We explain what an epiphany is, the origin of the term, its relationship with religion and its meaning in everyday speech.
What is an epiphany?
an epiphany is any form of divine revelation or manifestation that is, an event of a religious nature, in which a deity makes an appearance or some truth is revealed to the chosen ones, usually shamans, oracles or prophets, in charge of interpreting it and transmitting it to their community or congregation.
The word epiphany comes from the Greek voices epi- (“above”) and phaínein (“shine”, “become visible”), which together make up a word (epiphaínenin) similar in translation to “manifestation”. It began to be used in the early Christian church to commemorate the adoration of the baby Jesus of Nazareth by the three Wise Men of the East, understood as the first manifestation of the divinity of Jesus Christ before non-Jews.
According to the Septuagint o Greek Bible, compilation in Koine Greek of the Hebrew and Aramaic texts of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), “epiphany” would be the translation of the concept of the “Glory of God”, that is, the traces of his passage through the Earth or of its existence. According to biblical tradition, Jesus of Nazareth revealed himself in his holiness in three different moments celebrated by the Christian church as epiphanies:
- The epiphany before the Three Wise Men celebrated every January 6 (Three Kings' Day), a date considered by the Armenian Church (which does not follow the Gregorian calendar) as the date of Christmas.
- The epiphany before Saint John the Baptist in the Jordan River considered the precursor and announcer of Jesus Christ.
- The epiphany before his disciples which occurred during a wedding in Cana of Galilee, as described in the Gospel of John.
However, of the three events, only the first has been commemorated annually since the times of ancient Christianity, thus being one of the oldest festivals of this religion (late 3rd century or beginning of the 4th century).
Finally, In everyday speech, the term epiphany is often used as a synonym for “revelation” or “enlightenment.” that is, like a sudden burst of lucidity, a good idea suddenly had or a truth that presents itself to us at an unexpected moment: “This morning I had an epiphany regarding my love life.”
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References
- “Epiphany” on Wikipedia.
- “Epiphany” in the Dictionary of the language of the Royal Spanish Academy.
- “Etymology of Epiphany” in Etymologies de Chile.net.
- “Epiphany” in The Encyclopaedia Britannica.
