Misplaced Pages

Christophany: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 11:57, 9 June 2010 editLeos Friend (talk | contribs)207 edits Undid revision 356909422 by Rick heuft (talk) Can't be taken seriously.← Previous edit Latest revision as of 01:03, 23 April 2024 edit undoAcextreme77 (talk | contribs)1 editm Fixed typo #article-section-source-editorTags: Mobile edit Mobile app edit 
(161 intermediate revisions by 69 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{short description|Appearance or non-physical manifestation of Christ}}
].]]
] and his ] to ] and to ]]]
] expels ] from the ]; ]]]


A '''Christophany''' is an appearance of the preincarnate ] in the ], or after his ]. (A Christophany is thus a special case of a ].) The appearance is an "alleged" one because ] do not typically agree with such a Christian interpretation of Jewish scriptures. A '''Christophany''' is an appearance or non-physical manifestation of ]. Traditionally the term refers to visions of Christ after his ], such as the bright light of the ].<ref>Carey C. Newman ''Paul's glory-christology: tradition and rhetoric'' p164 1992 "The thesis defended below can be simply stated: the Damascus Christophany is the interpretive "origin" of Paul's ... That is, the vision of the resurrected and exalted Jesus, the Christophany, was the catalyst for the apostle's ...</ref>


Also, following the example of ] who identified the ] with the ],<ref>in ''The new Schaff-Herzog encyclopedia of religious knowledge: vol 11,1912 "the practise of the Greek Fathers from Justin Martyr, who identified the "angel of the Lord " with the Logos, furnish excuse for conceiving also the theophanies of the Old Testament as christophanies."</ref> some appearances of angels in the ] are also identified by some Christians as ] appearances of Christ.<ref>] , 2007, "I believe that theophanies in the Old Testament were actually preincarnate appearances of Christ. The principal theophany of the Old Testament is the Angel of the Lord (or, more literally, ''Angel of Yahweh'')"</ref>
Christophanies may include instances where no expressly ] title is given to a figure; for example, "the ]" is construed by some as a Christophany. Consequently, identification of a given incident as a Christophany, as opposed to a vision of an ], is a matter of debate among biblical commentators. The Hebrew word here is "malach", and this means, "one sent" or "messenger". So this is not necessarily referring to some winged creature.


==Etymology==
==Examples of Christophanies==
The ] is from the Greek ] (''Christos'') and the ending "-phany", coming from the Greek verb φαίνειν (''phainein'') "bring to light, cause to appear, show." This noun is derived by direct comparison with the term ] (''Theophaneia'').<ref>. '']''.</ref>
===In the Bible===
*Some Christians believe Jesus came to Earth at various times before the New Testament, including once as ] himself (Gen. 14:18-20, ] 110:4). However, Hebrews 7:3 provides the comparison "like the Son of God" which argues against such an interpretation.
**The above interpretation to Hebrews 7:3 is in dispute. For example:
::Melchizedek was, as the author of Hebrews states: “made like unto the Son of God, abiding a priest continually” (Heb 7:3). This phrase for “made like unto” means a facsimile, a copy or image, to pass off the shape of (like a spirit), (Strong’s #871). In verse 15 of this same chapter, the author of Hebrews writes ”…for that after the similitude of Melchizedek there arises another priest (Christ)”.
::The author of Hebrews notes that Melchizedek was “made like unto the Son of God”, yet, in verse 15, the Son of God was seen to be “after the similitude of Melchizedek”. Some claim this as evidence that the person of Melchizedek is in fact an example of Christophany.


==Usage==
*(The term "Angel of the LORD" is first mentioned in ] 16:7 - ''The angel of the LORD found ] near a spring in the desert'' (]).)
] (1852) popularised the term in relation to the identification of angels in the Old Testament as Christ.<ref>''Christophany - The doctrine of the manifestations of the Son of God under the economy of the Old Testament'' 1852. Note, though, that the title was added posthumously, and the only use of the word in the book itself is a citation of another scholar.</ref>


The term was used by Albert Joseph Edmunds (1857–1941) in relation to the revealing of Christ in Christianity and Buddhism.<ref>Albert Joseph Edmunds, Masaharieed Anesaki ''Buddhist and Christian Gospels'' 1900? 2009 reprint Page 101 "CHRISTOPHANY: HE WHO SEES THE TRUTH SEES THE LORD. John XIV. 6; 9; 18-21."</ref>
*A certain "]", from the ], is believed by many Christians to be Jesus. However, this may simply be a prophecy rather than an appearance.


