Theophany

From the Greek, ‘theo’ meaning God, and ‘phainein’ meaning to show forth, ‘ Merriam-Webster Dictionary’; http://www.m-w.com/; retrieved 24 March 2006. “theophany means an appearance of God to man.”J.T.Burtchaell, “Theophany”, in New Catholic Encyclopedia, 2nd ed. (2003), 13:929.

The encyclopaedia Britannica similarly defines this as “a manifestation of deity in sensible form.”“Theophany”, in Britannica, 15th ed. (1986), 11:694. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the bible is the primary source of events which both Britannica and New Catholic Encyclopedia cite as being theophanies.

New Catholic Encyclopedia cites examples such as Gen 3:8a.J.T.Burtchaell, “Theophany”, in New Catholic Encyclopedia, 2nd ed. (2003), 13:929. The same source then quotes Gen 16:7-14.J.T.Burtchaell, “Theophany”, in New Catholic Encyclopedia, 2nd ed. (2003), 13:929. In this case, initially it is an angel which appears to Hagar, however it then says that God spoke directly to her, and that she saw God and lived (Gen 16:13). The next example New Catholic Encyclopedia cites is Gen 22:11-15, which states explicitly that it was the angel of the Lord, rather than God Himself, speaking to Abraham, (Gen 22:11a).J.T.Burtchaell, “Theophany”, in New Catholic Encyclopedia, 2nd ed. (2003), 13:929. However, the angel addressing Abraham speaks the very words of God in the first person (Gen 22:12b). In both of the last two examples, although it is an angel present, the voice of the Lord Himself is spoken through the angel, and so this is a manifestation of Deity. The angel is therefore a preincarnate appearance of Jesus Christ.

A similar case would be Moses and the burning bush. Initially Moses saw an angel in the bush, but then goes on to have a direct conversation with God Himself (Ex 3).

In the case of Jesus Christ according to the Gospels and tradition, Christians understand Him to be God the son, become man (Jn 1:14). New Catholic Encyclopedia however makes few references to a theophany from the Gospels. Mk 1:9-11, and Lk 9:28-36 are citedJ.T.Burtchaell, “Theophany”, in New Catholic Encyclopedia, 2nd ed. (2003), 13:930. which recount the Baptism, and the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ respectively. Although we could understand that although Jesus Christ is believed by Christians to be a manifestation of the divine throughout His life, it is only when His divine glory is manifested and not veiled by His humanity, that we would call it a theophany.

Thus, we would more properly define a theophany as ‘an unambiguous manifestation of God, to man’, where unambiguous indicates that the seers or seer are of no doubt that it is God revealing Himself to them.

Theophany in later Christianity

The Feast of Theophany in the Eastern Orthodox Church on January 6 of the Julian Calendar or Gregorian Calendar celebrates the theophany at Jesus' baptism.

The 4th century bishop Eusebius of Caesarea wrote a book called Theophania, referring to Jesus' Incarnation.

Eusebius of Caesarea at the Tertullian Project

Joseph Smith claimed a personal, modern theophany: a physical appearance of God the Father and his physical son Jesus Christ. This theophany, known as the First Vision, is unique in that Smith claims that God the Father appeared physically, a first in Judeo-Christian religion.

Theophany in other beliefs

Since Hinduism is often understood as polytheistic or pantheistic, theophany has a different significance than it carries in Judaism and Christianity. The most well-known theophany in Eastern religions is contained within the Bhagavad-Gita of Hinduism, itself representing one chapter of the epic, Mahabharata. In the Gita, the famed warrior Arjuna begs for Krishna to reveal his true form after a series of teachings given by Krishna to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra indicates Krishna to be far more than mortal. Krishna complies and gives Arjuna the spiritual vision which enables him to see Krishna in his true form, a terrifying and awe-inspiring manifestation that forms the main part of Chapter XI. This theophany was paraphrased by Robert Oppenheimer upon witnessing the first atomic bomb test, "Now I am become Death, the Destroyer of worlds."

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Theophany in later Christianity

Theophany in other beliefs

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