which biblical students appear to have been hitherto very little aware. It may, I think, be clearly made to appear that there is an appropriated form of expression in relation to the whole subject of theophanies and angelophanies, which has been almost entirely overlooked by critics and commentators, but the results of which must inevitably put a new phasis upon a whole class of texts bearing upon this theme, both in the Old and the New Testaments. It can undoubtedly be shown that the postresurrection appearances of our Lord belong to the department of the scriptural theophanies, and we shall moreover see, if we mistake not, that the soundest canons of hermeneutics absolutely compel the conclusion, that the various passages which announce the second advent of our Lord, cannot possibly be understood of what is generally termed a visible personal manifestation, such as can be taken cognizance of by the natural or outward eye. But the proof of this we reserve to a subsequent page. Our object at present is to unfold the diction which occurs in reference to the appearance of angels.

To those who are conversant with the original languages of Scripture it is well known that there is a number of distinct terms which are promiscuously rendered by our English "to see.” Thus we have in the Hebrew

the two leading terms

and, of which the former is the prevailing term for common and natural vision, while the latter and its derivatives are more especially appropriated to that interior mental vision which was peculiar to the prophets, whence in is used to designate a prophet or seer, and it prophetical vision. Thus Gesenius, as translated by Professor Robinson, gives as one of the leading senses of , "what is presented,

by a divine influence, to the prophet's mind, either in visions, properly so called, or in revelations, oracles, etc., as Hab. 1. 1, 'The oracle which Habakkuk saw,' i. e. which was divinely presented to his mind, which was revealed." It is indeed true that these senses are occasionally interchanged with each other, and that is applied to mental, and to ocular vision. But it is, nevertheless, undeniably the fact, that what I have stated is the dominant usage in regard to these two terms. Thus, for instance, throughout the visions of Daniel, where he speaks of seeing or beholding the visions of the supernatural diorama spread before him, the term is in

. חָזָה variably

In like manner the Greek, also, has a striking diversity of terms, though greater, to express the idea of “ seeing.” Thus we find εἴδω, ὁράω, βλέπω, θεωρέω, Deάoμaι, and orтoua, all rendered "see," and though occasionally their meanings run into each other, yet there is no doubt that a prevailing usage can be ascertained in regard to each. The last in the list above given, öлτоμαι, is the term which the usus loquendi of the sacred writers generally applies to angelic appearances, as also to the divine theophanies, mentioned in the Old Testament. Though applied in repeated instances to external vision, particularly in the Septuagint, yet it is capable of absolute demonstration, that of all the different terms for "seeing," it is this which is more especially used to denote that internal or intellectual perception which is expressed by the Hebrew, of which it is in several instances the Greek rendering, and which was developed in the prophets, when made the subjects of supernatural revelations. This usage we now proceed to illustrate by a copious list of examples:

Gen. 12. 7, "And the Lord appeared (9) unto Abraham, and said, etc.,—and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared (op9ivu) unto him." This, of course, could not be an appearance made to the outward organ of vision, because in this sense our Saviour declares, John 1. 18," No man hath seen (Empúxɛ) God at any time," which is reiterated by the apostle, 1 Tim. 6. 16, Whom no man hath seen (sider) or can see" (ideiv). Yet in another sense we find this very term applied to the vision of God, Mat. 5. 5, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they

shall see God (ὄψονται τον Θεόν).”

Gen. 35. 9, "And God appeared (open) unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padan-aram."

Ex. 3. 2, "And the angel of the Lord appeared (qdn) unto him in a flame of fire."

Judg. 6. 12, "And the angel of the Lord appeared (p) unto him.”

13. 3, "And the angel of the Lord appeared (n) unto the woman."

1 Kings 3. 5, "In Gibeon the Lord appeared (p&n) unto Solomon in a dream by night."

Luke 1.11, "And there appeared (9ŋ) unto him an an

gel of the Lord, standing on the right side of the altar." "22. 43," And there appeared (9) an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him."

Acts 7. 30,"And when forty years were expired, there appeared (r) to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush.'

"7. 35, "The same did God send to be a ruler and deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared (opεvtos) to him in the bush.'

Rev. 11. 19, "And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen (aq) in his temple the ark of his testament.' This is, of course, an intellectual vision. So also that which follows. Rev. 12. 1," And there appeared (o'q9ŋ) a

a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun," etc. It is clear, therefore, that this is the proper term to express that kind of sight which was accorded to the prophets in their ecstasies.

The only question that can arise in regard to these and a multitude of similar cases is, whether the appearing spoken of was made to the outward or the inward eye. This question must be determined by an appeal to the prevailing usage in regard to the term. In the following passages, taken exclusively from the New Testament, it will be obvious that the "seeing" indicated by the term is a seeing by the eye of the mind, and not of the body.

Luke 3. 16, "And all flesh shall see (opera) the salvaof God."

"17. 22, "The days will come when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and ye shall not see (οὐκ ὄψεσθε) it.”

John 3. 36, "He that believeth not the Son, shall not see (usta) life."

Rom. 5. 21, "To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see (yorra), and they that have not heard shall understand."

Heb. 12. 14, " Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see (opera) the Lord.” In all these cases the import is that of mental or spiritual vision. Guided by this clew we may assign to the same class the vision of Christ with Moses and Elias

at the transfiguration, whom we conceive there is no reason to suppose they beheld with the natural eye. Mat. 17. 3, "And behold, there appeared (agno av) unto them Moses and Elias talking with him."

Luke 9. 31, 32, "And behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias; who appeared (noav) in glory and spake of his decease." So also of the event announced by our Saviour in the following passage, which we conceive is to be interpreted of a similar kind of vision.

John 1. 5, " And he saith unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, hereafter ye shall see (oysσ9) heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

Thus, too, of the miracle of the cloven tongues. Acts 2. 3, "And there appeared (qnoav) unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them."

From the general usage of the term, we infer that it has here the import, not of a bodily, but of a mental vision. Not but that the effect produced upon the internal sensorium was to their consciousness the same as if an external object had been present to produce it, but our position still is, that such an object was not present, but that the perception was the result of an immediate exertion of divine power.

Acts 2. 17, "And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh : and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions (ὀράσεις ὄψονται), and your old men shall dream dreams." The Greek ogάois denotes a mental and not an ocular vision.