Since the work of ] (1978) usage of the term in conservative Christian publications related to Old Testament appearances of Christ has multiplied exponentially.<ref>], ''Christ in the Old Testament: Old Testament Appearances of Christ in Human Form'', Chicago: Moody, 1978; 2nd ed. Fearn: Mentor, 1999; fresh reprint 2010. Borland's original doctoral work carried the main title ''Christophanies'' (ThD diss.; Grace Theological Seminary, 1976).</ref>
⚫ *The vision of Isaiah (Is 6) may be regarded as a Christophany. It appears to have been seen as such by John the evangelist, who, following a quote from this chapter, adds 'Isaiah said this because he saw His glory and spoke of Him' (John 12:41).


==Old Testament==
*A Christophany also is believed to have occurred when ] wrestled with a man in Gen. 32:30. Jacob says he has "seen God face to face," but ] 12:4 mentions an angel. This can be reconciled, if it was the ], as Christ said He "and the Father are one" (John 10:30), or if Christ was actually there.
Certain early Christian writers identified the ] as a pre-incarnate Christ. For example, ] claimed that the Angel was the Logos. He writes that "He who is called God and appeared to the patriarchs is called both Angel and Lord ...The word of God, therefore, recorded by Moses, when referring to Jacob the grandson of Abraham, speaks thus" <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/01285.htm|title=Justin Maryr, Dialogue with Trypho (Chapter 58)}}</ref> and that "neither Abraham, nor Isaac, nor Jacob, nor any other man saw the Father ... but saw Him who was according to His will His Son, being God, and the Angel because He ministered to His will".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/01289.htm|title=Justin Maryr, Dialogue with Trypho (Chapter 127)}}</ref> ] also held to this view; he wrote that "when the Son speaks to Moses, He says, 'I have come down to deliver this people'."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103306.htm|title=Irenaeus, Against Heresies (Book III, Chapter 6, Paragraph 2)}}</ref>


A popular Christian understanding of the relationship between ] and Jesus is that Melchizedek is an Old Testament Christophany.<ref>{{cite book|last=Longman|first=Tremper|author-link=Tremper Longman|title=How To Read Genesis|year=2005|page=172|isbn=9780830875603 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SKEJ3kT7S2kC&pg=PA172}}</ref> ] interpreted the figure with whom ] spoke in ] as being Christ himself.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bunge|first=Gabriel|title=The Rublev Trinity|year=2007|publisher=]|page=48|isbn=9780881413106 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uAC0E0TswtgC&pg=PA48}}</ref>
*Another possible Christophany is in the ], where God walks with ]. He also sacrifices animals and covers their nakedness with the skins in Genesis 3:21, indicating a physical presence. Some ] commentators believe that Adam and Eve were shown the plan of salvation, then instructed in blood sacrifice as a proleptic memorial.


] suggests that ] is a "pre-incarnation appearance of Christ in the form of a man."<ref>{{cite book|last=MacMillan|first=J. Douglas|author-link=J. Douglas MacMillan|title=Wrestling with God: Lessons from the life of Jacob|year=1991|publisher=]|page=56}}</ref> Once the man touches his hip, he's rendered helpless. If someone wants to destroy the power of a wrestler, you injure his thigh and he is finished.<ref>{{Citation |title=Douglas MacMillan "Emptying" (Jacob Wrestling At Peniel) Number 3 |url=https://soundcloud.com/dawid1/douglas-macmillan-emptying |access-date=2023-11-12 |language=en}}</ref> This was narrated in a way to show that you can't get the blessing of God through manipulation. You only get God's blessings when you cling to Him in helpless dependance.<ref>{{Citation |title=November 12 {{!}} Sunday Service{{!}} Springcreek Church |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsRjZ9AQQ2U |access-date=2023-11-12 |language=en}}</ref>
⚫ *One example is the "Man" who appears to ], and identifies Himself as "the commander of the army of the LORD." (] 5:13-15). The standard argument that this was in fact Christ is that He accepted Joshua's prostrate worship, whereas angels refuse such worship ; see ] 19:9-10. Additionally, He declared the ground to be ]; elsewhere in the Bible, only things or places set aside for God or claimed by Him are called holy; see Exodus 3:5. Note that Jewish commentators reading the same text do not accept that this figure was Christ (or even ]).


