Feast of the Epiphany
The Feast of the Epiphany, celebrated on January 6, marks significant events in the life of Jesus Christ, highlighting his divinity through various manifestations. Originating from the Greek term "epiphaneia," the feast traditionally commemorates the visit of the Three Wise Men (Magi) to Jesus, his baptism in the River Jordan, and his first miracle at the wedding at Cana. While Eastern Orthodox churches emphasize the baptism event, Western traditions, particularly Roman Catholic and Protestant, focus on the Magi's visit. The feast has roots in early Christian practices, likely emerging in Egypt to coincide with pagan festivities, thereby establishing its place within the Christian calendar.
Historically, the Epiphany was observed with great solemnity, and measures were taken to encourage attendance at church services rather than secular celebrations. Over the centuries, it has undergone transformations, particularly in the West, where it became associated with the spread of the gospel to non-Christians. In contemporary celebrations, remnants of the feast are found in cultural traditions such as "Three Kings' Day" in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, as well as in certain Native American pueblos in New Mexico that reflect the influence of Spanish and Roman Catholic traditions. The Feast of the Epiphany remains a significant observance within the Christian liturgical calendar, symbolizing the broader revelation of Christ to the world.
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Feast of the Epiphany
The Feast of the Epiphany, older than Christmas, is observed in varying degrees by all branches of the Christian church on January 6. The term, from the Greek word epiphaneia, refers to the manifestations of the divinity of Jesus Christ.
According to biblical accounts, these manifestations occurred when the Three Wise Men from the East (variously known as the Magi or as the Three Kings) came to worship Jesus at the manger in Bethlehem; during his baptism in the River Jordan by John the Baptist, when the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus in the form of a dove and a voice proclaimed him the Son of God, and when he performed his first miracle by changing water into wine during the wedding feast at Cana. This multiple anniversary is the occasion for the Feast of the Epiphany. Historically, Eastern Orthodox churches focused on the event of the baptism, while the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches focused on the visit of the Three Wise Men.
The existence of a feast on January 6 was first mentioned by the early church father Clement of Alexandria at the end of the second century. He wrote in the Stromata (I, 21) that the Basilidians, followers of Basilides, who founded a heretical sect of Gnostics in Alexandria, kept an all-night vigil on either January 6 or January 10 to commemorate the baptism of Jesus. The more widely based Christian Feast of the Epiphany, which had the approval of church authorities, probably also originated in Egypt and in the East in the very early Christian period. It was celebrated on January 6 to coincide with, and therefore combat, a pagan feast on that date. The ancient Egyptians, for example, observed the winter solstice and a ritual in honor of the sun god on January 6; and on the previous night, January 5, Alexandrian pagans marked the birth of their god Aeon (Aion) from the virgin Kore, called “the Maiden.”
By the fourth century, Christians throughout most of the East celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany in a multiple sense as the anniversary of the physical birth of Jesus Christ, of the adoration of the Magi, of Christ's baptism, and of the miracle at Cana. From the East, the feast entered Europe sometime in the fourth century. In Gaul, Spain, and northern Italy, it was observed primarily as the commemoration of Christ's birth. However, Christmas, celebrated at Rome on December 25 by the mid-fourth century, soon became universally recognized throughout western Christendom as the occasion for celebrating the birth of Christ. Between 380 and 430, the eastern church also embraced December 25 as the date for the Feast of the Nativity.
As a result, the Epiphany underwent a major transformation liturgically, although it continued to be numbered among the great feasts of the Christian calendar. In the West, its significance centered about the visit of the Magi and the symbolic spreading of the gospel to non-Christians. In the East, where the Adoration of the Magi was celebrated together with Christmas, Christians placed stress on the Epiphany as the feast of Christ's baptism.
In western Europe, the Feast of the Epiphany was from the first an occasion of great religious solemnity. In the year 400, the Roman emperor of the West, Honorius, forbade attendance at horse races and the circus on January 6 lest Christians be diverted from church services. In 565, the Byzantine emperor Justinian proclaimed the feast a civil holy day. During the Middle Ages, the Epiphany, like all the major ancient feasts, had its own vigil with strict fast and abstinence regulations. There were also, however, festivities associated with the event. For example, on January 6, 1601, William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night was first presented in a command court performance at Whitehall Palace for Queen Elizabeth I.
Most of the pageantry attached to the Feast of the Epiphany in the past has long since disappeared in the United States, although there are still “Three Kings' Day” celebrations in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The Epiphany is also observed as Three Kings' Day in some New Mexico Native American pueblos, where the Spanish and Roman Catholic missionaries' influence persists.
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"What Is the Epiphany?" The National Shrine of St. Jude, 2024, ww.pbs.org/newshour/world/what-is-the-epiphany. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
"What Is the Epiphany? Here's a Quick Guide." PBS News Hour, 5 Jan. 2024, www.pbs.org/newshour/world/what-is-the-epiphany. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.