Theophany: A Biblical Theology of God's Appearing

by Vern Sheridan Poythress

“A theologically rich, spiritually edifying exploration of all that the Bible says about an awe-striking reality.” ―Dennis Johnson

Each time God appears to his people throughout the Bible―in the form of a thunderstorm, a man, a warrior, a chariot, etc.―he comes to a specific person for a specific purpose. And each of these temporary appearances― called  theophanies ―helps us to better understand who he is, anticipating his climactic, permanent self-revelation in the incarnation of Christ. Describing the various accounts of God’s visible presence from Genesis to Revelation, theologian Vern S. Poythress helps us consider more deeply what they reveal about who God is and how he dwells with us today.

Genres: Theology, Biblical Studies

464 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2018

About the author

Vern Sheridan Poythress was born in 1946 in Madera, California, where he lived with his parents Ransom H. Poythress and Carola N. Poythress and his older brother Kenneth R. Poythress. After teaching mathematics for a year at Fresno State College (now California State University at Fresno), he became a student at Westminster Theological Seminary, where he earned an M.Div. (1974) and a Th.M. in apologetics (1974). He received an M.Litt. in New Testament from University of Cambridge (1977) and a Th.D. in New Testament from the University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, South Africa (1981).

He has been teaching in New Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia since 1976. In 1981 he was ordained as a teaching elder in the Reformed Presbyterian Church Evangelical Synod, which has now merged with the Presbyterian Church in America.

More information about his teaching at Westminster can be found at the Westminster Seminary website.

Dr. Poythress studied linguistics and Bible translation at the Summer Institute of Linguistics in Norman Oklahoma in 1971 and 1972, and taught linguistics at the Summer Institute of Linguistics in the summers of 1974, 1975, and 1977. He has published books on Christian philosophy of science, theological method, dispensationalism, biblical law, hermeneutics, Bible translation, and Revelation. A list of publications is found on this website.

Dr. Poythress married his wife Diane in 1983, and they have two children, Ransom and Justin. He has side interests in science fiction, string figures, volleyball, and computers.

The family lived on a farm until he was five years old. When he was nine years old he made a public commitment to Christ and was baptized in Chowchilla First Baptist Church, Chowchilla, California. The family later moved to Fresno, California, and he graduated from Bullard High School in Fresno.

He earned a B.S. in mathematics from California Institute of Technology (1966) and a Ph.D. in mathematics from Harvard University (1970).

Reviews

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: A study of the visible appearances of God to his people in scripture, what they reveal about God, and how they anticipate God’s ultimate appearing in the person of his Son, God incarnate.

The word theophany refers to a visible manifestation of God. Vern Poythress asserts that all of these point to the wondrous news that God desires to commune with his people and that we have the hope one day of seeing God “face to face.” Poythress sees this closely interconnected with God’s promises and their fulfillment, God’s covenantal relationship with his people, his kingdom rule and his presence, God with us. He believes all the theophanies of scripture anticipate the ultimate theophany of the incarnation of the Son of God and look forward to the consummation of his redemptive purposes in his return.

Poythress begins by cataloging the different types of theophanies and their significance: thunderstorm, fire, cloud, glory, God’s court, as a Man, a warrior, in a chariot. He then considers how we know God, both as transcendent and immanent. The appearances reflect God, and Poythress considers the different ways God is reflected via human appearance, the Spirit, the Trinity, and even reflections in creation and the clothing evident in appearances.

After this, the remainder of the book is a survey of the appearances of God throughout scripture, from Genesis to Revelation. One thing is apparent. God appears abundantly throughout the scriptures, and in doing so reveals his presence, promise, power and purposes to people. Poythress often shows how these appearances anticipate the appearing of his Son in the incarnation.

Poythress is thorough in his survey, clear in his explanation, and frequent in drawing out the significance of particular biblical teaching to larger overarching themes. He also includes appendices discussing the angel of the Lord, and two discussing the early chapters of Genesis. The one thing he does not discuss is that, given the many appearances of God in scripture, what expectation might believers have of theophanies, and what is the extrabiblical evidence of such through church history? The author contents himself to see the significance of theophany as our communion with Christ, which is the believer’s ultimate comfort, to be sure.

[Dr. David Steele · Rating 4 out of 5]

“A theophany is a manifestation of divine presence accompanied by an extraordinary display mediating that presence.” This is the primary goal of Vern S. Poythress in his recent book, Theophany: A Biblical Theology of God’s Appearing.

Theophanies, according to the author have three primary functions: (1) They manifest God’s character and glory. (2) They remind us that God is with us. (3) They fill us with a sense of holy anticipation for the final coming and appearance of God.

