YLV Study Material · Study Appendix 1
Christophany
Theophany and the Appearing of Christ — from manifestation to incarnation
1Theophany
- Etymology — Θεός (Theos, God) + φαίνω (Phainein, to appear)
- Definition — the transcendent God making His presence and glory perceptible in a form the human senses (sight, hearing) can take in.
- Old Testament forms — not only a personal figure but also flame, cloud, wind and rock: impersonal media (the burning bush, the pillar of cloud and the rock in the wilderness).
וַ֠יֵּרָא מַלְאַ֨ךְ יְהֹוָ֥ה אֵלָ֛יו בְּלַבַּת אֵ֖שׁ מִתּ֣וֹךְ הַסְּנֶ֑ה וַיַּ֗רְא וְהִנֵּ֤ה הַסְּנֶה֙ בֹּעֵ֣ר בָּאֵ֔שׁ וְהַסְּנֶ֖ה אֵינֶ֥נּוּ אֻכָּֽל
LiteralAnd the angel of YHWH appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of the bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.
καὶ πάντες τὸ αὐτὸ πόμα πνευματικὸν ἔπιον· ἔπινον γὰρ ἐκ πνευματικῆς ἀκολουθούσης πέτρας· ἡ δὲ πέτρα ἦν ὁ χριστός.
Literaland all drank the same pneumatikon(spiritual) drink; for they were drinking from a pneumatikon(spiritual) rock that followed them; and the rock was Messiah(Christ).
2Christophany
- Etymology — Χριστός (Christos, Christ) + φαίνω (Phainein, to appear)
- Definition — an event in which God the Son (the Logos) appeared temporarily, before the incarnation, in the form of a man or a messenger.
- Character — a subset of theophany: a personal appearing that receives worship and declares itself to be God, as with "the messenger of YHWH" and "the commander of the army of YHWH."
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֵלַ֜י מַלְאַ֧ךְ הָאֱלֹהִ֛ים בַּחֲל֖וֹם יַֽעֲקֹ֑ב וָאֹמַ֖ר הִנֵּֽנִי וַיֹּ֗אמֶר שָׂא נָ֨א עֵינֶ֤יךָ וּרְאֵה֙ כָּל הָֽעַתֻּדִים֙ הָעֹלִ֣ים עַל הַצֹּ֔אן עֲקֻדִּ֥ים נְקֻדִּ֖ים וּבְרֻדִּ֑ים כִּ֣י רָאִ֔יתִי אֵ֛ת כָּל אֲשֶׁ֥ר לָבָ֖ן עֹ֥שֶׂה לָּֽךְ אָנֹכִ֤י הָאֵל֙ בֵּֽית אֵ֔ל אֲשֶׁ֨ר מָשַׁ֤חְתָּ שָּׁם֙ מַצֵּבָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר נָדַ֥רְתָּ לִּ֛י שָׁ֖ם נֶ֑דֶר עַתָּ֗ה ק֥וּם צֵא֙ מִן הָאָ֣רֶץ הַזֹּ֔את וְשׁ֖וּב אֶל אֶ֥רֶץ מוֹלַדְתֶּֽךָ
Literal(11) And the messenger of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob,' and I said, 'Here I am.' (12) And he said, 'Lift up now your eyes and see: all the he-goats going up upon the flock are streaked, speckled, and grizzled; for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. (13) I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar, where you vowed a vow to me. Now arise, go out from this land, and return to the land of your birth.'
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לֹ֗א כִּ֛י אֲנִ֥י שַׂר צְבָֽא יְהוָ֖ה עַתָּ֣ה בָ֑אתִי וַיִּפֹּל֩ יְהוֹשֻׁ֨עַ אֶל פָּנָ֥יו אַ֨רְצָה֙ וַיִּשְׁתָּ֔חוּ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֔וֹ מָ֥ה אֲדֹנִ֖י מְדַבֵּ֥ר אֶל עַבְדּֽוֹ וַיֹּאמֶר֩ שַׂר צְבָ֨א יְהוָ֜ה אֶל יְהוֹשֻׁ֗עַ שַׁל נַֽעַלְךָ֙ מֵעַ֣ל רַגְלֶ֔ךָ כִּ֣י הַמָּק֗וֹם אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַתָּ֛ה עֹמֵ֥ד עָלָ֖יו קֹ֣דֶשׁ ה֑וּא וַיַּ֥עַשׂ יְהוֹשֻׁ֖עַ כֵּֽן
Literal(14) And he said: No, but I am the prince of the host of YHWH; now I have come. And Joshua fell on his face to the ground and bowed down, and said to him: What does my lord speak to his servant? (15) And the prince of the host of YHWH said to Joshua: Remove your sandal from upon your foot, for the place on which you stand, it is holy. And Joshua did so.
