Long before Christmas in Bethlehem, something remarkable appears throughout the pages of the Old Testament: manifestations of God that hint at a divine mystery yet to be revealed. The Church has wrestled for centuries with a profound question: When God appeared to Abraham, Moses, and the prophets, who exactly did they see?
The answer involves what theologians call “Christophanies,” appearances of the pre-incarnate Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity, before He took on human flesh. But the story doesn’t end at the Incarnation. The manifestations of Christ continue in the New Testament, culminating in feasts we still celebrate today. Understanding both the Old Testament appearances and the New Testament revelations helps us grasp the full scope of how God has chosen to make Himself known.
What Is a Christophany?
A Christophany is closely related to a theophany, which simply means a manifestation of God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church notes that these theophanies “light up the way of the promise” from the patriarchs to the prophets. But here’s the key insight: Christian tradition has often recognized that these Old Testament appearances were specifically manifestations of God’s Word—the Second Person of the Trinity who would later become incarnate as Jesus Christ.
Think of it this way: When God appeared in visible form in the Old Testament, He did so through His Word. The unbegotten Father, in His transcendent glory, cannot be seen directly. As Saint John tells us, “No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known” (John 1:18). So when we read about God walking in the Garden of Eden, appearing to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, or speaking to Moses from the burning bush, many Church Fathers believed we were encountering the pre-incarnate Son.
This wasn’t just theological speculation. The early Church held this view widely. Eusebius of Caesarea argued that since the unbegotten and immutable essence of God cannot change into human form, the “God and Lord who judges all the earth” appearing in human likeness must be the pre-existent Word. Church Fathers like Novatian and Ephraim the Syrian echoed this understanding, seeing Christ’s presence woven throughout the Old Testament narrative.
A Debate Among the Fathers
Not every Church Father agreed, however. Saint Augustine took a different approach, and his influence shaped Catholic thought for centuries. Augustine argued that these Old Testament appearances were inconsistent with the equality between the Father and the Son. If only the Son appeared, wouldn’t that make Him somehow subordinate? Augustine believed Scripture itself taught that angels—created beings acting as messengers—were responsible for these appearances, not the divine Word Himself.
This raises an important question about a specific biblical figure: the Angel of the Lord. Throughout the Old Testament, this mysterious being speaks with divine authority, even saying things like “you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me” (Genesis 22:12). Some have interpreted this Angel of the Lord as a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ.
However, as Catholic apologist Jimmy Akin points out, the more common Catholic understanding is that we should see this as an angelic messenger speaking in the Lord’s voice, much like a royal herald reading a proclamation written in the king’s voice. When ancient messengers delivered messages, they spoke in the first person on behalf of their master. Saint Paul seems to support this view, referring to angels as mediators in giving the Law to Moses (Galatians 3:19).
That said, the Church permits the theological opinion that the Angel of the Lord could be a Christophany. Both views remain within Catholic orthodoxy. What matters most is recognizing that God was revealing Himself progressively throughout salvation history, preparing His people for the ultimate revelation.
The Fullness of Revelation in the Incarnation
Whether or not specific Old Testament appearances were Christophanies, one truth stands unshakeable: the Incarnation represents the climax of divine revelation. Everything in the Old Testament was moving toward this moment when “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).
The visions of God granted to Moses, Isaiah, and the prophets were revelations in “similitudes,” representations that pointed beyond themselves. They were shadows and types, preparing God’s people for the reality. But when Christ was born of the Virgin Mary, God showed His true face. As the Catechism beautifully expresses, Jesus’ humanity fully manifests the infinite divine mystery. To look at Jesus is to see God; His divinity radiates from His humanity.
This is why the Transfiguration is so significant. Moses and Elijah—two men who had experienced theophanies, direct encounters with God on mountains—finally beheld the unveiled face of God shining in the face of Christ. What they had glimpsed imperfectly in their Old Testament encounters, they now saw fully revealed in Jesus, crucified and risen.
The Incarnation answered definitively the question of Old Testament appearances. Whatever form those earlier manifestations took, they all pointed forward to this: God becoming truly man while remaining truly God, so that we might see, touch, and know Him.
