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of the shepherds circumcision adoration of the magi flight into egypt massacre of the innocents presentation return to nazareth finding in the temple ministry baptism temptation commissioning the twelve apostles sermon on the mount plain beatitudes lord s prayer miracles parables prayer rejection transfiguration passion triumphal entry into jerusalem temple cleansing second coming prophecy anointing last supper farewell discourse paraclete promised agony in the garden kiss of judas arrest sanhedrin trial mocking herod s court pilate s court flagellation crown of thorns via dolorosa crucifixion descent from the cross entombment harrowing of hell resurrection empty tomb appearances noli me tangere road to emmaus great commission ascension in rest of the new testament road to damascus john s vision portals christianity bible v t e the transfiguration of jesus is an event described in the new testament where jesus is transfigured and becomes radiant in glory upon a mountain 1 2 the synoptic gospels matthew 17 1 8 mark 9 2 13 luke 9 28 36 recount the occasion and the second epistle of peter also refers to it ancient christian texts considered non canonical by catholic and eastern orthodox doctrine such as the treatise on the resurrection from the nag hammadi corpus refer to the scene as well in the gospel accounts jesus and three of his apostles peter james and john go to a mountain the mount of transfiguration to pray on the mountaintop jesus begins to shine with bright rays of light then the old testament figures moses and elijah appear and he speaks with them both figures had eschatological roles they symbolize the law and the prophets respectively jesus is then called son by the voice of god the father as in the baptism of jesus 1 many christian traditions including the eastern orthodox catholic lutheran and anglican churches commemorate the event in the feast of the transfiguration a major festival in the original koine greek the word μετεμορφώθη metemorphōthē he was transformed is used to describe the event in matthew and mark 3 in greek orthodoxy the event is called the metamorphosis 4 significance edit the transfiguration is one of the miracles of jesus in the gospels 2 5 6 thomas aquinas considers the transfiguration the greatest miracle in that it complemented baptism and showed the perfection of life in heaven 7 the transfiguration is one of the five major milestones in the gospel narrative of the life of jesus the others being baptism crucifixion resurrection and ascension 8 9 in 2002 pope john paul ii introduced the luminous mysteries in the rosary which include the transfiguration in christian teachings the transfiguration is a pivotal moment and the setting on the mountain is presented as the point where human nature meets god the meeting place of the temporal and the eternal with jesus as both true man and true god serving the connecting point acting as the bridge between heaven and earth 10 moreover christians consider the transfiguration to fulfill an old testament messianic prophecy that elijah would return again after his ascension malachi 4 5 6 gardner 2015 p 218 states the very last of the writing prophets malachi promised a return of elijah to hold out hope for repentance before judgment mal 4 5 6 elijah himself would reappear in the transfiguration there he would appear alongside moses as a representative of all the prophets who looked forward to the coming of the messiah matt 17 2 9 mark 9 2 10 luke 9 28 36 christ s redemptive sacrifice was the purpose for which elijah had ministered and it was the goal about which elijah spoke to jesus in the transfiguration new testament accounts edit georgian manuscript of transfiguration in the gospel of mark 1300 in the synoptic gospels matthew 17 1 8 mark 9 2 13 luke 9 28 36 the account of the transfiguration happens towards the middle of the narrative 11 it is a key episode and almost immediately follows another important element the confession of peter you are the christ matthew 16 16 mark 8 29 luke 9 20 1 the transfiguration narrative acts as a further revelation of the identity of jesus as the son of god to some of his disciples 1 11 in the gospels jesus takes three of his apostles peter james son of zebedee and james brother john with him and goes up to a mountain which is not named once on the mountain matthew 17 2 states that jesus was transfigured before them his face shining as the sun and his garments became white as the light at that point the prophet elijah representing the prophets and moses representing the law appear and jesus begins to talk to them 1 luke states that they spoke of jesus s exodus εξοδον which he was about to accomplish in jerusalem lk 9 31 luke is also specific in describing jesus in a state of glory with luke 9 32 stating they saw his glory 12 just as elijah and moses begin to depart from the scene peter begins to ask jesus if the disciples should make three tents for him and the two prophets this has been interpreted as peter s attempt to keep the prophets there longer 12 but before peter can finish a bright cloud appears and a voice from the cloud states this is my beloved son with whom i am well pleased listen to him mark 9 7 the disciples then fall to the ground in fear but jesus approaches and touches them telling them not to be afraid when the disciples look up they no longer see elijah or moses 1 when jesus and the three apostles are walking down the mountain jesus tells them to not tell anyone the things they had seen until the son of man has risen from the dead the apostles are described as questioning among themselves as to what jesus meant by risen from the dead 13 in addition to the principal account given in the synoptic gospels in 2 peter 1 16 18 the apostle peter describes it as follows for we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our lord jesus christ in power but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty he received honor and glory from god the father when the voice came to him from the majestic glory saying this is my son whom i love with him i am well pleased we ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain elsewhere in the new testament paul the apostle s reference in 2 corinthians 3 18 to the transformation of believers via beholding as in a mirror the glory of the lord became the theological basis for considering the transfiguration as the catalyst for processes which lead the faithful to the knowledge of god 14 15 some scholars believe that the gospel of john lacks an account of the transfiguration though others argue that the gospel of john does in fact allude to the transfiguration in john 1 14 16 17 18 mark goodacre notes a parallel between john 1 14 and luke 9 32 where the disciples talk about building tabernacles and seeing the glory the verse reveals that the narrator of john is the disciple whom jesus loved a character in the synoptics 17 18 19 one explanation that goes back to eusebius of caesarea in the 4th century is that john wrote his gospel not to overlap with the synoptic gospels but to supplement them and hence he did not include all of their narrative 17 most scholars today agree john knew and used the synoptic gospels goodacre notes that since john presupposes the synoptics there was no need to narrate every incident 19 20 18 the general explanation is thus the gospel of john was written thematically to suit the author s theological purposes and has a less narrative style