A theophany is generally described as an appearance of the deity to humans. Theophanic experiences in the Bible are usually noted as the climax of their respective story. Theophanies are not regarded as everyday occurrences; however, when they do occur, they usually inspire the person receiving the theophany to take a new path in life. Theophanies occur at key points in the Bible; in fact, most important Biblical stories contain a theophany. Some major theophanic events include Noah’s ark, Moses and the burning bush, God’s giving of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, the appearance of Jesus to Saul, and God’s message to Peter while he was on a roof. In each instance, the theophany tells of a life changing event that will happen to the entire world or an event specific to the receiver of the vision.
One of the earliest and most important theophanic experiences in the Bible is God’s warning to Noah of the Great Flood. God comes to Noah warning, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence because of them; now I am going to destroy them along with the earth” (Gen. 6:13). God’s reasoning for such a flood was his anger at man’s wickedness. He states that he feels Noah was the only good man on earth; he is described as “walking with God”. Naturally he chooses him to preserve the human race. Noah, unlike other people of that time, lived in fear of God’s power and respected him. In fact, Noah may have been the only reverent person towards God during his life. Noah’s father, Lamech, says of Noah at the time of his birth, “Out of the ground that the Lord has cursed this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the toil of our hands” (Gen. Ch. 5:29). This forecasting leads the reader to believe that Noah’s purpose in life may have been solely to carry on the human race throughout the flood. The story itself supports this assumption because Noah does not seem surprised at all when God appears to him and tells him about the flood. In fact, Noah does not question the deity’s motives at all. He mostly likely does this because of his fear and respect towards the almighty God; he feels that the God cannot be wrong. God’s directions to Noah were to build a massive ship. Throughout the flood, Noah was to keep two of every creature and his sons with their wives on the single ship. Noah complies with God’s directions and survives on the ship, with all the creatures of earth, for forty days and forty nights until the flood recedes. After the flood is over, God appears to Noah again with a covenant that assures him that he will never destroy the earth again with similar events. Obviously, it is almost impossible to explain these events literally. One explanation is that God never really appeared to Noah; the entire story may have been a parable to explain the consequences of sinning against God. God’s covenant with Noah could have possibly been added to the text just to show that God still blesses the human race and loves us. Another explanation that is more appealing to Orthodox Jews and Christians is that the flood did not cover the entire earth as suggested in the Bible; the flood could have covered just the Middle East, which at that time may have seemed like the entire world to Noah.
Another important theophany in the Bible occurs with Moses on the mountain of Horeb. While on Horeb, a burning bush, which is not consumed by fire, appears to Moses. God then speaks to Moses through the bush; Moses fears the deity, covering his eyes and refusing to look at the bush. Moses obviously is humbled by the experience and takes off his shoes while speaking with God. God’s message was simple; to free the Israelites from Egypt. This major theophany essentially sets the stage for the entire book of Exodus. Moses, before the theophany, doubts his ability to free the Israelites from the pharaoh. However, after this vision, Moses has the confidence, as well as the grace of God, to undertake such a major Biblical event. Like the story of Noah’s ark, it is hard to explain this story from a fundamentalist point of view. It is very possible that the sole purpose of this story was to justify Moses’ position as leader of the Exodus. Moses was a mere exile from Egypt. Without this event many would wonder what inspired Moses to lead such a dangerous and life threatening expedition. Before the theophanic experience, Moses is not confident in his leadership abilities. God tells Moses that he will be with him throughout his mission, granting him divine powers. The tangible powers, such as the ability to turn a staff into a snake, given to Moses represent the confidence that he receives through the grace of God. Through the description of the theophany, the writer describes the ability of God to inspire inner change within individuals.
