Epiphany and Theophany

The story behind the day

Epiphany, from a Greek word for manifestation, is a Christian feast of 6 January that recalls how Jesus was shown to the world. Western churches keep it chiefly for the visit of the Magi. Orthodox churches keep it as Theophany, the feast of Christ's baptism in the Jordan, when the Holy Trinity is revealed and water is blessed. The Russian church, which keeps the Julian calendar, observes the same 6 January on 19 January by the civil calendar.^[1–4]

Origins

The beginnings of the feast are obscure and much debated. The earliest mention of a feast on 6 January is credited to Clement of Alexandria, writing in the second century. Eastern communities kept the day, and by the fourth century it was widely a feast of the birth of Christ as well as of his baptism.^[6–7]

What it marks

Epiphany gathers more than one manifestation. The New Catholic Encyclopedia lists three: the star leading the Magi to the child, water changed into wine at a wedding, and Christ's baptism by John in the Jordan. Which of them comes first depends on the tradition. Pope Benedict XVI observed that the Eastern tradition gives priority to the baptism, while John's Gospel invites readers to see the wedding at Cana as an epiphany too.^{[1, 8]}

How it came to be

As Christmas was established, 6 January came to be known in the East as the feast of the baptism. In the West the feast centred on the visit of the Magi, and the Western feast is popularly called Three Kings, while Orthodox Christians speak of Theophany and the Feast of Lights.^{[2, 5, 7]}

How it is kept

Theophany cross retrieval from a cold harbour, swimmersIllustration · AI-generated

The most lasting custom is the blessing of the waters. The Orthodox rite of the Great Blessing of Water is prescribed after the Divine Liturgy of the eve and again after that of the feast itself, though many parishes keep it once, and the priest uses the blessed water to bless the homes of the faithful. In the Armenian Church the Blessing of the Waters follows the Divine Liturgy on 6 January, in memory of Christ's baptism in the Jordan.^[9–11]

Across traditions

Three Kings chalk marking over a door, Rosca de ReyesIllustration · AI-generated

The Russian church, which keeps its feasts by the Julian calendar, observes 6 January by its count, which is 19 January by the civil calendar. The Ethiopian church lists Epiphany on 11 Ter, also 19 January. The Armenian Church does not divide the feast at all: birth and baptism are celebrated jointly on 6 January. The Church of England and the Catholic Church name the Magi as the heart of the western feast.^{[4, 12–14]}

Sources

Each statement above was checked against published sources; the verdict says whether it stood as written, was corrected or was hedged.