| Revision as of 23:53, 17 February 2008 editDethme0w (talk | contribs)8,558 edits clean up , typos fixed: persian → Persian using AWB← Previous edit | Revision as of 13:44, 20 February 2008 edit undo209.198.84.222 (talk) ←Blanked the pageNext edit → | ||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| ]'' by ], 17th century (], ]).]] | |||
| '''Epiphany''' (] for "appearance" or "revelation"), is a Christian ] which celebrates the "shining forth" or revelation of ] in the person of ]. The feast falls on ].<ref>Many of the ] use the traditional ], while other Christian churches follow the modern ]. January 6 on the Julian Calendar falls on the Gregorian Calendar's January 19.</ref> Western Christians commemorate the visitation of the ] to the ] on this day, i.e., his manifestation to the ]s. ] commemorate the ] in the ], his manifestation as the ] to the world. It is also called ''']''' ("manifestation of God"), especially by Eastern Christians. However, in the ], January 6 commemorates the ]. | |||
| ==History== | |||
| The observance had its origins in the Eastern Christian Churches, and was originally a general celebration of the ] of ], and included the commemoration of: his birth; the visit of the ], or "Wise Men" from Persia Magi's being Persian priests, who arrived in ]; all of Jesus' childhood events, up to and including his ] in the ] by ]; and even the miracle at the ] in Galilee. However, it seems fairly clear that the Baptism was the event predominantly commemorated.<ref>Cyril Martindale, ''The Catholic Encyclopedia'', Vol. 5 (Robert Appleton Company, New York 1905), s.v., .</ref> | |||
| The date of the feast was very early fixed on ]. Ancient Liturgies speak of ''Illuminatio, Manifestatio, Declaratio'' (Illumination, Manifestation, Declaration); cf. {{bibleverse||Matthew|3:13–17|KJV}}; {{bibleverse||Luke|3:22|KJV}}; and {{bibleverse||John|2:1–11|KJV}}; where the Baptism and the Marriage at Cana are dwelt upon. Western Christians have traditionally emphasized the "Revelation to the Gentiles" mentioned in Luke, where the term ] means all non-Jewish peoples. The ], who represent the non-Jewish peoples of the world, paid homage to the infant Jesus in stark contrast to ] (King of Judea) who sought to kill him.<ref>Craig S. Keener, ''Matthew'', 1997, (InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois, USA), ISBN 0-8308-1801-4, page 65.</ref>However, in this event there is also a revelation to the ]. Saint ] identified the significance of the meeting between the Magi and Herod's court: "The star had been hidden from them so that, on finding themselves without their guide, they would have no alternative but to consult the Jews. In this way the birth of Jesus would be made known to all."<ref>St John Chrysostom, ''</ref> | |||
| The earliest reference to Epiphany as a Christian feast was in the year ], by ]<ref>Ammianus Marcellinus, XXI, ii.</ref> ] says that January 6 is ''hemera genethlion toutestin epiphanion'' (Christ's "Birthday; that is, His Epiphany").<ref>Epiphanius, '']'', li, 27, in ], '']'' (P.G.), XLI, 936 (where it is called by its Latin name: ''Adversus Haereses'')</ref> He also asserts that the Miracle at Cana occurred on the same calendar day.<ref>Ibid., chapters xxviii and xxix P.G., XLI, 940 sq.</ref> | |||
| In ], the ] ] (also known as Silvia) describes a celebration in ] and ], which she calls "Epiphany" (''epiphania'') that obviously commemorates the ].<ref>{{Citation | |||
| | last =Egeria | |||
| | author-link =Egeria (pilgrim) | |||
| | publication-date=1970 | |||
| | title =Diary of a Pilgrimage, Chapter 26 | |||
| | page =96 | |||
| | place =(tr. George E. Gingras) New York | |||
| | publisher =] | |||
| | isbn =0-8091-0029-0 | |||
| </ref> Even at this early date, there is already an ] associated with the feast. | |||
| In a sermon delivered on December 25, 380, St. ] somewhat confusingly refers to the day as ''ta theophania'' ("the Theophany", an alternative name for Epiphany) saying expressly that it is a day commemorating ''he hagia tou Christou gennesis'' ("the holy nativity of Christ") and tells his listeners that they will soon be celebrating the baptism of Christ.<ref>St. Gregory Nazianzus, ''Oration xxxviii'' in P.G., XXXVI. 312</ref> Then, on January 6 and 7, he preached two more sermons<ref>Ibid., ''Orations xxxix'' and ''xl'' P.G., loc. cit.</ref> wherein he declared that the celebration of the birth of Christ and the visitation of the Magi had already taken place, and that they would now commemorate his Baptism.<ref>Ibid. col. 349.</ref> So at this point the two celebrations are beginning to be separated, at least in ]. | |||
| However, this was not the case everywhere. Saint ] says that even in his time (beginning of the 5th century) the ] ] still celebrated the Nativity and Baptism together on January 6.<ref>St. John Cassian, , 2, in Migne, '']'' (P.L.), XLIX; 820</ref> The ] still continues to celebrate January 6 as the only commemoration of the Nativity. | |||
| ==Epiphany in different Christian rites== | |||
