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Epiphany
Epiphany The word means a manifestation or ‘revelation’ and is similar to ‘theophany’ or revelation of the divine. There are several instances of this in the OT, notably God's revelation to Moses at the Burning Bush (Exod. 3: 2). For Christians the supreme manifestation of God was in the incarnation and two feasts have commemorated it in the calendars of Western and Eastern Christendom.
From the middle of the 5th cent. CE the Church at Rome commemorated the revelation of Christ to the Gentiles as signified by the visit to the infant Jesus of the Magi (Matt. 2: 11) on 6 January. And from Rome this observance spread in the West, with Christmas Day on 25 December for the birth of Jesus, established not later than 336. It was not always so. From the 3rd cent. in the East the Epiphany on 6 January had commemorated not only the birth, including the visit of the Magi, but also the baptism of Jesus and even his first miracle at Cana (John 2: 1–11). By the end of the 4th cent. Epiphany concentrated on the baptism of Jesus, while 25 December was borrowed from the West for Jesus' birth. |
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W. R. F. BROWNING. "Epiphany." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. W. R. F. BROWNING. "Epiphany." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Epiphany.html W. R. F. BROWNING. "Epiphany." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Epiphany.html |
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Epiphany
Epiphany [Gr.,=showing], a prime Christian feast, celebrated Jan. 6, called also Twelfth Day or Little Christmas. Its eve is Twelfth Night. It commemorates three events—the baptism of Jesus (Mark 1), the visit of the Wise Men to Bethlehem (Mat. 2), and the miracle at Cana (John 2). In his baptism Jesus' sonship to God was manifested to the world; in the visit of the Wise Men he was manifested as king to the Gentiles; and at the marriage feast at Cana his power to perform miracles (a divine prerogative) was shown. In popular celebration the feast is far more ancient than Christmas. Technically it is more important than Christmas, ranking after Easter and Pentecost. It is a day of gifts in many countries. In the Eastern Church the waters are blessed on this day. The word epiphany means a manifestation, usually of divine power. Thus the actual appearance of God (as in the burning bush) or a moment of divine revelation may be called an epiphany. |
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"Epiphany." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Epiphany." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Epiphany.html "Epiphany." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Epiphany.html |
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epiphany
epiphany, ‘manifestation’, usually used in a Christian context to refer to the festival commemorating the manifestations of Christ to the Gentiles in the persons of the Magi (celebrated on 6 Jan., or Twelfth Night); but adapted by Joyce to describe the sudden ‘revelation of the whatness of a thing’, the moment in which ‘the soul of the commonest object seems to us radiant’. He uses the word in this sense in Stephen Hero, an early draft of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man; these ‘sudden spiritual manifestations’ bear some similarity to the ‘spots of time’ described by Wordsworth in The Prelude (see Bk XI, ll. 208 ff.).
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MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "epiphany." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "epiphany." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-epiphany.html MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "epiphany." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-epiphany.html |
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Epiphany
Epiphany (from the Greek for ‘manifestation’). A feast of the Church kept on 6 Jan. It originated in the E., where it has been celebrated in honour of the Lord's Baptism since the 3rd cent., one of its main features being the solemn blessing of water. It was introduced into the W. Church in the 4th cent. Here it became chiefly associated with the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles in the persons of the Magi, though the Baptism of Christ and the miracle at Cana (Jn. 2: 1–11) are also mentioned. In 1955 the Sunday after Epiphany became a separate feast of the Baptism in the RC Church.
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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Epiphany." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Epiphany." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Epiphany.html E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Epiphany." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Epiphany.html |
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epiphany
e·piph·a·ny / iˈpifənē/ • n. (pl. -nies) (also E·piph·a·ny) the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi (Matthew 2:1–12). ∎ the festival commemorating this on January 6. ∎ a manifestation of a divine or supernatural being. ∎ a moment of sudden revelation or insight. DERIVATIVES: ep·i·phan·ic / ˌepəˈfanik/ adj. |
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"epiphany." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "epiphany." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-epiphany.html "epiphany." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-epiphany.html |
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Epiphany
Epiphany (Gk., epiphaneia, ‘manifestation’). An appearance of a divine or superhuman being. In Christian use it refers specifically to a feast celebrated on 6 Jan. It originated in the E., where it celebrated the baptism of Jesus and, at least in a secondary way, his birth. Epiphany spread to the W. Church in the 4th cent., but here it became associated with the ‘manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles’ in the person of the Magi of Matthew 2. 1–12.
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JOHN BOWKER. "Epiphany." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Epiphany." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Epiphany.html JOHN BOWKER. "Epiphany." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Epiphany.html |
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epiphany
epiphany Christian feast celebrated on January 6. It originated in the Eastern Church as an observance of the baptism of Jesus. In the West, it became associated with the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles and more particularly it has come to celebrate the coming of the Magi (Three Wise Men).
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"epiphany." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "epiphany." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-epiphany.html "epiphany." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-epiphany.html |
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epiphany
epiphany manifestation of a supernatural being. XVII. — Gr. epipháneia manifestation, appearance of a divinity, f. epiphanḗs manifest, epiphaínein (see prec.).
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T. F. HOAD. "epiphany." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "epiphany." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-epiphany.html T. F. HOAD. "epiphany." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-epiphany.html |
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epiphany
epiphany
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"epiphany." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 25 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "epiphany." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 25, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-epiphany.html "epiphany." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 25, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-epiphany.html |
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