“Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, ‘I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.’ When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then he said, ‘Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’ And he said, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God” (Exodus 3:1-6 ESV).
The word epiphany is from the Greek and means “manifestation.” In the liturgical calendar, the Epiphany follows the Twelve Days of Christmas on January 6th and is celebrated as the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles in the persons of the Magi. The birth of Jesus is cause for festive celebration for both Jews and Gentiles, and for all the peoples of the earth.
The word theophany is also from the Greek and more specifically means “manifestation of a god or God.” Distinct from a dream or a vision, a biblical theophany is a temporary physical manifestation of God. A notable biblical theophany is the manifestation of God’s presence found in the story of Moses and the burning bush (Exodus 3:2).
However, a theophany is distinguished from the Incarnation. The word incarnation is from the Latin and means “in flesh.” The Christian doctrine of the Incarnation teaches that Jesus is the incarnate Logos/Word of God. “In the beginning was the Logos/Word, and the Logos/Word was with God, and the Logos/Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. And the Logos/Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1-3, 14).
Whereas Moses encountered God’s presence in the burning of a bush, the Magi encountered God’s presence in the birth of a baby. More than a biblical theophany, the Incarnation is celebrated during both Christmas and the Feast of the Epiphany as God in man made manifest. The first stanza of Christopher Wordsworth’s Epiphany hymn (published in 1862) Songs of Thankfulness and Praise encourages us to join the Magi in their worship of Jesus.
Songs of thankfulness and praise,
Jesus, Lord, to thee we raise,
manifested by the star
to the sages from afar;
branch of royal David’s stem
in thy birth at Bethlehem;
anthems be to thee addressed,
God in man made manifest.
~ Boethius ~