An Epiphany Message from the Dean
Poor Epiphany: squeezed in between the glory of the season of Christmas and the austerity of the observance of Lent. And, perhaps not so many even know what the word "epiphany"* means.
Perhaps many of us know the dramatic basis of this "in between" season: The account in Matthew's Gospel of mysterious visitors coming to visit and pay homage to the newborn king of the Jews. (Matthew 2:1ff). The Greek word to describe these mysterious visitors is not "king" (i.e., "basileus") but rather the Greek word for "astrologers" ("Magi" - the Greek noun indicates male), sometimes translated as "wise men." The first thing we know about them is that they were star-gazers; their workaday world was to study the motions of the stars and to offer interpretation of the meaning of their movement.