Manifestations of Christ in the New Testament
The Church’s liturgy uses the term “theophany” not just for Old Testament appearances but also for the New Testament manifestations of Christ. During Christmastide, we celebrate several moments when Christ revealed His divine identity, each one a window into the mystery of who He truly is.
The Nativity itself is a theophany: God made visible in the flesh. When the shepherds came to Bethlehem, they weren’t just visiting a newborn baby. They were encountering God Himself, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. The Incarnation transformed everything: the invisible God could now be seen, the intangible could be touched, the eternal entered time.
The Epiphany extends this revelation to the Gentiles. The word “epiphany” means “appearance” or “manifestation.” When the Magi arrived from the East, following the star to worship the newborn king, they represented all the nations of the world recognizing Christ as Messiah. For the first time, Gentiles (those outside the covenant people of Israel) came to adore the God who had now revealed Himself to all humanity.
The Baptism of Christ in the Jordan River is perhaps the most explicit theophany in the New Testament. Here, all three Persons of the Trinity manifest themselves simultaneously: the Father’s voice declares, “This is my beloved Son,” the Son stands in the waters, and the Holy Spirit descends like a dove. This marks the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, His formal commissioning as Messiah. The hidden years of Nazareth give way to His revelation as Savior.
Finally, the miracle at Cana completes this cycle of manifestations. Saint John tells us that Jesus “manifested his glory and his disciples believed in him” (John 2:11). The turning of water into wine wasn’t just a kind gesture at a wedding. It was a sign revealing Christ’s divine power and pointing forward to the greater transformation He would accomplish: changing bread and wine into His Body and Blood.
Why These Manifestations Matter
Understanding Christophanies (both Old and New Testament) isn’t just an academic exercise. These appearances reveal something essential about how God chooses to relate to us. He doesn’t remain distant and unknowable. He breaks into history, making Himself visible, audible, tangible.
The Old Testament appearances, whatever their precise nature, show God’s relentless pursuit of His people. He appeared to Abraham to make a covenant. He revealed Himself to Moses to liberate His people from slavery. And he spoke to the prophets to call Israel back to faithfulness. Each appearance was an act of divine condescension—God stooping down to meet humanity where we are.
But these were only the preparation. In the Incarnation, God’s self-revelation reached its fullness. Jesus Christ is not just another theophany, another temporary appearance. He is God permanently united to human nature. His humanity doesn’t fade away or get left behind after His mission. Even now, at the Father’s right hand in glory, Jesus remains fully human as well as fully divine.
This has profound implications. It means that our human nature has been elevated and dignified in a way unimaginable in the Old Testament. It means that God knows human experience from the inside: our joys, our sorrows, our temptations, our sufferings. The Incarnation bridges the infinite distance between Creator and creature not temporarily but eternally.
When we celebrate the feasts of Christmas, Epiphany, and the Baptism of the Lord, we’re not just commemorating historical events. We’re celebrating the fact that the invisible God made Himself visible, the Word became flesh, and heaven touched earth. These manifestations continue to shape our faith today, reminding us that Christianity is not about abstract ideas but about encountering a Person: Jesus Christ, true God and true man.
Conclusion: The Face of God Revealed
From the mysterious appearances in the Old Testament to the clear revelation in the New, the story of Christophanies is ultimately about God’s desire to be known. The debates among the Church Fathers about the exact nature of Old Testament theophanies, while interesting, matter less than the central truth they all affirmed: God has never been content to remain hidden.
The pre-incarnate Word may or may not have walked with Adam in the Garden or appeared to Abraham as a man. But we know with certainty that this same Word “became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). In Jesus Christ, we see the Father’s glory, not dimly or in shadows, but face to face.
As the Catechism reminds us, everything in Christ’s human nature reveals the divine. His miracles, His teachings, His sufferings, and even His death all manifest who God truly is. To know Jesus is to know the Father. To see Jesus is to see God.
This is why the Church continues to proclaim and celebrate these manifestations. In a world that often feels abandoned by God, these theophanies (especially the Incarnation itself) assure us that God has not left us alone. He has shown His face, spoken His Word, and made His dwelling among us. And that changes everything.
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