is mentioned by Clement of Alexandria. It refers in general to the manifestation of Clirist in the world, and origi- nally bore the twofold character of a celebration of the birth and the baptism of Jesus. After the introduction of Christ- mas, it lost its reference to the birth. The Eastern church commemorated on this day especially the baptism of Christ, or the manifestation of His Messiahship, and together with this the first manifestation of His miraculous power at the marriage at Cana. The Western church, more Gentile-Christian in its origin, gave this festival, after the fourth century, a special reference to the adoration of the infant Jesus by the wise men from the east,'' under the name of the feast of the Three Kings, and transformed it into a festival of Gentile missions ; consid- • ering the wise men as the representatives of the nobler heathen * Tai ivicpiveia, or iir Kpavla, XpttTT o(pavla, also ^eoipavla. Comp. voL i. § 99. " Matt. ii. 1-11. 400 THIRD PEEIOD. A.D. 311-590. "world/ Thus at tlie same time tlie original comiectioii of tlio feast vnth the birth of Christ was preserved. Epiphany forms the close of the Chi-istmas Cycle. It was an early custom to announce the term of the Easter observance on the day of Epi- phany by the so-called jt,j)isiolcB paschales, or ypd/xfiara nra- ^■^(akia. This was done especially by the bishop of Alexan- dria, where astronomy most flourished, and the occasion was improved for edifying instructions and for the discussion of im- portant religious questions of the day. § 78. The Easter Cycle, Easter is the oldest and greatest annual festival of the church. As to its essential idea and observance, it was born with the Christian Sunday on the morning of the resurrection.'' Like the passover with the Jews, it originally marked the be- ginning of the church year. It revolves entirely about the person and the work of Christ, being devoted to the great sav- ing fact of his passion and resurrection. We have already spoken of the origin and character of this festival,' and shall confine ourselves here to the alterations and enlargements which it underwent after the Nicene age. The Easter festival proper was preceded by a forty days' season of repentance and fasting, called Quadragesima, at least ' Augustine, Sermo 203 : " Hodiemo die manifestatus redemptor omnium gen- tium," &e. The transformation of the Persian magi or priest-philosophers mto three kings (Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar) by the medieval legend was a hasty infer- ence from the triplicity of the gifts and from Ps. Ixxii. 10, 11. The legend brings us at last to tlie cathedral at Cologne, where the bodies of the three saint-kings are to this day exhibited and worshipped. ^ The late Dr. Fried. Strauss of Berlin, an eminent writer on the church year (Das evangeUsche Kirchenjahr, p. 218), says: "Das heihge Osterfest ist das christ- liche Test schlechthin. Es ist nicht bios Hauptfest, sondem das Fest, das einmal