| Epiphany is celebrated by both the Eastern and Western Churches, but a major difference between them is over precisely which historical events the feast commemorates. For Western Christians the feast primarily commemorates the coming of the Magi, while in the East the feast celebrates the Baptism of Christ in the Jordan. However, in both cases the essence of the feast is the same: the manifestation of Christ to the world (whether as an infant or in the Jordan), and the Mystery of the ]. | |||
| ===Western Christian Churches === | |||
| ]: ], ], and ], from a late 6th century ] at the ] in ], ].]] | |||
| By the year ] the Western Church had separated out the celebration of the Nativity of Christ into the feast of ] and set its date as ], reserving January 6 as a commemoration of the coming of the Magi. The East continued to celebrate ] as a composite feast, only later adopting December 25 to commemorate both Jesus' birth and the coming of the Magi, but leaving January 6 as a commemoration of his Baptism. | |||
| ====Liturgical practice in Western Churches==== | |||
| The West generally acknowledges a twelve-day festival, starting on ], and ending on ], known as ] or the ], although some ] cultures, especially those of ] and some in Europe extend it to as many as forty days, ending on ] (]). | |||
| On the Feast of the Epiphany itself, the priest, wearing white vestments, will bless the Epiphany Water, frankincense, gold, and chalk. Chalk is used to write the initials of the three ] over the doors of churches and homes. Not only do the letters stand for the initials of the Magi (traditionally named Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar), but of the phrase ''Christus mansionem benedicat'', which translates as "may Christ bless the house". | |||
| ====Date of commemoration==== | |||
| Prior to the ], the ] (and prior to 1976, the ] churches) celebrated Epiphany as an eight-day feast beginning on ] and continuing through the ''Octave of Epiphany'', or ]. Many continue to use this calendar, celebrating the feast of the ] on the Sunday within the octave. | |||
| More recently, many Americans mark Epiphany on the Sunday after the first Saturday in January (before this the Sunday between ] and ] in years when there was one, was designated the ]), and most Roman Catholics in the United States (along with many ]) now formally end the ] with the ], after which the first period of ] begins. (But note that some Churches, such as the ], and ] in the United States and other countries (e.g., ], ], ], ], ], ]), still maintain the pre-1970 calendar; for these bodies, Christmas still has twelve days and ends on ], and Epiphany is still celebrated on ] with an 8-day octave.) Since 2007 the ] Church in ] & ] celebrates the Epiphany on the Sunday closest to 6 January; though in celebrations of the ']' of the Roman Rite (the so-called Tridentine Mass), the feast continues to be observed on January 6. | |||
| For the ], the Feast of Epiphany is used to proclaim the dates of major feasts in the calendar year. Most notably, the proclamation of the dates for ], ], ], ], and the First Sunday of ] in the following Liturgical Year. This proclamation is done in chant, usually after the reading of the Gospel preceding the homily, at the celebration of the ] at the ]. It is done in the tone of the ]. | |||
| This practice continues from the time when an observatory in ] was used to to keep a calendar. (The observatory was rendered erroneous by Pope Gregory XVIII and issued the ] ]. | |||
| In the ], the Epiphany is classified as a ] and is observed on 6 January or on the Sunday between 2 and 8 January. There is also an Epiphany season, observed between the season of Christmas and the first period of Ordinary Time. It begins at ] on the Eve of the Epiphany and ends at Evening Prayer (or ]) on the ] (which may be celebrated on 2 February or on the Sunday between 28 January and 3 February). | |||
| ===Eastern Christian Churches=== | |||
| ] ] of the Theophany (], late 13th-early 14th century).]] | |||
| Usually called the '''Feast of ]''' (]: Θεοφάνεια, "God shining forth" or "divine manifestation"), it is one of the ] of the ], being third in rank, behind only ] (Easter) and ] in importance. Orthodox Christians celebrate Epiphany on January 6 (the date of January 6 on the ] used by most Orthodox falls on January 19 of the modern ]). | |||
| The earliest reference to the feast in the Eastern Church is a remark by ] in '']'', I, xxi, 45: | |||
| <blockquote>And there are those who have determined not only the year of our Lord's birth, but also the day… And the followers of ] hold the day of his baptism as a festival, spending the night before in readings. And they say that it was the fifteenth year of ], the fifteenth day of the ]; and some that it was the eleventh of the same month.</blockquote> | |||
| (The 11th and 15th of Tubi are January 6th and 10th respectively.) | |||
| ]'s list of festivals (in '']'', VIII, xxii) omits any reference to Epiphany. The first reference to an ecclesiastical feast of the Epiphany, in ] (XXI:ii), is in 361. | |||
