LIGHT

It is the teaching of Christ that has caused the words 'eternal life' to be written, as it were, across the face of the NT. Still more are we to notice the unique claim made as to His relation to that life. The keynote of the Johannine presentation is 'in him was life' (Jn 1'), and throughout He is consistently represented as giving and imparting this life to His people. Note also, it is eternal fife as predicated of these that is principally, it not exclusively, in view in the Evangelical teaching there is Uttle or nothing on human immortality In the widest sense.

2. The rest of the NT.— The leading theme of ./ Jn. is 'eternal life,' and it is handled in complete accord with the Fourth Gospel. — St. Paul is in agreement with the Johannine teaching on the cardinal topic of eternal life. His Epistles throb with tiiis theme, and he con-spicuously presents Christ as the source of this life in its fullest conception, or the One through whom it is mediated. See Ro e^s, and note his strong way of identifying Christ with this life, as in Gal 2^', Ph 1^', Col 3'- '. Christ is also presented as author or mediator of life in the widest sense, the life that moves in all created things (Col 1"- "; cf. Jn l^). St. Paul, again, uses 'Ufe' alone as containing all the implicates of ■eternal Ufe' (Ro S", 2 Co 5S Ph 2"). The supremely ethical value associated with life is seen in the definition given in Ro 8», with which cf. Jn 17'. The new life of the Spirit as a dynamic in the present and as having the promise of full fruition in eternity, is central in the Apostle's exposition of Christianity. — For the rest, the Apocalypse should be noticed for its use of such Images as 'crown of Ufe,' 'book of Ufe,' 'fountain,' 'river,' and "water of Ufe," and the 'tree of Ufe' (which we also meet with elsewhere) — aU embodying the Christian hope of immortaUty. J. S. Clemens.

LIGHT. — To the ancient mind Ught was a holy tiling, and the Scriptures associate it with God. He dwells in Ught (Ex 24i», 1 Ti 6'«) ; He is clothed with light (Ps 104^) ; He is light, and in Him is no darkness at aU (1 Jn 1'); His glory is the effulgence of His Ught (Rev 2123). Cf. the ancient Greek Evening Hymn rendered by Keble: 'HaU, gladdening Light, of His pure glory poured,' etc. Hence Jesus, God Incarnate, is caUed ' the Light of the world' (Jn !*■ =• ' 18'^), "an effulgence of the glory of God' (He 1'); and salvation is defined as walking in His Ught and being euUghtened by it (Jn 8'^ 12»- «, 1 Jn V, 2 Co 46, Eph 58- ", 1 Th 5', 1 P 2'). And Christians as His representatives and witnesses are the Ught of the world (Mt 6"- ", Ph 2"). On the contrary, a godless Ufe is darkness (Jn 3i» 8'^ 12«, 1 Jn 2").

David Smith.

LIGHTNING.— Our colloquial use of 'fire* for 'Ughtning' had its counterpart in Heb., e.g. in such a phrase as 'Are CSsft) and hail' (Ex 9^ etc.; cf. Gn IQ^*, 1 K 1838 etc.). The Heb. 'iyr (Job 373) jg m. 'Ught'; bdiOq (Ezk 1") should probably read bdraq; lappid, Ut. 'torch,' is used in the plur. for 'Ughtnings' (Ex 20'*); a word of uncertain meaning, chazlz (Job 28" 38'', Zee 10'), is evidently related to thunder, and should probably in each case be tr. 'thunder-cloud.' The usual Heb. word is baraq, Gr. astrapS (2 S 22i6 etc., Mt 24" etc.). It is used fig. for the gutter of bright metal (Dt 32", Ut. 'the Ughtning of my sword'; cf. Ezk 2V>, Nah 33, Hab 3"), and for the guttering weapon itself (Job 20=3). It is suggested, either by the flash of poUshed metal, or by the speed of the chariot (Nah 20. Lightning is associated with the appearance of God (Ex 19" etc.), and He alone can control it (Job 38», Ps 18"). With Ughtnings as with arrows, God scatters His enemies (Ps 144« etc.). A radiant face (Dn 10°), and gleaming garments (Mt 28'), are Uke Ughtning. There is vivid suggestiveness in the comparison of Satan's overthrow with the descent of lightning (Lk 10") . Cf . the name Barak (Jg 4'), with the Carthaginian Barca.

