Theophany

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Peter Paul Rubens' Death of Semele, caused by the Theophany of Zeus without a mortal disguise

Theophany is a word that means the appearance of a deity. The deity will manifest itself in an observable and tangible form.[1][2][3] It is different from other types of encounters with a deity; these interactions are not considered theophanies unless the deity reveals itself in a visible form. Traditionally, the term "theophany" was usedfor appearances of the gods in ancient Greek and Near Eastern religions. While the Iliad is the earliest source for descriptions of theophanies in classical antiquity, the first description appears in the Epic of Gilgamesh.[4]

References[change | change source]

  1. Harvey, Van Austin (1964). "Theophany". A Handbook of Theological Terms. New York: Macmillan. p. 241. OCLC 963417958.
  2. "Theophany". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 6 June 2012.
  3. Burtchaell, J. T. (2002). "Theophany". New Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 13: Seq-The (second ed.). Detroit, Michigan: The Catholic University of America by Thomson/Gale. p. 929. ISBN 978-0-7876-4017-0.
  4. Bulkley, Kelly (1993). "The Evil Dreams of Gilgamesh: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Dreams in Mythological Texts". In Rupprecht, Carol Schreier (ed.). The Dream and the Text: Essays on Literature and Language. Albany, New York: SUNY Press. pp. 159–177, page 163. ISBN 978-0-7914-1361-6.