The Transfiguration of Jesus Christ - Research Paper Example

? The Transfiguration of Jesus Christ Teacher INTRODUCTION The Transfiguration of Jesus Christ is one of the many divine mysteries within the short life of the Messiah, yet in conventional circles it is often rarely discussed and in the more popular tales of Christ often overlooked.1 It is also an event which has promulgated much academic as well as biblical conjecture and hypothesis. Some declaring it one of the most profound miracles, which was kept secret by those who witnessed it until after the Crucifixion and Resurrection, others believe that it is merely a literary foreshadowing of the Resurrection itself or even simply a shared vision of the three apostles that witnessed it. In fact, the story itself is called into question on many levels, the fact that this was a completely isolated experience and completely foreign to most human beings’ perceptions of reality. However, the converse is also true, that just because it was a solitary instance, and not found in multiple occurrences in the life of Christ tends to increase the veracity of the mystery as an actual event and not a simply a literary creation designed with the intention of enlarging and deifying the personage of Jesus Christ. 2 "We are asserting that the transfiguration occurred for the sake of the disciples. Is it possible to affirm that it was for Christ's benefit? Some have thought that he needed it for his encouragement, seeing that he was faced with so much public opposition and with such dullness of comprehension on the part of his closest followers. But the narrative gives no hint of hesitation or weakness or discouragement on his part. " 3 This paper will explore several different facets of the research that has been done regarding this mystery and while not attempting to draw any conclusions or final dictums regarding it, hopes to present an unbiased look at the Transfiguration from several viewpoints and attempt a rational understanding. THE TRANSFIGURATION The retelling of the story can be found in the Gospels of Matthew 17:1–8, KJV, Mark 9:2–10, KJV, and Luke 9:28–36, KJV with some variation between them. The event itself takes place on the “Mount of the Transfiguration,” as it has come to be known. A plethora of research on the actual location (some believe it to be Mount Tabor) of this mountain exists, but its true identity has never been verified. The reference to a high mountain also give some credence to the resurrection analogy as well. 4 The Apostles John, James and Peter accompanied Jesus on the trek to this mountaintop, where they witnessed Jesus change before their eyes, a glow began from within him and his clothing became bright white and a radiance, which they identified with the glory of God, blossomed from his frame. Then the prophets of the Old Testament, Moses and Elijah appear at his side and a cloud envelops them all. From within the cloud a voice booms out, "This is my Son, whom I love, listen to him!" Then as quickly as it came the cloud vanished, taking with it the two prophets and leaving only Jesus and his three disciples. As they walked back down the mountain Jesus bid them not to tell anyone what they had seen until after his suffering, Crucifixion and Resurrection. …so the transfiguration story, with its voice from heaven echoing the earlier voice at Jesus' baptism, confirms the narrators application of "Son of God" (1:1; 9:7). Jesus' comment to Peter, James, and John on the way down the mountain sets the limit to the messianic secret: they are "to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead"5 One of the first questions which comes to mind is why Jesus asked his disciples to keep this event a secret? Surely the recounting of this event would solidify many more men and women to his following. The answer is quite simple, if this were known than the life of Jesus may have unfolded very differently, and that would have been anathema to the greater cause of Jesus’ existence: "But Mark's story has already insisted upon the fact that Jesus had to die and to die in this horrendous way. The portrayal of the scene on the mount of transfiguration suggested that Jesus refused the opportunity for an apotheosis. That was the moment when it should have occurred and yet he did not disappear, but came back down the mountain, for 'the Son of Man must suffer'. There would be no resurrection and no glorious kingdom of God without his prior suffering."6 This instance is similar to his lament at the Garden of Gethsemane when Christ had beseeched God, "Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine." Luke 22: 42-44, KJV He knew then as he does now during the Transfiguration that it could not be, for events would have unfolded much differently. Here he refused this opportunity to be taken to glory (apotheosis) and chose to remain on earth to suffer and die for the sins of man. There may also be another hidden meaning when speaking about this secret. Tilly points out that an Oral tradition has many interesting aspects, one of which is relating performances and while the vagaries may arise during transfer, the performance remains largely unchanged as part of the history. Tilly notes that in regards to this “messianic secret”: “Undoubtedly, these performances began while Jesus was alive (see Lk 9:1-10; 10:1-17); the notion that "tradition" began only after the resurrection is untenable. For example, Mark could not have used the "messianic