“In short,” writes Poythress, “God is present everywhere and at all times in the created world that he has made.” Theophany is arranged in five sections as outlined below:

Part I: The Biblical Theme of God Appearing

Part II: The Mystery of God Appearing

Part III: A History of God Appearing in the Old Testament

Part IV: A History of God Appearing in the New Testament

Using this framework, the author guides readers on an enthralling journey that presents God from cover to cover. A threefold theme emerges throughout this book that alert readers to the promises of God, his covenants, and the presence of God. Ultimately, the appearances of God foreshadow the appearance of God in Christ, who Poythress says is the “permanent and climactic theophany.”

I highly recommend Theophany and trust that many will be encouraged and edified as they come face-to-face with the God of the Bible.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.

[Harley Cottingham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Theophany is a rich look and definition into the particular and broad way the Bible defines “Theophany” and ultimately Gods desire for His presence to dwell with His people. Theophany in a nut shell has two levels, in instances of the burning bush, the cloud and fire at Mount Sinai, etc. Gods presence is fully revealed in a unique way, yet not fully unveiled. The other level is that way that Gods presence is reflected in things like creation, the Church, the temple, the Ark, etc.
to say the least Poythress does a great job of showing a kind of Typology/ Christology in that Jesus is the climax of Theophany and the cross is the finished work that has/ has yet to unite us to the presence of God.

Pros:
- Does a great job of giving many great insights of what Theophany is
- I had my perspective completely expanded on many things like the comparison of the court of God compared to the temple, or the monarchy of Israel, etc.
- I am encouraged to see a deeper understanding of Gods presence and model in places of scripture that I would not see before
- Any layperson can read this

Cons:
- Can get very repetitive
- moments when the author goes on to much about a particular example or does not go on long enough about a particular example

[Philip Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

The closet thing I've experienced to getting slain in the Spirit. A firehose of goodness.

[Bill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boy, was this a slog. I would get going on this. Tire of it. Put it down. Come back. Tire of it. Put it down, etc. etc. (see reading progress). Look, I hate giving a book I think written by a a man who I understand to be on point with his theology on the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints a couple "it was ok" stars. I also hate to give a book a couple stars about God. I mean, it's God right? So let me clarify. Everything Dr. Poythress wrote was legit. No quibble with that. I just simply didn't like the way it was presented. I was looking for more of a meditation on the way God reveals Himself throughout Scripture. Instead, you'll get a run down of every...single...bible...passage of what Dr Poythress believes is God revealing Himself and how he believes it reflects God's various attributes. It reads more like a data list than any sort of meditation. After a while, I thought the good doctor was just trying to be clever with his insight or something, but I let the irritation go and took his reflections for what they were worth in content (not style). But those reflections became repetitive, redundant, and after a while just plain boring. I did a lot of skimming starting halfway through he book. Frankly, if you just skip the whole book and go to the conclusion you'll be good to go. So yeah, this is on me and my opinion of the way the information was presented, but not a knock on the content in toto.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is LOADED with helpful information, but it reads incredibly dry.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is a good study of the topic but the diagrams in the early portion of the book are somewhat confusing and by the end of the book the author trades more detailed analysis of significant theophanies for an exhaustive (and exhausting) look at anything remotely resembling a theophany.

[Chrys Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

God Has Appeared
If you’re a genuine believer, you know for certain that God has appeared to His creation. Have you ever stopped to think about what this really means? Is the God of the Bible like the gods of pagan religion? Does He show up in ways that make Him seem more human than divine? Does He reveal Himself only to certain special people? Is He intersted in the people He created or does He stand far off passively watching? The answer to these questions and many more can be found within the pages of scripture. Vern Poythress’ excellent work Theophany aids readers in finding these answers, and many more, in scripture. In Theophany, Poythress set out (in 48 chapters!) to provide a thorough study of the various ways God appears in scripture, the purposes and patterns of His appearances, the progression of His appearing in the Old Testament, and His appearances to the Church in the New Testament—especially in the Son and Holy Spirit.

A Pastor’s Book
As a preacher and pastor, Theophany will be of great use in my preaching, teaching, counseling, and writing. Poythress’ in-depth writing on the various appearances of God will prove to be useful no matter what section of scripture I find myself in. Whether I am nestled deep in the intricate wording of Pauline epistles or traveling the broad scope of an Old Testament historical book, God will appear. When I am in the prophets or teaching from the apocalyptic texts, God is there also. Poythress not only shows this to his readers, but he walks them through the intricacies of those theophanies and how they point to the broader theme of God appearing to His creation and particularly to those who have placed their faith in Him. Theophany will prove to be a useful tool for God-centered preaching anytime we encounter God’s presence, whether physically or metaphorically, in the biblical text.

A Believer’s Book
This book is easily accessible and will prove to be a blessing for any believer seeking to more deeply understand and worship the God Who has come. The majority of this book is devoted to the Old Testament theophanies and how God made Himself known to the world in the days before Christ. As an evangelical in 2018, I can see a great need for more depth of knowledge in the Old Testament. We live in times where the Old Testament comes under fire from mainline and so-called evangelical preachers more often than we would like to admit. Poythress has provided a great resource for believers to use while engaging with God in the largest three-fourths of His written word.

