Cloud on Mount Tabor
Since ancient times, Christians have called Mount Tabor in Palestine the very peak on which the Transfiguration of the Lord . The Lord Jesus Christ, taking with Him only the three closest disciples, ascended with them to a high mountain and was transformed before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white like light. A bright cloud also overshadowed them, and from it the disciples heard the voice of the Heavenly Father: This is My beloved Son; Listen to him (Mt 17:1,9). In Galilee, where this event took place, there is no other, higher mountain.
Every year on August 6, old style (August 19, new) , when the Orthodox Church celebrates the Transfiguration of the Lord, a cloud . It overshadows the Orthodox temple located on Mount Tabor, covering both the temple itself and the people in it. In these places at this time of year, in the summer, there are no clouds at all. This miracle occurs only on the day of the Orthodox celebration of the Transfiguration of the Lord (Catholics celebrate this holiday on a different day).
A nun from the Gornensky convent in Palestine said in 1998:
“Several years ago, at the morning liturgy during the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor, two choirs sang alternately. A cloud suddenly appeared above the singers. When another choir sang, the blessed cloud moved there. Then the first choir began to sing - the cloud returned to him. And this continued throughout the service.
Greeks, Orthodox Arabs and the Russian priesthood of the Moscow Patriarchate serve together in a Greek Orthodox church.
As soon as the chalice with the Holy Gifts was brought out, Bishop Sergius blessed everyone to go outside and receive communion there. And immediately clouds appeared in the sky, they flew over the heads of the worshipers and pilgrims with great speed. There was no wind, the tops of the cypress trees in the yard barely swayed, and the clouds kept flying and flying!
The joy and jubilation of the gathered people knew no bounds. People chanted prayers, crossed themselves, some cried. The Greeks sang “Christ is Risen” in Greek. Starting after three o'clock in the morning, the miracle lasted about an hour...
At dawn, huge clouds appeared over Tabor again. The second, morning liturgy began in the Greek temple.
And the clouds rushed towards the Orthodox church with incredible speed. But, having passed over it, they disappeared on the approach to the Catholic basilica.”
In the summer of 2010, a scientific commission visited Israel to study a supernatural phenomenon that gathers a large number of pilgrims on the biblical mountain - the mystery of the annual descent of the cloud on Tabor.
Sergei Mirov, the organizer of the study of the miracle, describes what happened this way:
“The descent of the Holy Cloud occurs only on the territory of an Orthodox monastery! During the service, a luminous ball flies over the believers, then a cloud appears over the cross of the Church of the Transfiguration, which, increasing in size, descends on the crowd of believers, covers it and douses it with life-giving moisture.”
The research was carried out with the participation of Russian and Israeli meteorologists. Russian researcher Marina Makarova participated in the study.
“Having installed weather stations in the evening, we sat among a crowd of thousands of believers in the courtyard of the monastery, and Marina Makarova was filming weather data. I turned on the TV camera. Around are Greeks, Ukrainians, Georgians, Moldovans, the ubiquitous Japanese and Russians. Marina said: “I don’t know what all these people are waiting for, but in such dry air at this temperature the formation of fog is impossible!” I understood little of what was happening, but I understood everything when the patriarch’s prayers began to end and the Sacrament of Communion began.
Suddenly there is general excitement: people are waving their hands. We are enveloped by a fog that has come from God knows where! Everyone around is making the sign of the cross, I, too, am not lagging behind and pointing the camera lens into the thick of events. And... It can’t be! The swaying of the foggy mass is clearly visible in the monitor window.
It was a miracle! By all parameters, the formation of fog in such conditions is impossible! And meteorology cannot give an explanation for this fact.”
Scientific research was also carried out on Mount Tabor. They also confirmed the miracle.
In August 2010, representatives of the group visited the sacred Mount Tabor in Israel and took measurements of a periodically recurring phenomenon on it: the descent of a mysterious cloud onto the mountain.
So, it is known that numerous pilgrims and tourists almost identically describe the phenomenon of Mount Tabor - on August 19 of each year (on the Feast of the Transfiguration) in the southwestern part of this hill a cloud descends on an Orthodox Greek monastery. Perhaps the miracle would be immediately ostracized in Iceland, accustomed to the vagaries of the weather, but at this time in desert Israel there is a cloudless season, which makes this weather phenomenon very unlikely. The event has a clear localization within one Orthodox monastery and does not affect the Franciscan monastery located 400-500 m away, as if bypassing it. Eyewitness accounts indicate that cloud-like formations suddenly acquire high speed even in calm weather and disappear when they reach the church. Sometimes these clouds are illuminated with light, luminous flashes, similar to thunderstorms, but without thunder - representing a bright arc with sparks and shiny stars...
The expedition to study this phenomenon in August 2010 included:
Sergey Mirov, journalist and public figure, expedition coordinator;
Pavel Florensky, professor of the Russian State University of Oil and Gas, academician of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, chairman of the Expert Working Group of the Russian Orthodox Church on the description of miraculous events;
Tatyana Shutova, journalist, philologist;
Marina Makarova, meteorologist, researcher at the Hydrometeorological Center of the Russian Federation and.
Such research cannot be carried out without a meteorologist. She pointed out what instruments needed to be purchased, and we bought portable weather stations to measure pressure, temperature and humidity to determine dew point. We contacted the Israeli weather service. Having set up weather stations in the evening, we sat among a crowd of thousands of believers in the courtyard of the monastery, and Marina Makarova was filming weather data. I turned on the television camera, Pavel Vasilyevich armed himself with a camera. Around are Greeks, Ukrainians, Georgians, Moldovans, the ubiquitous Japanese and Russians. Marina said: “I don’t know what all these people are waiting for, but in such dry air at this temperature the formation of fog is impossible!”
The purpose of the expedition was to record and describe the occurring phenomenon and attempt to explain it from a scientific point of view. The scientific group set itself the task of measuring the process using the “algebra” of modern science - to measure humidity, dew point, pressure, air temperature, wind speed, and other meteorological parameters on the night of the holiday and the day before in order to compare the “pre-cloud” and “cloud” parameters.
As P. Florensky notes, to begin with, satellite images of the mountain were studied on the designated day, August 19, and it was revealed that at night clouds began to gather around the mountain. The phenomenon itself, according to the generalized data of informants, gains full strength closer to the morning. Further study of satellite images showed that the very next day the cloud layer was shifting towards the sea. Sergei Mirov, the direct organizer of the expedition, believes that indications of this can be found in biblical texts. Thus, in the 17th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew it says that Jesus Christ, together with the apostles Peter, James and John, ascended the mountain, where he was transfigured. “And His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.” Perhaps in this passage we are dealing with an allegorical description of the consequences of the descent of the cloud. Whether these phenomena are of the same type remains to be established. Wikipedia reports that the “light of Tabor” is, according to Christian tradition, the uncreated Divine light with which the face of Jesus Christ shone at the Transfiguration. It was this uncreated light that the apostles saw on Tabor at the moment of the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ, when his Divine glory was revealed.