secret" motif unless people were remembered as talking about Jesus' words, deeds, and significance. And these performances were heard and replicated by other narrators.”7 So here we see a proof of sorts in regards to the historical authenticity of Jesus Christ by the context in which this secret was required to be kept. After all, why would the notion of a secret arise in all three versions of this story if there had not been a historical presence that would be compromised should it be revealed? A very interesting hypothesis and on worth some consideration regarding the mystery of the transfiguration and of the authenticity of the Gospel as chronicles of history and not only religious parables. "A common method of treating the transfiguration in critical circles today is to regard it as a rewritten story of the post- resurrection ministry that has been read back into the pre-cross ministry of Jesus. It is thought that on this basis an adequate explanation can be given for the description of our Lord in terms of glory. " 8 There is also another question that arises about this secret. Not only does Christ state that they must keep this secret amongst the three of them, but it is further inferred that they also are not to tell any of the other apostles about it either. Why were they chosen for this great secret that may have enlightened all of the other followers and emboldened the apostles, and, if released, changed the course of the events that were to follow? These three were chosen perhaps not because of their zealousness, but perhaps for their lack of it. This may have been a test to keep this secret as instructed, since Peter was told that he would deny Christ three times and that John and Joseph were constantly looking to aggrandize themselves at the throne of God. This command of the secret would have given them a privilege that no other apostle had, and a test to keep it, which they did. The mystery of the Transfiguration, in this writers view, gives us a glimpse into the God nature of Christ. While the New Testament largely portrays Christ as human being with some of humanity’s foibles such as anger and despair, the Transfiguration certainly prompts the reader to envision the divinity of Christ in this instance. "Consequently, what might be done by the human nature if alone, and by itself, cannot be done by it in this union with omnipotent holiness. An iron wire by itself can be bent and broken in a man's hand; but when the wire is welded into an iron bar, it can no longer be so bent and broken. ... A mere man can be overcome by temptation, but a God-man cannot be. . . . Consequently, Christ while having a peccable human nature in his constitution, was an impeccable person. Impeccability characterizes the God-man as a totality, while peccability is a property of his humanity."9 But what is this light, this glory that shone through Christ on the day of the Transfiguration? We can certainly speak to the symbolic imagery of what it means by looking over the Biblical tradition of light as seen through the Old and New Testament. The symbolic nature, and perhaps even the literal nature, of this light is associated with the light that shone on the first day of creation as well as the light that blinded Saul on the road to Damascus , Acts 9:3, KJV, and so on. This light is constantly associated with the heavenly power of God and, “… the Christ who appeared in this light as the first in the resurrection of the dead is also 'the first-born of all creation' " 10. So such as the beginning of the universe was it the infusion of this light, so is Christ now infused with the light of creation, which has always been a metaphor for divinity and of God. “Mark, however, has no problem in associating ‘glory’ with an event in the ministry of Jesus, for he introduces the transfiguration-account with a reference to seeing the kingdom come in ‘power,’ and Luke expressly states that Moses and Elijah appeared "in glory" and that Peter and those with him saw "his glory," so that these two writers see no difficulty in attributing ‘glory’ to an event in the ministry of Jesus. There is, therefore, no reason why doxa cannot refer to an event in the earthly life of Jesus, for Luke in his redaction explicitly does so.” 11 The continuing analogy is also clear that his death and resurrection back into this light is also a symbol of the salvation of all mankind as well. The Transfiguration, however, is more than a primer of what is to come, it is epiphany that the Gestalt of Christ’s nature is made abundantly clear, that as the Son of God he is both man and divine by nature. In a sense of the greater picture, this is perhaps a reflection of the divine spark in all of our natures, and the universe itself. “Matthew and Mark say that Jesus was transfigured, the passive form of the verb serving to emphasize that what he experienced was something granted to him by God the Father. Luke is content to say that the appearance of his countenance was altered. The mysterious change was not from without, as though some giant spotlight became focused on him, but from within. His countenance was affected first, then his garments… The 'form of God,' which had been veiled through incarnation, was permitted for this little while to shine forth… What appeared to the sight of men as light expressed the inward perfection that could be described in terms of fullness of grace and truth.” 