than the synoptics 17 18 theology edit importance edit mosaic of the transfiguration saint catherine s monastery mount sinai christian theology assigns a great deal of significance to the transfiguration based on multiple elements of the narrative in christian teachings the transfiguration is a pivotal moment and the setting on the mountain is presented as the point where human nature meets god the meeting place for the temporal and the eternal with jesus as the connecting point acting as the bridge between heaven and earth 10 the transfiguration not only supports the identity of jesus as the son of god as in his baptism but the statement listen to him identifies him as the messenger and mouth piece of god 21 the significance of this identification is enhanced by the presence of elijah and moses for it indicates to the apostles that jesus is the voice of god par excellence and instead of moses or elijah representing the law and the prophets he should be listened to surpassing the laws of moses by virtue of his divinity and filial relationship with god 21 2 peter 1 16 18 echoes the same message at the transfiguration god assigns to jesus a special honor and glory and it is the turning point at which god exalts jesus above all other powers in creation and positions him as ruler and judge 22 the transfiguration also echoes the teaching by jesus as in matthew 22 32 that god is not the god of the dead but of the living although moses had died and elijah had been taken up to heaven centuries before as in 2 kings 2 11 they now live in the presence of the son of god implying that the same return to life applies to all who face death and have faith 23 historical development edit 12th century icon of the transfiguration the theology of the transfiguration received the attention of the church fathers from the earliest times in the 2nd century irenaeus was fascinated by the transfiguration and wrote the glory of god is a live human being and a truly human life is the vision of god 24 origen s theology of the transfiguration influenced the patristic tradition and became a basis for theological writings by others 25 among other issues given the instruction to the apostles to keep silent about what they had seen until the resurrection origen comments that the glorified states of the transfiguration and the resurrection must be related 25 the desert fathers emphasized the light of the ascetic experience and related it to the light of the transfiguration a theme developed further by evagrius ponticus in the 4th century 25 around the same time gregory of nyssa and later pseudo dionysius the areopagite were developing a theology of light which then influenced byzantine meditative and mystical traditions such as the tabor light and theoria 25 the iconography of the transfiguration continued to develop in this time period and there is a 6th century symbolic representation in the apse of the basilica of sant apollinare in classe and a well known depiction at saint catherine s monastery on mount sinai in egypt 26 byzantine fathers often relied on highly visual metaphors in their writings indicating that they may have been influenced by the established iconography 27 the extensive writings of maximus the confessor may have been shaped by his contemplations on the katholikon at saint catherine s monastery not a unique case of a theological idea appearing in icons long before it appears in writings 28 in the 7th century maximus the confessor said that the senses of the apostles were transfigured to enable them to perceive the true glory of christ in the same vein building on 2 corinthians 3 18 by the end of the 13th century the concept of transfiguration of the believer had stabilized and gregory palamas considered true knowledge of god to be a transfiguration of man by the spirit of god 29 the spiritual transfiguration of the believer then continued to remain a theme for achieving a closer union with god 15 30 one of the generalizations of christian belief has been that the eastern church emphasizes the transfiguration while the western church focuses on the crucifixion however in practice both branches continue to attach significance to both events although specific nuances continue to persist 31 an example of such a nuance is the saintly signs of the imitation of christ unlike catholic saints such as padre pio or francis of assisi who considered stigmata a sign of the imitation of christ eastern orthodox saints have never reported stigmata but saints such as seraphim of sarov and silouan the athonite have reported being transfigured by an inward light of grace 32 33 connection to the resurrection edit transfiguration by alexandr ivanov 1824 origen s initial connection of the transfiguration with the resurrection continued to influence theological thought long thereafter 25 this connection developed both within the theological and iconographic dimensions which however often influenced each other between the 6th and 9th centuries the iconography of the transfiguration in the east influenced the iconography of the resurrection at times depicting various figures standing next to a glorified christ 34 most commentators in the middle ages considered the transfiguration a preview of the glorified body of christ following his resurrection 35 as an example in the 8th century in his sermon on the transfiguration the benedictine monk ambrosius autpertus directly links the supper at emmaus appearance in luke 24 39 to the transfiguration narrative of matthew 17 2 and states that in both cases jesus was changed to a different form not of nature but of glory 35 the concept of the transfiguration as a preview and an anticipation of the resurrection includes several theological components 36 on one hand it cautions the disciples and therefore the reader that the glory of the transfiguration and the message of jesus can only be understood in the context of his death and resurrection and not simply on its own 36 37 when the transfiguration is considered an anticipation of the resurrection the presentation of a shining jesus on the mount of transfiguration as the son of god who should be listened to can be understood in the context of the statement by jesus in the resurrection appearance in matthew 28 16 20 all authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth 37 presence of prophets edit the presence of the prophets next to jesus and the perceptions of the disciples have been subject to theological debate origen was the first to comment that the presence of moses and elijah represented the law and the prophets referring to the torah also called the pentateuch and the rest of the hebrew bible 25 martin luther continued to see them as the law and the prophets respectively and their recognition of and conversation with jesus as a symbol of how jesus fulfills the law and the prophets matthew 5 17 19 see also expounding of the law 38 more recently biblical scholar caleb friedeman has argued that the appearance of moses and elijah together at the transfiguration was because both of them had witnessed similar theophanies at mount sinai friedeman asserts that in light of both old testament theophanies the transfiguration must be considered a theophany in which jesus manifests his divinity 39 the connection between the mount sinai horeb theophanies of both moses and elijah and their presence at the transfiguration is also made by the new american bible 40 the real presence of...
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