A Brighter Day Begins with His Word.

John McClintock & James Strong • SECTION 443

Section 443

← McClintock & Strong Cyclopaedia — Volume 10

4. The manifestation of God in Christological theoph- any begins with the voice or the miracle of hearing (the voice of God and of heaven being identical, but different from the Bath-Kol of the later Jews), and progresses towards apparition proper, which is a miracle addressed to the eye, and in which the angel of the Lord appears escorted by actual angels, at first only two, but in later instances myriads in number. See Batii-Kou

6, Theoijhany, the objective mode of revelation, never takes place without being accompanied in the mind of the observer with an ecstatic vision. This connection with the theophany distinguishes the vision from the ordinary historical occurrence (2 Kings vi, 17 ; John xx, 12; Acts ix, 7; comp. xxii, 9; xii, 11). On the other hand, no vision is without its element of theophany, which fact distinguishes it from mere subjective hallu- cination (Isa. vi, 1 sq. ; the book of Daniel; Zechariah ; Acts X, 3). See Vision.

6. The various modes of manifestation can be distin- guished, therefore, only when the predominantly ob- jective facts of the theophany are compared with the predominantly subjective facts of the vision. See Prophecy.

7. Theophanic Christophany enters fully into earthly

TIIEOPHILANTIIROPISTS 333

THEOPIIILUS

conditions by being incorporated in elements of nature and of soul-life. It completes itself in one direction by the apparition of angels, and in the other by symbolical representations of an earthly nature ((icn. iii, 24; Exod. iv, 16 ; Psa. xviii, 1 1 ; civ, 4 ; Isa. Ixi, 2 ; Mai. ii, 7) ; but most of all by the Uriin and Thummim (q. v.).

8. Vision takes place in the way of a momentary va- cating of the body or an ecstasy (2 Cor. xii, 4). It ex- pands in an abundance of symbolical and allegorical vi- sions (Ezek., Dan., Zech., Rev.), and finds its completion in the prophetic dream. The latter is conditioned in a higher determination of the ordinary life of the person chosen, and occurs chiefly where the common life has not been developed to any considerable extent, as with the Old-Test. Joseph ; or where it is involved with a secular calling, as in the case of the New-Test. Joseph. See DuKAir.

9. The life of Christ combined into a higher unity all the fragmentary features of pre-Christian theopha- nies (TToXiirpoTTioe, Heb. i. 1). His personal life reveal- ed God to the world, and the entire universe became for him, in turn, a theophanic environment attesting him- self; because his whole inner life became an incessant subjective vision, in which the contrast between ecstasy and ordinary consciousness of the world no longer ex- ists. Consult Herzog, Real-Enci/liop. s. v. ; Buttstedt, De Adparitionibus Deonun Geniilium (Ger. 1744) ; Mil- lies, De Variis Generihus QiO(pavtiS)v (Hal. 1802) ; Stud, u. Krit. 18o0, No. ii. See Ciiristologv.

Theophilaiithropists (Gr. lovers of God arid mail), the name assumed by a jiarty of French deists during the Reign of Terror to indicate their adherence to a natural or theistic religion and worship which were intended to supersede Christianity. In February, 1795, freedom of religious opinion, and with it of religious wor- ship, was allowed; and it was clear tliat neither Chris- tianity nor Catholicism in its usual forms had been driven out of the hearts of the people. The civil au- thorities were much concerned lest the old political sympathies for royalty should revive with Catholicism. Still, a felt consciousness of the necessity of some relig- ion led many to adopt a form of worship adapted to a natural religion. The foundation of this new religion was laid in 1796 by five heads of familes, who, having declared themselves Theophilanthropists, met together every week for united prayer, to listen to moral re- marks, and to sing hymns in honor of God. In the same year a kind of catechism or directory for public or social worship was published at Paris under the title of Manuel des Theaiitrophiles. This breviary was based on the simple fundamental articles of a belief in the ex- istence of (iod and in the immortality of the soul. In 1797 Lareveillere-Lepaux stood at the head of the so- ciety; the Directory assigned ten parish churches to the rapidly growing association, and the new worship soon spread over the provinces. As to their mode of wor- ship, there was a simple altar — whereon flowers and fruit, according to their season, were placed as thank-of- ferings— and a rostrum for the speaker. The walls were adorned with moral mottoes, such as, "Children, honor your parents and respect your elders;" "Hus- bands and wives, be kind to one another." Instead of the traditional festivals, there now occurred those of nature, arranged according to the seasons of the year ; in the place of sacraments, there were arbitrary and highly sentimental ceremonies, which took place at the birth of a child, at the reception of new members, at celebrations of marriage, at distribution of prizes to children, and at funerals. They had four special festi- vals, in honor of Socrates, St. Vincent de Paul, Jean Jacques Rousseau, and Washington. As religious feel- ing began to revive, the Theophilanthropists began to decline. They and their sentimental trumpery were turned out of the churches; the Revolutionary govern- ment forbade them, Oct. 4, 1801, to use even the three churches which were left in their hands; and when their petition for holding their services elsewhere was

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