⚫ Some church fathers such as ] and later theologians such as ] believed another example is the "Man" who appears to ], and identifies himself as "the commander of the army of the LORD." (] {{bibleverse-nb|Joshua|5:13-15|KJV}}). The standard argument that this was in fact Christ is that he accepted Joshua's prostrate worship, whereas angels refuse such worship ; see ] {{bibleverse-nb|Revelation|19:9-10|KJV}}. Additionally, he declared the ground to be ]; elsewhere in the Bible, only things or places set aside for God or claimed by him are called holy; see {{bibleverse|Exodus|3:5|KJV}}. Jewish commentators reading the same text do not accept that this figure was Christ (or even ]), but rather the ].<ref>{{cite book|last=Harstad|first=Adolph|title=Concordia Commentary on Joshua|year=2004|publisher=Concordia Publishing House|page=254}}</ref>
*Another example of a Christophany is in ] 3:25, when the fourth man in the furnace is described as "like a son of the gods."


] identified an example in ] {{bibleverse-nb|Daniel|3:25|KJV}}, when the fourth man ] is described as “… and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God" or "like a son of the gods.".<ref>The works of Jonathan Edwards 1835 p564 "And the prophet Daniel, in the historical part of his book, gives an account of a very remarkable appearance of Christ in Nebuchadnezzar's furnace, with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego."</ref>
*When Manoah inquired of the angel of the LORD, "What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes true?" He replied, "Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding" (Judges 13:17).


⚫ The vision of Isaiah (]) may be regarded as a Christophany. It appears to have been seen as such by John the evangelist, who, following a quote from this chapter, adds 'Isaiah said this because he saw His glory and spoke of Him' ({{bibleverse|John|12:41|KJV}}).
*A ] Christophany is ]'s vision of Christ on the ], and the subsequent one Ananias has.


==New Testament==
*Another New Testament example is the vision of St John the Divine, recounted in Rev 1:12-18.
]'', a 1600 painting by the Italian artist ].]]
A ] Christophany is ]'s vision of Christ on the ], and the subsequent one of ]. ] describes how Paul heard a voice from Jesus.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+9%3A1-9&version=NRSV|title=Acts 9:1-9}}</ref>


According to the ], the ] saw a vision of Jesus "standing at the right hand of God"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+7%3A55-56&version=NRSV|title=Acts 7:55-56}}</ref> before he was killed.
===In saints and mystics===
⚫ *Saint Jerome is believed to have had a precise vision of the Blessed Trinity, as is illustrated by ].


Another New Testament example is ], recounted in ]. In this vision, John sees "... one like the Son of Man" who speak to John, identifying himself as "the first and the last".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+1%3A12-20&version=NRSV|title=Revelation 1:12-20}}</ref>
⚫ *] was a deep mystic who claimed several christophanies about the Trinity.


==After the New Testament==
⚫ *] of Fatima is believed to have seen Jesus in the Trinity in Tuy in 1926.
{{Main|Visions of Jesus and Mary}}
⚫ * ] is believed to have had a precise vision of the ], as is illustrated by ].
⚫ * ] was a mystic who claimed several Christophanies about the Trinity.
⚫ * ] of Fatima claimed to have seen Jesus in the Trinity in ] in 1926.
⚫ * ] claimed to have had recorded her visions of Jesus.
* ] claimed to have seen both Jesus Christ and ] in an event known as the ].


