The 12th Day or The EPIPHANY

Adelphoi

We move towards the climax... the 12th Day is near.

If we think that the Feast of the Epiphany is only about the visit of the (three) kings or magi or wise men "from the east" then we only partially appreciate it!

Obviously the word EPIPHANY is Greek and means MANIFESTATION. It is a Greek name because the Festival was in origin and for its first period of celebration an Eastern Mediterranean feast, not a Roman one. Originally the Greek-speaking Church celebrated both the Birth of Christ and the Manifestation on one and the same day, January 6th while the Latin-speaking Church celebrated Christmas on December 25.

From the early fifth century, the West celebrated the Nativity on December 25th and the Manifestation to the Gentiles on January 6. Probably the focusing of the feast of the Manifestation particularly on the visit of the magi/kings is related to the moving of their supposed relics from Constantinople to Milan in the fourth century, when Milan was capital of the western half of the Roman Empire.

Related to the Manifestation of the Son of God incarnate to the Gentiles are two other central Manifestations observed at this time (and very particularly so in the East) in the Christian Year (and found in the Readings for Morning & Evening Prayer or for the Eucharist on the feast or the Sunday after the feast in the West).

These other two are (a) the Manifestation of the Holy Trinity at the Baptism of Jesus when the Father speaks to the Son and the Spirit from the Father descends upon the Son ,and (b) the Manifestation of Jesus as the One Person made known in two Natures when he performed the "sign" at Cana of Galilee - the miracle of water into wine.

If we put these three Manifestations together we have in biblical, narrative form what was achieved dogmatically by the first four Ecumenical Councils of the Church in the setting forth by Gentile Christian bishops the dogma of the One, Blessed, Holy and Undivided Trinity and of the One Person of Christ Jesus made know in two natures, divine and human.

Returning to the Western celebration of the Epiphany feast proper on January 6, it is an old tradition that states that there were three visitors (because three gifts) and that they were kings. In fact prophecy encouraged the idea that they were kings, "The Gentiles shall come to thy light and kings to the brightness of thy rising" ( Psalm 72:10 & Isaiah 60:3). That the new king should be born in Canaan was seen in the prophecy of Balaam (Num. 24:17) and so they took the main road from Persia to Jerusalem, and from there to Bethlehem in particular because of the clear prophecy in Micah 5:2 that the Messiah would be born in the city of David.

The Manifestation to mankind by the Holy Trinity has for its ultimate purpose the deification of man through salvation and sanctification and glorification. Thus the Collect for the feast prays that "we may have the fruition (= enjoyment) of thy glorious Godhead" - the beatific vision, the seeing of the glory of the Father in the face of the Incarnate Son.

The Rev'd Dr. Peter Toon