12 Moltman goes on to further elucidate that historical knowledge, if it be objective, is subject to the principles of probability, correlation and analogy. “These principles assume that history is made by human beings, not by any obscure powers, gods and demons, and that history can consequently also be known by human beings.”13 (Moltmann 1994, 78) This brings the entire nature of the Christian tradition up against a very hard brick wall. Can history even talk about God in any respect other than the purely academic, or even discuss the transfiguration, or the resurrection in any concrete sense. Moltman sees this as part of the schizophrenia of most Christians in today’s world,”… for whom there [is] a Sunday causality in which God rules and determines history, and an everyday causality, in which all happening has its immanent, this- worldly cause.”14 (Moltmann 1994, 78) Kinlaw goes on to say: “Christ… who had descended, transfigured and assimilated to powers and principalities and angels, so that he himself might appear to be a human, but his was not human, and appear to suffer, while not suffering (Haer. 1.23.3). Metamorphosis Christology, with traditional metamorphosis vocabulary, was clearly available to early Christian theologians." 15 This schizophrenia will apparently continue, for as Galvin points out the Christian faith, whether its pundits like it or not, is not separable from history, nor is it simply reducible to it. This poses further questions concerning the veracity of all biblical history, does the Old and / or the New Testament provide sufficient evidence and reference points for the Christina faith, or anyone else, to take it at face value? Or must they be classified as either a historically established ground of faith or as an “object of faith which is not part of that historically recognizable foundation? 16 “A second factor in the shift of interest from the humanity of Christ to the Jesus of history lies in the desire of contemporary systematic theologians to reexamine the meaning of basic Christological assertions. In the past, it was often presupposed that the content of such terms as "Messiah" and "resurrection" was clear; all that seemed necessary was to justify their attribution to Jesus. Yet such terminology is not univocal. Messianic expectations varied widely, encompassing royal, priestly, and prophetic elements, and sometimes envisioning a plurality of messianic figures.” 17 However, the Transfiguration seems to be set to help blend both the divine and the human nature of Christ revealing this at the time to the disciples present and the pater Post-resurrection in its retelling, allowing the unfolding of the historical event to take shape and become more concrete in the Christian tradition. In some ways it also helps to verify what the problem of his messianic prophecy meant to the Jews: The doctrine that all men were God's children and therefore Jesus could not be His only begotten son, was held true whether for the earthly Jesus or for the Jesus risen. The idea of the resurrection of Jesus apart from the resurrection of other dead, was incomprehensible to the Jewish mind; and the recognition of the risen Christ as the redeemer thru his blood, was foreign to Jewish thinking. 18 Here Christ is seen to be, as it were, infused with the glory of God. While the term “Son of God” has also been found to be misleading in some cases because of vagaries in the different translations, the intent here is clear. In the Transfiguration there is not only implied, but it is stated by God himself that Jesus is part of Him and that puts Christ in a very special place in the universe. Another interesting manifestation if the appearance of the prophets from the Old Testament, Elijah and Moses: “And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.” (Matthew 17:4-5, KJV) There is certainly a greater meaning that is here in the appearance of these two Old Testament prophets. One is certainly the symbol of association with the Old Testament and Jehovah, God of the Old Testament. From a Christo-Historical approach it would be gravely important to link the two traditions in some respect so as to not completely disassociate with prior convention and religious beliefs, although this certainly had mixed results when viewed over the course of time. "Many have concluded that they stand here in a representative role, Moses epitomizing the law and Elijah the prophets. If so, the Gospels may be said to testify to the truth proclaimed by Paul, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures (I Cor. 15:3). ‘The law and the prophets' could be a convenient way of summing up the testimony of the Old Testament (Acts 26:22). "19 Second, these prophets had a great deal in common with the Messiah both in the realm of miracles and in the area of suffering as well as resurrection and ascension. Moses, of course was the savior of Israel and performed many miracles in the name of God. The chosen people and the rulers of Egypt were both loathe to believe at first and many doubted. Jesus received a similar reception many time. “And as Moses interceded for Israel in the midst of failure and threatened judgment, being willing to be cut off himself if they could be spared, so Jesus wept in compassion over Jerusalem.” 