Theophany
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Theophany, from the Ancient Greek (ἡ) Θεοφάνεια - Τheophaneia (meaning "appearance of God"), refers to the appearance of a deity to a human, or to a divine disclosure.
This term has been used to refer to appearances of the gods in the ancient Greek and Near Eastern religions. While the Iliad is our earliest source for descriptions of theophanies in the Classical tradition (and they occur throughout Greek mythology), probably the earliest description of a theophany is in the Epic of Gilgamesh.
The term theophany has acquired a specific usage for Christians and Jews with respect to the Bible: It refers to the manifestation of God to man; the sensible sign by which the presence of God is revealed. Only a small number of theophanies are found in the Hebrew Bible, also known as the Old Testament.
See also
- Angel of the Lord
- Avalokitesvara
- Epiphany (holiday)
- The Exegesis of Philip K. Dick
- Hallucination
- Trimurti
- Unverified personal gnosis
- Vision (spirituality)