So is all this really happening on Tabor today? “Does grace also descend on believers?” we asked Sergei Mirov. Sergei Mirov: “I understood little of what was happening, but I understood everything when the Patriarch’s prayers began to end and the sacrament of communion began. Suddenly there is general excitement: people are waving their hands. We are enveloped by a fog that has come from God knows where! Everyone around is making the sign of the cross, I, too, am not lagging behind and pointing the camera lens into the thick of events. And... It can’t be! The swaying of the foggy mass is clearly visible in the monitor window! The happy face of Florensky, the amazed face of Makarova... It was a miracle! Even if not in that textbook form, but by all parameters the formation of fog in such conditions is impossible! And meteorology cannot give an explanation for this fact.
Even more surprising is that the descent of the blessed cloud occurs only on the territory of an Orthodox monastery! During the service, a luminous ball flies over the believers, then a cloud appears over the cross of the Church of the Transfiguration, which, increasing in size, descends on the crowd of believers, covers it and douses it with life-giving moisture. I thought this phenomenon should be studied from the perspective of secular people who doubt miracles. It was necessary to approach the issue from a scientific point of view. So that people know that they are not being deceived.”
Satellite images of Mount Tabor and clouds over Tabor.
On August 18, on the eve of the appearance of an unidentified atmospheric phenomenon, the group placed portable weather stations not only in the traditional place where clouds flowed onto the mountain, but also on the territory of a neighboring monastery. At 23:42, at an altitude of about 200 m, a fireball with a luminous plume (tail) was recorded, which moved from southeast to east in the direction of the temple altar. According to Tatyana Shuntova’s description, the movement lasted about seven to ten seconds, after which the ball disappeared behind the treetops. Its size can be compared to the size of the window of a standard house, seen from a distance of two hundred meters, while the length of the tail is twice as long as the diameter of the ball. The color is very bright, scarlet-orange-fiery. The researchers suggested that they most likely encountered ball lightning, however, as eyewitnesses testify, the observation of fireballs here is by no means an aperiodic phenomenon and may systematically precede the appearance of a cloud.
At about 4:00 a.m., shiny silvery droplets or dust particles appeared in the air, moving counterclockwise at an altitude of approximately 3-4 m. Sergei Mironov took photographs and videos and noted the appearance of a swaying foggy mass at the same time. For five minutes, a stream of particles flew in volleys from the side of the podium on which the service was taking place and moved in a circle. The dust particles were a little cold, but there was no noticeable condensation of moisture. The weather station readings at that moment were recorded by Marina Makarova.
The maximum that can be captured on a camera when a cloud appears is drop-like particles, no different from ordinary fog.
Having systematized the data obtained at a specially created press conference, the study participants note that it is not yet clear whether this phenomenon is of a synoptic nature, but we can conclude that from the point of view of the church it refers to the so-called grace-filled phenomena (akin to “prayed rain”). Traditional ideas about condensation fall out do not correspond to reality, as do assumptions about hallucinations caused by the state of exaltation of pilgrims. At the moment of the appearance of unknown particles, weather conditions (temperature, air humidity and wind speed) did not change in any way. It is also impossible to state unambiguously what the degree of participation of the observed ball lightning was in the process of generating the miracle on Mount Tabor.
The work presented by the group is an attempt to study one of the religious phenomena from a scientific perspective. The content of freely available published materials on this expedition raises questions in a number of ways. Unfortunately, two years after it, we did not find any scientific publications about the studies conducted, which would have contained information about the design of the experiment with its detailed description, a complete list of the equipment used and data on the measured readings. Photos or videos of the flight of the fireball are also not presented. By the way, one expedition is clearly not enough to clarify the nature of this phenomenon with religious overtones. Long-term comprehensive studies are needed here.
A still from a video recording made during the expedition (left) and a still taken by another person on the same day in the evening (taken from the proboga.com blog).
There are also some complaints about the variations in the microclimate of Mount Tabor and its environs, which have not been sufficiently studied by meteorologists. So, according to the words of the abbot of the Greek Orthodox monastery, “light clouds and fog on Tabor in the summer are often phenomena.” A Guide to the Study of the Bible (ed. W. Jencks, 1838, p. 172) states that during the greater part of the summer Tabor is covered with thick clouds in the morning, which clear by noon, and heavy dew falls at night. B. Meistermann in his work “Le Mont Thabor” (1899, pp. 130-131) writes that even before the start of the rainy season, which occurs at the end of October, “dew, falling abundantly at night, slightly compensates for the lack of rain and supports plant life despite the sun it's hot. The abundance of dew and the cooling of the atmosphere by dawn often cause fogs that envelop Tabor until the sun dispels them. Sometimes these fogs stretch only along the bottom of the Ezrelon plain. Above these clouds of radiant whiteness rise like islands, Tabor, Little Hermon, the Gilboa Mountains and the Mount of Overthrow, illuminated by the sun. Confronting this luminary, which directs its rays in order to scatter them, the clouds agitate, compress and sometimes rise high up, only to immediately fall together; from the force of this movement they open up through the wide-open abyss of white vapor […].” Similar information can be found in the book “To Thavor, hetoi Perigraphe topographike kai historike tou Thavoriou orous” (1993, pp. 44-45): “The climate of Thavor is moderate and healthy. On summer days, in the evening and morning, the top of the mountain is surrounded by a thick cloud, which dissipates with sunrise. Every day, a life-giving pleasant breeze, which by midday gives way to a dewy wind, makes staying at the top of the mountain pleasant and desirable.”
February 22, 2009. View from the Church of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor (Israel). Still from the photo blog ale4kin (https://fotki.yandex.ru/users/ale4kin/view/61825/?page=0).
Many of the comments can be easily eliminated, others require the participation of specialists in related fields in processing the results and a more in-depth analysis of the literature. It seems interesting to repeat the experiments while simultaneously recording the parameters of the mysterious fog and the hypothetical luminous ball.
