Development and Celebration of Epiphany

A Church Festival Ending Christmas Dated to the Early 4th Century

© Michael Streich

 Dec 21, 2008

Twelfth Night has long been associated with the visitation of Magi from the East, but Epiphany also recounts the baptism of Jesus and his first miracle at Cana.

Celebrated on January 6th, Epiphany represents one of the three most important Christian holidays in the church cycle. Most directly, Epiphany recalls the visit of the Magi or “Wise men” from the east, but it is also associated with the baptism of Jesus as well as the first miracle, performed at the wedding in Cana. Celebrated as early as the 4th Century, scholars have traced January 6th as a direct reference to Christ’s baptism to the 2nd century.

Development of the Festival

Historians have traced the first Epiphany celebrations to the eastern Mediterranean region in the early 4th century. Significantly, the festival appeared to parallel a pagan festival centered around Alexandria in Egypt that was tied to the winter solstice. This pagan festival celebrated the birth of the god Aeon in the temple of Kore. [1]

Charles Panati [2] asserts that, “Whereas the solstice caused the banks of the Nile to overflow, the sacred birth caused water in royal and public fountains to miraculously turn into wine.” Hence, January 6th was equated by the Christian Church with the date of the Cana wedding feast when Jesus turned water into wine.

The presence of the Bethlehem star that led the Magi to Christ also figures prominently in the evolution of Epiphany in the church. Sometimes called the Festival of the Lights, it marks that cycle in the church leading from the winter solstice to the return of the sun. R. W. Scribner [3] details this cycle of lights as it expanded in medieval Europe, moving from mid January to February 1st, the feast of St. Bridget, “…a suitable introduction to the feast of the Purification or Lichtmess (Candlemas).”

The Magi from the East

The story of the “wisemen” or Magi (magoi in Greek) is recounted in the second chapter of Matthew. Contrary to tradition, Matthew does not state how many there were. Settling on the number three appears to come, according to most commentaries, from the three separate gifts enumerated in the Gospel: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. In the ancient world, all three of the gifts were considered kingly.

Although depicted as kings in church tradition, there is no indication that they actually were. The Greek term magoi (used also in Acts) can refer to sorcery and magic. In this case, since they came from the east following a particular star, it is believed that they were Persian astrologers from the Mesopotamian region. It should also be noted that they were non-Jews.

Whereas Luke has Christ born in a manager, the Magi found Christ in a “house.” Bible commentators speculate that their arrival was anywhere from 6 months to a year after his birth. This would also explain Herod’s order to have all infants two years or younger slain.

Light versus Darkness and Good versus Evil

Just as the Magi represent goodness and the fulfillment of prophecy (see Isaiah 60.6), Herod’s response represented evil. James Frazer identifies the “period of twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany” as a “witching time” [4] when Europeans burned wood to ward off evil. “The last day of the mystic twelve days is Epiphany or Twelfth Night, and it has been selected as a proper season for the expulsion of the powers of evil in various parts of Europe.”

For some Eastern Church faith tradition, such as the Armenians, the Epiphany is the true day of Christmas. The traditions see December 25th as having explicit pagan connotations, something Augustine and other church fathers seem to admit. Epiphany celebrates the visit of the Magi, Christ's baptism, and the Cana miracle.

Sources and Notes:

[1]Williston Walker, A History of the Christian Church 3rd Ed. (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1970) p. 154.

[2] Charles Panati, Sacred Origins of Profound Things: the Storoes Behind the Rites and Rituals of the World’s Religions (New York: Penguin, 1999) pp. 217-219.

[3] R.W. Scribner, Popular Culture and Popular Movements in Reformation Germany (London: the Hambledon Press, 1987) pp. 4-5.

[4] James G. Frazer, The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion (New York: The MacMillan Company, 1966) p. 650.

The copyright of the article Development and Celebration of Epiphany in Catholic Mass & Holy Days is owned by Michael Streich. Permission to republish Development and Celebration of Epiphany in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

In many ways the Republicans are still "waving the bloody shirt" For many  in the South the Civil War is still not over. Candidate for governor Mark Robinson said he would bring back a limited for of slavery. My own brother, who has become after thirty years in the hinterlands what we call redneck hates Governor Cooper because he removed three Confederate statues in Raleigh.

In 1876 we really did have a stolen election. The Republicans Pulled out all the stops and filled their suitcases with money to buy and bribe so they would win. Poor Samuel Tilden could have mounted a strong challenge but he was too much of a gentleman and let Ohio Henry Hayes play the compromise, the political patsy. I wonder how he slept.

Most Americans were clueless. Well, NOT this time!

I just read a brief mini-article on so-called myths of the Civil War. Things like U.S.Grant's alcoholism and Robert E Lee's slaves. The sources seemed sound, such as  Eric Foner.

I was reminded of an honors American History class I taught. On one occasion I gave the students copies of Howard Zinn's massive American History opus, A People's History of the United States. One of Zinn's facts regarding the American Revolution was that George Washington, as commander-in-chief, had to deal with mutinies amongst his troops. This was the first time my students had ever heard of such a thing. Washington was a hero and most of my students were very conservative. Needless to say, the information was badly received and I had several challenges. 