W. EWINQ.

LINE

LI6N ALOES.— See Aloes. LIGITRE. — See Jewels and Pkecious Stones. LIKHI. — The eponym of a Manassite family (1 Ch 7").

LIKING. — In older EngUsh 'Uking' was used for the outward appearance, quaUfled by good or iU. So Job 39* 'Their young ones are in good Uking.'

LILITH. — The word occurs only in Is 34", and is rendered in AV by 'screech-owl' and in RV by 'night- monster.' Belonging to the post-exiUc time, it is con-nected vrith Jewish ideas on demons which, as foreign influence became felt, were developed on the hnes of Babylonian and Persian myths. The Lilith is mentioned in connexion with the desolation which would haunt Edom; it was a hairy monster, and specially dangerous to infants (cf. Lamia). Strange stories are told about Lilith by the Rabbins. It was a nocturnal spectre who assumed the form of a beautiful woman in order to beguile and destroy young children. In the Talmud she is associated with the legends of Adam, whose wife she was before Eve was created, and so became the mother of the demons. T. A. Moxon.

LILT (.shUshan, 1 K 7"; shdshannah, 2 Ch 4', Ca 2", Hos 14'). — The Heb. word is probably a loan word from the Egyptian for the 'lotus.' In Arab, it is sUsan, which includes a great number of aUied flowers — ^lilies, irises, gladioU, etc. No doubt the Heb. word was equally comprehensive. Flowers of tills group are very plentiful in Palestine, the irises being pre-eminent for their handsome appearance. The 'lily work' (1 K 7'9-"■ 23) is Ukely to have been modeUed after the lotus (Nymphcea lotus) itself: lotus-Uke flowers appear on some Jewish coins. The Gr. krinon of Mt C^s, Lk 12" probably had as wide a significance as shUshan, and included much more than actual UUes.

E. W. G. Masterman.

LIME (sldh, LXX konia) is mentioned by name in EV only in Is 3312, Am 2'. Is 3312 'the peoples shaU be as the burnings of Ume,' i.e. they shaU be so utterly con-sumed as to be comparable to the heap of quickUme that is left after Umestone has been burned in a furnace. In Am 2' the prophet denounces Moab because they 'burned the bones of the king of Edom into Ume' — phosphate of Ume being the cliief ingredient of the ash of weU-burned bones. In Dt 27^- « Sidh occurs both as vb. and noun, but is rendered 'plaister.' For Is 27' see Chalk-stones. The 'whited sepulchres' of Mt 23" and the 'whited wall' of Ac 233 are aUusions to the whitewashing of tombs with diluted quicIcUrae so as to render them conspicuous, and of walls for purposes of embelUshment. J. C. Lambeht.

LINE . — 1 . gaw, which is of most frequent occurrence, is properly a measuring Une (,e.g. Jer 313', Ezk 473, Zee 1"). Figuratively it denotes a rule of Ufe (cf. 'precept upon precept, Une upon Une' of Isaiah's teaching. Is 281"). Ps 19* ' their Une is gone out through aU the earth ' has been variously interpreted. The LXX, taking the Une to be a resonant cord, rendered by phthonggos — 'a musical sound,' and St. Paul quotes that version in Ro 10" (EV 'sound'). More probably, however, the idea is stiU that of a measuring line. Cf. Perowne {.Psalms, in loc), who gives 'Une or boundary' — 'as the heavens seems to measure and mark out the earth (whence the term horizon or boundary).' 2. hebhel, a rope or cord, esp. a measuring cord used in measuring and dividing land (cf. Ps 78*3, Am 7", Zee 2'). 'The hnes are faUen unto me in pleasant places' (Ps 16') aUudes to the marking out of plots of land with a measuring cord. 3. tigwah (fr. the same root as qaw) is used of the cord of scarlet thread that Rahab bound in the window (Jos 2'3- 2"). 4. chM, properly a sewing-thread, only in 1 K 7". 5. pathll, a string or cord, only in Ezk 40'. 6. seredh in Is 44'3 is misrendered 'Une,' for which RV gives 'pencil,' RVm

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