|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries: |
Research categories | Follow us on Twitter |
Research categories
View all topics in the newsView all reference sources at Encyclopedia.com |
|||
Epiphany
EPIPHANYEPIPHANY. Epiphany (from the Greek word for 'manifestation') is the Christian festival that commemorates the revealing of Jesus Christ to the Gentile world, as personified by those "wise men from the east" who came "to worship him" (Matthew 2:1–2). In Britain it has another, more prosaic, name, Twelfth Day, because it falls on 6 January, twelve days after Christmas. Over time, the plain gospel account of this momentous encounter became richly embroidered with learned commentary and loving speculation. The "wise men" stepped from the shadows and were deemed to be three in number, each one a mighty king who knelt in turn to pay homage and present his gift to the greatest king of all. The festival formed the end and climax of the Christmas season, marked by a joyful and elaborate church service and much cheerful celebration, with parties and presents, fine feasting, and a favorite game. In this game, played in many parts of medieval Europe, a mock-king was selected to reign over the party, be toasted by loyal subjects, and, sometimes, enjoy the doubtful privilege of paying for the wine downed in his honor. He was chosen not on merit but by the chance that was hinted at in his official title, "King of the Bean." A bean had been hidden in a cake, and the lucky man who found it became king of the company. The woman who pulled out the corresponding pea was hailed as his queen. This traditional game remained popular, but in Britain a variation was developed during the late seventeenth century. Guests still enjoyed their cake, which was dark, dense, packed with dried fruit, and often crowned with almond paste and white icing. However, instead of choosing their king and queen by bean and pea, they drew paper lots. The new custom became a craze, and was elaborated until every slip or card bore the name of some character. Each person present thus had a part to play, and the monarchs mingled with such farcical figures as Sir Tunbelly Clumsy and Miss Flirt, Captain Tearaway, and Lady Racket. The character cards might be homemade or bought at any bakery or toy shop during the Christmas season. In the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, the Twelfth Night cake and characters were enormously enjoyed, so much so that the custom found its way to those parts of America, such as Virginia, that were strongly influenced by British taste. But the fashion that flared so brightly for a while had burned itself out by the end of the nineteenth century. Twelfth Day became just an ordinary date in the British calendar, and its cake was absorbed into the Christmas Day festivities. In France, however, and, incidentally, in Louisiana, where French traditions are strong, the Bean King still reigns. Bakery windows display tempting versions of the "Galette des Rois," made of sweet brioche or puff pastry, and in each a bean or, alternatively, a tiny porcelain baby Jesus, is concealed, a guarantee of instant pleasure for children. See also Christianity; Christmas; Christmas Drinks; Easter; Feasts, Festivals, and Fasts; Lent; Shrove Tuesday . BIBLIOGRAPHYBauman, James. "Les Galettes des Rois: The Eating of Fine Art." Petits Propos Culinaires 27 (October 1987): 7–16. Belden, Louise Conway. The Festive Tradition: Table Decoration and Desserts in America, 1650-1900. New York: W. W. Norton, 1983. Chambers, Robert, ed. The Book of Days. Detroit: Omnigraphics, 1990. Entry on 6 January, Twelfth Day. Edwards, Gillian. Hogmanay and Tiffany: The Names of Feasts and Fasts. London: Geoffrey Bles, Ltd., 1970. Hadfield, Miles and John Hadfield. The Twelve Days of Christmas. London: Cassell, 1961; Boston: Little, Brown, 1962. Henisch, Bridget Ann. Cakes and Characters: An English Christmas Tradition. London: Prospect Books, 1984. Hone, William. The World of William Hone: A New Look at the Romantic Age in Words and Pictures of the Day. Compiled, introduced, and annotated by John Wardroper. London: Shelfmark Books, 1997. Miles, Clement A. Christmas Customs and Traditions: Their History and Significance (1912), reissued New York: Dover, 1976. Saint-Ange, Mme. E. Le Livre de Cuisine. Paris: Larousse, 1927. Bridget Ann Henisch |
|
|
Cite this article
Henisch, Bridget Ann. "Epiphany." Encyclopedia of Food and Culture. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. Henisch, Bridget Ann. "Epiphany." Encyclopedia of Food and Culture. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3403400200.html Henisch, Bridget Ann. "Epiphany." Encyclopedia of Food and Culture. 2003. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3403400200.html |
|
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. |
|
|
Cite this article
W. R. F. BROWNING. "Epiphany." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. W. R. F. BROWNING. "Epiphany." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Epiphany.html W. R. F. BROWNING. "Epiphany." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Epiphany.html |
|
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. |
|
|
Cite this article
"Epiphany." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Epiphany." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Epiphany.html "Epiphany." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Epiphany.html |
|
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.).
|
|
|
Cite this article
MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "epiphany." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "epiphany." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-epiphany.html MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "epiphany." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-epiphany.html |
|
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.
|
|
|
Cite this article
E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Epiphany." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Epiphany." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Epiphany.html E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Epiphany." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Epiphany.html |
|
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. |
|
|
Cite this article
"epiphany." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "epiphany." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-epiphany.html "epiphany." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-epiphany.html |
|
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.
|
|
|
Cite this article
JOHN BOWKER. "Epiphany." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Epiphany." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Epiphany.html JOHN BOWKER. "Epiphany." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Epiphany.html |
|
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).
|
|
|
Cite this article
"epiphany." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "epiphany." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-epiphany.html "epiphany." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-epiphany.html |
|
epiphany
epiphany manifestation of a supernatural being. XVII. — Gr. epipháneia manifestation, appearance of a divinity, f. epiphanḗs manifest, epiphaínein (see prec.).
|
|
|
Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "epiphany." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "epiphany." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-epiphany.html T. F. HOAD. "epiphany." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-epiphany.html |
|
Epiphany
Epiphany (feast of) the manifestation of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. XIII. — (O)F. épiphanie, — ecclL. epiphania — ecclGr. epiphánia n. pl. of *epiphánios, f. epiphaínein manifest, f. EPI- + phaínein show; see -Y3
|
|
|
Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "Epiphany." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "Epiphany." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-Epiphany.html T. F. HOAD. "Epiphany." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-Epiphany.html |
|
epiphany
epiphany
•Léonie, peony
•Tierney
•Briony, bryony, Hermione
•tourney • ebony • Albany
•chalcedony • Alderney
•Persephone, Stephanie, telephony
•antiphony, epiphany, polyphony, tiffany
•symphony
•cacophony, homophony, theophany, Zoffany
•euphony • agony • garganey
•Antigone
•cosmogony, mahogany, theogony
•balcony • Gascony • Tuscany
•calumny
•felony, Melanie, miscellany
•villainy • colony
•Chamonix, salmony, scammony, Tammany
•harmony
•anemone, Emeny, hegemony, lemony, Yemeni
•alimony, palimony
•agrimony • acrimony
•matrimony, patrimony
•ceremony • parsimony • antimony
•sanctimony • testimony • simony
•Romany • Germany • threepenny
•timpani • sixpenny • tuppenny
•accompany, company
•barony • saffrony • tyranny
•synchrony • irony • saxony • cushiony
•Anthony • betony
•Brittany, dittany, litany
•botany, cottony, monotony
•gluttony, muttony
•Bethany • oniony • raisiny
•attorney, Burney, Czerny, Ernie, ferny, gurney, journey, Verny
|
|
|
Cite this article
"epiphany." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "epiphany." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-epiphany.html "epiphany." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-epiphany.html |
|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries:
HighBeam™ Research, Inc. © Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.
The Encyclopedia.com advertising network includes:
