On the Mount there were eight, but only
six were visible: the three – Peter, James and John, had come up
together with Jesus, and they beheld Moses and Elias (Elijah) standing
there and conversing with Him, such that in number altogether they
comprised six; but together with the Lord, certainly, were both the
Father and the Holy Spirit: the Father – with His Voice testifying that
This be His Beloved Son, and the Holy Spirit – shining forth with Him in
the radiant cloud. In such manner, these six consist actually of eight
and as regards the eight it presents no sort of contradiction; in
similar manner there is no contradiction with the Evangelists, when one
says: “after six days”, and the other: “and it came to pass after these
words eight days thereafter”. But these twofold sayings as it were
present us a certain format set in mystery, and together with it that of
those actually present upon the Mount. It stands to reason, and
everyone rationally studying in concordance with Scripture knows, that
the Evangelists are in agreement one with another: Luke spoke about the
eight days without contradicting Matthew, who declared “after six days”.
There is not another day added on representing the day on which these
sayings were uttered, nor likewise was there added on the day upon which
the Lord was transfigured (which the rational person might reasonably
imagine to tack on to the days of Matthew). The Evangelist Luke does not
say “after eight days” (like the Evangelist Matthew in saying “after
six days”), but rather “it came to pass eight days thereafter”. But in
what the Evangelists seem to contradict, they actually one and the other
point out to us something great and mysteried.
In actual fact, why did
the one say “after six days”, but the other in ignoring the seventh day
have in mind the eighth day? It is because the great vision of the Light
of the Transfiguration of the Lord is a mystery of the Eighth Day, i.e.
of a future age, coming about to be revealed after the passing-away of
the world created over the course of the six days. About the power of
the Divine Spirit, through the dignity of Which is to be revealed the
Kingdom of God, the Lord forespake: “”There indeed be some standing
here, which shalt not taste of death, until they see the Kingdom of God
come in power” (Mk. 9: 1). Everywhere and in every way the King wilt be
present, and everywhere wilt be His Kingdom, since the advent of His
Kingdom does not signify the passing over from one place to another, but
rather the revelation of its power of the Divine Spirit, wherein is
said: “come in power”. And this power is not manifest to simply ordinary
people, but to those standing with the Lord, that is to say, those
affirmed in their faith in Him and like to Peter, James and John, and
those foremost of all free of our natural abasement. Therefore, and
precisely because of this, God manifests Himself upon the Mount, on the
one hand coming down from His heights, and on the other – raising us up
from the depths of abasement, since that the Transcendent One takes on
mortal nature. And certainly, such a manifest appearance by far
transcends the utmost limits of the mind’s grasp, as effectualised by
the power of the Divine Spirit.
And thus, the Light of the
Transfiguration of the Lord is not something that is born and vanishes
nor is it subject to the faculties of sensation, although it was
contemplated by corporeal eyes over the course of a short while and upon
an inconsequential mountaintop. But the mystery-initiates (the
disciples) of the Lord at this time passed beyond mere flesh into spirit
by means of a transformation of their sense-faculties, effectualised
within them by Spirit, and in such manner they beheld what, and to which
extent the Divine spirit had wrought blessedness in them to behold –
the Ineffable Light. Those not grasping this point have conjectured,
that the chosen from among the Apostles beheld the Light of the
Transfiguration of the Lord by a sensual and creaturely power (faculty),
– and through this they attempt to reduce to a creaturely-level [i.e.
as something "created"] not only this Light, the Kingdom and the Glory
of God, but also the Power of the Divine Spirit, through which it be
mete for Divine mysteries to be revealed. In all likelihood, suchlike
persons have not attended to the words of the Apostle Paul: “of which
eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor ascended in the heart of man, what
things God hath prepared for those that love Him. To us however God
hath revealed through His Spirit: for all things be scrutinized of
Spirit, even at the very depths of God” (1 Cor. 2: 9-10).
And thus, with the onset of the Eighth
Day, the Lord, taking Peter, James and John, went up on the Mount to
pray: He always either prayed alone, withdrawing from everyone, even
from the Apostles themselves, as for example when with five loaves and
two fish He fed the five thousand men, besides women and children (St Mt.
14: 19-23). Or, taking with Him the several that excelled others, as at
the approach of His Saving Passion, when He said to the other disciples:
“Sit ye here whilst I go and pray thither” (St Mt. 26: 36), – He then took
with Him Peter, James and John. But in our instance right here and now,
having taken only these same three, the Lord led them up onto an high
mountain apart and wast transfigured before them, that is to say, before
their very eyes.
“What does it mean to say: He was
transfigured?” – asks the Gold-Worded Theologian (Chrysostomos), and he
answers this by saying: “it revealed, that is, something of His Divinity
to them – as much and insofar as they were able to apprehend it, and it
showed the indwelling of God within Him”. The Evangelist St Luke says:
“And it came to pass, that as He prayed, the appearance of His Face was
altered” (St Lk. 9: 29); and from the Evangelist Matthew we read: “And His
Face did shine, like the sun” (St Mt. 17: 2). But the Evangelist said this,
not in the context that this Light be thought of as subsistent for the
senses (let us put aside the blindness of mind of those, who can
conceive of nothing higher than that, known through the senses). Rather,
it is to show that Christ God – for those living and contemplating by
spirit – is the same as how the sun is for those living in the flesh and
contemplating by the senses: therefore some other Light for the knowing
of Divinity be not necessary for those who be enriched by Divine gifts.
That selfsame Inscrutable Light did shine and mysteriously become
manifest to the Apostles and foremost of the Prophets at that moment,
when (the Lord) was praying. This shows, that what begat this blessed
sight was prayer, and that the radiance happened and was manifest by an
uniting of the mind with God, and that it be granted to all who, amidst
constant exercise in efforts of virtue and prayer, strive with their
mind towards God.
True beauty essentially can be contemplated only with a
purified mind; diligently to gaze upon its luminance assumes a sort of
participation with it, as though some bright ray doth etch itself upon
the face. Whereof even the face of Moses was illumined by his
association with God. Do you not know, that Moses was transfigured, when
he went up the mountain, and there beheld the Glory of God? But he
(Moses) did not effect this, but rather he underwent a transfiguration;
however, our Lord Jesus Christ of Himself possessed that Light. In this
regard, actually, He did not have need for prayer for His flesh to
radiate with the Divine Light; it is but to show, from whence that Light
doth descend upon the Saints of God, and how to contemplate it – since
it be written, that even the Saints “will shine forth, like the sun”
(St Mt. 13: 43), which is to say, entirely permeated by Divine Light as
they gaze upon Christ, Divinely and inexpressibly shining forth of His
Radiance, issuing forth of His Divine Nature, and on Mount Tabor
manifest also in His Flesh, by reason of the Hypostatic Union [i.e. the
union of the two perfect natures, Divine and Human, within the Divine
Person (Hypostasis) of Christ, the Second Person of the Most Holy
Trinity. The Fourth Œcumenical Council at Chalcedon defined this
Hypostatic union of Christ's two natures, Divine and Human, as "without
mingling, without change, without division, without separation"
("asugkhutos, atreptos, adiairetos, akhoristos")].
We believe, that He manifest within the
Transfiguration not some other manner of light, but only that which was
concealed beneath his exterior of flesh. This Light was the Light of
the Divine Nature, and as such it was Uncreated and Divine. So also, in
the teachings of the theologian-fathers, Jesus Christ was transfigured
on the Mount, not taking upon Himself something new nor being changed
into something new, nor something which formerly He did not possess.
Rather, it was to show His disciples that which He already was, opening
their eyes and rendering them from blindness into sight. For do ye not
see, that eyes with sight in accord with natural things, would be blind
as regards this Light?
And thus, this Light is not a light of
the senses, and those contemplating it do not simply see with sensual
eyes, but rather they are changed by the power of the Divine Spirit.
They were transformed and only in such manner did they see the
transformation, transpiring amidst the very assumption of our
perishability, with in place of this the deification through union with
the Word of God. And thus also She that miraculously conceived and gave
birth did recognize, that He born of Her is the Incarnated God. Thus too
it was for Simeon, who but only received hold of this Infant into his
arms, and the Aged Anna, coming out [from the Jerusalem Temple] for the
Meeting – since it was that the Divine Power did illumine, as through a
glass windowpane, giving light for all those having pure eyes of heart.
And why indeed did the Lord, before the
beginning of the Transfiguration, choose the foremost of the Apostles
and lead them up onto the Mount with Him? Certainly, it was to show them
something great and mysteried. What in particular great or mysteried
would there be in showing a sensory light, which not merely the
chosen-foremost but all the other Apostles already abundantly possessed?
Why would they need a transforming of their eyes by the power of the
Holy Spirit for a contemplation of this Light, if it [the Light] were
merely sensory and created? How could the Glory and the Kingdom of the
Father and the Holy Spirit project forth in some sort of sensory light?
Indeed, in what sort of like Glory and Kingdom would Christ the Lord
come at the end of the ages, when there wouldst not be necessary
anything in the air, nor in expanse, nor anything similar, but when, in
the words of the Apostle, “so that God will be all in all” (1 Cor. 15:
28), that is to say, will He alter everything for all? If indeed so,
then it follows therefore to include – light. And hence it is clear,
that the Light of Tabor was a Divine Light. And the Evangelist John,
inspired by Divine Revelation, says clearly, that the future eternal and
enduring city will not “require sun or moon to provide it light: for
the Glory of God wilt light it, and its luminary will be – the Lamb”
(Apoc. [Rev.] 21: 23). Is it not clear, that he points out here that
This [Lamb] is Jesus, – Who now upon Tabor is Divinely transfigured, and
the flesh of Whom doth shine, – is the luminary manifesting the Glory
of Godhood for those ascending the mountain with Him? The Theologian
John says likewise about the inhabitants of this city: “they will
require light neither from lamps, nor from the light of the sun, for the
Lord God giveth them light, and there wilt not be night henceforth”
(Apoc. [Rev.] 22: 5). But how, we might ask, is there this other light,
of which “it be without change and without threat of darkness” (St James 1:17)? What light is there that is constant and unsetting, unless it be
the Light of God? Moreover, could Moses and Elias (and particularly the
former, who clearly was present only in spirit, and not in flesh [Elias
having ascended bodily to Heaven on the fiery chariot]) be shining
amidst any sort of sensory light, and be seen and known? Especially
since it was written about them: “they appeared in Glory, and they spoke
about His demise, which would come about at Jerusalem” (St Lk. 9:30-31).
And how otherwise could the Apostles recognize those whom they had never
seen before, unless through the mysteried power of the Divine Light,
opening their mental eyes?
But let us not fatigue out our attention
with the furthermost interpretations of the words of the Gospel. We
shall believe thus, as those same ones have taught us, who themselves
were enlightened by the Lord Himself, insofar as they alone know this
well: the mysteries of God, in the words of a prophet, are known to God
alone and His perpetual proximity. Let us, considering the mystery of
the Transfiguration of the Lord in accord with their teaching, ourselves
strive to be illumined by this Light and encourage in ourselves love
and striving towards the Unfading Glory and Beauty, purifying the
spiritual eyes of worldly thoughts and refraining from perishable and
quickly-passing delights and beauty, which darken the garb of the soul
and lead to the fire of Gehenna and everlasting darkness, of which let
us be freed by the illumination and knowledge of the Incorporeal and
Perpetually-Extant Light of our Savior transfigured on Tabor, in His
Glory, and of His Father from all-eternity, and Life-Creating Spirit, of
Whom be One Radiance, One Godhead, and Glory, and Kingdom, and Power
now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
