From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A painting of two people in bed Description automatically generatedPeter Paul Rubens' Death of Semele, caused by the Theophany of Zeus without a mortal disguise

Theophany (Ancient Greek: (ἡ) θεοφάνεια, romanized: theophaneia, lit. 'appearance of a deity'[1]) is an encounter with a deity, in which it manifests in an observable and tangible form.[2][3][4] Where the deity does not take tangible form (outward manifestation), the broader term used for inward manifestation is divine revelation or divine inspiration.[5] Where the god indwells in a human person, the terms used are divine incarnation, an avatar, or, poetically, the personification of that deity.[6] Theophanies, tangible appearances of a god, are distinguished from epiphanies, which are powerful internal changes in outlook caused by a theophany or other divine revelation.[7]

Traditionally the term "theophany" was used to refer to appearances of the gods in ancient Greek and in Near Eastern religions. While the Iliad is the earliest source for descriptions of theophanies in classical antiquity (which occur throughout Greek mythology), the earliest description appears in the Epic of Gilgamesh.[8]

Ancient Greek religion

See also: Epiphany (Ancient Greece)

The appearance of Zeus to Semele is more than a mortal can stand and she is burned to death by the flames of his power.[9] However, most Greek theophanies were less deadly. Unusual for Greek mythology is the story of Prometheus, not an Olympian but a Titan, who brought knowledge of fire to humanity. In historic times, theophanies were rare, but divine or heroic epiphanies were experienced either through dreams or waking visions, and frequently led to the foundation of cults, or at least to dedicated acts of worship with appropriate commemorative offerings.[10]

Theophanies were reenacted at a number of Greek sites and festivals. At Delphi the Theophania (Θεοφάνια) was an annual festival in spring celebrating the return of Apollo from his winter quarters in Hyperborea. The culmination of the festival was a display of an image of the gods, usually hidden in the sanctuary, to worshippers. Later Roman mystery religions often included similar brief displays of images to excited worshippers.[11] “

 

My response: The first paragraph of this excerpt talks of how a theophany is an encounter of humans with a deity appearing in observable and tangible form. If one believes in deities, then this would seem to be conclusive evidence that a deity, a great, spiritual creature from the immaterial world is able to enter and alter the world of matter and biological existence of many life forms.

When the manifestation is outer, the observable appearance is noted by humans. When the theophany is inner (entering the psyche of an individual person from the immaterial world), the encounter is defined and described as divine revelation or divine inspiration (I hope that my metaphysical claims that God talks to me is strong enough or credible enough to be assumed to be real, an inner revelation from the Good Spirits.). It could be that I have experienced an epiphany and not a theophany.

 

 

In the second paragraph from Wikipedia, the writer points out that the ancient, pagan peoples often reported theophanies between their people and powerful deities, so this divine-human meeting and conversation was not just a Hebrew or Christian miraculous event.

 

In the third paragraph of the Wikipedia entry, it describes how Semele, the writer recounts how Semele was burned to death by the flames emanating from the power of Zeus. Karl Jung or Jordan Peterson would have a field day, instructing us about the disastrous encounter between Zeus and Semele, but it would remind us, that any direct encounter between a deity (any deity, let alone the Father Sky deity like Zeus) and the unprepared human being would very likely cause the heart of the human to stop, or she would go mad, or become an atheist, or fierce devotee of Satan.

Father down in that third paragraph, the writer relates how rare theophanies are, but that epiphanies as dreams or waking visions are not unheard of. It would be difficult to detect if someone reporting an encounter of some kind, with some deity, is telling the truth, is a charlatan, is delusional, or if, they actually did encounter some deity in theophany or as an epiphany, is the persona able to understand the encounter, and accurately explain its content and import to the wary world.

In paragraph four of the Wikipedia excerpt, the writer explains that reenactments of the ancient Greek and Roman theophanies were part of the annual religious festivities. This would be rarer for the Christians and Hebrews.

 

Here is that entry from Exodus, from The New American Bible, “The Great Theophany. On the morning of the third day there were peals of thunder and lightning, and a heavy cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. But Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stationed themselves at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was all wrapped in smoke, for the Lord came down upon it in fire. The smoke rose from it as through a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. The trumpet blast grew louder and louder, while Moses was speaking and God was answering him through the thunder.”

 

My response: With much fanfare, God arrives in a pillar of smoke and answers Moses who is speaking to Him. The people are trembling, and if they saw God, not in the pillar of smoke, they would likely all fall away dead, but Moses, is used to talking to God, and is very strong as a spiritual soul, so he is able to handle and survive his near direct encounter with Yahweh, without missing a beat.

