posted by Garrison Keillor at the Writer's Almanac list serv for today:
Today is the Feast of the Epiphany in the Christian Church. The word 'epiphany' comes from an old Greek word meaning 'manifestation' or 'striking appearance.' In ancient Greece, before Christianity, it was a term used to document occasions when Greek gods and goddesses manifested themselves to human beings on earth.
In the modern Greek Orthodox Church, the Feast of the Epiphany is a broad and encompassing celebration of God becoming man: the birth of the baby Jesus, the Magi visiting from Persia, and, especially, Jesus' baptism in the Jordan River. In the Roman Catholic Church, however, the focus is on the image of the wise men bringing gifts of frankincense, myrrh, and gold to the infant Jesus, guided from their homeland of Iran by a shining star.
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