Did you know that Epiphany is actually older, as a Major Feast in the church, than Christmas? There wasn't a wide-spread general celebration of Jesus' birth until late in the 4th Century. Epiphany, on the other hand, started as a major celebration in the Eastern Church back towards the start of the 3rd Century.
The word Epiphany literally means "Manifestation". Originally, Epiphany focused on 3 such manifestations:
- Jesus' Baptism in the River Jordan
- The Visitation of the Magi/Wise Men
- The Miracle at the Wedding in Cana
Special emphasis was put on Jesus' Baptism in the early days of Epiphany. We still see this focus on the 1st Sunday after the Epiphany which celebrates the Baptism of our Lord. As the day was introduced to West in the 4th Century, it started to focus much more on the Magi as Jesus' manifestation to the Gentiles, the nations and people outside Israel.
Further Reading:
- Previous Epiphany Faith Fact
- Alexander, Neil. Creating Liturgical Time. New York: Church Publishing, 2014.
- Cross, F.L. and E.A. Livingstone eds. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 3rd edition revised. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.