20 The solitary nature of Jesus is also reflected in the life of Elijah, who while beset by the throngs at Mt. Carmel was a solitary man. Jesus is often depicted as aloof even in a crowd of people. Furthermore: “The two had something in common respecting the close of their ministries. Elijah was supernaturally taken up for a glorious reception into heaven, as though anticipating the ascension of the Savior into glory. As Elijah was able to bestow the power of his spirit on Elisha, so did the ascended Lord pour out his Spirit on his disciples.” 21 It is also interesting to note a trinity of association between Jesus, Elijah and John the Baptist here. While it is noted by all three Gospels that Eliajh and Moses Spoke with Jesus, the content of the discussion is unknown to the, since by most accounts they were asleep at the time. This could also be a foreshadowing at the Garden of Gethsemane when the apostles fell asleep as the Roman army came upon their camp to arrest Jesus. Here, more specifically concerning these three on the Mount: But it is the discussion about Elijah, also narrated during the descent, that reminds the audience of how Jesus' suffering and death as the Son of Man echo the suffering and death of John the baptizer as the embodiment of Elijah.22 (Dowd, and Malbon 2006) There is another interesting curiosity involving John, even though he was present on the Mount of Transfiguration a personally witnessed the event, he does not mention it in his Gospel. Only Matthew, Mark and Luke retell the story. Why would John not mention such a moving experience? “It should be noted that all three Synoptics include the event. John does not, for his purpose seems to have been to include for the most part material that was not in the other Gospels. He pictures the glory of Christ in other than physical terms and as continuing as a permanent feature rather than breaking forth in a single episode. The eye of faith was required to apprehend this inner glory (Jn. 1:14).”23 Still, while Harrison appeared to give a plausible explanation for this, the nature of the Gospel according to John is divine and mystical and one has to wonder why he, of all four writers would exclude it, yet another mystery. So, for whom is the Transfiguration designed or created for? Is it for the three disciples who were present or for the readers of the testament? Or is the real reason to assist Christ Himself along the hard road that he must tread? Perhaps the Transfiguration helped to restore and replenish his glory and grace in order so sustain him along the way to the Crucifixion and Resurrection. Instead of developing a martyr-mystic complex as a result of the blend of Caesarea Philippi and the experience on the mount, Jesus continued to minister to the public much as he had been doing, and to his disciples even more than he had been doing, but in a mood of greater solemnity. He set his face to go up to Jerusalem (Lk. 9:53). It was a lonely path, for his disciples, including the three, followed him at a distance, afraid (Mk. 10:32). "24 Moltman also points out this same concept that this infusion of the Holy Spirit, the light of glory, may also be something that helped to sustain Christ through his pain and suffering towards the Resurrection. “Christ offered himself up through the eternal Spirit (Heb. 9.14) and he lives 'in the life-giving Spirit' (I Cor. 15.45). In the divine Spirit he endured the pains of dying, and out of the divine Spirit he was born again to eternal life, just as Ezekiel 37 sees the living breath of God blowing over the wide valley of dry bones: " 25 One of the most beautiful renderings of the Transfiguration is by the Renaissance artist Raphael. Sometimes the eye of an artist can capture more than any academic approach to Biblical history and meaning. “Raphael's Transfiguration began, after all, as a careful retelling of the historical Transfiguration alone… Pointing to Moses and Elijah, Peter enthusiastically proposes the erection of three tabernacles for Jesus and the prophets (Matt. 17:4). Christ looks in Peter's direction, opening his arms in benediction, while God the Father prepares to make his announcement, boldly conceived in anticipation of the high point of the historical event.” 26 Furthermore, is the Transfiguration merely a resurrection allegory as we have previously alluded to? There is ample argument that would support this explanation. There is also an argument that if the Transfiguration was a reality, how then could one explain the subsequent behavior of the three disciples present to have denied Jesus after witnessing such an event?27 This writer would counter that fear and the survival instinct would still play some part in their denials and their survival was of paramount importance to the foundation of Christianity. Another counter to the theory of resurrection comparison is the radiance of the light of glory that is all pervasive in the Transfiguration and that light is certainly lacking in any of the Resurrection stories presented in the Gospels, “…there is every indication that the ‘risen’ Christ possesses no glory. It is only in the story of the transfiguration that he possesses glory.”28 Although, according to the biblical tradition, no one had actually witnessed Christ rising from the dead: "No human eye saw the Lord Jesus Christ rise from the dead. It was as unobserved as his conception in the womb of the Virgin Mary. But just as surely as that conception led to birth and the life that followed, so the silent emergence from the tomb ushered in the risen life of Christ with all its manifestations. "29 There may or may not have been that radiant glory surround Christ arising from the dead, but it is certainly not present in any details of the