Pavel FLORENSKY: - Pavel Vasilyevich, what is a miracle for you? — For a believer, everything is the grace of God. But there are people who want to replace faith in God with a thirst for miracles. Insight, predictions and even healing are, in principle, beyond the interests of our commission. We study only purely physical phenomena: the flow of myrrh, the duplication of the image of icons on glass, the self-renewal of icons and some other phenomena that can be studied using scientific methods... Cases of miraculous healing, treatment, insight are dealt with by priests, and not by us, scientists, because there is no specific substance here , which could be analyzed. Using modern high-precision instruments, we observed the ignition of the Holy Fire in Jerusalem. The conclusion is simple: the fire is accompanied by strong piezoelectric phenomena throughout the entire volume of the temple and the surrounding space, similar to those that occur during a strong thunderstorm - but there was no thunderstorm... This means that this phenomenon can be classified as miraculous. — Do you think all the inexplicable phenomena that you have encountered are from God? “Now that many people’s eyes have been opened and they began to notice and see spiritual phenomena, it has become obvious that life is full of miracles. The most incredible and amazing. But only those miracles that are inside the Church come from higher powers. And in other places there can be not only manifestations of God’s grace, but also any tricks. In the end, shamanic stones also stream myrrh, shamans can indeed reproduce amazing miracles, but the main thing is different: we do not know what forces help them. Waiting for a miracle is good. But I would advise caution - I know how many cases where people, for their own selfish interests, tempted people with an alleged miracle. For example, there was a case when people came to our commission with stories about a miracle - in one woman’s house, all the icons allegedly cried. And the hostess has already begun to host people thirsting for healing. We went there and found out that it was all quackery. Nowadays there are many so-called traditional healers offering miraculous healing. I would like to advise people: beware of simple, momentary healings without effort, without labor. It's a kind of spiritual freebie. Lead a correct and righteous lifestyle. Be especially wary of psychics and any healers - this separates the patient from professional doctors and is therefore deadly...
Four facts about the holiday
1. Mount Tabor, or Mount of Transfiguration, is located in the eastern part of the Jezreel Valley, in the Lower Galilee. Today, on its top there are two monasteries - Catholic and Orthodox.
2. The tradition of celebrating the Transfiguration of the Lord originated in the 4th century. It was then that Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Helen built the first temple on Mount Tabor, which was dedicated to this gospel event.
3. The Transfiguration Cathedral in Pereslavl-Zalessky is the only one of the five first white-stone churches of North-Eastern Rus' that has survived to this day, almost completely preserved. The temple was founded by Prince Yuri Dolgoruky, and completed in 1157 under Andrei Bogolyubsky. The temple icon of the Transfiguration, attributed to the brush of Theophanes the Greek, is kept in the Tretyakov Gallery.
4. Apple Savior is the popular name for the holiday of the Transfiguration of the Lord. It is connected with the ancient custom when the Jews brought to the temple everything that appeared first in the field or in the stable. Christians also adopted this tradition, so that when the first grape harvest ripened in August, it was brought to the church just for the Feast of the Transfiguration. In our area they brought apples instead.
Orthodox Life
Word from Bishop Sylvester (Stoichev), rector of the Kyiv Theological Academy.
Today the Orthodox Church celebrates the great twelfth feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Transfiguration of the Savior on Mount Tabor occupies one of the most important places in sacred history. The Evangelist Matthew talks about the Transfiguration “after six days” (Matthew 17.1). These words are not just a chronological clarification, they indicate and at the same time connect the Transfiguration with another gospel event: the confession of the Apostle Peter at Caesarea Philippi. When asked by the Savior who the disciples consider Him to be, Peter exclaims, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16.16). And thereby the Apostle Peter testifies to his faith and the faith of the other apostles that the Lord Jesus is the expected Messiah, and not just a prophet or a righteous man. And so the Lord, as if in response to this confession, reveals Himself in divine glory on Mount Tabor.
So, Christ takes three disciples with Him to the mountain: Peter, James and John. Why three of them? St. John of Damascus, says that the choice of Christ is at the same time an indication: “He took Peter in order to show that Peter’s testimony is confirmed by the testimony of the Father... He took James, as having before all the apostles to die for Christ... He took John as a virgin and the purest organ of theology.” . That is, the Lord took Peter - the first who confessed Him as the Son of God; James - the first of the apostles to accept martyrdom; and John - the first who was to receive the great title of Theologian.
Having ascended the mountain, the Lord Jesus is transfigured before his disciples, “and His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as light” (Matthew 17.1). How to understand this event and the evangelist’s indication of the vision of light emanating from Christ so that even His clothes turned white? How do we understand the word transformation itself?
Of course, there may be erroneous and even heretical explanations of the Transfiguration. There have been similar examples in the history of the Church, which is not the place to talk about in detail now.
For a correct understanding, let us turn to another text that is well known to all of you. The Apostle Paul in one of his epistles writes about Christ: “he made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant” (Phil. 2:7).
Not just an image, but the image of a servant, which the Lord Jesus took on in the Incarnation. Obviously, the image of a slave is a deprivation of glory, disgrace.
The Orthodox Church, through the mouths of numerous holy fathers, testifies to its belief that the Lord Jesus, at the moment of incarnation, immediately deifies the human nature he assumed. St. Maximus the Confessor writes: “The Son of God at the Incarnation made human nature deified by the ineffable power of the Incarnation.” The human nature of the God-man Jesus Christ was deified at the moment of His Incarnation! And every thought about the gradual deification, about the increasing deification of the human nature of Christ must be decisively rejected not just as erroneous, but as heretical!
However, the Second Hypostasis of the Holy Trinity, God the Son, having immediately deified His human nature in the Incarnation, hides His Divine Glory, and takes on a humiliated image, or, in the words of the Apostle Paul, “the image of a servant.”
So, image and transformation. Or rather, the image of a slave and transformation! What does the word transformation mean? – Change of image! At the moment of transfiguration on Mount Tabor, the Lord reveals to the disciples His glory, which He had originally. There is a change from the image of ignominy to the image of glory. St. John of Damascus teaches: “When Christ is transfigured, He becomes not what He was not, but by opening the eyes of His disciples and making them sighted from the blind, He appears to them what He was.”
Our Lord Jesus Christ revealed, revealed, showed Himself on Tabor as He always was and is, in His Divine glory and greatness!
At the moment of the Transfiguration, the apostles saw Christ talking with Moses and Elijah. Why was this shown to the apostles? And why Moses and Elijah? To understand this circumstance, let us again recall the Gospel story, which has already been mentioned: the confession of Peter at Caesarea Philippi.
Before Peter’s confession, the Lord asks the disciples: “Who do people say that I, the Son of Man, am?” They said: some for John the Baptist, others for Elijah, and others for Jeremiah, or one of the prophets” (Matthew 16:13-14).
This means that some revered Christ for Elijah, others for Jeremiah, or for one of the prophets. In Old Testament times, Moses and Elijah were considered the personification of the prophetic ministry, the very law and prophets (Luke 16:16) mentioned in Scripture.
And their appearance before the Lord on Tabor shows the apostles that Christ, as Peter confessed, is not Elijah, not John, not Jeremiah, not Moses, not even an angel, but God Himself! How can we not all remember the well-known words from the canon for Holy Communion: “Thou camest from the Virgin, neither an intercessor nor an Angel, but the Lord Himself, who became incarnate, and saved all mankind!”
The apostles see the Lord Jesus in a transfigured form. As already mentioned, transformation is a change in image. The divine glory that Christ has, but hides under the shadow of disgrace, He reveals for a moment to his disciples in order to strengthen them in the faith that He is the Son of God and the Messiah.
But what happens at this moment to the apostles themselves? Are they simply passive witnesses to the transfiguration of Christ? No, brothers and sisters, the apostles also change, they are also transformed. After all, the Light they see on Tabor is Divine and uncreated. This means that it cannot be seen by the eyes in the same way as ordinary physical light.