Another theophanic occurrence in the Bible was God’s giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai. During this theophany, God forbids the Israelites, with the exception of Moses, to go to the top of Mount Sinai. He warns them that if they go to the summit of the mountain then they will feel the wrath of God. When Moses speaks to God at the summit alone, God tells him the Ten Commandments. After he tells him these laws, God commands Moses to construct an alter of stones and written on the stones should be the Ten Commandments. This theophany is particularly important because the Ten Commandments are then developed into the Torah, one of the most important texts of Judaism. Moses and the Israelites then form standards of morality based on the Commandments. They form a community around these standards and essentially insure the permanent survival of the Israelites. It is hard to take this story literally. Firstly, it is not likely that God appeared at the top of Mount Sinai. Secondly, it is even more unlikely that God would severely punish Israelites that went to the top of Sinai. I think the story is written for the Jews to understand the origins of the Torah. I believe that the writers of the Bible did not want the Israelites to think that the Torah and the Ten Commandments were just made up without the guidance of God; thus, the theophany is written solely to solidify the importance of the Torah as a text inspired by God.
Another theophany of the Bible occurs during the New Testament when the risen Jesus appears to Saul. This vision happens while Saul is traveling to Damascus to persecute the apostles and disciples of Jesus. When Saul is nearing Damascus, Jesus appears to him and converts the formerly wicked Saul to Christianity. The vision is described as a bright light all around him. The light causes Saul to fall to the ground where Jesus begins speaking to him stating, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:4). This theophany has immediate physical effects on Saul; the bright light blinds him for three days. It also has significant psychological effects on Saul. He becomes an evangelist of the Christian message. When he returns to Jerusalem, his former allies against the disciples are stunned by his sudden change of opinion. Personally, I do not think that Jesus literally appeared to Saul. I think that the appearance of Jesus represents a change in Saul’s mindset towards the disciples and the religion of Jesus. The conversion of Saul did not happen in a sudden theophany; but the theophany is told to make sense of a gradual change in his opinions. The three days of blindness could be representative of the time period of grief after Saul realized the sins he has committed against the disciples. This vision is important because Saul demonstrates the profound and lasting effect of Jesus on others after his crucifixion. Events like these solidify the power of Jesus and the Christian movement to inspire drastic positive change in others. Like the theophanies that were discussed earlier, I believe that these theophanies are just stories told to represent a significant change in one’s life or in the life of a group of peoples.
The final major theophany to be discussed is God’s message to Peter while he was hungry and praying on a rooftop. While his food was being prepared, Peter entered a trance and “saw the heaven open. The theophany is described as “a large sheet coming down, being lowered the ground by its four corners”. Depicted on the sheet were all different four-legged creatures, reptiles, and birds. After seeing this God said, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat” (Acts 10:13). This vision puzzled Peter because, as an observant of the kosher life, he was not allowed to eat the unclean food that God suggested. This idea of accepting the unclean food influences Peter’s view on Gentiles. Traditionally, it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with a Gentile; however, because God told him that he should not call anything or anyone unclean, Peter accepts the Gentiles. He states that God now shows no partiality towards anyone and welcomes all into his kingdom. Like all other theophanies, this occurrence is difficult to explain and interpret. This theophany is arguably the most literally bizarre vision in the entire Bible. I believe that this theophany is just written to explain the change from a partial God to an impartial God that is accepting of all. The lowering sheet could represent the gradual increase of Christianity and its growing influence around the world while the different animals on the sheet could represent the variety of “unclean” foods that God now accepts.
While it is possible that the theophanies described in the Bible all happened as they are described, most readers conclude that the theophanies all represent a larger, more important topic. In my opinion, the theophanies are very similar to the parables found in the Bible. They are all representative of something else. Every story found in the Bible has an underlying major theme; many of the theophanies represent these underlying ideas such as idolatry, the growing influence of Christianity, or the rejection of some Jewish beliefs. Modern day theophanies are much easier to explain in my opinion. None of the modern theophanies are as dramatic or pronounced as the ones described in the Bible. Some modern day theophanies include seeing simple visions of Jesus, Mary, or other figures of the church. I believe these visions are the result of an excessive fundamentalist belief practiced by the visionary. In my opinion, the modern day theophanies are just a result of the seer’s imagination. Because of the seer’s extreme fundamentalist belief, they desire to see Jesus and other religious figures so badly that they begin to imagine that the deities are present.