3The Incarnation
- Etymology — Latin incarnatio (in- "into" + caro/carnis "flesh": to be made flesh)
- Definition — the eternal Son of God going beyond a temporary appearing to take a complete human spirit, soul and body permanently, as true God and true man (John 1:14).
- Difference — a Christophany was a form taken for a time; the incarnation is an irreversible and everlasting union with human nature.
Καὶ ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο, καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν, καὶ ἐθεασάμεθα τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, δόξαν ὡς μονογενοῦς παρὰ πατρός, πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας.
LiteralAnd the logos(Word) became sarx(flesh) and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory — glory as of the only-begotten from the Father — full of charis(grace) and aletheia(truth).
Καὶ ὁμολογουμένως μέγα ἐστὶν τὸ τῆς εὐσεβείας μυστήριον· θεὸς ἐφανερώθη ἐν σαρκί, ἐδικαιώθη ἐν πνεύματι, ὤφθη ἀγγέλοις, ἐκηρύχθη ἐν ἔθνεσιν, ἐπιστεύθη ἐν κόσμῳ, ἀνελήφθη ἐν δόξῃ.
LiteralBy common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: God was revealed in sarx(flesh), was vindicated in the pneuma(spirit), seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
4The Humiliation of Christ
- Etymology — Latin humiliatio (a lowering, humbling)
- Definition — the Son, who holds divine glory, lowering Himself for the salvation of men: submitting to human limitation and suffering, placing Himself under the law, and going as far as death on a cross (Philippians 2:6~8).
- Bearing — this is what carried His earthly ministry, in which He obeyed the word and the will of the Father throughout (John 14:24).
ἀλλ’ ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσεν, μορφὴν δούλου λαβών, ἐν ὁμοιώματι ἀνθρώπων γενόμενος· καὶ σχήματι εὑρεθεὶς ὡς ἄνθρωπος, ἐταπείνωσεν ἑαυτόν, γενόμενος ὑπήκοος μέχρι θανάτου, θανάτου δὲ σταυροῦ.
Literal(7) but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. (8) Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a stauros(cross).
Ὁ μὴ ἀγαπῶν με τοὺς λόγους μου οὐ τηρεῖ· καὶ ὁ λόγος ὃν ἀκούετε οὐκ ἔστιν ἐμός, ἀλλὰ τοῦ πέμψαντός με πατρός.
LiteralHe who does not agapao(love) Me does not keep My logos(words); and the logos(word) which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me.
5The Economic Trinity
- Etymology — Greek oikonomia (administration, ordered plan) + Trinity
- Definition — the relation among the three Persons as it appears in their redemptive roles in creating and saving the world.
- Structure — in essence and glory the three are fully equal (the immanent Trinity); in carrying out salvation they work in order — the Father (plan, sending) → the Son (obedience, accomplishment) → the Spirit (application, presence).
Ὅτι καταβέβηκα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, οὐχ ἵνα ποιῶ τὸ θέλημα τὸ ἐμόν, ἀλλὰ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμψαντός με.
LiteralFor I have come down from heaven, not to do My own thelema(will), but the thelema(will) of Him who sent Me.
Ὅταν δὲ ἔλθῃ ὁ παράκλητος, ὃν ἐγὼ πέμψω ὑμῖν παρὰ τοῦ πατρός, τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας, ὃ παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκπορεύεται, ἐκεῖνος μαρτυρήσει περὶ ἐμοῦ.
LiteralWhen the Parakletos(the One who comes alongside to call) comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the pneuma(spirit) of aletheia(truth) who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me,
The line of it, in short
The invisible God revealed Himself in the Old Testament by degrees through theophany, and in particular through Christophany. In the New Testament the Son Himself became man: the incarnation. The incarnate Christ then lowered Himself willingly — the humiliation — and, according to the order of the economic Trinity, completed salvation by obeying the will of the Father perfectly.
This appendix belongs to Yeshua Study, Part Four, "Jacob Waited for Yeshua." All quotations are given in the Yeshua Literal Version (YLV); the source text and the literal rendering were filled from OSHB v2.2 (Westminster Leningrad Codex) for the Old Testament and RP2018 for the New.
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