==Art==
⚫ *] is known to have had recorded her visions of Jesus.
In ], God was always given the features of Jesus until about 1400.<ref>James Hall, ''A History of Ideas and Images in Italian Art'', p. 86, 1983, John Murray, London, {{ISBN|0719539714}}</ref>{{request quotation|date=July 2016}}


⚫ ==See also==
* According to the ], Jesus Christ appeared to a group of people living in the Americas.
⚫ * ]
* ]
* ]
* ]


==References==
* Also, according to the ], Jesus Christ was the God of the Old Testament.
{{Reflist|2}}


⚫ ]
⚫ == See also==
⚫ ]
⚫ ]
⚫ ]

⚫ ]
⚫ ]
]
⚫ ]

]
]

Latest revision as of 01:03, 23 April 2024

Appearance or non-physical manifestation of Christ
The appearance of Christ and his Sacred Heart to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque and to Mary of the Divine Heart
The pre-incarnate Christ expels Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden; St Albans Psalter

A Christophany is an appearance or non-physical manifestation of Christ. Traditionally the term refers to visions of Christ after his ascension, such as the bright light of the conversion of Paul the Apostle.

Also, following the example of Justin Martyr who identified the Angel of the Lord with the Logos, some appearances of angels in the Old Testament are also identified by some Christians as preincarnate appearances of Christ.

Etymology

The etymology is from the Greek Χριστός (Christos) and the ending "-phany", coming from the Greek verb φαίνειν (phainein) "bring to light, cause to appear, show." This noun is derived by direct comparison with the term Theophany (Theophaneia).

Usage

George Balderston Kidd (1852) popularised the term in relation to the identification of angels in the Old Testament as Christ.

The term was used by Albert Joseph Edmunds (1857–1941) in relation to the revealing of Christ in Christianity and Buddhism.

Since the work of James Borland (1978) usage of the term in conservative Christian publications related to Old Testament appearances of Christ has multiplied exponentially.

Old Testament

Certain early Christian writers identified the Angel of the Lord as a pre-incarnate Christ. For example, Justin Martyr claimed that the Angel was the Logos. He writes that "He who is called God and appeared to the patriarchs is called both Angel and Lord ...The word of God, therefore, recorded by Moses, when referring to Jacob the grandson of Abraham, speaks thus" and that "neither Abraham, nor Isaac, nor Jacob, nor any other man saw the Father ... but saw Him who was according to His will His Son, being God, and the Angel because He ministered to His will". Irenaeus also held to this view; he wrote that "when the Son speaks to Moses, He says, 'I have come down to deliver this people'."

A popular Christian understanding of the relationship between Melchizedek and Jesus is that Melchizedek is an Old Testament Christophany. Romanos the Melodist interpreted the figure with whom Abraham spoke in Genesis 18:1–8 as being Christ himself.

J. Douglas MacMillan suggests that angel with whom Jacob wrestles is a "pre-incarnation appearance of Christ in the form of a man." Once the man touches his hip, he's rendered helpless. If someone wants to destroy the power of a wrestler, you injure his thigh and he is finished. This was narrated in a way to show that you can't get the blessing of God through manipulation. You only get God's blessings when you cling to Him in helpless dependance.

Some church fathers such as Origen and later theologians such as Martin Luther believed another example is the "Man" who appears to Joshua, and identifies himself as "the commander of the army of the LORD." (Joshua 5:13–15). The standard argument that this was in fact Christ is that he accepted Joshua's prostrate worship, whereas angels refuse such worship ; see Revelation 19:9–10. Additionally, he declared the ground to be holy; elsewhere in the Bible, only things or places set aside for God or claimed by him are called holy; see Exodus 3:5. Jewish commentators reading the same text do not accept that this figure was Christ (or even Adonai), but rather the Archangel Michael.

Jonathan Edwards identified an example in Daniel 3:25, when the fourth man in the furnace is described as “… and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God" or "like a son of the gods.".

