Friday, January 5, 2024, is Twelfth Night for Christmas, 2023. You have until then to send your true love twelve drummers drumming. Saturday, January 6th, is Epiphany. The day after (Sunday, January 7th) is when members of the Eastern Orthodox church celebrate Christmas. Immediately after this, you must take your Christmas tree to the curb if you expect the city to haul it away.

In this post I’d like to discuss the term epiphany and the notion of epiphany. Also, a very similar term called theophany (θεοφάνεια), both of which are nouns. While both are equally important, epiphanies seem to be much more common, and perhaps you have had one, yourself. By epiphany, I don’t mean a typical “a-ha” moment when you discover (for example) that you can save money at supermarkets if you clip coupons. These which I write of are religious epiphanies. So, let’s begin with definitions.

Definition of an epiphany

The definition of a religious epiphany is fairly obvious and there are only a few ways to state it, so let me just say that it can be

a conspicuous appearance or intervention of the higher powers on behalf of their worshippers”

or

In secular Greek, epiphaneia (ἐπιφανείας) always refers to the gracious appearances of the higher powers who aided humans.”

Writing in “Divine Epiphany in Greek Literature and Culture,” author Georgia Petridou states

“Epiphany denotes the manifestation of a deity to an individual or group of people, in sleep or in waking reality, in a crisis or cult context.”

The word “epiphany” appears six times in the BIble:

• 2 Thessalonians 2:8: “and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:”
• 1 Timothy 6:14: “unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:”
• 2 Timothy 1:10: “made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ,”
• 2 Timothy 4:1: “the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;”
• 2 Timothy 4:8: “unto all them also that love his appearing.“
• Titus 2:13: “and the glorious appearing of the great God and . . .”

Theophanies

And then, what is a theophany? The term theophany does not appear in the Bible (nor do the terms “trinity” or “Easter” for that matter.) But the concept is clearly implied. The term is a compound word of two other Greek terms; Theos (God) and phainein (to appear.) For example, when God walked in the Garden of Eden and ran into Adam and Eve, we call that a theophany. When in Genesis, chapter 18, God is speaking with Abraham and promises that Sarah will have a baby, that occasion is a theophany. When Paul encountered Jesus as Paul traveled to Damascus, that was a theophany. In fact, in almost every case when the term Angel of the LORD appears in Scripture, implicitly if not explicitly is the understanding that God is somehow present. Petridou notes:

Witness to an epiphany may be humans, animals, other gods, or even the natural world as a whole.”

This is also true of theophanies. So, God telling Abraham not to harm his son Isaac was an encounter between God and a person. In Numbers, chapter 22 Balaam is off on an errand sure to displease God. As he is riding his donkey down a narrow path, God blocks his path, appearing as an “angel with a drawn sword” (verse 23.). The donkey sees it and refuses to advance. Balaam in his anger doesn’t see it or perhaps he can’t see it, and he beats the poor donkey. Then, God granted speech to the donkey who asked Balaam why he was being mistreated. Without even realizing his donkey was speaking, Balaam answers it. But then God opens Balaam’s eyes and Balaam understands that the donkey saved his life by not moving forward. That was a experienced shared by a person and an animal.

The very first Pentecost

As far as the natural world as a whole is concerned, I can think of one example. An earthshaking encounter between God and many people occurred in Exodus, chapter 19:16-25 (passim.) Here, the mountain was quaking, thousands of people were shaking, a trumpet was blasting louder and louder as flames roared higher and higher while God’s voice proclaimed the Law to the world in seventy languages.

On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently.  As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.

The Lord descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up  and the Lord said to him, ‘Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to see the Lord and many of them perish. Even the priests, who approach the Lord, must consecrate themselves, or the Lord will break out against them.‘

Moses said to the Lord, ‘The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, because you yourself warned us, “‘Put limits around the mountain and set it apart as holy.’”

