Christophany

A Christophany is an appearance or non-physical manifestation of Christ. Traditionally the term refers to visions of Christ after his ascension, such as the bright light of the Damascus Christophany.

Also, following the example of Justin Martyr who identified the Angel of the Lord with the Logos, some appearances of angels in the Hebrew Bible are also identified by some Christians as preincarnate appearances of Christ.

The etymology is from the Greek (Christos) and the Greek ending "phany" from the verb phaneroō, to be revealed or to manifest. This noun is derived by direct comparison with the term theophany (theo-phaneia).

Academics generally use the term solely in relation to the New Testament visions of Christ.George Balderston Kidd (1852) popularised the term in relation to the identification of angels in the Old Testament as Christ.

The term was used by Albert Joseph Edmunds (1857–1941) in relation to the revealing of Christ in Christianity and Buddhism.

Since the work of James Borland (1978) usage of the term in conservative Christian publications related to Old Testament appearances of Christ has multiplied exponentially.

A New Testament Christophany is Paul's vision of Christ on the road to Damascus, and the subsequent one of Ananias. Another New Testament example is John's vision of the Son of Man, recounted in Revelation 1:12-18.

Genesis 3:8 was regarded by most Church Fathers and medieval commentators as an appearance by the Logos, or pre-existent Christ, and in art God was always given the features of Jesus until about 1400.

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