Light is a rich religious symbol
which found wide use in the Old Testament and Judaism. Though not identified
with God’s glorious righteousness, the symbol of light was often associated
with it, for the expression “light of the world” could be applied to God
himself (של עולם אורו; cf. Num. Rab. 15:5), or to those objects or persons
thought to reflect his nature, including the Torah (אורה לעולם; Deut. Rab.
7:3), the temple (של עולם אורו; b.B.Bat. 4a), Jerusalem (אורה לעולם; Gen. Rab.
59:5), the rabbis (אורו של עולם; b.B.Bat. 4a), or the righteous of Israel (נר עולם;
cf. Abot R. Nat. 25, used of R. Yohanan b. Zakkai). All were inherently linked
with the nations of Israel, which itself was to be a “light to the nations” (אור
גרים; Isa. 42:6; 49:6). (William L. Kynes, A Christology of Solidarity:
Jesus as the Representative of His People in Matthew Lanham, Md.:
University Press of America, 1991], 43-44)