The Lord replied, “‘Go down and bring Aaron up with you. But the priests and the people must not force their way through to come up to the Lord, or he will break out against them.‘”‘

So Moses went down to the people and told them.

Note that the blasts from the trumpet grew louder and louder, escalating and amplifying the crescendo of the experience.

Shemot Rabbah, which is Hebrew for “Great Exodus” record in 5:9:

On the occasion of the giving of the Torah, the Children of Israel not only heard the LORD’s Voice but actually saw the sound waves as they emerged from the LORD’s mouth. They visualized them as a fiery substance. Each commandment that left the LORD’s mouth traveled around the entire camp and then came back to every Jew individually.”

It goes on to record Rabbi Yochanan saying,

God’s voice, as it was uttered, split up into seventy voices, in 70 languages, so that all the nations should understand.”

The number 70 in Scripture is usually associated with “the nations.”  

Carl Jung on the Collective Unconscious

Perhaps the basic essentials or rudimentary underpinnings of the Law were somehow transformed or encoded into what Carl Jung called the collective unconscious?  In some mysterious sense, perhaps back then they were imprinted into our genes via proteins or some other process? As an example (and while there are exceptions), most societies around the world understand murder, theft, and adultery (whether any of these are punishable by the society or not) to be avoided.  A native in some remote tribe would never have known about the Ten Commandments, but maybe murder or adultery was intuitively taboo to him? Or, respect for his pr her parents? You cannot, of course, transfer acquired knowledge to your offspring.  Babies are not born with a list of recipes stored in their mind to make them better cooks, Nor do they have foreign language skills at birth.  But there are certain bits of information present never-the-less.  For example, certain characteristics, traits or quirks in a child that remind you of the parent.  Or, perhaps innate abilities that allow birds to use the stars to navigate. Perhaps certain red flags or bells warning of danger are present as well.  Textbooks used in Psychology 101 have many examples and illustrations of these points. Officially, contemporary psychology does not subscribe root and branch to Jung (or even Freud) anymore. But still, many mysteries remains.

Examples of epiphanies

Epiphanies can be visual, only. Like with Constantine or the three magi who were led to Bethlehem by the star. As a contemporary example, the angels who suddenly appeared and reportedly pushed the small children of Cokeville Elementary School (Cokeville, WY) under tables or through windows on Friday, May 16, 1986 just as a powerful bomb detonated would qualify as an epiphany. Other angelic beings were said to have positioned themselves between the blast and the youngsters, possibly to absorb the shock waves or shrapnel. This action (whatever it was or whomever gets the credit) is thought to have helped save the lives of all 136 children plus 18 teachers and staff, many of whom suffered first or second degree burns nonetheless. The two bombers died, however. The account is available in book form (The Cokeville Miracle: When Angels Intervene by Hart Wixom and Judene Wixom) and also as a DVD drama made for television and based on actual events.

Epiphanies can be auditory only, such as with Samuel the prophet or Augustine. I had one, myself, many years ago directing me to visit someone as that person was about to leave work for home. It turned out that my friend was dealing with a difficult issue in spite of insisting that all was well.

Not every epiphany fits a neat mold. Many Biblical scholars believe that the wedding in Cana where Jesus turned water into wine was actually an epiphany of sorts. Jesus and Mary the mother of Jesus were attending as guests as reported in the Gospel of John, chapter 2:1 ff. When the stewards ran out of wine, Mary asked Jesus to intervene. At first Jesus protested because this was not the way He understood His ministry was to begin. But He gave in to His mother’s wishes and transformed as much as 120 gallons of water into premium wine, to the astonishment, delight and relief of the wedding hosts. The guests at the wedding remarked on the excellent quality of the wine because typically at weddings, the best wine would be served first and after the guests started feeling inebriated, they might not notice the substitution of a lower quality of wine. But in this case, the reverse was the true. And the occasion was not wasted as far as the ministry of Jesus was concerned. Many people today consider this very first miracle to represent the Messiah’s recognition of the value of joy and enrichment in life.

