Christophany

Traditionally the term refers to visions of Christ after his ascension, such as the bright light of the conversion of Paul the Apostle.

[4] George Balderston Kidd (1852) popularised the term in relation to the identification of angels in the Old Testament as Christ.

[6] Since the work of James Borland (1978) usage of the term in conservative Christian publications related to Old Testament appearances of Christ has multiplied exponentially.

[12] J. Douglas MacMillan suggests that angel with whom Jacob wrestles is a "pre-incarnation appearance of Christ in the form of a man.

[15] Some church fathers such as Origen and later theologians such as Martin Luther believed another example is the "Man" who appears to Joshua, and identifies himself as "the commander of the army of the LORD."

Jewish commentators [2] reading the same text do not accept that this figure was Christ (or even Adonai), but rather the Archangel Michael.