MTMattie
Active member
Theophany is described as
You have probably heard the word theology. You have also perhaps heard of the word epiphany. Knowing that “theo” usually has something to do with God and that an epiphany is when knowledge suddenly comes upon you, it would be a decent guess to assume that a theophany is when you have one of those light-bulb moments in regard to your relationship with God. That would be a good guess, but it also would not be entirely accurate.
A theophany is the combination of two Greek compounds. Theos (God, god) and phainein (to appear). A theophany, then, is an appearance of God to human beings. But your previous guess was not entirely off the wall. A theophany is typically for the purpose of revealing something about the character of God. When God appears, He does so for a purpose. The term itself does not appear in Scripture, but the concept appears throughout.
Further explanation is
A theophany is a manifestation of God in the Bible that is tangible to the human senses. In its most restrictive sense, it is a visible appearance of God in the Old Testament period, often, but not always, in human form.
Frequently, the term “glory of the Lord” reflects a theophany, as in Exodus 24:16-18; the “pillar of cloud” has a similar function in Exodus 33:9. A frequent introduction for theophanies may be seen in the words “the Lord came down,” as in Genesis 11:5; Exodus 34:5; Numbers 11:25; and 12:5.
Some Bible commentators believe that whenever someone received a visit from “the angel of the Lord,” this was in fact the pre-incarnate Christ. These appearances can be seen in Genesis 16:7-14; Genesis 22:11-18; Judges 5:23; 2 Kings 19:35; and other passages. Other commentators believe these were in fact angelophanies, or appearances of angels. While there are no indisputable Christophanies in the Old Testament, every theophany wherein God takes on human form foreshadows the incarnation, where God took the form of a man to live among us as Emmanuel, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23).
Generally speaking, theophanies take three primary forms:
You might enjoy:
www.crossway.org
Or
www.thegospelcoalition.org
Opinions?
You have probably heard the word theology. You have also perhaps heard of the word epiphany. Knowing that “theo” usually has something to do with God and that an epiphany is when knowledge suddenly comes upon you, it would be a decent guess to assume that a theophany is when you have one of those light-bulb moments in regard to your relationship with God. That would be a good guess, but it also would not be entirely accurate.
A theophany is the combination of two Greek compounds. Theos (God, god) and phainein (to appear). A theophany, then, is an appearance of God to human beings. But your previous guess was not entirely off the wall. A theophany is typically for the purpose of revealing something about the character of God. When God appears, He does so for a purpose. The term itself does not appear in Scripture, but the concept appears throughout.
Further explanation is
A theophany is a manifestation of God in the Bible that is tangible to the human senses. In its most restrictive sense, it is a visible appearance of God in the Old Testament period, often, but not always, in human form.
Frequently, the term “glory of the Lord” reflects a theophany, as in Exodus 24:16-18; the “pillar of cloud” has a similar function in Exodus 33:9. A frequent introduction for theophanies may be seen in the words “the Lord came down,” as in Genesis 11:5; Exodus 34:5; Numbers 11:25; and 12:5.
Some Bible commentators believe that whenever someone received a visit from “the angel of the Lord,” this was in fact the pre-incarnate Christ. These appearances can be seen in Genesis 16:7-14; Genesis 22:11-18; Judges 5:23; 2 Kings 19:35; and other passages. Other commentators believe these were in fact angelophanies, or appearances of angels. While there are no indisputable Christophanies in the Old Testament, every theophany wherein God takes on human form foreshadows the incarnation, where God took the form of a man to live among us as Emmanuel, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23).
Generally speaking, theophanies take three primary forms:
- Visible manifestations most often involve the Angel of the Lord appearing in human form, but could also include other visible encounters such as the fire and smoke on Mount Sinai.
- Auditory manifestations are indicated by the many “and the LORD said unto...” statements found throughout the Old Testament, but also include unique encounters like the “still small voice” that spoke to Elijah in the cave (1 Kings 19:12).
- Visions and dreams also exhibit theophany characteristics, such as Jacob’s ladder dream (Genesis 28:12), Daniel’s man in linen vision (Daniel 10–12), and Zechariah’s man among the myrtle trees vision (Zechariah 1:7-17). However, whether or not visions and dreams should be considered theophanies is controversial among scholars since they involve a metaphysical or spiritual presence rather than a physical one.
You might enjoy:
The Life and Death of Jesus: A Theophany
Jesus's life brings to fulfillment the entire spectrum of theophanies of God in the Old Testament.
www.crossway.org
The Life and Death of Jesus: A Theophany
Or
The Ultimate Theophany
Justin Holcomb discusses the types and purposes of Theophanies and why they matter to Christians today.
www.thegospelcoalition.org
The Ultimate Theophany
Opinions?