To Stimulate Worship
Theophanies wasn’t merely written as an academic book reserved for library shelves and seminary bookstores. Poythress’ work is written to stir us up in our communion with God. His concluding sentences remind us of the monumental focus and aim we should have in all of our theology:
“Because God is God, in the communion and indwelling of the persons of the Trinity, he is pleased to present himself to us in his manifestation and his appearing. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, world without end! May the reality of our communion with God stimulate us to serve God in the hope of the fuller communion to come: He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! (Rev. 22: 20)”

Rating: 5 Stars

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Bob Priest · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all let me say this book is PACKED with information and detail. I went in thinking I had a grasp on theophanies and was I surprised. Poythress has described and explained theophanies from Genesis to Revelation, most of which I never considered.

Admittedly the book started slow for me and I was having trouble tracking but I stuck with it and it was worth the effort. I would encourage you to stick with it specially through part 1 The Biblical Theme of God Appearing. Poythress gives a broad picture of theophany through Scripture as well as its importance.

Poythress defines a theophany as “represents an intensive form of the presence of God.” He notes that not all theophanies involve a physical manifestation of Gods presence but can be contained in words, images and other manifestations. Poythress then reviews different types of theophanies. These can include thunderstorms, clouds, fire, courtrooms scenes and warrior theophanies. Even unbelievers can experience a theophany as pointed out in Genesis 40 and 41 and Daniel 4

Poythress does point out that “in all theophanies, a clear distinction is in place between God the creator and the phenomena of creation. In other words God is in the cloud or burning bush but He is NOT the cloud or burning bush.

In this section Poythress notes that theophanies cover covenant, kingdom and promise. While I followed this progress I did have a lot of trouble following the many charts in this section and they did not aid me in my understanding. That may also be part of my learning style. This may have been better if I were sitting in a class setting

Next Poythress covers the mystery of theophanies. He states that “each form does reveal him and does communicate things about who He is and what He does.” In this section he expands his definition of theophany to state “an intense expression of the broader theme of God’s presence”.
Here we can have events where God Himself may not appear but a reflection of Gods presence in another person or event.

I do admit that at times, especially in the Psalms I question is this a theophany or a literary description of the Psalmists prayer

The next two sections survey each section of Scripture and at times book by book expounding on theophanies through Scripture. This served as an unpacking of section 1.
In the end this is a great reference book, especially for the student looking to go deeper into the revelation of God and His character through Scripture as well as the common theme of God revealing Himself to us in Scripture.

As Poythress concludes. “All of these passages function simultaneously in three ways. First, they reveal who God is. The manifest his character and his glory. Second, they reinforce the biblical teaching that God in His kindness and grace draws near to his people – he is “God” with us (Matt 1:23). Third, they stir up the expectation for that final coming and appearance of God, which will take place in the second coming of Christ and the consummate victory that his coming will bring.”

Publisher provided a review copy at no charge.

[Kendra Dahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books that trace a Biblical theme from beginning to end, and Theophany does that in great detail. It’s a little daunting, 450 pages and written by an academic – which is why I was so surprised by how readable and enjoyable Poythress’s writing is, and how well he emphasizes the pastoral implications of studying the appearances of God throughout Scripture. The book gave me a deepened understanding and appreciation of God’s character rooted in the larger biblical themes of God’s promises, covenant, kingdom, and presence. And it’s ultimately aimed at “[showing] us what it means to enjoy God’s presence in blessing” which ultimately has “a climactic manifestation when Christ accomplishes his work on earth.” While it takes some work to get through, this book is more than an academic exercise but rather an invitation to worship.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher; this review is my own.

[Colin Gardner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poythress' language is readable yet precise. Many enlightening observations on the nature of theophanies are contained therein. Poythress expertly traces themes, common words, objects present in theophanies giving them a greater significance to the reader. However, the book often felt long-winded as many aspects of theophanies were discussed at a multiplicity and length. Also, many times Poythress observed theophanic elements where there seemingly is none and tended to take the 'theophany' category far too broad, rendering the term (almost) useless. So while the theology is solid and interesting observations were made, the book ended in being a drudge and too broad. I tend to have slightly higher expectations from a scholar of Poythress' caliber and a topic so unique.

[Dakota Briner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this at a Bible conference I went to. This book wasn't quite what I thought it would be, but I don't regret picking it up. There's a lot of good food for thought and the author is knowledgeable and bibilically minded. I can see myself coming back to it in the future to use as a source. It's a good addition to any Christian's bookshelf.

[Landon Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a remarkably thorough work! Poythress moves from Genesis to Revelation, tracing the theme of theophany - God's appearing to his people. This book doesn't contain a large amount of detail on any one passage. Rather, this book canvases the entirety of the Bible in an attempt to understand how theophanies work in the Scriptures.

[John Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is more of a reference work, not a good devotional book. If you come to it wanting devotional inspiration you will find it very dry in places.

[Seth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very insightful book on theophanies. Really shows how God was present throughout all history.