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Theophany in the OT denotes the direct manifestation of God in the earthly sphere. 1. From the days of Jeremiah, “theophany” has been a term for God’s visible coming with power and the accompanying earthly or cosmic reactions of terror. In the veneration of God the oldest manifestation is in the earthquake, when in giant human form God strides across the mountains (Mic. 1:3–4 and Amos 4:13). Clouds are viewed as the dust that is stirred up by him (Nah. 1:3; Ps. 18:9). We find ideas similar to those relating to Baal, the god of the tempest: Yahweh displays his power in the sto…

[German Version] I. Comparative Religion – II. History of Religion – III. Old Testament – IV. New Testament – V. Early Church History I. Comparative Religion Epiphany is a descriptive term borrowed from the phenomenology of Greek religion. In the terminology of the comparative study of religions, “epiphany” stands for the widespread conception that gods are accustomed to “appear” under certain conditions …

[German Version] I. Religious Studies The term theophany (“appearance/manifestation of God”) stands between the poles of revelation and epiphany (“transfiguration, illumination”) or hierophany (“manifestation of the holy”), a term often used in 20th-century phenomenology of religion. In various monotheistic and polytheistic contexts and periods, we find narratives that recount the sudden overpowering advent of God and the resulting catastrophes or terror befalling the world. As a literary genre, theoph…

[English Version] I. Religionswissenschaftlich Der Begriff der Th. (»Erscheinung Gottes«) steht im Spannungsfeld zw. Offenbarung und Epiphanie (»Verklärung«) bzw. dem v.a. in der Religionsphänomenologie des 20.Jh. oft verwendeten Begriffs der Hierophanie (»Erscheinung des Heiligen«). In unterschiedlichen monotheistischen und polytheistischen Kontexten und Epochen finden sich Erzählungen, die vom überwältigenden Erscheinen Gottes und den dadurch ausgelösten Katastrophen oder Schreckreaktionen der We…