Articles

"And He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light" (Matthew 17:2).

Introduction
The Glorious Feast of the Transfiguration, among the minor feasts commemorated in the Coptic Orthodox Church, is celebrated on the thirteenth day of the blessed month of Mesore.

The Incident

For that glamorous event, the Lord Jesus Christ took with Him Peter, James, and John his brother up to a high mountain, a common location for His teaching and revelation. Origen, St Cyril, Arnobius the Younger and others identify the Mount of Transfiguration as Mount Tabor.

Origen wrote, "Jesus did not invite all His apostles to the Transfiguration, but only Peter, James, and John. For they alone were capable of beholding His glory on that occasion and seeing the glorified appearance of Moses and Elijah ...I am of the opinion that... He ascended the same mountain where His disciples had previously come to Him alone, which was where He taught them the beatitudes."

On that mountain, the Lord Jesus Christ was transfigured before them; His clothes becoming white as light. Moses and Elijah then appeared conversing with the Lord speaking of "...His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem" (Luke 9:31).

When the transfiguration had ended, the Lord Jesus Christ came and touched the disciples instructing them to arise and not be afraid. Looking up, they saw the Lord alone who commanded them to tell no one of the transfiguration they had beheld until after His resurrection from the dead. They did as directed and kept silent on the glorious miracle which they saw that day.

The Disciples Response

St. Peter responded to the luminous Transfiguration by offering to construct three tabernacles, one for the Lord first, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" (Matthew 17:4). Why had St. Peter offered to do that?

One speculation is that the bright cloud might have brought to his memory temple worship, and the cloud that went before the Israelites en route to the Promised Land signaling the presence of God among His chosen People. Many Biblical scholars hypothesize that the bright cloud could have been an usher to the long awaited Kingdom.

Another thought is that St. Peter might have related the bright cloud and the long awaited Kingdom hypothesis to the Feast of Tabernacles (the Feast of the Coming Kingdom) which would necessitate the building of tabernacles in relationship to what had occurred at the feast, illustrating the symbolism of God being among the righteous in His Kingdom.

It is also commonly speculated that St. Peter was willing to make three tabernacles thinking the Lord needed something to cover Him from the sun. Although this interpretation displays St. Peter's human propensities, it is worth noting that he did not think of his own nor the other disciples welfare; but rather of that of the Glorified Lord, Elijah, and Moses.

Addressing St. Peter's suggestion to the Lord, a voice came from within a cloud saying "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!" (II Peter 1:17). The Father bore witness from Heaven concerning the favoring of His Son. The disciples present fell to the ground in fear.

 After the incident had ended, the disciples asked the Lord Jesus Christ why the scribes were foretelling that Elijah must come first to restore all things. The Lord Jesus Christ stated that the scribes were accurate in that Elijah would come to restore all things and that He had already come but the scribes did not know him. The same fate would cause the Son of Man to also suffer at their hands. In the Old Testament, it is written that Malachi the prophet had prophesied that someone would come "in the spirit and power of Elijah". It then became clear to the disciples that the anticipated Elijah was St. John the Baptist.

The Transfiguration Implications

The Divine Glory suddenly on display is the Lord Jesus Christ's by nature; and the transfiguration manifested in the bright cloud, the shining face, the whiteness of His garments is a testimony of His Divinity. "As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening" (Luke 9:29). This also proclaims the Divine Sonship to the Father. He is God's Son, of essence with the Father. He is the Light of the Light. He is the True God of the True God. The Lord Jesus Christ is God of God.

Another prominent feature in the Transfiguration incident is the presence of the prophets Moses and Elijah in the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ reminding us of the persistence of humanity. Tertullian (c.197) wrote, "Even the Holy Scripture gives us instances of this form of change...For example, the face of Moses was changed, with a brightness that the eyes could not bear. But he was still Moses, even when he was not visible. So also Stephen had already put on the appearance of an angeleven though it was still his human knees that bent beneath the stoning. The Lord, again, in the retirement of the mountain, had changed His clothing for a robe of light. Yet, He still retained features that Peter could recognize. In that same scene, Moses and Elijah gave proof that the same condition of bodily existence may continue even in glory."

Moses the prophet symbolized the Law having brought down the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai; and represented the human race as he had undergone a naturally human death. Since Elijah had not undergone a similar death, he is then believed to have represented all the prophets collectively. Thus the Transfiguration has proved that the Lord could raise Moses from the dead and bring Elijah down from Heaven. Together Elijah and Moses fulfilled the Old Testament and further represented of the "communion of the saints.

A very important aspect in the Transfiguration is the credence it had given to the presence of the Holy Trinity. The Lord Jesus Christ was transfigured before St. Peter, St. James, and St. John, the Father addressing them directly from Heaven; and the bright light surrounding the Lord Jesus Christ overshadowing the Mountain was a symbol of the Holy Spirit. This indeed was the Lord of Glory.

 Not only does the Transfiguration give credence to the Holy Trinity and our humanity but to our own glorification as well. St. Paul writes, "Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed" (I Corinthians 15:51). It is also written, "We know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is" (1 John 3:2). Many believe we will exist in eternity just as the three disciples saw the Transfiguration of the Lord Jesus Christ that day on the mountain.

The Lord must have desired to teach these three disciples that He is indeed the Lord of Glory, the Lord of Moses and the Lord of Elijah Whom the disciples "shall not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom" (Matthew 16:28).

 Perhaps the best and foremost aim behind this spectacular incident is the Lords desire to strengthen the faith of the three disciples prior to Gethsemane. Undoubtedly, the Transfiguration is proof of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in His Glory.

May the commemoration of the Transfiguration incident, the preview of glorious eternity, be a revival to our faith and a renewal of our desire to seek Gods Glory.

Bishop Youssef
Bishop, Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States