The vision of Isaiah (Isaiah 6) may be regarded as a Christophany. It appears to have been seen as such by John the evangelist, who, following a quote from this chapter, adds 'Isaiah said this because he saw His glory and spoke of Him' (John 12:41).

New Testament

The Conversion of Saint Paul, a 1600 painting by the Italian artist Caravaggio.

A New Testament Christophany is Paul's vision of Christ on the road to Damascus, and the subsequent one of Ananias. Acts 9 describes how Paul heard a voice from Jesus.

According to the Acts of the Apostles, the martyr Stephen saw a vision of Jesus "standing at the right hand of God" before he was killed.

Another New Testament example is John's vision of the Son of Man, recounted in Revelation 1. In this vision, John sees "... one like the Son of Man" who speak to John, identifying himself as "the first and the last".

After the New Testament

Main article: Visions of Jesus and Mary

Art

In Christian art, God was always given the features of Jesus until about 1400.

See also

References

  1. Carey C. Newman Paul's glory-christology: tradition and rhetoric p164 1992 "The thesis defended below can be simply stated: the Damascus Christophany is the interpretive "origin" of Paul's ... That is, the vision of the resurrected and exalted Jesus, the Christophany, was the catalyst for the apostle's ...
  2. in The new Schaff-Herzog encyclopedia of religious knowledge: vol 11,1912 "the practise of the Greek Fathers from Justin Martyr, who identified the "angel of the Lord " with the Logos, furnish excuse for conceiving also the theophanies of the Old Testament as christophanies."
  3. Ron Rhodes What Does the Bible Say About...?, 2007, p.125 "I believe that theophanies in the Old Testament were actually preincarnate appearances of Christ. The principal theophany of the Old Testament is the Angel of the Lord (or, more literally, Angel of Yahweh)"
  4. Theophany. Online Etymology Dictionary.
  5. Christophany - The doctrine of the manifestations of the Son of God under the economy of the Old Testament 1852. Note, though, that the title was added posthumously, and the only use of the word in the book itself is a citation of another scholar.
  6. Albert Joseph Edmunds, Masaharieed Anesaki Buddhist and Christian Gospels 1900? 2009 reprint Page 101 "CHRISTOPHANY: HE WHO SEES THE TRUTH SEES THE LORD. John XIV. 6; 9; 18-21."
  7. James A. Borland, Christ in the Old Testament: Old Testament Appearances of Christ in Human Form, Chicago: Moody, 1978; 2nd ed. Fearn: Mentor, 1999; fresh reprint 2010. Borland's original doctoral work carried the main title Christophanies (ThD diss.; Grace Theological Seminary, 1976).
  8. "Justin Maryr, Dialogue with Trypho (Chapter 58)".
  9. "Justin Maryr, Dialogue with Trypho (Chapter 127)".
  10. "Irenaeus, Against Heresies (Book III, Chapter 6, Paragraph 2)".
  11. Longman, Tremper (2005). How To Read Genesis. p. 172. ISBN 9780830875603.
  12. Bunge, Gabriel (2007). The Rublev Trinity. St Vladimir's Seminary Press. p. 48. ISBN 9780881413106.
  13. MacMillan, J. Douglas (1991). Wrestling with God: Lessons from the life of Jacob. Evangelical Press of Wales. p. 56.
  14. Douglas MacMillan "Emptying" (Jacob Wrestling At Peniel) Number 3, retrieved 2023-11-12
  15. November 12 | Sunday Service| Springcreek Church, retrieved 2023-11-12
  16. Harstad, Adolph (2004). Concordia Commentary on Joshua. Concordia Publishing House. p. 254.
  17. The works of Jonathan Edwards 1835 p564 "And the prophet Daniel, in the historical part of his book, gives an account of a very remarkable appearance of Christ in Nebuchadnezzar's furnace, with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego."
  18. "Acts 9:1-9".
  19. "Acts 7:55-56".
  20. "Revelation 1:12-20".
  21. James Hall, A History of Ideas and Images in Italian Art, p. 86, 1983, John Murray, London, ISBN 0719539714
Categories: