The Mystery of Quaker Light

Light is the central metaphor in the religious lives of Friends, but not of Friends alone. “The light that lighteth every person who cometh into the world” has served as an image of sacred mystery for ancient Hebrews and Greeks, for Dante, for modern poets, and for theorists on the physics of electromagnetism. What has Light meant to different people throughout the ages? How did various ideas about Light influence the prologue to]ohn’s Gospel? What did early Friends understand Light to mean? ln this pamphlet, Peter Bien explores the theology and poetry of Friends’ favorite religious symbol.