GroshLink

I spent a fair amount of time collating the below comment for Christmas Words: “Light”, so I thought I'd share the wealth.

Yes, the Logos being Light! Hopefully, I’ve not become too caught up in the Platonic imitiation of divine life through meditating upon Jaroslav Pelikan’s The Light of the World: A Basic Image in Early Christian Thought (New York, NY: Harper & Brothers, 1962). But I have found the piece extremely helpful. Pelikan points out the use of Light in describing the Son as vital to the apologetic of the Son being in eternal relationship with the Father, as light has no beginning (i.e., the Son is eternal radiance of the Father). As followers of Christ we participate in the image of God as we were intended to be. Our gaze is returned to God, away from the narcissicism which we embraced in the fall (and human beings including myself continue to confront in daily life).

A few quotes from the book which I found of interest:

[Man’s] world had become a darkling world because he refused to face the light of God. Like a bat he pretended that this darkling world was the only world there was, and that the light was no more than an illusion (p.42).

In discussing the progression of the Logos coming to humanity to enlighten the hearts and minds of human beings Pelikan writes By his illumination, men were enabled to see the world as it truly was and not as the cataracts of their sin had caused them to view it: “In thy light do we see light” (p.51).

The incarnation of the Logos meant the renewal of the earth, the conquest of hell, and the victory of Light over darkness (p.79).

The contempt for death and the courage in its presence, that marked the Christian life were a light whose warmth even the blindness of unbelief was compelled to admit (p.106).

May the Light of Christ dispel the darkness in our lives, our families, our neighborhoods, our workplaces, our world through the testimony of our relationship with the Father, Light/Logos/Son, and Spirit.