Bible Dictionary
Lantern
A lantern was a covered source of light carried by the group that came to arrest Jesus in Gethsemane. The term could describe a torch or other portable light.
Definition
A lantern is a portable or covered source of light. In the biblical passage where the term occurs, it may refer to any covered light distinguished from a simple taper, ordinary house-light, or open torch.
Biblical Usage
Lanterns or torches were carried by the group that came to arrest Jesus in Gethsemane.
Historical Background
The Romans used portable lanterns in military operations. Examples from Herculaneum and Pompeii are described as cylindrical, with translucent horn sides and an inner lamp.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Smith's Bible Dictionary
(so called of its shining) occurs only in (John 18:3) (It there probably denotes any kind of covered light, in distinction from a simple taper or common house-light, as well as from a flambeau. Lanterns were much employed by the Romans in military operations. Two, of bronze, have been found among the ruins of Herculaneum and Pompeii. They are cylindrical, with translucent horn sides, the lamp within being furnished with an extinguisher.—ED.)
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>lan'-tern (phanos, phaino, "to give light"): Lanterns were carried by the mob which arrested Jesus in Gethsemane (Joh 18:3, probably better "torches"). The word "lantern" in the time of early versions had a much wider significance than now. The Romans, however, had lanterns in the times of Christ, made by use of translucent skins, bladders, or thin plates of horn.</p>