The opinion that the light visible by the apostles is just their inner experience, occurring in their consciousness, cannot be accepted, and is categorically disputed by such a holy father as St. Gregory Palamas. However, the same saint says that with our ordinary vision the Divine light cannot be seen, because the eye perceives material, created things, but the Divine light is uncreated. How then can we explain the vision of the Apostles of Light?
The patristic answer is that the apostles themselves also underwent transformation. Saint Gregory writes that the apostles were worthy to perceive the Light with their bodily eyes, but through a different, non-sensual force, through the action of the Holy Spirit. By being transformed, Christ at the same moment transforms His disciples and gives them the opportunity to see that which is immaterial, uncreated.
During the Transfiguration, the apostles feel such joy, such spiritual peace that they want to remain in this state constantly and not go anywhere: “Lord! It’s good for us to be here” (Matthew 17.4).
These words are very understandable, since “The Transfiguration depicts the state of the future century,” explains St. Fedor Studit. And everyone who has already been honored to touch this state in earthly life will never want anything else. That is why the Apostle Peter says seemingly strange words: we will make three tabernacles here: “One for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah” (Matthew 17.4). What kind of tabernacles? What is this for? Because the Apostle Peter, arriving in a state of indescribable spiritual joy, wants to prolong this state, does not want to leave. Where to go and why? When here, on Mount Tabor, there is already the joy of the Kingdom of God revealed in power and glory. Saint John Chrysostom draws attention to one more aspect. Let us again remember Peter’s confession near Caesarea Philippi, after which Christ tells the disciples that “He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day rise again” (Matt. 16.21). And the Apostle Peter, as the Gospel says, “began to rebuke Him: Be merciful to Yourself, Lord! let this not happen to you!” (Matthew 16.22).
And on the Mount of Transfiguration, being in spiritual delight, the Apostle Peter suddenly remembers that His beloved Teacher, the one whom He now sees in an ineffable light talking with the great prophets, will suffer and will be killed! And Peter’s words about the tabernacles, according to Chrysostom, not only speak of joy, but also of emotions, of fear from the thought that Christ will be humiliated and executed. And Peter, with his proposal to make three tabernacles, seems to be saying: why go there, to Jerusalem, where there will be humiliation and suffering, beatings and death? Let's stay here, where it's so joyful and so good.
What can we say to these experiences of the Apostle Peter, understandable and natural for every loving person? Let us also say what Christ already said at Caesarea Philippi: “You think not about the things of God, but about the things of men” (Matthew 16.23). That is why the Son of God came to earth to atone for the sins of people by death on the cross: “for this hour have I come” (John 12:27), says the Lord before his suffering. Also, the Apostle Paul says that Christ had to taste death for all people (Heb. 2:9).
Transfiguration and suffering on the cross. The Incarnation in the form of a servant and the Resurrection from the dead in great glory are all for our sake, our salvation, so that each of us can become partakers of God (2 Pet. 1:4).
The Savior of the world, Jesus Christ, opens up for man the opportunity to return to God, to the Father’s house, to receive back what was lost in the Fall of Adam: “As in Adam all die, so in Christ will all come to life” (1 Cor. 15:22) and if “ If death reigned through one, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through one Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:17).
Brothers and sisters, the Feast of the Transfiguration is not just a remembrance of the Gospel story that happened two thousand years ago. Transformation is, so to speak, our life program. Orthodoxy is called by some theologians the religion of transfiguration. Indeed, God, according to the words of the Apostle Peter, called each of us “out of darkness into His wonderful light” (1 Pet. 2:9).
The Apostle Paul also says: “Walk as children of light” (Eph. 5:8). The Holy Apostle John writes that “God is light” (1 John 1:5). This means being children of light means being children of God, and we must live as children of God. Moreover: the Church believes that every Orthodox Christian can become a partaker of the Divine Light and behold It just like the Apostles during the Transfiguration. There are so many different testimonies in the patericons and lives of saints telling about the ascetics’ presence in the light. Their names cannot be listed!
Through active faith, the opportunity is open for each of us to be in God as in Light: “God, being Light by nature, manifests itself in the light by imitation, as a Prototype in an image,” states St. Maxim the Confessor. That is, by abiding in God, becoming partakers of Him (cf. 2 Pet. 1:4), we ourselves become light.
Therefore, our Lord Jesus Christ, who is “the true Light” (John 1:9), and “the light of the world” (John 8:12) Himself and His Apostles says: “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5 :14) and commands all His disciples: “Let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
One may ask the question, where are those Christians, where are those ascetics who were awarded the sight of the Divine Light and themselves became the light by imitation? Why don't they shine like a candle placed on a candlestick? (cf. Luke 8:16).
The Apostle Paul, teaching Christians, writes that God enlightened the saints with the knowledge of “the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we carry this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the exceeding power may be attributed to God and not to us” (2 Cor. 4:6-8).
So, although the saints have already become partakers of God in this life, they retain the great grace they have received in the weak vessels of human nature, and in order to behold the glory of God in these “clay vessels”, they themselves must begin to be transformed.
So often people see in the Church, in church life, in the righteous, only the external, only the weak, only “dust and ashes,” because “they will not see with their eyes, nor hear with their ears, nor will they understand with their heart,” for “the heart has become hardened” (Matt. .13:15).
As already mentioned, the apostles on Mount Tabor were able to see Christ Transfigured because they themselves were transfigured. And in order to see the holiness, light, grace of church life through the thickness of the external, weak, transitory, we ourselves must begin to be transformed and “walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4)
Ascending gradually to God, purifying the mind and feelings, strengthening the will in good deeds - this is the path to our personal transformation. And on this path may the Lord deliver us “from every evil deed and preserve us for His Heavenly Kingdom” (2 Tim. 4:18), so that we, along with the host of the apostles and righteous people, may give Him glory, honor and generations forever and ever! Amen.
Transfiguration
At Great Vespers on “I cried to the Lord,” stichera, tone 4:
Before Your Cross, O Lord, / the mountain is likened to Heaven, / and the clouds are like a canopy, stretching out, / I am being transformed by You, / I testify from the Father: / there was Peter with James and John, / that I wanted to be with You even in the time of Your betrayal ‚/that having seen Your wonders,/they will not be afraid of Your sufferings,/let us worship in peace,/great for the sake of Your mercy.
Before Your Cross, O Lord, / the mountain was likened to the sky / and the cloud spread out like a tent. / When You were transfigured / and received the testimony from the Father, / Peter was there with James and John, / for they were destined to be with You / and at the hour of Your betrayal to death,/so that when they see Your wondrous deeds/they will not be afraid of Your sufferings/which You deign us to worship in peace/according to Your great mercy.
Before Thy Cross, O Lord, / we took the disciples to a high mountain, / you were transfigured before them, / illuminating them with a ray of power, / from here with love for mankind, / from here with power, / to show at least the lordship of the resurrection, / to whom, O God, you have granted us in the world ,/as he is Merciful and Lover of Humanity.
