness to Jesus, and so on. And the sun, the moon cycles, uh, the 13 lunar months of the year, and that's in the bible. And then and then how that variety of the moon is. Sometimes you can't see it at all, other times it's full and then it's waxing and waning and that tells us things about the church and the the life of church that waxes and wanes. There's times of revival, there's times of persecution, there's lesser and all but always the faithful witness, and there's so many lessons to learn about the sun and the moon, night and day, all of that, and that is how we are designed to live and work and rest.
Speaker 1:And then the problem with electric light is it's humans asserting a kind of unnatural, unnatural way of controlling light. Light is really principally supposed to flow from the sun and then, in a lesser way, from the moon as a reflection. That's supposed to be the governing narrative of light and darkness for our lives. But what electric light does? And it's a form of magic to use a kind of magical energy to produce your own sun that's under your own control. It's a massively theological thing to do to switch on an electric light, because you're creating your own sun that radiates daylight, a level of light that is daylight level of light, but under your control, and you decide the limits of day and night. So it's a problem and of course it's led to catastrophic mental and emotional and spiritual meltdown for the modern world. The electric light With one light.
Speaker 2:Quite crucial, massive thing is that there used to be biphasal sleep, isn't it? In the Bible? It always talks about how, if you follow the patterns of the sun and the moon properly when you sleep, you'll wake up around midnight and then have a bit of time to do a little bit of extra work, or praying is what the bible, uh, advocates most, although sometimes they do a bit of work, because what?
Speaker 1:do you do washing up and uh, you know bits and pieces potter about.
Speaker 2:Yeah and that's uh, it's kind of why candles are developed is for that particular time of day. But of course you can't. You know you have a time limit on the candle, don't you?
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, we'll get to this the concept of why electric light is a problem.
Speaker 2:But that's caused that damage, isn't it?
Speaker 1:Well, naturally we sleep in a biphasal. Biphasal two blocks of sleep with a period in the middle where you can potter around a bit, pray, get a few odds and bods done and maybe have a little something to eat and drink. That was another thing. You find that massively in history not just church history, but just history generally Biphasal you have two sets of sleep. History generally biphasal you have two sets of sleep, but with the electric light and the attempt to have power over our own, a sun of our own making, using our magic to produce our own sun and moon. That is, of course.
Speaker 1:Why is that done?
Speaker 1:It's not done for human well-being, it's done because of the kind of industrial productivity mentality to say we want people to work not according to the cycle of the sun and the moon, but according to our industrial business agenda.
Speaker 1:We want people to work 12 hours a day all year round, and we will provide a sun for you to work. And then we want you to go to bed and sleep for eight hours and then we want you in again in the morning to work again, and we will provide your a sun to to illumine your labors and we will decide the hours for your life and productivity. And now the economy and the concept of productivity becomes the god, and you create your own sun and your own moon to organize that. And so life now is not about worship, or even about family or children or anything like that. Life now is defined by work, and it is you what electric light that the magic to use magic in that way. It is all about turning a human being from a creature that is essentially there to participate in the divine nature and worship and enjoy the heavens and the earth, to being a productivity unit heavens and the earth to being a productivity unit and that's the motivation behind electric light and to bring in an earlier episode.
Speaker 2:That was one of the key reasons Christians historically rejected coffee is that they said like you know, if you're too tired to work in the morning because you're not a morning person, then that's it, you don't work in the morning. Whereas it's like when people started advocating for coffee, they're like oh, it's brilliant because it means you can work as soon as you wake up. And then Christians, as we thought about all the ones that totally rejected it, they were like no, that's exactly, that's sorcery.
Speaker 1:You're using sorcery to make yourself work ready. Yeah, no-transcript. And they were like what insanity Can you believe someone would say something so ridiculous? And I remember at the time thinking wow, what a cool priest that is. I'm not sure it's necessarily sinful, but I like the fact that that priest had recognised the commodification of human beings, the turning human beings into mere robotic production units, and was sort of opposing that and saying no, and that instead the use of the candle is a much more humane way of living because it creates the possibility of a little bit more flexibility.
Speaker 1:Like we're now, you make a sun and this really is like a little sun that is burning, but it's got a much greater. It's time limited thing. You can't just burn the candle like, and it only provides a limited amount of light and it's so. It's a much more limited thing you're doing with a candle um in and that and that, that, so that concept of the candle and wax and that you can provide a little bit of light to do some things. But it's a limited thing and has to be handled with care and it's a natural thing you're doing.
Speaker 2:It isn't using, uh, the concept of magic and again thinking of an earlier thing where we thought about how cs lewis did say electric is like magic because it has this meaning. You know, the meaning associated with electricity is like there is no meaning and you just switch this on and this magic reinforces this idea. There is no meaning. But, of course, the things that we used to make uh candles and uh lamps and things you know, if you think about oil and all the meaning oil has in the bible and they used to use tallow.
Speaker 1:You know like you'd use the fact of a lamb or a heifer or a goat to make the candle and like everything that would mean biblically to have light come from totally burning a lamb so it's like a sacrificial thing almost to make to burn a candle is is deeply connected with a lot an animal losing its life to allow this to happen, rather than the idea that we want magical energy projected into our homes that can then be used kind of almost indiscriminately and in a completely meaningless way, and we're just used to the idea I magical energy you available to me to be used like just um, meaninglessly and to give me total power over my dead, whereas if instead, you think an animal has died and here is its fat and it's being yielded up almost in like a sacramental thing to burn a candle in that traditional sense absolutely and then so there was a bit of controversy and there had to be a bit of um arguing going on to move to beeswax but it was done.
Speaker 1:So that was a an issue then to go from animal fat, which is a much more rooted into like the law in a way, I guess the sacrificial element of candles that were specifically animal fat, but then the move to make beeswax based ones is a bit of a thing then yeah.
Speaker 2:So there's a lot of um defenses of beeswax. So we don't in a sense have too much survived of people arguing against it. But the fact that there's defenses of it, you know that does infer an element of controversy. So saint ambrose, for example, well, actually saint constantine. He's the first to say actually in church services we should make sure we're using beeswax.
Speaker 1:So oh, constantine the great, yeah, equal among of the apostles.
Speaker 2:He actually had to say no, beeswax candles are legit and we should use them right, and then later on other church fathers and things are thinking how do we kind of defend this and everything and they so ambrose. One of the things he notices about bees is that they can reproduce via parthenogenesis, or you know, a virgin birth, and that's actually quite common across uh, honeybees, um so.
Speaker 1:So if there's only if they don't have a queen or something, they can just produce one. Yeah, can't. I've heard that, that they can just kind of produce a royal offspring with virgin birth and even like worker bees.
Speaker 2:So they can't a, um, perhaps even a whole bee generation could pass, with everyone being a virgin and just reproducing with the parthenogenesis. Um, which is quite incredible when you think about it and that would uh to ambrose and obviously loads of uh medieval and early church uh thinkers. That was considered utterly incredible that bees, and then obviously honey, means so much in the Bible.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because the symbol of the new creation is a land flowing with milk and honey, and that's why the concept of the cow, and it eats grass and it's a clean animal. Anyway, we won't deal with the milk thing now, but there's a lot to be thought about that. But the honey, a landform of milk and honey, and so the bee is an immensely theological creature in the Bible, and honey is too. But carry on.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so that particularly then beeswax got associated with like Marian feasts.
Speaker 1:So yeah, because of the virgin, Because bees can like Mary virgin birth, so that they're associated with her and therefore the candle is associated with her, as well as the fact that it went viral because of that pilgrim.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so then that kind of made it spread a lot and then so at one point so this at first only happened in the East, because in the West there was a pagan festival called Lupercalia and the Pope said we can't have anything candle related, because there was some candle stuff and what was the pagan festival of Lupercalia?
Speaker 2:So that was celebrating. So in the story of Romulus and Remus they lupicalia, so that was celebrating. So in the story of romulus and remus they are raised by a wolf, a she-wolf, and there was a, an annual commemoration called the festival of purification, or lupicalia, where they would commemorate this, uh, mother of um, you know romulus she-wolf, and it was like there was a cave, wasn't that called?
Speaker 1:called the Lupercal Cave. Yeah, that's where they hid from the king when they were on the run, and that was on the 15th of February, so it wasn't even at the time of, because 2nd of February is where you'll begin candlemas. Yeah, so it's two weeks out from that, so why would people think it was associated with that? Well, I think this particular pope was very nervous about there being any any syncretism, yeah so he was.
Speaker 2:But then people do. Today they were often like, oh, it was all borrowed from this, but we can tell if it was a woman from jerusalem. It was obviously not an italian festival that inspired candlemas, so like we can debunk that instantly. But we can also see there was this pope who was like actually, let's, let's be careful to make sure there's no. So he was against using candles at candle must, so there was a ban on it until um muslims conquer parts of middle east and then loads of arab and syriac and, uh, hebrew christians go to italy and they're obviously celebrating cannabis, and enough time has passed since paganism was totally wiped out in Italy. That then this later Pope is like all right, we can do it, we can join in. And then it just explodes all across the West as soon as they allow it. Then it's like brilliant and they go for it and they love it. And so they write all kinds of liturgies for blessing wax and candles and tapers and anything candle-must related. It gets loads of prayers and carols.
Speaker 1:Anything to do with candles, or even lighting candles. It's like you're into it for this month.
Speaker 2:They bless fire and they bless loads of different stuff, so it just goes. As soon as they're allowed to do it, then they're like, oh brilliant, and they go for it. So all this like middle eastern christian stuff gets imported into the west. So candlemas is a kind of a hebrew festival, originally a hebrew christian one, that then when they get pushed out of the middle East they take to the West, and so that's the kind of history of it.
Speaker 1:So it becomes big in the West really after Islam. So Islam pushing Christians out, that helps to export it. So candle must isn't really a big thing for the first, say six, seven hundred years of Western Christianity, but becomes big. That's really interesting.