| Today in ] churches, the emphasis at this feast is on the shining forth and revelation of Jesus Christ as the ] and ] of the ] at the time of his baptism. It is also celebrated because, according to tradition, the ] in the ] by ] marked one of only two occasions when all three Persons of the Trinity manifested themselves simultaneously to humanity: ] by speaking through the clouds, ] being baptized in the river, and ] in the shape of a dove descending from heaven (the other occasion was the ] on ]). Thus the holy day is considered to be a Trinitarian feast. | |||
| The Orthodox consider Jesus' Baptism to be the first step towards the ], and there are some parallels in the hymnography used on this day and the hymns chanted on ]. | |||
| ====Liturgical practice in Eastern Churches==== | |||
| '''Forefeast''' The liturgical ] of Theophany begins on ], and concludes with the Paramony on ]. | |||
| '''Paramony''' The ] of the Feast is called ''Paramony'' (]: παραμονή, ]: ''navechérie''). Paramony is observed as a strict ], on which those faithful who are physically able, refrain from food until the first star is observed in the evening, when a meal with wine and oil may be taken. On this day the ] are celebrated, thus tying together the feasts of ] and Good Friday. The Royal Hours are followed by the ] which combines ] with the ]. During the Vespers, fifteen ] ]s which foreshadow the Baptism of Christ are read, and special ]s are chanted. If the Feast of the Theophany falls on a Sunday or Monday, the Royal Hours are chanted on the previous Friday, and on the Paramony the Vesperal ] is celebrated and the fasting is lessened to some degree. | |||
| ] ] at the ] on Theophany, releasing the cross off the ] Jetty, ], for one of the swimmers below to retrieve.]] | |||
| '''Blessing of Waters''' The Orthodox Churches perform the ] on Theophany. The blessing is normally done twice: once on the Eve of the Feast—usually at a ] inside the church—and then again on the day of the feast, outdoors at a body of water. Following the ], the clergy and people go in a ] (procession with the cross) to the nearest body of water, be it a beach, harbor, quay, river, lake, swimming pool, water depot, etc. (ideally, it should be a body of "living water"). At the end of the ceremony the priest will bless the waters. In the Greek practice, he does this by casting a cross into the water. If swimming is feasible on the spot, any number of volunteers may brave the cold winter waters and try to recover the cross. The person who gets the cross first swims back and returns it to the priest, who then delivers a special blessing to the swimmer and their household. Certain such ceremonies have achieved particular prominence, such as the one held annually at ], Florida. In Russia, where the winters are severe, a hole will be cut into the ice so that the waters may be blessed. In such conditions, the cross is not cast into the water, but is held securely by the priest and dipped three times into the water. | |||
| The water that is blessed on this day is known as "Theophany Water" and is taken home by the faithful, and used with prayer as a blessing. People will not only bless themselves and their homes by sprinkling with Theophany Water, but will also drink it. The Orthodox Church teaches that Theophany Water differs from regular ] in that with Theophany Water, the very nature of the water is changed and becomes incorrupt,<ref> by ]</ref> a miracle attested to as early as ].<ref>St. John Chrysostom, ''Homily on Christian Baptism'' in P.G., XLIX, 363.</ref> | |||
| Theophany is a traditional day for performing ]s, and this is reflected in the ] by singing the baptismal hymn, "As many as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. Alleluia," in place of the ]. | |||
| '''House Blessings''' On Theophany the priest will begin making the round of the parishioner's homes to bless them. He will perform a short prayer service in each home, and then go through the entire house, gardens and outside-buildings, blessing them with the newly-blessed Theophany Water, while all sing the ] and ] of the feast. This is normally done on Theophany, or at least during the ], but if the parishioners are numerous, and especially if many live far away from the church, it may take some time to bless each house. Traditionally, these blessings should all be finished before the beginning of ]). | |||
| '''Afterfeast''' The Feast of Theophany is followed by an eight-day ] on which the normal fasting laws are suspended. The Saturday and Sunday after Theophany have special readings assigned to them, which relate to the ] and to penance and perseverance in the Christian struggle. There is thus a liturgical continuum between the Feast of Theophany and the beginning of ]. | |||
| ===Oriental Christian Churches=== | |||
| ] carrying a ] in a ] (Epiphany) ceremony at ], ], at which water will be blessed. He is assisted by a ] holding a liturgical ].]] | |||
| {{Main|Timkat}} | |||
| In the ], the feast is known as '']'' and is celebrated on January 19 (or January 20 if that year is a ] according to the ]). The celebration of this feast features Blessing of Waters and solemn processions with the sacred ]. | |||
| Among the ] the feast is called ''denho'' (up-going), a name to be connected with the notion of rising light expressed in {{bibleverse||Luke|1:78}}. | |||
