Light from the Ground

Light from the Ground: Ancient Oil Lamps and the People Who Lit Them is an illustrated introduction to ancient oil lamp typology, domestic illumination, and the archaeology of everyday life in the biblical world, from the Early Bronze Age (3200 BC) through the Islamic period (AD 900). It centers on the Hoefling Antiquities Collection, more than fifty legally acquired lamps and related objects obtained from licensed dealers in the Old City of Jerusalem between 2019 and 2026. Rare pieces include a Middle Bronze four-nozzle bowl lamp, a Shabbat lamp, a bronze Roman hanging lamp with its original chain, a Roman glass hanging lamp, a ceramic lantern, and a limestone lamp mold.

The oil lamp is among the most frequently recovered artifacts in the ancient Levant and one of the most consistently referenced objects in Scripture, yet it is routinely misunderstood and mistranslated. English versions, including the King James, render the Hebrew nēr and the Greek lychnos as “candle” in a world without candles. This book corrects the record accessibly, moving from lamp technology and pottery manufacture through fuel, wicks, lanterns, typology, dating methods, and the ethics of collecting, to the catalog itself, then into the tomb, and finally into a biblical-theological reflection on what the lamp meant to the people who lit one every night.

Author: Brent D. Hoefling holds a Master of Arts in Biblical History and Archaeology (MABHA) from The Bible Seminary, where he was valedictorian of the class of 2024. He has excavated at ancient Shiloh with the Associates for Biblical Research and serves as Pastor of the Wake Village Church of God of Prophecy in Wake Village, Texas.

Managing Editor: A seasoned entrepreneur with a diverse professional background of more than four decades in business, education, and ministry, K. Lynn Lewis has enjoyed careers as an engineer, senior pastor, administrator, director, and CEO and President, and served in leadership on numerous boards and in a variety of organizations. He currently serves as President of The Bible Seminary and is the Founder and President of “InspireUSA: Celebrating the Best of America®.” His productions and publications include many articles, books, a cable TV show, a dissertation, magazines, musicals, songs, videos, and web sites. A native Georgian and current Texan, he and his wife, Wendy, have three children and an increasing quiver of grandchildren.

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Published by Nehemiah Press, 2026, 243 pages