Theophany vs. Hierophany — What's the Difference?

Theophany (from Ancient Greek (ἡ) θεοφάνεια theophaneia, meaning "appearance of a deity") is a personal encounter with a deity, that is an event where the manifestation of a deity occurs in an observable way. Specifically, it "refers to the temporal and spatial manifestation of God in some tangible form."Where the deity does not take tangible form (outward manifestation), the broader term used for inward manifestation is divine revelation or divine inspiration.

A hierophany is a manifestation of the sacred. The word is a formation of the Greek adjective hieros (Greek: ἱερός, 'sacred, holy') and the verb phainein (φαίνειν, 'to reveal, to bring to light').

An appearance of a god to a human; a divine manifestation.

(religion) A physical manifestation of the holy or sacred, serving as a spiritual eidolon for emulation or worship.

A manifestation of a deity to a person.

A manifestation of God to man by actual appearance, usually as an incarnation.

A visible (but not necessarily material) manifestation of a deity to a human person