God. Vulg. ut appareat nunc vultui Dei. (The Old Latin rendering modo apparuit personae Dei implies a reading ejnefanivsqh .) The open evident appearance of Christ before the face of God is contrasted with the appearance of the High-priest in the dark sanctuary veiled by the cloud of incense (Lev. 16:12 f.).
So too the face of God suggests the idea of a vision direct and absolute, not like that of the glory of the Lord (Ex. 40:34 ff.), or even that granted to Moses (Ex. 33:18 ff.).
The word ejmfanivzesqai (Matt. 27:53; comp. Rom. 10:20), as distinguished in such a connexion from fanerou'sqai (2 Cor. 5:11 f.), conveys the thought of that being made a clear object of sight, which under ordinary circumstances is not so (comp. Wisd. 1:2; 16:21; 17:4 favsmata ejnefanivzeto ; John 14:21 f.). jEmfanhv" is the general opposite to invisible, as fanerov" is to indistinct. In Christ humanity becomes the object of the regard of God. In the glorified Son the words used at critical revelations during His earthly work find absolute fulfilment: ejn soi; eujdovkhsa (Lk. 3:22; Matt. 17:5: [12:18]).
The phrase the face of God (of the Father) occurs in the N. T. only Matt. 18:10; Apoc. 22:4; and in quotations from the LXX. Acts 2:28; 1 Pet. 3:12; in addition to the occurrence of the phrase pro; proswvpou kurivou (Matt.
11:10 & c.). In the O. T. the thought of the face ( : ynIP; ) of God occupies an
important place, as expressing the revelation of His Presence (Ex. 33:14; Deut. 4:37, R. V.); and that either in judgment (Ps. 21:10 Heb.); or, as the defence (Ps. 31:20) and crowning joy of the faithful (Ps. 4:7; 17:15). The significance of the phrase is seen specially in the priestly blessing: Num. 6:25; comp. Ps. 4:6.
In this connexion it appears strange at first that Christ should be said to have entered the heavenly sanctuary to appear openly before the face of God and not to look on the face of God: that he should be described as the object of the vision of God and not that God should be spoken of as seen perfectly by Him. The explanation of the form of thought seems to lie in this, that everything finally must be referred to God: that which bears His regard is accepted by Him. Comp. Gal. 4:9 gnovnte" qeo;n ma'llon de; gnwsqevnte" uJpo; qeou' : 1 Cor. 13:12 tovte ejpignwvsomai kaqw;" kai; ejpegnwvsqhn : 1 Cor. 8:2, 3 ei[ ti" ajgapa'/ to;n qeo;n, ou|to" e[gnwstai uJpj aujtou' .
Nor must we limit the conception of the appearance of Christ before the face of God to one part of His work. It is commonly regarded only as the effective manifestation of His redeeming Passion (e.g.,apparet vultui, id est praesentiae et benevolentiae Dei Patris, intercedens apud eum pro nobis ostendendo cicatrices vulnerum quae pro nostra redemptione pertulit. Herv.); but it is necessary to include in it also the thought of the revelation of humanity consummated by the fulfilment of the will of God (Heb. 10:9 ff.). The appearance of Christ alone is, to our conception, the adequate presentment of the whole work of the Son to the Father (comp. Heb. 7:25 note).
There is another peculiarity in the form of expression which requires to be noticed, the combination of nu'n with the aor. ejmfanisqh'nai . This combination appears to affirm two complementary truths and to exclude two opposite errors. The manifestation of Christ, in whom humanity is shewn in its perfect ideal before the face of God, is one act at once ( ejmfanisqh'nai ); and still for us who work in time it is in the case of each believer a present act