An interesting account of an epiphany from the book of Maccabees

I want to abbreviate the context (the so-called “four hundred silent years” between the Old Testament and the New Testament) of the following epiphany.  So, let me just say that Solomon’s temple was destroyed in 586 BC by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.  The Jews were taken into captivity by King Nebuchadnezzar.  When the Jews returned to Palestine, they rebuilt the temple:

“The beginning of the Second Temple period (586 BC-AD 70) is marked by the return of Jews to Jerusalem from their exile in Babylon in 538 BC. They were allowed to return under an edict issued by Cyrus King of Persia. By 515 BC the reinstated Jewish residents had completed building the Second Temple.”

This second temple is known as Herod’s temple because of additions Herod added several centuries later.  The second temple was built on the ruins of the first temple, because that was where God had decreed the “Holy of Holies” to be.  A third temple has been prophesized for the last days, but unfortunately a mosque was built over the same spot and as long as this mosque remains, the temple cannot be rebuilt.

The so-called silent years which are described in the four books of Maccabees, which appear in Catholic bibles and some Protestant Bibles.  There were gentile rulers mentioned who followed Alexander the Great’s death.  They were chosen to preside over his vast empire.  Some were benevolent or accommodating to the Jews, some were ruthless.  One ruler sent his tax collector (named Heliodorus) to Jerusalem to seize the funds in the temple.  The Jewish high priest protested, saying that the tithes were reserved for widows and orphans. Almost every resident of the city prayed to God to prevent this sacrilegious plunder.  As Heliodorus and his guards approached the gates of the temple, an epiphany occurred, as described in II Maccabees 3:24-30.

“Now as he [Heliodorus] was there present himself with his guard about the treasury, the Lord of spirits, and the Prince of all power, caused a great apparition [epiphany], so that all that presumed to come in with him were astonished at the power of God, and fainted, and were sore afraid.

For there appeared [epiphany] unto them an horse with a terrible rider upon him, and adorned with a very fair covering, and he ran fiercely, and smote at Heliodorus with his forefeet, and it seemed that he that sat upon the horse had complete harness of gold.

Moreover two other young men appeared before him, notable in strength, excellent in beauty, and comely in apparel, who stood by him on either side; and scourged him continually, and gave him many sore stripes.

And Heliodorus fell suddenly unto the ground, and was compassed with great darkness: but they that were with him took him up, and put him into a litter.

Thus him, that lately came with a great train and with all his guard into the said treasury, they carried out, being unable to help himself with his weapons: and manifestly they acknowledged the power of God.

For he by the hand of God was cast down, and lay speechless without all hope of life.

But they praised the Lord, that had miraculously honoured his own place: for the temple; which a little afore was full of fear and trouble, when the Almighty Lord appeared, was filled with joy and gladness.”

It was only after the high priest Onias intervened on behalf of Heliodorus, asking God to spare Heliodorus’ life that he was able to recover.

A ditty from T.S. Eliot

In his dreary poem “The Wasteland,” T.S. Eliot contrasts barren ground and barren wombs against the backdrop of the First World War with its trench warfare, poison gas and so on. Yet, at the end of the poem he sees hope for humanity, and that hope comes from an epiphany in which Eliot sees another being much as the observers saw the Son of Man in the fiery furnace with the prophet Daniel. Says Eliot:

Who is the third who walks always beside you?

When I count, there are only you and I together

But when I look ahead up the white road

There is always another one walking beside you

Gliding wrapt in a brown mantle, hooded

I do not know whether a man or a woman

—But who is that on the other side of you?“

Indeed, Who is that who guides us through life and escorts us home after our last breath if not Jesus?

Many more examples of epiphanies can be found in the seminal book by William James called “The Varieties of Religious Experience.” William James, brother of author Henry James is sometimes called the father of modern Psychology.