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 is revealed in some way. truth to the chosen ones, usually shamans, oracles or prophets, in charge of interpreting it and transmitting it to their community or membership.
The word epiphany comes from the Greek voices epi- ("Above") and phaínein ("Shine", "become visible"), which together make up a word (epiphaínenin) of translation similar to “manifestation”. It began to be used in the early Christian church to commemorate the adoration of the child Jesus of Nazareth by the three Wise Men of the East, understood as the first manifestation of the divinity of Jesus Christ before persons not beans.
According to 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 its passage through the Earth or of his existence. According to tradition Biblical, Jesus of Nazareth revealed himself in his holiness in three different moments, celebrated by the Christian church as epiphanies:
- The epiphany before the Magi 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 as the forerunner 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 is commemorated annually since the times of remote Christianity, thus being one of the oldest festivals in this region. religion (late 3rd or early 4th century).
Finally, in the speaks Every day, the term epiphany is often used as a synonym for "revelation" or "illumination", that is, as a sudden outburst of lucidity, a good idea suddenly had or a truth that appears to us at an unexpected moment: "Today in the morning I had an epiphany regarding my love life ”.