In the Eastern or Oriental Churches, the Feast of Epiphany or Theophany is celebrated on January 6th to commemorate the Baptism of Our Lord, through which His public manifestation to the world by God the Father as His Beloved Son was revealed.
Epiphany (from the Greek epiphaneia) means “manifestation from above,” that is, “divine revelation.” Theophany (from Greek theophaneia) means an appearance of God. The feast primarily entails the manifestation of God in Christ, Christ being manifested as the Son of God and God as the Trinity of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus in the form of a dove (Matthew. 3:16: Mark. 1:10: Luke. 3:22; John. 1:32). Thus, the three Persons of the Holy Trinity also were manifested on that occasion. Therefore, in the early Church the Holy Trinity was also commemorated on this day.
The feast in also known as Feast of Denaha. Denaha (Syriac) means Sunrise or Dawn which makes the Faithful understand the significance of this Feast. Jesus, the real Sun dawned in the world through Incarnation. Zachariah, the father of John the Baptist, prophesied at John’s birth: “…You will go before the Lord to prepare his ways…when the day shall dawn upon us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke. 1:76-79).
During the life of Jesus in Nazareth, the public did not recognize Him as the real Sun who illuminates the whole of humanity. He was manifested to the public by God the Father at his Baptism. John the Baptist bore witness to the Divine commission of Jesus to baptize with the Holy Spirit because he saw the Spirit descending upon Jesus in the form of a dove (John. 1:32-34).
Epiphany is the oldest Feast of the Lord next to Paschal and was always celebrated on the 6th of January. The first reference to Epiphany is found in the letters of Clement of Alexandria at the end of the second century AD. “If Pascha marked the climax of the saving work of Christ, Epiphany marked the disclosure of the divine person of Christ who opened up the mystery of God and initiated the process of man’s salvation.”
Originally Epiphany commemorated the Baptism of Christ, his Birth being at best included implicitly. St. John Chrysostom explains the reasons for being so. “Why is not the day on which Christ was born called Epiphany, but the day on which he was baptized? Because he was not manifested to all when he was born, but when he was baptized” (Hom. 24 On the Baptism of Christ). In some places, however, not only the Birth but also some additional events from the life of Christ were included in the celebration of Epiphany (e.g., Christ’s first miracle at Cana).
What is particularly interesting to observe is that in the early Christian centuries the eve of Epiphany, Paschal and Pentecost (and Christmas later on) were the solemn occasions of Christian initiation through Baptism. The remnant of this practice is today the singing of the Baptismal Hymn in the Divine Liturgy celebrated on these days: “As many of you were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Alleluia.”
It was in the fourth century that the Birth of Christ began to be commemorated as a separate Feast on the 25th of December leaving Epiphany focused on Christ’s Baptism and celebrated on the 6th of January as it is today. There is evidence that, the Feast of Christmas, as a separate Feast, was first introduced in Rome (around 335) and was gradually adopted by the Eastern Churches (from 376 onwards).
Eastern and Western Traditions
The Eastern Church celebrates Epiphany as the Baptism of Christ in the River Jordan by John the Baptist or “Forerunner” (in Greek Prodromos). The feast marks the event of the manifestation of Christ as the Son of God and its consequence, the manifestation of God in Trinity, and also as the event that marks the beginning of Christ’s saving mission.
The Western Church celebrates the veneration of the new born Christ by the wise Oriental Magi as the event that marks the manifestation of the divinity of Christ to the “nations.” Especially since medieval times, Christianity developed an elaborate tradition around these Oriental figures – fixing their number to three and identifying them with three kings, called Melchior, Gaspar and Balthasar – a tradition that included the re-discovery of their bodies at the Church of St. Eustorgio in Milan (1158), where they had been transferred from Constantinople in the 4th century, and their re-transference and deposition in Cologne Cathedral by Frederick Barbarossa (1164).
There is no doubt that both Eastern and Western traditions of Epiphany share a common message: the manifestation of the divine identity and saving work of Christ. The difference lies in ethos and emphasis. The Eastern tradition is more attuned to the dramatic and theophanic aspect of Christ’s ministry, whereas the Western tradition seeks to follow the historical Jesus as he unfolds his message through his deeds and words. One is more vertical and the other more horizontal. Combining the two could only be a source of enrichment.
with inputs from Holy Cross Church and Orthodox faith
Other Saints of the Day
1. Saint André Bessette
2. Saint Charles of Sezze
3. Saint Rafaela Porras y Ayllón
4. Saint Abo of Tblisi
5. Saint Andrew Corsini
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