Before Your Cross, O Lord, / taking the disciples to a high mountain, / You were transformed before them, / illuminating them with rays of power, / wanting to show both your love for mankind and your power, / the lightness of the resurrection; / and you, God, have honored us in the world ‚/as the Merciful and the Lover of Humanity.
The mountain, which was sometimes gloomy and smoky,/is now honest and holy,/on which Thy nose stood, O Lord,/for the eternal hidden sacrament/was finally revealed,/Thy terrible transfiguration,/to Peter, and John, and James. / And such is the radiance of Thy face that cannot bear / and the brightness of Thy robe / I cover myself prostrate on the face of the earth, / and I am overcome with horror, marveling, / seeing Moses and Elijah speaking with You, / wanting to befall You; / and a voice from the Father You testify, saying/This is My beloved Son,/Of Him I am well pleased,/Listen to Him,/Who bestows great mercy on the world.
The mountain, once hidden in darkness and smoke, / is now revered and holy, / on which Thy feet stood, O Lord; / for before the ages, the hidden mystery / finally made manifest / Thy terrible transfiguration / to Peter, John, and James. / They, the radiance of their faces Not being able to bear You/ and the shine of Your clothes,/ they bowed down with their faces to the ground,/ and, overwhelmed with amazement, they were amazed,/ seeing Moses and Elijah talking with You/ about what was about to happen to You./ And a voice from the Father testified, saying: / “This is My beloved Son, / in whom I am well pleased, listen to Him, / He will bestow great mercy on the world!”
He was transfigured on a high mountain, the Savior,/having supreme disciples,/gloriously he flaunted himself,/showing that he had been adorned with the height of virtues/and would be worthy of Divine glory./Speaking with Christ, Moses and Elijah showed,/that he possesses the living and the dead/and the law of old and the prophets said God,/to him and the voice of the Father from the cloud of light you obeyed, saying:/hear him,/who by the Cross took hell captive/and bestowed eternal life on the dead.
On a high mountain, transfigured / in the presence of the supreme disciples, / You shone gloriously, Savior, / showing that through the height of virtues those who shine / will receive Divine glory. / Those who spoke with Christ, Moses and Elijah / revealed that He rules over the living and the dead. / and God, who in ancient times spoke through the law and the prophets / about whom from the bright cloud the voice of the Father testified / saying: / “Listen to the One who will captivate hell with the Cross / and will give eternal life to the dead!”
Glory, and now, voice 6:
Typical of Your resurrection, O Christ God,/then Your three disciples, Peter, and James, and John, sing to Tabor./You, the Savior, are transformed,/Mount Tabor is covered with Light ,/Thy disciples, O Word,/threw themselves down upon the earth,/not enduring the sight of the invisible sight,/serving angels with fear and trembling,/fearing the heavens,/the earth trembling,/seeing the glory of the Lord on earth.
Prefiguring Your resurrection, O Christ God,/you then take with You three of Your disciples/ Peter, and James, and John,/ ascending to Tabor./And at Your transfiguration, Savior,/Mount Tabor was illuminated with light./Your disciples, the Word/ they prostrated themselves on the ground/unable to bear the contemplation of an image inaccessible to their eyes./The angels served You with fear and trembling,/the heavens shook, the earth trembled,/seeing the Glory of the Lord on earth.
At the litia, the stichera are self-concordant, tone 2.
By Your Light you have sanctified the entire universe/transformed yourself on the mountain above, O Good One,/showing to Your disciples Your power,/how You have delivered the world from crime./The same we cry to You:/Merciful Lord, save our souls.
With Your light You have sanctified the entire universe, / You, the Good One, were transfigured on a high mountain, / showing Your disciples Your power, / for You are delivering the world from crime. / Therefore we cry to You: / “Merciful Lord, save our souls!”
Who on Mount Taborstei was transfigured in glory, O Christ our God,/and having shown to Thy disciples the glory of Thy Divinity/illuminated us with the light of Thy understanding/and led us on the path of Thy commandments/as we alone are good and lover of mankind.
On Mount Tabor, transfigured in glory, O Christ our God,/and who showed to Thy disciples the glory of Thy Divinity,/illuminate us with the light of Thy knowledge/and direct us to the path of Thy commandments,/as the only good and lover of mankind!
Even before the sun, the Light of Christ/living bodily on the earth/and before the Cross, everything, even a terrible sight, having accomplished in a magnificent manner,/today on Mount Taurus,/secretly showing the image of the Trinity,/the graceful three disciples,/Peter, and James, and John, on You erected nudes in private/and, little hiding the perception of the flesh,/you were transformed before them/revealing the beginning of the image of goodness and splendor/and that is not all perfect:/I informed you, in full and with mercy,/so that they do not destroy the image and the hedgehog’s ,/ but as one who can contain the Lord, he endures with bodily eyes./And you brought the supreme prophets, Moses and Elijah,/unquestioningly testifying to His Divinity/and as He is the true radiance of the Father’s Being,/ruling over the living and the dead./Those and the clouds like a canopy, embraced them, / and a voice from above, the Father / from the cloud, noisily foretelling and saying: / This is, incorruptible from the womb before the day of birth, / My beloved Son, / Who is the messenger of salvation / into the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit who are baptized / and who truly confess, /as the one power of the Divine is indivisible/Listen to him./You Himself, O Christ God, loving of mankind,/illuminate us with the Light of Your unapproachable glory/and show us worthy heirs/of Your endless Kingdom, for He is most blessed.
The Light that was before the sun, Christ,/living in the flesh on earth/and before the Cross, everything pertaining to His awe-inspiring plan,/has accomplished, as befits God,/on this day on Mount Tabor/mysteriously shows the image of the Trinity,/three the most perfect of the disciples, / Peter, and James, and John, / raising up to her alone with Himself. / And, partly hiding the accepted flesh, / was transformed before them, / revealing the perfection of the original beauty, / although not with all its fullness, / at the same time certifying them, but also sparing them, / so that they would not lose both sight and life, / and only as far as they could contain / and their bodily eyes endured. / And he brought the greatest of the prophets, Moses and Elijah, / according to those who testify to His Divinity ‚/and that He is the true Radiance of the essence of the Father,/dominating over the living and over the dead./Therefore the cloud, like a tent, covered them,/and the voice of the Father came from above/from the cloud loudly testifying and saying:/“This is He Whom I did not give birth according to earthly laws / from the womb before the morning star, / My beloved Son, / Whom I sent to save / in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, those who receive baptism / and confess with faith / that the one power of the Divine is indivisible / Listen to Him!”/You Yourself, Lover of Mankind, Christ God,/illuminate us with the Light of Your unapproachable glory/and show us/as worthy heirs of Your endless Kingdom as most good!
