Theophany
Throughout this Advent devotion we are doing to look at the ancient Near Eastern view of theophany and the role it plays in the pantheon of a nation. Theophany is a visible manifestation of a deity revealed to humanity.
Here is a quote for our recommended resources
“Since people cannot possible process God’s nature as a disembodied, formless spirit, Theophany allows God to make His presence known in a physical way that people can discern through their senses.”
Faithlife Study Bible: in the Article: Theophany in the Old Testament
Today we will be looking at the Old Testament’s description of visible manifestation of the invisible God, embodied as Jesus Christ.
Jesus = Yahweh Embodied
The Word, The Angel of the Lord, The Name and The Rider on the Clouds are all motifs that the ancient Near Eastern Biblical authors used to describe Yahwehs theophany in the form of a man.
After the Incarnation this same visible Yahweh was now revealed not by the motifs that described the man theophany but by His physical embodiment in human form.
Here is a quote to help us out
“However, the early Christians (who were also Jews), altered the course of there speculations when they identified the second power, or second Yahweh with Jesus. This identification allowed the first Christian converts- all of them Jews- to simultaneously worship both the God of Israel and Jesus of Nazareth without acknowledging any other god. Affirming Jesus’ incarnation as a man went beyond affirming Yahweh embodied in human form- Jesus was crucified as a blasphemer who made Himself equal with God. (The idea that Jesus was the incarnate second Yahweh offended Jews who had formerly accepted the “two powers.”) It wasn’t until the second century AD that Jewish authorities declared the “two powers” teaching to be heresy.”
Faithlife Study Bible: in the Article: Old Testament Godhead Language
As you can see there was a deep connection made between the “second power” of Yahweh and the incarnate Christ in the minds of the ancient Near Easter biblical authors and their constituents.
We hope you enjoyed this Theology Lesson in 60 seconds.
If you are interested in this subject continue this study in our longer post here
Citations:
Faithlife Study Bible. J. D. Barry et al. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2012
NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible Grand Rapids, Michigan USA Zondervan 2016
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