THE DIVINE THEOPHANY ACCORDING TO THE ORTHODOX CHURCH

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God and Savior,

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

THE DIVINE THEOPHANY ACCORDING TO
THE ORTHODOX CHURCH

The Great Feast of the THEOPHANY refers to the Baptism of Christ in the Riven Jordan by Saint John the Forerunner, who is called THE BAPTIST. This took place when Our Lord Jesus Christ reached the age of thirty years, before He began His formal work of teaching and before His later Sufferings FOR THE SALVATION OF THE HUMAN RACE.

The choice of thirty years for the beginning of Christ’s formal activity in the world is related to the fact that the biological formation of the human organism reaches its fullness at that time. Moreover He would have been more acceptable to the Israelites at this time.

This event is described by the Evangelist Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22; John 1:32-34).

Not many events are mentioned in Holy Scripture in the interval between the Meeting of Christ and Baptism of Christ. What we know about are the flight into Egypt and the return from there, as well as the presence of Christ in the Temple when He was twelve years old.

This is not without reason and purpose. The Gospels were not written to describe the whole history of Christ, but TO PRESENT THE INCARNATION OF THE SON AND LOGOS/WORD OF GOD, AND WHAT CHRIST TAUGHT, WHAT HE DID AND WHAT HE SUFFERED FOR THE HUMAN RACE. In essence the Gospels were catechetical aids. So the historical events of Christ’s life and the references to His childhood years were not needed. His appearance in the Temple was included in the Gospel because it was the early evidence THAT HE WAS THE SON OF GOD.

The absence of the events of His childhood and adolescent age does not mean that Christ was absent from Judaea. Christ lived close to His mother and foster-father Joseph and was "subject to them" (Luke 2:51). The things that some people say without any evidence are not valid but are the inventions of imagination, that Christ went to other countries, such as the Indies, and there spent his life until the age of thirty years, when He suddenly made His appearance in Nazareth and at the River Jordan. For if such a thing had happened, it would have made an enormous impression on His compatriots when He appeared.

The best known incident in Christ’s youth is His presence in the Temple and His conversation with the teachers, for He was listening to the teachers and asking them questions. And indeed, as the holy Evangelist John indicates, "all who heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers" (Luke 2:47).

The Event of Christ’s Baptism by Saint John the Forerunner in the River Jordan IS CALLED THEOPHANY AND EPIPHANY. In the early Church the Feasts of the Nativity and the Theophany WERE CELEBRATED TOGETHER ON THE SAME DAY (6th January). In the 4th century the feasts were SEPARATED, AND CHRISTMAS WAS TRANSFERRED TO 25th OF DECEMBER, THE DAY ON WHICH THE GENTILES CELEBRATED THE sun god and the Christians the Sun of Righteousness. Likewise it is called the FEAST OF LIGHTS, as Saint Gregory the Theologian characterizes it, BECAUSE OF THE BAPTISM, ILLUMINATION OF THE CATECHUMENS, AND BECAUSE OF THE LIGHTING OF FIRES.

The word ‘THEOPHANY’ comes from the Apostolic passage "GOD WAS MANIFESTED IN THE FLESH, JUSTIFIED IN THE SPIRIT, SEEN BY ANGELS, PREACHED AMONG THE GENTILES, BELIEVED ON IN THE WORLD, RECEIVED UP IN GLORY" (1 Timothy 3:16), and relates mostly TO CHRIST’S NATIVITY. The word ‘EPIPHANY’ comes from the Apostolic passage, "THE GRACE OF GOD THAT BRINGS SALVATION HAS APPEARED TO ALL MEN" (Titus 2:11), and is related mostly to Christ’s BAPTISM, FOR IT WAS THEN THAT PEOPLE RECOGNIZED THE GRACE OF DIVINITY.