 

It reminds me that we should be careful what we wish for: if we seek, pray and yearn for an direct, personal, immediate and intimate encounter between oneself and a deity or powerful demon, it would be wise to anticipate that one may not survive such powerful access to great spiritual entities.

 

Here the quote from The New American Bible resumes: “When the Lord came down to the top of Mount Sinai, he summoned Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up to him. Then the Lord told Moses, ‘Go down and warn the people not to break through toward the Lord in order to seem him; otherwise, many will be struck down. The priests, too, who approach the Lord must sanctify themselves, else he will vent his anger upon them. Moses said to the Lord, ‘The people cannot go up to Mount Sinai, for you yourself warned us to set limits around the mountain to make it sacred. The Lord repeated, ‘Go down now! Then come up again, along with Aaron. But the priests and the people must not break through to come up to the Lord; else he will vent his anger upon them.’ So Moses went down to the people and told them this.”

 

My response: Yahweh has selected Mount Sinai as sacred ground, and this makes one wonder why some ground is more sacred than other ground, and what are the criteria for establishing thi difference.

Note that that mountain is sacred ground, but a Father Sky, supreme deity such as Yahweh does not come up out of the mountain but leaves heaven above earth, and comes down to earth, down to the top of the mountain.

 

This paragraph is very rich, and, as a non-psychologist and non-mythologist like Jordan Peterson, and as a non-theologian, I am not aware of how rich in implications this paragraph is, but a couple of things leap out at me. First, Yahweh does not completely exclude the people from approaching Him, they and the priests are to come part way, but not all the way as Moses is privileged to approach. Moses misinterprets Yahweh’s message by concluding that the people are not be kept entirely away from Yahweh, but Yahweh expressly pooh-poohs this conclusion.

The more sanctified (and tough enough to encounter God directly) one is, the closer one may come to approaching Yahweh. Moses is the wisest and spiritually and morally best, so he can walk up very close to God. The priests and people are less sanctified, and less courageous to be able to survive and benefit from a full-blown encounter with Yahweh, so they are invited to come up partway, but to not go all the way up the mountain to converse with Yahweh personally and directly.

That Moses and the priests are intercessors between Yahweh and the Hebrews could be construed as undergirding the standard model of worship that the professional clergy and a prophet beyond them, are the only ones worthy or authorized by God or Yahweh to encounter the worshiped deity, and that is privileged encounter if God’s will.

 

I am wondering if each worshiper, as a self-actualized, religious adult would not be able to talk to God directly, if she or he had self-developed spiritually, morally, artistically, and intellectually to the degree that she or he was as strong and worthy as Moses became, so that there would need be no priests or prophets to stand between the individuated individual, and direct, personal, daily theophany and epiphany between her or him and his deity worshiped.

 

Here is this same biblical entry from the Holy Bible (KJV): “And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud’ so that all the people that were in the camp trembled.

 

And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet God; and they stood at the nether end of the mount.”

 

My response: I was wondering if the trumpet blowing was conducted by an angel, a servant of Yahweh, a proof that Yahweh has such assistants. Note that the people were allowed no closer than the nether end of the mount, but they did get to encounter Yahweh at least or minimum level of encounter, though Moses, stronger, more sanctified, and more worthy, would approach God up closer.

The entry from the Holy Bible continues: “And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.

 

And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.

 

And the Lord came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount; and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.

 

And the Lord said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the Lord to gaze, and many of them perish.

And let the priests also, which come near to the Lord, sanctify themselves, lest the Lord break forth upon them.

 

And Moses said unto the Lord, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou chargest us saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it.

 

And the Lord said unto him, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the Lord, lest he break forth upon them.

 

So Moses went down unto the people, and spake unto them.”

 

My response: Yahweh, wanted the people and priests to meet with him, as close as they were sanctified to be (God cannot tolerate sinners or marginal believers to have immediate access to God because they are not yet sanctified or worthy to encounter God directly, in the mode of clear revelation and truth shared.).

 

The encounter will take place, with the people and priests not too close and not too far away—note this moderation in proper encountering a deity. Note that Aaron, though a priest, as chief priest or sanctified priest, is allowed to come closer because he is worthy enough to be a prophet like Moses is, with great access to Yahweh, though Yahweh appears even to Moses in a pillar of fire.

 

God will in anger punish the people if they come to close to him or stay too far away, again the relationship of moderate access must be maintained.