Glory, voice 5:
Come, let us ascend to the mountain of the Lord/and to the house of our God/and we will see the glory of His transfiguration,/the glory as the only begotten of the Father,/with light we will receive the Light/and, having been exalted in spirit,/the Trinity of one essence will sing unto the ages.
Come, let us ascend to the mountain of the Lord/and to the house of our God/and we will see the glory of His transfiguration/the glory as the Only Begotten of the Father;/with light we will receive the Light/and, exalted in spirit,/we will sing the Trinity of One Essence forever.
And now:
You, Christ, the Creator and Executor, bear witness to the Law and the Prophets, / visibly in the cloud, / Moses the God-seer and Elijah the Fire Chariot / and the unfaded celestial / in Your transfiguration. / With them, grant us Your enlightenment, O Master, / sing Cha forever.
Of You, Christ, / as the Creator and Executor of the Law and the Prophets, / witnessed, seeing You in the cloud at Your transfiguration, / Moses, the Seer of God, and Elijah, / who ascended to heaven on a fiery chariot unburnt. / With them, honor us with Your enlightenment, Lord/so that we may sing Your praises forever.
Stichera on the verse, tone 1:
Like those of old with Moses
who spoke on Mount Sinai as images,/I am, saying, I am,/today on Mount Taborstae I have been transfigured before the disciples,/showing the beginning-like kindness of the eye,/let us perceive a human being in ourselves,/and such graces have been established as witnesses—Moses and Elijah,/companions creating joy,/proclaiming the glorious Cross for the sake of/and the saving resurrection.
The One who in ancient times spoke/with Moses on Mount Sinai through images,/saying: “I am the eternally Existing One,”/on this day on Mount Tabor, having been transformed before the disciples,/showed the original beauty of God’s image/in the human nature assumed by Himself/ and, making Moses and Elijah witnesses of such grace, / made them participants in the joy, / predicting the completion of Your ministry through the Cross / and the saving Resurrection.
Having foreseen Your only begotten Son by the Spirit/ carnal
coming to man/ the God-father David from afar calls creation to joy/ and prophetically calls out:/ Tabor and Hermon will rejoice in Your name/ For having ascended to this mountain, O Savior , with Your disciples/ the blackened Adam nature, / having been transformed, you have created again, / transforming glory and lightness into Your Divinity. / We cry to You: / Creator of all, Lord, glory to You.
Foreseeing by the Spirit your coming of the only begotten Son/in the flesh to men/Godfather David from afar calls all creation to joy/and prophetically exclaims:/“Tabor and Hermon will rejoice in Your name.”/For having ascended this mountain with Your disciples, / You, the Savior, the darkened Adam’s nature, / having been transformed, made it shine again, / transforming it into the glory and radiance of Your Divinity. / Therefore we cry to You: / “Creator of all things, Lord, glory to You!”
The uncontrollable light of Your light, / and the unapproachable Divinity, / seen by the best apostles, / on the Mount of Transfiguration, the beginningless Christ, / changed by divine horror, / and, shone with a bright cloud, / the voice of the Father heard, announcing the mystery of Your inhumanity, / as You are one even after your incarnation ‚/Only Begotten Son/and Savior of the world.
The unbearable outpouring of Your light / and the unapproachable Divinity, the beginningless Christ, / contemplating on the mountain of transfiguration, / those chosen from the apostles were changed by divine delight / and, illuminated by a cloud of light, / heard a fatherly voice, / confirming the mystery of Your incarnation, / that You are One and in incarnation,/the Only Begotten Son and Savior of the world.
Glory, and now, voice 6:
To Peter, and to James, and to John,/by Thy best teaching, O Lord,/thou hast this day shown on Mount Taurus/the glory of Thy Divine form:/I have seen Thy garments sheathed like light,/and the face Yours is greater than the sun, / I cannot bear to see Your unbearable radiance, / I have fallen to the earth, / I cannot see anything more powerful than I can see. / But I hear a voice testifying from above: / This is My beloved Son, / who came into the world to save man.
To Peter, and John, and James,/your chosen disciples, O Lord,/this day you showed on Mount Tabor/the glory of your divine appearance:/for they saw your clothes shining like light/and your face brighter than the sun; /and unable to bear the contemplation of Your unbearable brilliance, / they fell to the ground, completely unable to look. / They heard a voice testifying from above: / “This is My beloved Son, / who came into the world to save man!”
At Matins the troparion, tone 7:
Thou art transfigured on the mountain, O Christ God, / showing Thy disciples Thy glory, / like a man, / that Thy ever-present Light may shine upon us sinners, / through the prayers of the Mother of God, / Light, glory to Thee.
You were transfigured on the mountain, O Christ God,/showing your disciples your glory,/as far as it was possible for them./May your eternal light shine upon us sinners,/through the prayers of the Mother of God;/Giver of light, glory to you!
Sedalen, voice 4:
Human change, hedgehog with Thy glory, Savior, / showing the second and terrible Thy coming, / on Mount Taborstei, Thou wast transformed. / Elijah and Moses spoke with Thee, / and called three of the disciples, / who, O Lord, saw Thy glory, I was amazed at Your brilliance./Even then Your Light shone forth, illuminating our souls.
Showing mortals the change / in the image of Your glory / at Your second and terrible coming / on Mount Tabor You, Savior, were transformed. / Elijah and Moses talked with You there; / You called three of your disciples there with You / and they, seeing the glory Yours, Lord, / they were amazed at Your radiance. / Who illuminated them then with Your light, / enlighten our souls!
Sedalen, voice 4:
On Mount Favorstei you were transfigured, O Jesus,/and the cloud of light stretched out, like a canopy, covering the apostles with glory,/even as you fell prostrate to the earth,/not patient to behold the light of the unapproachable glory of your face,/the Savior without beginning, Christ God./Even then This shining Light of Yours, enlighten our souls.
On Mount Tabor You were transfigured, Jesus, / and a bright cloud, like a tent spread out, covered the Apostles with Your glory - / that’s why they fixed their gaze on the earth, / unable to see the splendor / unapproachable glory of Your face, / Beginningless Savior, Christ God ./You illuminated them then with Your Light/enlighten our souls!
Magnification:
We magnify You, / life-giving Christ, / and honor Your most pure flesh / glorious transfiguration.
We magnify You/Giver of life Christ/and honor Your most pure flesh/glorious transfiguration.
Kontakion, tone 7:
Thou art transfigured on the mountain,/and as Thy disciples were present,/they saw Thy glory, O Christ God,/so that when they see Thee crucified,/they may understand the free suffering,/and preach to the world,/that Thou art truly the Father. yaniye.
You were transfigured on the mountain,/and as far as your disciples could comprehend,/they contemplated your glory, O Christ God,/so that when they saw you crucified,/they would understand that your suffering was voluntary/and they would proclaim to the world/that you are truly Father's radiance.