But I was reminded of the Twilight Zone episode, The Changing of the Guard. Was anything I was teaching falling on receptive ears? as in the Television episode, could I honestly go home believing the Thomas Mann Maxim,  "Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity.."

America in the 21st Century was very different. We were not fighting fascism or Communism. We were fighting to be wealthy and self-powerful. Moral and ethics no longer mattered. so old, retired teachers went out to die.

Was it too passé To look back at Mr. Chipps? When the evening of my life I look back and ask, Did I fill the world with love?

My students snickered. They hated Howard Zinn and they mistrusted me. I was the teacher who quashed the Jingoist Club.

They all wanted to get into good colleges. Preferably the top names like Duke, and Princeton, and Yale. I didn't dare state that Yale's benefactor was a slaver. Modern students can be selective and step over a  bad apple without every looking back.

In our ultra affluent society they breeze through their Ivy leaf, blue blood schools and change the world, making what would be a more segregated place. 

It becomes a matter of language and global experiences.

And It comes early. I took a group of mostly freshmen to Sweden and they fell in love with the clean, organized city of Stockholm. They all wanted to live here  they got older. The same happened in Boston and in Sydney and in Paris. As my principal used to advise me, all students should see Paris, He was wrong, of course, most students hated Paris only because the Fresh hated Americans or so we were told. We may have shouted, "Lafayette we are here," but that was two hundred years ago. 

I closed out my teaching career with the knowledge that I had made a difference. They were the scions of Republican conservative Catholic families. and that was enough for me to know. Someone would made a difference,

 

THIS is how America Votes

In North Carolina's newly created 6th Congressional District, several Republicans vied to bring home the prize. It was all the more worthwhile because the incumbent, Representative Kathy Manning declined to seek reelection. The new 6th district had been gerrymandered by the Republican led state legislature so as to make her reelection chances nearly impossible.

The winner of the race was lobbyist for Blue Cross and Blue Shield and an aide to Senator Ted Budd, Addison McDowell, a local, from Davidson County. McDowell received 21, 206 votes. The district has a population of 790,000 souls. His voted percent was under 30%. He had been endorsed by former President Trump.

He was followed by former Congressman Mark Walker, with strong ties to the evangelical community. His TV ads claimed he was endorsed by "pastors." During the campaign period, Walker trashed former President Trump but Trump actually called him and offered him a job in the Trump election organization. Moral are are morals but money is money.

The 6th Congressional district is comprised of 6 disparate countries. McDowell faces no opposition in the general election on November 5th. This is the face of American elections. No choices and one well-connected man elected by a mere fraction of the voters in a contrived district. God Bless America. 

Stay tuned - Meghan Markle, the new Lola Montez. But can she dance? 

The Focus of History Teaching

"Don't turn my son into a lawyer," the woman scowled as she helped to empty her son's locker full of books. As a high school freshman he had won the regional Moot Court with a class buddy and almost went to the state competition. One of the judges, however, noted that as freshmen the two still had three years whereas their competitors were two senior girls.

In the next few years he participated in speech and debate competitions, a variety of sports, and was part of the Model Congress team that went to Boston every spring to compete in an event facilitated by Harvard University. In that, he won a blue ribbon. 

But he didn't become a lawyer. Rather, he went to medical school. 

We often forget that kids, as they get older, tend to focus on their own goals and not those others set for them. Some parents appreciate this while others threaten to sue not only the school but the teachers and counselors that they perceive weren't doing their jobs. 

My part in this was two-fold: writing letters of recommendation that set the students apart from everyone else and being an unpaid faculty advisor to the many extra and co-curricular activities the school offered. Once, I was even asked to coach tennis, a task I was completely unprepared for.

The fact that I knew my subject area really well didn't matter. What mattered was the results of a stellar recommendation letter or blue ribbon awards that were attached to high school resumes in the hopes of getting the most attention from college admissions officers. 

Grades mattered, of course, but if you had climbed Mt. Everest during a summer break, to offer an exaggerated skill, students were guaranteed a closer look. One dean of admissions at a prominent southern university told an applicant who was accepted that the recommendation letter written by his teacher which illustrated in detail how the student had overcome obstacles was the deal-breaker in terms of admission. 

I loved teaching history and I think I was very good at it. But what mattered more to parents and school officials was the ability to help students get into their dream colleges. It even meant taking groups of students in the summer on "educational tours" of Europe or the Southern Pacific. There can't be that many students who can boast on their resume that they spent time in a Queensland rain forest or climbed to the top of Ayer's Rock in the Australian outback. 

Of course it was fun for me as well and the other teacher chaperons. "Foreign exchanges" were integral to the college application process, adding another layer to a complex and already padded resume. 

Ironically, history today is a subject relegated to the bottom of important subjects. One prominent university in my state doesn;t even require a single history course for graduation. I considered my primary vocation to be the indispensable aspect of future success and social survival. If the Civil War, for example, doesn't matter anymore in our history, than everything else is moot. 

So we turned out doctors and lawyers. Hopefully successful human beings that know the history that provided for their success. Once that stops, teaching will have no more focus.