Here are several interesting things I did not know:
Hunt came to faith whilst painting the original (now in Keble College, Oxford). This was my preferred version (shown below)
The final picture, which now hangs in St Paul's, was paid for by an
agnostic businessman, Charles Booth, who saw the practical power of religion. He sponsored a world tour which was highly successful, particularly in the Antipodean leg. This publicity led to the picture's great popularity.
Hunt's greatest insight was to picture Christ at night thus combining the imagery of Revelation - Christ at the door - with that of John - Jesus Light of the World
Two final observations
There was an exhibit from St George's, Poynton - a Light of the World constructed from pressed flowers. The St Paul's copy has the bible text below in the AV (obviously) which contains the wonderfully expressive 'sup'
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