On the praise of the elements:, voice 4:
Before Thy honorable Cross and suffering, Thou didst judge them, from the sacred disciples, Thou didst ascend to Mount Tabor, O Lord, to show Thy glory: / to those who saw Thee, transfigured / and shone brighter than the sun Having fallen, I was amazed at Your strength, crying out: / You are the flightless Light, O Christ, / and the radiance of the Father, / even though you appeared to the flesh by the will, Unchangeable.
Before Your sacred Cross and suffering, / taking those whom You chose from the sacred disciples, / You, O Lord, ascended Mount Tabor, / wanting to show them Your glory. / And they, seeing You transformed / and shining brighter than the sun, / fell prostrate, amazed at Your power, crying out / “You are the timeless Light, Christ, / and the radiance of the Father, / although you were seen by Your will / in the flesh, unchanging!”
Who, before the age, was God the Word,/who was clothed with Light like a robe/transformed before Thy disciples,/Thou shalt shone more than the sun, the Word,/Moses and Elijah appeared before Thee,/the dead and the living, telling Thy Lord/and Thy glorifying indescribable look, and mercy,/and much mercy,/with which you saved the world,/perishing by sin.
Before the ages, the Existing God-Word, / clothed with light like a garment, / transformed before Your disciples, / brighter than the Sun, the Word, You shone forth. / Moses and Elijah appeared to You, / declaring You Lord of the dead and the living, / and glorifying You ineffable providence and mercy/and great condescension/by which You saved the world/perishing from sins.
From the Virgin cloud You were born,/and the flesh was formed,/and on Mount Taborste you were transformed, Lord,/and You are surrounded by a bright cloud,/the voice of the Parents of Your beloved Son,/as a disciple standing before You, you have clearly said,/as one in essence and one in the throne./Also Peter I was surprised, - / it is good to be here, -
in the verb , / not knowing , / the benefactor is abundantly merciful.
You, born from the Virgin cloud,/and made flesh,/and transfigured on Mount Tabor, O Lord,/and surrounded by a bright cloud,/the voice of the Parent in the presence of Your disciples/openly revealed You as the beloved Son,/consubstantial and seated on the same throne with Him. /Therefore, Peter, amazed, /said without knowing what he was saying: / “It’s good to be here,” / Much-merciful Benefactor!”
Glory, and now, voice 8:
Christ sang Peter, James and John,/on
mountain alone /and He was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun,/His robe was white like light;/And Moses and Elijah appeared with Him, I say , The clouds are bright in their autumn./And her voice from the clouds says :/This is My beloved Son,/In Him I am well pleased/Listen to Him.
Christ took Peter, and James, and John/to a high mountain alone,/and was transfigured before them,/and His face shone like the sun,/His clothes became white as light;/and Moses and Elijah appeared, talking with Him ,/and a bright cloud overshadowed them,/and behold, a voice from the cloud, saying:/"This is My beloved Son/On Whom I delight./Listen to Him!"
Favor: the joy of ascent to God
How do the church traditions of the holiday relate to its biblical description? Why is the Transfiguration celebrated after Easter if it happened before the crucifixion of Christ? Why is it considered that a miracle happened on Mount Tabor if this is not stated in the Gospel? Why did Peter, James and John witness the miracle? “Transfiguration of the Lord” by Peter Malkov
.
Church holiday of the Transfiguration of the Lord
Transfiguration. Anthology of patristic sermons
Petr Malkov
RUR 327
The Transfiguration of the Lord is one of the most important Orthodox celebrations in the annual church cycle. It is one of the so-called twelve feasts of the church calendar. The Feast of the Transfiguration is always celebrated on the same day - August 19 (new style). Despite the fact that the Transfiguration falls during the rather strict Dormition Fast, it is always a joyful and bright summer holiday.
The first evidence of the church celebration of the Transfiguration is quite ancient, dating back to the 5th century. However, the holiday itself became widespread in the Orthodox East - primarily in Byzantium - still later: in the 7th–8th centuries. In the West, unlike Byzantium, the Feast of the Transfiguration did not have such great significance in the minds of believers; here it was established as universal only in the middle of the 15th century.
As we know from New Testament history, the Lord was transfigured on Tabor just shortly before His Crucifixion. So why then do we celebrate the Transfiguration of the Lord in August, and not during the days of Great Lent - before Holy Week and Easter?
The fact is that the ancient Church, guided by “pedagogical” anti-pagan goals, often timed the calendar dates of one or another of its holidays to coincide with the days of pagan celebrations - thereby, as it were, replacing and displacing them from the people’s consciousness. Thus, in the 5th–6th centuries, the celebration of the Transfiguration of the Lord in Armenia and Cappadocia was timed to coincide with August 6 - the day when the pagan goddess Astghik was traditionally glorified in Armenia (the holiday of Vardavar), and in Cappadocia - Aphrodite (the holiday of Vartuvari); During this pagan celebration, young people wondered about their fate over a bucket of water into which green ears were dipped.
However, the spiritual meaning of the Transfiguration, precisely as the event that preceded the Crucifixion of the Lord, was nevertheless reflected in the church calendar: after all, the Transfiguration is celebrated by us exactly forty days before another twelfth holiday - the Exaltation of the Cross - a celebration glorifying the Cross of Christ, the Savior’s Calvary Sacrifice.
Perhaps the Feast of the Transfiguration is remembered by many primarily because of the beautiful and solemn liturgical custom associated with it - the temple consecration of apples, grapes and other fruits; It was thanks to him that the holiday received its second, “folk” name - Apple Savior. The custom of consecrating the fruits of the new harvest at the Transfiguration of the Lord is very ancient. However, the main spiritual significance of the Feast of the Transfiguration lies, of course, not in this sacred rite.
New Testament event of Transfiguration
The meaning of the Transfiguration event is revealed to us in the Gospel narrative about how the Lord Jesus Christ, taking with Him three of His disciples, three apostles - Peter, James and John - led them to the mountain and was transformed, changed before them, shining beautifully and at the same time It’s time for the Light, unbearable for their vision. A detailed account of the Transfiguration is contained in three evangelists - Matthew, Mark and Luke (see: Matthew 17: 1-13; Mark 9: 2-13; Luke 9: 28-36).
As the Gospel narrates, in those days the time of Christ’s suffering and death on the cross was already approaching: Jesus Himself spoke more and more often with His apostles about the torment and crucifixion that lay ahead of Him. And then one day He, taking with Him three of His closest disciples, ascended to the top of the mountain to pray here. When Christ began to pray, an amazing change suddenly happened to Him - as His companions saw - His face was transformed, shining like the sun; even His robe became snow-white and shining with unearthly Light. According to the Evangelist Mark, the Savior’s clothes became very white, like snow, as a bleacher on earth cannot bleach (Mark 9: 3). And next to the transfigured Jesus appeared the great ancient Old Testament prophets: Moses and Elijah. They talked with the Lord and talked about His upcoming suffering on the cross. Then the Apostle Peter, amazed by the miracle taking place, turned to Christ with a request to allow the disciples to build three tents right here on the mountain: one for Jesus and two for Moses and Elijah. The apostle simply did not want everything that was happening to him to ever end, to be interrupted: it was so good for him to be near Christ in those moments.