In any case IT IS A FACT THAT ON THE DAY OF CHRIST’S BAPTISM, WITH THE MANIFESTATION OF THE HOLY TRINITY AND THE CONFESSION OF THE Worthy Forerunner, we have the official confession that the Son and Logos/Word of God is the "ONE OF THE HOLY TRINITY’ Who became man to save the human race from sin, the devil and death.

The person who played a major role in Christ’s Baptism IS THE WORTHY FORERUNNER, JOHN THE BAPTIST. HE IS A GREAT PROPHET A GREAT CHARACTER PLACED BETWEEN THE Old and New Testaments. He is THE LAST OF THE PROPHETS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT AND THE FIRST OF THE PROPHETS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.

The word BAPTISM, as Saint Nicodemos the Hagiorite interprets it, means PLUNGING (TO IMMERSE) is a verbal noun that comes from the verb ‘BAPTO’, meaning TO PLUNGE, IMMERSE. Thus baptism is connected with water. The Holy Fathers of the Church teach that there are many kinds of baptism. Saint Gregory the Theologian teaches that there are five kinds. The first is that of Moses, which gives TEMPORARY PURIFICATION. The second is that of the Forerunner, WHO BAPTIZED PEOPLE WITH THE BAPTISM OF REPENTANCE. The third is Christ’s Baptism, THROUGH WHICH PEOPLE BECOMES CHRISTIANS; IT IS PERFORMED BY THE ENERGY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. The fourth is THAT OF MARTYRDOM AND BLOOD, AND THE FIFTH IS THAT OF REPENTANCE AND TEARS.

Saint John’s baptism led men to the sense of their sins and prepared the people to RECEIVE THE MOST PERFECT BAPTISM OF CHRIST, and Christ was PERFECT GOD AND PERFECT MAN AND HAD NOT COMMITTED ANY SIN, THEN WHY WHAT HE BAPTISED? The answer to this question manifests great truths to us.

Saint John of Damascus says that Christ WAS NOT BAPTIZED BECAUSE HE HAD NEED OF PURIFICATION, "BUT TO IDENTIFY HIMSELF WITH OUR PURIFICATION." Just as Christ suffered and was crucified for mankind and felt all the grief and pain, so He identified Himself with OUR OWN PURIFICATION. Many things happened in this way.

So according to Saint John of Damascus, CHRIST WAS BAPTIZED IN ORDER TO CRUSH THE HEADS OF THE DRAGONS IN THE WATER, FOR THERE WAS A CONCEPTION THAT THE DEMONS DWELL IN THE WATER; IN ORDER TO WASH THE SIN AND BURY THE OLD ADAM IN THE WATER; IN ORDER TO BLESS THE BAPTIST, FOR THE FORERUNNER DID NOT BLESS CHRIST, BUT CHRIST BLESSED THE FORERUNNER WHEN THE LATTER PUT HIS HAND ON CHRIST’S HEAD; IN ORDER TO KEEP THE LAW, SINCE HE HIMSELF GAVE IT AND SHOULD NOT APPEAR TO TRANSGRESS IT; IN ORDER TO REVEAL THE MYSTERY OF THE HOLY TRINITY, BECAUSE AT THAT MOMENT WE HAVE THE MANIFESTATION OF THE HOLY TRINITY; IN ORDER TO BECOME A MODEL FOR OUR OWN BAPTISM, WHICH IS PERFECT BAPTISM AND IS DONE BY WATER AND THE HOLY SPIRIT.

Beyond these things, by His baptism in the River Jordan Christ BLESSED THE WATER AS WELL. That is why even today we perform the service of the BLESSING OF THE WATERS AND DURING THE CELEBRATION WE CALL UPON THE HOLY SPIRIT TO BLESS THE WATERS. THUS AFTER THE BLESSING IT CEASES TO BE WATER OF THE FALL AND BECOMES WATER OF RENEWAL, SINCE IT IS UNITED WITH THE UNCREATED GRACE OF GOD. (Resources: The Feasts of the Lord)

(To be continued)

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"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
+Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +

With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George