Torches, Not Lamps, in the Wedding Parable of Matthew 25

Abstract Nearly all Bibles printed in English describe the women of the parable of the ten bridesmaids as holding “lamps” (Matt 25:1–13, also called the parable of the wise and foolish virgins). The implied referent of this English word is an ancient terra-cotta oil lamp, which is neither the best translation of the underlying Greek word nor an appropriate understanding of wedding traditions in the ancient Mediterranean region. Some other scholarly editions of the parable, especially those in the German language, have translated the Greek word correctly as “torches.” In this article, I make the textual case in English and amplify scholarly findings from art history that lead to a clear conclusion: the objects carried by the women in the wedding parable of Matt 25 are torches, not lamps.