| In the ], January 6 is celebrated as the Nativity (''Sourp Dznount'') and Theophany of Christ. The feast is preceded by a seven-day fast. On the eve of the feast, the ] is celebrated. This Liturgy is referred to as the ''Jrakaloutz Badarak'' (the Eucharist of the lighting of the lamps) in honor of the manifestation of Jesus as the Son of God. This Liturgy is followed by a Blessing of Waters, during which the cross is immersed in the water, symbolizing Jesus' descent into the Jordan, and holy ''muron'' (]) poured in, symbolic of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus. The next morning, after the Liturgy, the cross is removed from the vessel of Holy Water and all come forward to kiss the cross and partake of the blessed water. | |||
| ==Local customs== | |||
| In Rome, "Epiphania" was transformed into Befana, the great fair held at that season, when sigillaria of terracotta or baked pastry were sold (] I, x, xxiv; II, xlix). | |||
| In some European cultures, the greenery put up at Christmas is taken down at Epiphany, in other cultures it remains up until the ] (February 2). | |||
| The Irish call this day ] or "Women's Christmas" (]: Nollaig na mBan). | |||
| The Dutch call this day ''Drie koningen'' (Three Kings' Day). | |||
| In France, on Epiphany people eat the ''gâteau des Rois'' in ] or the ''galette des Rois'' in the northern half of ] and ]. This is a kind of ], with a trinket (usually a porcelain figurine of a king) or a bean hidden inside. The person who gets the piece of cake with the trinket becomes "king" for a day. | |||
| In ], Epiphany, on 6 January, is called ''dia dos Reis'' (day of the kings), during which the traditional '']'' (King cake) is baked and eaten. | |||
| In ], ], ], ] (]) , ] and some other ]n countries Epiphany day is called ''El Día de los Reyes'' (The Day of the Kings), i.e., the day when a group of Kings or Magi, as related in the second chapter of the ] of ], arrived to worship and bring three gifts to the baby Jesus after following a star in the heavens. This day is sometimes known as the ''Día de los Tres Reyes Magos'' (The day of the Three Royal ]) or ''La Pascua de los Negros'' (Holy Day of the Blackmen) in ], although the latter is rarely heard. In Spanish tradition, on the day of ], three of the Kings: Melchor, Gaspar, and Balthazar, representing Europe, Arabia, and Africa, arrived on horse, camel and elephant, bringing respectively gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus. | |||
| In ], ], ], and ], children (and many adults) polish and leave their shoes ready for the Kings' presents before they go to bed on the eve of ]. Sweet wine, nibbles, fruit and milk are left for the Kings and their camels. In ], it is traditional for children to leave their shoes, along with a letter with toy requests for the Three Kings, by the family nativity scene or by their beds. In some parts of northern ] the shoes and letters are left under the Christmas tree. The shoes may be filled with hay for the ]s, so that the Kings will be generous with their gifts. In ] Christmas officially ends on the Feast of the Three Kings (Tres Reyes or Tatlong Hari in Tagalog), also known as the Feast of the Epiphany. ] children leave their shoes out, so that the Three Kings would leave behind gifts like candy or money inside. In ], it is traditional for children to fill a box with grass or hay and put it underneath their bed, for the same reasons. These traditions are analogous to the customs of children leaving mince pies and sherry out for ] in Western Europe or leaving milk and cookies for ] in the United States. | |||
| In the afternoon or evening of the same day the ritual of the ''Rosca de Reyes'' is shared with family and friends. The ''Rosca'' is a type of ] made with orange blossom water and butter, and decorated with candied fruit. Baked inside is a small doll representing the baby Jesus. In Mexico, the person who finds the doll in their piece of rosca must throw a party on February 2nd, "Candelaria Day," offering ] and ] (a hot sweet drink thickened with corn flour) to the guests. In ], the bread is known as ''Roscón''; made with the same items, traditionally the roscón was simply a round sweetbread with candied fruit on top, however, recently, different flavoured whipped creams are used as filling. The 'Jesus' doll evolved into a small toy similar to a Kinder Surprise it also includes a bean. The person who gets the toy is then crowned king for the day, while the person who finds the bean is responsible for paying for the Roscon. | |||
| In ], Epiphany is the beginning of the ] season, during which it is customary to bake ]s, similar to the Rosca mentioned above. The one who finds the doll (or bean) must provide the next king cake. The interval between Epiphany and Mardi Gras is sometimes known as "king cake season." | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| *], ] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *], ] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] as depicted by ] | |||
| *] | |||
| ==References== | |||
| {{reflist}} | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| * | |||
| * at the Christian Resource Institute | |||
| * Russian Orthodox | |||
| * | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||