at sacrifices for the future benefit
of civilization and not a few of them have endured persecution even in
recent times. The Greeks recognized that a new era began with the
acquisition of artificial light. Its divine nature was recognized and it
became a phenomenon for worship and a means for representing divine
presence. The origin of fire and light made them holy. The fire on the
altar took its place in religious rites and there evolved many
ceremonial uses of lamps, candles, and fire.

The Greeks and Romans burned sacred lamps in the temples and utilized
light and fire in many ceremonies. The torch-race, in which young men
ran with lighted torches, the winner being the one who reached the goal
first with his torch still alight, originated in a Grecian ceremony of
lighting the sacred fire. There are many references in ancient Roman and
Grecian literature to sacred lamps burning day and night in sanctuaries
and before statues of gods and heroes. On birthdays and festivals the
houses of the Romans were specially ornamented with burning lamps. The
Vestal Virgins in Rome maintained the sacred fire which had been brought
by fugitives from Troy. In ancient Rome when the fire in the Temple of
Vesta became extinguished, it was rekindled by the rubbing of a piece of
wood upon another until fire was obtained. This was carried into the
temple by the Vestal Virgin and the sacred fire was rekindled. The fire
produced in this manner, for some reason, was considered holy.

The early peoples displayed many lamps on feast-days and an example of
extravagance in this respect is an occasion when King Constantine
commanded that the entire city of Constantinople be illuminated by
wax-candles on Christmas Eve. Candelabra, of the form of the branching
tree, were commonly in use in the Roman temples.

The ceremonial use of light in the Christian church evolved both from
adaptations of pagan customs and of the natural symbolisms of fire and
light. However, these acquired a deeper meaning in Christianity than in
early times because they were primarily visible representations or
manifestations of the divine presence. The Bible contains many
references to the importance and symbolisms of light and fire. According
to the First Book of Moses, the achievement of the Creator immediately
following the creation of "the heavens and the earth" was the creation
of light. The word "light" is the forty-sixth word in Genesis. Christ is
"the true light" an