Speaker 2:And so that's quite important. If anyone is ever like oh, you just borrowed this from paganism and everything. Quite to the contrary, we did not celebrate it when there was any chance of there being any confusion with paganism. So it's exactly the other way. Only once paganism was totally, totally defeated and it was only ever introduced from a culture that never. You know hebrews had been believers since abraham. Yeah, so they didn't borrow like the lupacal sort of. You know that. So that's just important to note, because people always bring that. They even say about christmas oh, no, no.
Speaker 1:Surely no one would think Christmas was pagan, but anyway, this lunacy happens. But I think as well like this notion then of the candle. So in a way it's kind of a good period of time Candlemas for us to kind of dig out candles and think I'm going to start, I'm going to maybe use a candle, to dig out candles and think I'm going to start, I'm going to maybe use a candle rather than flicking on the magic of the electric light or something. It might be a fun thing to actually deliberately incorporate candles a bit to help us to meditate on the cycle of day and night and then, as we're carrying the candle, to focus on carrying Jesus and then feeling that connection with all our ancestors as well, and then even is it worth even like thinking about the blessing of candles, because that's a thing that happens. Why would you bless a candle?
Speaker 2:it's a massive deal around the world. So, like in, especially like Slavic countries, you have gromnitja, which, uh, that means a thunder candle and that's what. So everyone brings these candles to church, or sometimes the church will give you it depends, it varies, um and then you hold on to that and whenever there's a storm or anything that would scare you, you light it and it reminds you of jesus and you just kind of look at the light. For all those reasons, when we thought about jesus is kind of he was in mary for like nine months and everything, and when we think wax reminds us of mary, so it's like jesus, is this light that was in, you know, wax for?
Speaker 1:a time and everything, because the land, the light of the candle emerges out of the wax.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I get you, yeah so and there's all that and there's a sense in which like, uh, you know there's you got different substances and everything, and that makes people, you know, think in the in the west about that sort of thing. So there's loads about candles that reminded people, geez. So then they said, all right, if there's ever something that you're worried about, you light this candle throughout the year and so you get a new one. Each candle must burn, and they also bless all the wax and everything and so like so the idea of the blessing of it is really saying we want these candles.
Speaker 1:This candle that you're going to get and keep in your home is like a special kind of a reminder of Jesus candle. So you might get through loads of candles throughout the year, but you have one that's your kind of. When I'm panicked or when I want to need to be reminded of Jesus, or if I wake up in the night and I'm overwhelmed with fears or something I'll dig out. It would be a witness of Jesus to me. So I'm going to treat it that way and have it as a special candle that will remind me of Jesus.
Speaker 1:And because it was given to me with that intention and when it was given to me it was prayed for with that intention that we kind of receive it that way. And it's not that it's a magical candle or something, but it was given with that intention, prayed for with that intention. And then it means that if we use such a candle, it kind of is a great way of connecting us to our church family, reminding us of Jesus, because that's the best thing to do when we're fearful is to be reminded of jesus. So to have a candle that is available all the year round and you can just go. I'm gonna burn the jesus candle for a bit to remind me of his light shining in the darkness so we've got a couple of liturgies in the book.
Speaker 2:If you want to find out exactly how did they bless candles and wax and fire and all of this stuff that would remind you of Jesus throughout the year, we've actually got a couple of. So we've got an English one based on the serum rites, sort of stuff.
Speaker 1:Why don't you, as we're coming towards the end of this episode, is there a little one of these prayers? Blessing of the candle dedicating a candle is the one that you could maybe share with us.
Speaker 2:So there's blessing, oh, there's blessing, oh, there's also there's blessing of ash. Obviously there's that, that's a good one.
Speaker 2:There's loads of great prayers. Um, there's one, uh, that people wouldn't actually hear, but in the uh english liturgy they'd written the little prayer just in, like you know, if it's in italics, and just it's kind of read by the priest just in his head. But the guy got, so whoever was copying it got like so into it. He wrote this wonderful prayer. So if you were at a blessing service you wouldn't even hear this.
Speaker 2:But people love this and it says these things being finished with a material, luminaries kindled burning in our hearts, with the love of Christ expecting to be caught up in the arrival of Christ, the true groom of the church, the true light by whom those confessing are illuminated, will praise thrice with triple antiphons and collects and those celebrating accepted into the bosoms of the faithful church. We postpone the sending until these solemnities are finished. So it's like just one of those like normal, like instruction things, but the guy got so caught up with candlemas, uh, he's expanded it a bit, so it's a quite complicated instruction, even though it's actually just a simple thing he's telling you to do but I think that's quite nice, just trying to make sure people do have the.
Speaker 1:The burning light of the love of christ is what is what is within people and if you've got, do you have a favorite common meter tune?
Speaker 1:because you could sing that oh well, I perhaps won't risk that, but um, yeah, that's interesting, all these. I'll tell you what I want people to get the book and be able to know, enjoy. There's hymns I'm looking at them now with pj uh hymns and prayers that are like this I'll tell you what. We'll end the episode there, but if you can get the Candlemas book, you'll find there's all sorts of hymns and prayers that are relevant to this. I'd like, though, in our next episode, to think a little bit more about is it right to keep all these sorts of feasts, because we've just touched on the idea that some people feel they're a bit pagan? No-transcript.