Sanctuary lamp: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|Float lamps used in churches or temples}}

[[file:Malta - Mosta - Rotunda in 57 ies.jpg|thumb|Chancel lamp in the [[Rotunda of Mosta|Sanctuary Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady]], Malta]]

{{redirect|Ner Tamid|the TV episode|Ner Tamid (Fear the Walking Dead){{!}}Ner Tamid (''Fear the Walking Dead'')|the synagogue|Congregation Ner Tamid}}

[[File:Ner tamid.jpg|thumb|left|A ''ner tamid'' hanging over the [[ark (synagogue)|ark]] in a [[synagogue]]]]

In Judaism, the sanctuary lamp is known as a '''''Ner Tamid''''' ([[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], “eternal flame”or“eternal light”), Hanging or standing in front of the [[ark (synagogue)|ark]] in every Jewish [[synagogue]], it is meant to represent the [[Menorah (Temple)|menorah]] of the [[Temple in Jerusalem]], as well as the perpetual fire kept on the [[altar]] of burnt offerings before the Temple.<ref>{{bibleverse||Leviticus|6:12-13|KJV}}</ref> It also symbolizes God's eternal presence, and is thus never extinguished,{{citation needed|date=December 2016}} and to draw parallels between God and fire or light as emphasized throughout Exodus in the [[Torah]].{{citation needed|date=December 2016}}

[[File:David Ascalon - Ner Tamid.jpg|thumb|right|Contemporary blown glass and bronze ''ner tamid'' by artist [[David Ascalon]]]]

These lights are never allowed to dim or go out, and in case of electric problems, alternative emergency power is used to prevent them from extinguishing. {{citation needed|date=April 2016}}

The eternal light is central to one of many stories behind the celebration of the Jewish festival of [[Hanukkah]]. When the ancient [[Maccabees]] rebelled and reclaimed the [[Temple in Jerusalem]], they rekindled the eternal light. However, there was only enough oil to keep the flame burning for one day, and it took eight days to bring new oil. Miraculously, according to the narrative in the [[Talmud]], the flame continued burning until new oil arrived.

Modern Jewish celebrations of Hanukkah include lighting a [[Menorah (Hanukkah)|Hanukkah menorah]] (''Hanukkiyah''), which has nine branches. This includes the ''shamash'' used to light the other eight flames (candles or oil wicks), evoking the story.

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| footer = Sanctuary lamps depicted in a [[Roman Catholic]] church (top image) and [[Lutheran]] church (bottom image)}}

Some Christian churches have at least one lamp continually burning before the [[Church tabernacle|tabernacle]], not only as an ornament, but for the purpose of worship. The [[General Instruction of the Roman Missal|General Instruction]] of the [[Roman Missal]] of the [[Catholic Church]], for instance, states (in 316): “In accordance with traditional custom, near the tabernacle a special lamp, fueled by oil or wax, should be kept alight to indicate and honor the presence of Christ.” The sanctuary lamp, also called a chancel lamp, is placed before the [[church tabernacle|tabernacle]] or [[aumbry]] in [[Roman Catholic]] churches as a sign of Jesus’ presence within, and in [[Old Catholic]] and [[Anglican]] churches as a sign that the [[Blessed Sacrament]] is [[Reserved sacrament|reserved]] or stored. It is also found in the [[chancel]] of [[Lutheran]] and [[Methodist]] churches to indicate the presence of Christ in the sanctuary, as well as a belief in the [[Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist]].<ref>{{cite book |title=The American Lutheran, Volumes 9-10 |year=1926 |publisher=American Lutheran Publicity Bureau |language=en |page=95|quote=Occasionally there is a sanctuary lamp over the altar, its pulsating red light symbolizing a belief in the Real Presence, and not necessarily indicating the reserved host, as is properly supposed.}}</ref><ref name="Hickman2011">{{cite book |last=Hickman |first=Hoyt L. |title=United Methodist Altars: A Guide for the Congregation |date=1 July 2011 |publisher=Abingdon Press |language=en |isbn=9781426730696 |quote=Sanctuary lamp: A candle suspended from the ceiling or mounted on the wall near the Lord's table and constantly burning throughout the week, also referred to as an "eternal light." In Roman Catholic usage it signifies the presence of Christ in the reserved sacrament; in Protestant usage it signifies Christ's presence in the church.|edition=Revised }}</ref> The sanctuary lamp may also be found in [[Eastern Orthodox Churches]]. Other [[Christian denominations]] burn the lamp to show that the light of [[Christ]] always burns in a sin-darkened world. A main influence from [[Judaism]] in the [[Old Testament]] is when God instructed [[Moses]] to have a lamp with pure oil perpetually burn in the Tabernacle (Exodus 27:20-21). This is the precedent for the Catholic custom of burning a candle before the tabernacle, which should be immobile and locked to prevent theft and [[Host desecration]], as well as whenever transporting the Sacrament anywhere.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://taylormarshall.com/2010/11/meaning-of-tabernacle-lamp-in-catholic.html |title=Meaning of the Tabernacle Lamp in Catholic Churches |publisher=Taylor Marshall|date=2010-11-17 }}</ref>

Such sanctuary or tabernacle lamps are most often coloured red, though this is not prescribed. This serves to distinguish this light from various other [[votive candle|votive lights]] within the church. In the Catholic Church, red is widely used despite the preference for white expressed by [[Adrian Fortescue (priest)|Fortescue]].<ref>{{cite journal|journal=The Ecclesiastical Review|volume=62|series=7|issue=3|date=March 1920|title=Studies and conferences:What is a rubrical altar?|pages=289|author=Amator Liturgae|quote=There is, as he also notes, no authority whatever for the glass of the sanctuary lamp being other than white|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NHkoAAAAYAAJ&dq=fortescue+sanctuary+lamp&pg=PA288|access-date=2011-12-27}}</ref> The custom of multiple lights in odd numbers (i.e., three, five, seven, or more) in place of a single lamp has become rarer, though it is still seen in some older Catholic churches and in Eastern Christianity. The lamp may hang by rope or chain over the tabernacle or near the entry of the sanctuary, or affixed to a wall; it may also be on a ledge or the [[Gradine|altar gradine]] right beside the tabernacle, or on its own nearby stand placed on the floor, as seen in the image of [[Saint Martin's Church (Kortrijk)|St. Martin's Church, Kortrijk]], Belgium, in the article [[Church tabernacle]]. Oil lamps or candles may be used, while electric ones are seen.

In the United States, the [[Boy Scouts of America|Boy Scout]] Jewish religious emblem, a medal earned by scouts for meeting certain requirements of religious activity and education, is called the ''Ner Tamid''.<ref>[http://www.jewishscouting.org/awards/nertamidrequirements.asp Requirements for earning the Ner Tamid emblem] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070127045031/http://www.jewishscouting.org/awards/nertamidrequirements.asp |date=2007-01-27 }}</ref>

A song by [[Matisyahu]] called ''Aish Tamid'' ("eternal flame") that appears in his albums ''[[Shake Off the Dust... Arise]]'' (2004) and ''[[Live at Stubb's (Matisyahu album)|Live at Stubb's]]'' (2006).