Transfiguration of Jesus

Transfiguration of Jesus jor milestones in the gospel narrative of the life of Jesus, the others being Baptism, Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension.[7][8] In 2002, Pope John Paul II introduced the Luminous Mysteries in the Rosary, which includes 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 for the temporal and the eternal, with Jesus himself as the connecting point, acting as the bridge between heaven and earth.[9] 1 New Testament accounts Portable icon with the Transfiguration of Christ, Byzantine art- work, circa 1200, depicting Elijah, Jesus, and Moses with the three apostles The Transfiguration of Jesus is an episode in the New Testament narrative in which Jesus is transfigured (or metamorphosed) and becomes radiant upon a mountain.[1][2] The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 17:1–9, Mark 9:2-8, Luke 9:28–36) describe it, and 2 Peter 1:16– 18 refers to it.[1] In these accounts, Jesus and three of his apostles go to a mountain (the Mount of Transfiguration). On the mountain, Jesus begins to shine with bright rays of light. Then the prophets Moses and Elijah appear next to him and he speaks with them. Jesus is then called extquotedblSon extquotedbl by a voice in the sky, assumed to be God the Georgian manuscript of Transfiguration in the Gospel of Mark, [1] Father, as in the Baptism of Jesus. 1300. The Transfiguration is one of the miracles of Jesus in the Gospels.[2][3][4] This miracle is unique among others In the Synoptic Gospels,(Matthew 17:1–9, Mark 9:2– that appear in the Canonical gospels, in that the mira- 8, Luke 9:28–36) the account of the transfiguration hap- cle happens to Jesus himself.[5] Thomas Aquinas consid- pens towards the middle of the narrative.[10][11] It is a key ered the Transfiguration “the greatest miracle” in that it episode and almost immediately follows another impor- complemented baptism and showed the perfection of life tant element, the Confession of Peter: “you are the Christ in Heaven.[6] The Transfiguration is one of the five ma- extquotedbl.[1][12] The Transfiguration narrative acts as a 1 2 2 THEOLOGY further revelation of the identity of Jesus as the Son of 2 Theology God to some of his disciples.[1][11] In the Gospels, Jesus takes Peter, James, son of Zebedee 2.1 Significance and John the Apostle 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 prophets Elijah and Moses appear and Jesus begins to talk to them.[1] Luke is specific in describing Jesus in a state of glory, with Luke 9:32 referring to “they saw His glory”.[13] 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.[13] But before Peter can finish, a bright cloud ap- pears, and a voice from the cloud states: “This is my Mosaic of the Transfiguration, Saint Catherine’s Monastery, beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him”. Mount Sinai The disciples then fall to the ground in fear, but Jesus ap- proaches and touches them, telling them not to be afraid. Christian theology assigns a great deal of significance to When the disciples look up, they no longer see Elijah or the Transfiguration, based on multiple elements of the Moses.[1] narrative. In Christian teachings, the Transfiguration is a pivotal moment, and the setting on the mountain is pre- When Jesus and the three apostles are going back down sented as the point where human nature meets God: the the mountain, Jesus tells them to not tell anyone “the meeting place for the temporal and the eternal, with Je- things they had seen” until the extquotedblSon of Man sus himself as the connecting point, acting as the bridge extquotedbl has risen from the dead. The apostles are de- between heaven and earth.[9] scribed as questioning among themselves as to what Jesus meant by “risen from the dead”.[14] The Transfiguration not only supports the identity of Je- sus as the Son of God (as in his Baptism), but the state- In addition to the principal account given in the Synop- ment “listen to him”, identifies him as the messenger and tic Gospels; in 2 Peter 1:16–18, Apostle Peter describes mouth-piece of God.[21] The significance of this identifi- himself as an eyewitness “of his sovereign majesty.” The cation is enhanced by the presence of Elijah and Moses, Gospel of John may also briefly allude to the same episode for it indicates to the apostles that Jesus is the voice of in John 1:14.[15] God “par excellence”, and instead of Elijah or Moses, Elsewhere in the New Testament, Apostle Paul's refer- he should be listened to, surpassing the laws of Moses ence in 2 Corinthians 3:18 to the “transformation of be- by virtue of his filial relationship with God.[21] 2 Peter lievers” via “beholding as in a mirror the glory of the 1:16–18, echoes the same message: at the Transfigura- Lord” became the theological basis for considering the tion God assigns to Jesus a special “honor and glory” and Transfiguration as the basis for processes which lead the it is the turning point at which God exalts Jesus above all faithful to the knowledge of God.[16][17] other powers in creation, and positions him as ruler and [22] Although Matthew 17 lists the disciple John as being judge. present during the Transfiguration, the Gospel of John The Transfiguration also echoes the teaching by Jesus (as has no account of it.[18][19][20] This has resulted in de- in Matthew 22:32) that God is not “the God of the dead, bate among scholars, some suggesting doubts about the but of the living”. Although Moses had died and Eli- authorship of the Gospel of John, others providing ex- jah had been taken up to heaven centuries before (as in 2 planations for it.[18][19] One explanation (that goes back Kings 2:11), they now live in the presence of the Son of to Eusebius of Caesarea in the fourth century) is that God, implying that the same return to life can apply to all John wrote his gospel not to overlap with the synop- who face death and have faith.[23] tic gospels, but to supplement it, and hence did not in- clude all of their narrative.[18] This is not the only inci- dent not present in the fourth gospel, and the institution 2.2 Historical development of the Eucharist at the Last Supper is another key example, indicating that the inclusion of material in the fourth The theology of the Transfiguration received the attention gospel was selective.[19] The general explanation is thus of the Church Fathers since the very early days. In the the gospel of John was written thematically, to suit his 2nd century, Saint Irenaeus was fascinated by the Trans- theological purposes, and has a less narrative style than figuration and wrote: “the glory of God is a live human the synoptics.[18][19][20] being and a truly human life is the vision of God”.[24] 2.3 Transfiguration and Resurrection 3 tion of the believer then continued to remain a theme for achieving a closer union with God.[17][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 (who considered stigmata a sign of the imitation of Christ) Eastern Orthodox saints have never reported stigmata, but saints such as Seraphim and Silouan have reported being transfigured by an inward light of grace.[32][33] 2.3 Transfiguration and Resurrection 12th-century icon of the Transfiguration Origen's theology of the Transfiguration influenced the patristic tradition and became a basis for theological writ- ings by others.[25] Among other issues, given the instruc- tion to the apostles to keep silent about what they had seen until the Resurrection, Origen commented that the glo- rified 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 Transfigu- ration – a theme developed further by Evagrius Ponti- cus in the 4th century.[25] Around the same time Saint Transfiguration by Alexandr Ivanov, 1824 Gregory of Nyssa and later Pseudo-Dionysius the Are- opagite were developing a “theology of light” which then Origen's initial connection of the Transfiguration with the influenced Byzantine meditative and mystical traditions Resurrection continued to influence theological thought such as the Tabor light and theoria.[25] The iconography long thereafter.[25] This connection continued to develop of the Transfiguration continued to develop in this time both within the theological and iconographic dimensions period, and there is a sixth-century symbolic represen- – which however, often influenced each other.

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