account and if one was trying to create a foreshadowing of the Resurrection, than why bother to add that most predominant feature to the Transfiguration? Another issue is the comparisons of the high mountain in the Transfiguration story with that of Calvary, which is often disputed itself as being a high mountain. The Arc also landed on a high mountain, so in a sense that could also be construed as a resurrection story in the sense that the human race was saved after the flood. “The reference to a high mountain in this account is also seen by some as an indication that the transfiguration was originally a resurrection-account. .. in only two other instances in the NT [New Testament]do we find mention of a oros hypselon ("high mountain"), and in both of these (Matt 4:8 and Rev 21:10) the place designated is a place of ‘epiphany and supernatural encounter.’ Does an ‘epiphany and supernatural encounter,’ however, require that the incident in question be a resurrection?” 30 This writer would state that while motifs and underlying symbolism can certainly be associated with many similar biblical tales, there is certainly no direct correlation with the story of The Resurrection with the story of The Transfiguration. Another aspect of the transfiguration is related to the expression of the light, but is manifested by the robe that Jesus is wearing. There are several other instance of a radiant robe to be found elsewhere in the Bible: "But "the robe of glory" and other clothing images form a continuum, binding together anthropology, Christology, Christian life, and ecclesiology. The image of the robe of glory operates in four main moments in salvation history: in Adam before the fall, at the fall, in the Incarnation, and in the baptism of Jesus,(201) but also extends into the transfiguration of Jesus, resurrection, Christian baptism, the Eucharist, and eschatology"31 CONCLUSION From a purely Christian point of view we can compare this event quite nicely to the characteristics of the other mysteries of Christ as indetified in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (Second Edition). Summarized in the following table and compared to the Transfiguration: Characteristics common to Jesus' mysteries Found In the Transfiguration Christ life is the Revelation of the Father. Here God speaks from the cloud and states: "This is my Son, whom I love, listen to him!" Christ's whole life is a mystery of redemption. The conversation between the prophets and the apostles walking down the mountain recalls this. Christ's whole life is a mystery of recapitulation The inner glory exposed here is the symbol of man realigning himself with God Christ lived his life for us not Himself He does not leave this earth as the transfiguration may have allowed but remains to complete his task Christ is the model of the perfect man He does not take the easy way out but remains here to do his duty for man, the perfect selfless act. Christ enables us to live in Him The sharing of the “secret” is symbolic of this bonding, but also the fact that Christ as Man can receive the glory of God means that all men can. As one can see this mystery of Christ contains all the components of the other mysteries as presented by the Catechism. However, only in the most Orthodox circles is it celebrated with any ceremony. Perhaps the other mysteries overshadow it in some way, perhaps there are too many questions about its authenticity, or perhaps it is simply to wondrous somehow. Not only does it fulfill the requirements of the Catechism, but is also an inspiration for those who believe in this future of happiness and bliss. That, as Jesus exemplifies here, so is any Christian capable of achieve as sense of union with God. Works Cited Baugh, Lloyd. 1997. Imaging the Divine: Jesus and Christ-Figures in Film. Franklin, WI: Sheed and Ward. Bolt, Peter G. 2003. Jesus' Defeat of Death: Persuading Mark's Early Readers. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. Dowd, Sharyn, and Elizabeth Struthers Malbon. 2006. The Significance of Jesus' Death in Mark: Narrative Context and Authorial Audience. Journal of Biblical Literature 125, no. 2: 271-287 Fox, G. George. 1953. The Jews, Jesus and Christ. Chicago: Argus Books. Galvin, John P. 1994. From the Humanity of Christ to the Jesus of History: A Paradigm Shift in Catholic Christology. Theological Studies 55, no. 2: 252-267 Harrison, Everett F. 2001. Short Life of Christ. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. Kinlaw, Pamela E. 2005. The Christ Is Jesus: Metamorphosis, Possession, and Johannine Christology. Boston: Brill. Kleinbub, Christian K. 2008. Raphael's Transfiguration as Visio-devotional Program. The Art Bulletin 90, no. 3: 367-378. Mcdonnell, Kilian. 1995. Jesus' Baptism in the Jordan. Theological Studies 56, no. 2: 209-221 Moltmann, Jurgen. 1994. Jesus Christ for Today's World. trans. Kohl, Margaret. Minneapolis: Fortress Press. Ross, Malcolm Mackenzie. 1954. Poetry & Dogma: The Transfiguration of Eucharistic Symbols in Seventeenth Century English Poetry. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. Stein, Robert H. 1976. Is the transfiguration (Mark 9:2-8) a misplaced resurrection-account. Journal of Biblical Literature 95.1: 79-96. Tilley, Terrence W. 2007. Remembering the Historic Jesus-A New Research Program?. Theological Studies 68, no. 1: 3-19. Ware, Bruce A. 2010. The Man Christ Jesus. Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 53, no. 1: 5-19 Read More