Feast of Epiphany
God manifests his glory to us in his beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ
Christians from the Eastern churches have from the early first centuries celebrated the shining forth of God to the world in the human form of Jesus of Nazareth in the great feast of Theophany, which is also called Epiphany, on January 6th. Theophany is the Greek word for manifestation of God and Epiphany means manifestation from above. The historical feast of Christmas (the Nativity) on December 25 came later.
The early church celebrated four key manifestations of Christ’s glory and divinity which are recorded in the Gospels: (1) The nativity of Christ and the angels who announce the birth of the Savior to the shepherds at Bethlehem (Luke 2:1-14). (2) The Magi who journey by starlight to bring gifts to the newborn Messiah King at Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1-12). (3) Jesus’ baptism at the River Jordan where he is revealed in glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit (Mark 1:7-11). (4) The wedding feast at Cana where Jesus first “manifested his glory” when he changed water into wine (John 2:1-12). This feast was understood as the fulfillment of the Jewish festival called the Feast of Lights.
