The Transfiguration

Saint John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church, in a gloss of the Catena Aurea compiled by Saint Thomas Aquinas, contrasts the dark cloud of Sinai with the bright cloud here. At Sinai the Lord threatened; on this mountain He sought to teach and not to terrify. It bears on the literal sense of what the disciples saw.

When the Lord threatens, He shows a dark cloud, as on Sinai; but here where He sought not to terrify but to teach, there appeared a bright cloud.

Saint Jerome, Doctor of the Church, in the Catena Aurea, answers the difficulty that Matthew says after six days and Luke about eight. One evangelist reckons only the intervening days; the other adds the first and the last. It bears on the literal sense: the time of the ascent after Peter’s confession.

It is made a question how it could be after six days that He took them, when Luke says eight. The answer is easy, that here one reckoned only the intervening days, there the first and the last are also added.

Jerome, in the Catena Aurea, describes the Lord drawing near to the disciples fallen on their faces, touching them so that their fear was banished and their limbs strengthened, and then adding His word to His hand. He first removes fear, that He may afterwards teach. It bears on the literal scene after the voice.

And whereas they were laid down, and could not raise themselves again, He approaches them, touches them gently, that by His touch their fear might be banished, and their unnerved limbs gain strength; “And Jesus drew near, and touched them.” But He further added His word to His hand, “And said unto them, Arise, fear not.” He first banishes their fear, that He may after impart teaching.

Jerome, in the Catena Aurea, observes that after the cloud is removed they see Jesus alone, Moses and Elias having disappeared, because once the shadow of the Law and the Prophets has passed, both are found in the Gospel. He explains the command of silence as guarding the Passion that follows. It bears on why the vision is kept quiet.

Also they see Jesus standing after the cloud has been removed, and Moses and Elias disappeared, because after the shadow of the Law and Prophets has departed, both are found in the Gospel. It follows; “And as they came down from the mount, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell no man this vision, until the Son of Man shall rise from the dead.” He will not be preached among the people, lest the marvel of the thing should seem incredible, and lest the cross following after so great glory should cause offense.

Theophylact, the Byzantine archbishop and exegete, in a gloss of the Catena Aurea on Mark, explains that the Lord took them apart because He was about to reveal mysteries. The transfiguration was not a change of His features, but an ineffable brightness added to them. It bears on the literal sense of what the disciples saw.

And He took them apart, because He was about to reveal mysteries to them. We must also understand by transfiguration not the change of His features, but that, whilst His features remained as before, there was added unto Him a certain ineffable brightness.

Saint Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church, teaches in the Summa Theologica that at the Transfiguration clarity overflowed from Christ’s Godhead and soul into His body as a transient passion, like air lit by the sun, and not as an abiding quality. He calls the refulgence miraculous. It bears on the nature of what was seen.

But in Christ's transfiguration clarity overflowed from His Godhead and from His soul into His body, not as an immanent quality affecting His very body, but rather after the manner of a transient passion, as when the air is lit up by the sun. Consequently the refulgence, which appeared in Christ's body then, was miraculous: just as was the fact of His walking on the waves of the sea.

Aquinas, in the Summa Theologica, answers how Moses and Elias appeared: Moses through an assumed body, as the angels appear, his soul not being reunited to his body; Elias in his own body, taken up in the fiery chariot. It bears on the literal question of who the two visitors were.

This is not to be understood as though the soul of Moses was reunited to his body, but that his soul appeared through some assumed body, just as the angels do. But Elias appeared in his own body, not that he was brought down from the empyrean heaven, but from some place on high whither he was taken up in the fiery chariot.

Cornelius a Lapide, the Jesuit exegete, states in his commentary on Matthew that the common opinion, held by the Fathers and the faithful, is that the mountain was Tabor. It seems, he says, a tradition of the Church. It bears on the literal question of where the vision took place.

The common opinion is that it was Mount Tabor. This is the opinion of the Fathers and of the faithful, so that it appears to be a tradition of the Church; and therefore Mount Tabor is accounted by Christians to be holy.

Lapide, in his commentary on Matthew, reasons that the voice came after the departure of Moses and Elias, so that it was clearly addressed to Christ alone. As a work ad extra, in the theologians’ term, it proceeded from the whole Trinity. It bears on the literal question of whom the voice names.

Wherefore S. Peter in his Epistle speaks of it as coming from heaven. It must have come after the departure of Moses and Elias. And with this object, that it might be perfectly clear and certain to the Apostles that this voice was addressed to Christ alone, and not to Moses, or Elias, who had now gone away, Inasmudi as this voice was a work, ad extra, to use the expression employed by theologians, it proceeded from the whole Trinity.

Haydock’s annotation on Matthew says that since the people took Jesus for Elias, Jeremias or one of the prophets, He chose the chief of the prophets to be present, to show His superiority and verify Peter’s confession. The presence of Moses and Elias also answered the accusation of blasphemy. It bears on why those two appear.

Jesus Christ had been taken by the people for Elias, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He therefore chose the chief of all the prophets to be present, that he might shew his great superiority over them, and verify the illustrious confession of Peter. The Jews had accused Christ of blasphemy, and of breaking the sabbath; the presence of Moses and Elias refuted the calumny; for the founder of the Jewish laws would never have sanctioned him who was a transgressor of those laws; and Elias, so full of zeal for the glory of God, would never have paid homage to one who made himself equal to God, had he not really been the Son of the Most High.

Haydock’s annotation on Matthew takes the voice as the Father’s public confession of the divinity of Jesus Christ, sanctioning Peter’s own, with an express command to hear and obey Him. It follows Chrysostom in noting that the voice came after Moses and Elias had left. It bears on the literal sense of the voice.

The Almighty, it seems, was pleased to fulfil the wish of Peter, thereby to shew that Himself is the tent or pavilion, under the shade of which the blessed shall live for ever, and to sanction the public and explicit confession of Peter relative to the divinity of Jesus Christ, by his own no less public and explicit confession, joined with an express command to hear and obey him. St. Chrysostom very justly remarks, that this voice was not heard till after the departure of Moses and Elias, that no possible doubt might exist to whom it was referred, and that it was to Christ only and to no other.

Haydock’s annotation on Matthew, citing Jerome, gives two possible causes of the apostles’ fear: the overshadowing cloud and the voice of God the Father. Human weakness could not bear such refulgent glory. It bears on the literal question of why they fell on their faces.

Ver. 6. And were very much afraid. There were two causes that might produce this fear in the apostles, the cloud that overshadowed them, or the voice of God the Father, which they heard. Their human weakness could not bear such refulgent beams of glory, and trembling in every limb, they fall prostrate on the ground. (St. Jerome)

The Catechism of the Catholic Church summarises the Transfiguration: on a high mountain, before the three witnesses Peter, James and John, Christ’s face and clothes become dazzling, Moses and Elijah speak of his departure at Jerusalem, and a voice from the cloud names him Son and commands to listen. It bears on the literal sense of the passage.

In this context the mysterious episode of Jesus' Transfiguration takes place on a high mountain, before three witnesses chosen by himself: Peter, James and John. Jesus' face and clothes become dazzling with light, and Moses and Elijah appear, speaking "of his departure, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem". A cloud covers him and a voice from heaven says: "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!"