At that same moment, a bright cloud appeared in the sky, overshadowing them all with its shadow, and from this cloud a voice was heard: This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; Listen to him
(Matthew 17:5). The apostles fell to the ground in fear. And then the vision disappeared; the apostles no longer saw anyone next to them except the Savior Himself. He approached them, who were kneeling in reverent fear, and, touching them with his hand, said: Stand up and do not be afraid (Matthew 17: 7). Then, when they were descending from the mountain, Christ commanded the apostles to keep what they saw in secret and not tell anyone about the miracle of the Transfiguration until the moment of His Resurrection from the dead. This is the brief content of the Gospel story about the Transfiguration.
Favor: Mount of Transfiguration
According to church tradition (this is not directly stated anywhere in the Gospel), the Transfiguration of the Savior took place on Mount Tabor - on one of the mountains of the Galilee region of Palestine.
Tabor is a low green peak on the northern border of the vast Israelite Valley. All overgrown with oaks, olive trees, and herbs, its shape resembles a huge, softly outlined hemisphere, reigning over the surrounding fields, vineyards and villages. From the top of the mountain there is a view of the nearby lands of Northern Palestine: far in the west the waters of the Mediterranean Sea sparkle, in the northeast you can see the edge of Lake Galilee, in the west the peaks of Carmel rise, and far to the north of Tabor the white peak of Mount Hermon clearly looms...
Since ancient times, Christian tradition - since the 3rd century - has associated the event of the Transfiguration with Tabor. At the same time, the Church sees the most ancient Old Testament prophetic hint foretelling the coming evangelical Transfiguration of Christ on Tabor in the exclamation addressed to God in the Psalter: Tabor and Hermon rejoice in Your name (Ps. 89:13).
That the Transfiguration of the Savior took place on Mount Tabor was convinced by Origen (III century, “Commentary on the 88th Psalm”), Saint Cyril of Jerusalem (IV century, “Catechetical Teachings”), Saint Proclus, Archbishop of Constantinople (V century, "Word on the Transfiguration"). That is why the Holy Fathers agree to call the Divine Light revealed by the Lord during His Transfiguration - the Light of Tabor.
Mount Tabor in Israel
The Path to Transfiguration: What Happened Before Tabor?
First of all, many holy fathers note the close connection between the event of the Transfiguration and the two Gospel episodes that preceded it. Firstly, this is the promise of Christ, which He, interpreting to His disciples the images of the famous parable of the tares (see Matt. 13: 24–30, 36–43), gives to all Christians: then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father
(Matt. 13:43). True, the Gospel promise of the Savior concerns the bliss of the righteous after the Last Judgment - in the life of the Future Age. However, from the point of view of Blessed Augustine, as well as Saint Gregory Palamas, Christ transfigured on Tabor reveals to the apostles that very reality of the end of times - as the coming “solar” glory of the saints.
Thus, the radiance of the Lord with the Light of Tabor at the moment of His Transfiguration is a prototype of the future shining of the righteous with Divine glory in Heavenly Jerusalem, likened by the Savior Himself to the radiance of the sun.
Secondly, another most important gospel event, which preceded the Transfiguration of Christ and, moreover, even became a kind of its spiritual foundation, was the confession of Peter. This is how the Gospel of Matthew tells about him: Having come to the countries of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked His disciples: Who do people say that I, the Son of Man, am? They said: some for John the Baptist, others for Elijah, and others for Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. He says to them: Who do you say that I am? Simon Peter, answering, said: You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God (Matthew 16: 13-16). According to the conviction of the Monk John of Damascus, it was Peter’s confession of faith (You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God) that turned out to be the true spiritual basis for the Transfiguration of the Lord on Tabor.
The transfiguration appeared on the part of Christ as a confirmation of the truth of the apostle’s faith: Peter proclaimed the Divine dignity of the Savior, and that is why - in response to his sincere confession - the Lord visibly showed him His Divinity at Tabor, in which Peter so firmly and rightly believed.
This is the most important confirmation of Christian truth: the Lord is always ready to reveal Himself to man precisely in response to his genuine, free and living faith.
That is why, immediately following Peter’s confession of faith, Christ promises the apostles to soon show them the glory of His Transfiguration: There are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom
(Matt. 16:28). These words of the Savior are understood by the holy fathers as Christ’s promise to the apostles to show them here on earth, on Mount Tabor - for many, many years before their death, until the time of their final entry into the Heavenly Kingdom - His mountainous Divine glory.
Peter, James and John: why them?
So, the Gospel tells that the Lord took with Him to Tabor only three of the twelve apostles: Peter, James and John. Why did Christ choose these three? Why did he transform himself before them, and not lead all the apostles to the mountain?
In accordance with Old Testament legislation, the consenting testimony of three witnesses was considered legally sufficient to clarify the true circumstances of what happened (see Deut. 17: 6). Thus, the three apostles are made here - even as if in a legal sense - reliable and faithful witnesses of the Divine dignity of Christ and His Heavenly glory revealed at Tabor.
In addition, according to the thought of St. Gregory of Sinaite, the number three itself is also significant here in a spiritual, symbolic sense
. It alludes to the Trinity of the Divinity revealed to the apostles at Tabor: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
However, this is not the main reason why the Lord led Peter, James and John to the mountain.
Christ ascends Tabor with his disciples
Firstly, the holy fathers claim that these three apostles were superior to the rest of Christ’s disciples in the height of their virtues and therefore turned out to be the most ready and worthy to witness the Transfiguration of Tabor. The Savior led them to Tabor, because Peter, James and John, even if not yet realizing it, had previously been creatively and actively directed towards that mountain, internally thirsting for the spiritual experience of God's participation
.
Thus, Saint John Chrysostom believes that the Lord took Peter, John and James with Him to the mountain, because Peter surpassed others in the power of his love for Christ, John - in the measure of the Lord’s love for him, and James - in his readiness to make a sacrifice for the Savior , right up to his own death. One day Christ asked the apostles a question whether they were ready to sacrificially, voluntarily and painfully give their lives for the Truth, as the Lord Himself would give His life on the Cross: Can you drink the cup that I will drink, or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?
(Matt. 20:22).
And then James, together with his brother John, decisively expressed his readiness to suffer for Christ, answering: We can
(Matthew 20:22).
The Monk John of Damascus also believes that the Lord took Peter with Him to Tabor, as if in response to his confession of faith: You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God (Matthew 16:16), and also because Peter received from Christ the dignity of the Supreme apostle The Lord led Jacob to the mountain so that after the Ascension of the Savior he was to be the first of the apostles to die as a martyr for Christ - to be beheaded by the sword by order of King Herod (see Acts 12: 1-2). And finally, John witnessed the Transfiguration as the one who was to clearly preach in his Gospel the Divine dignity of Christ: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1).
The Monk Gregory of Sinaite explains: The Lord took Peter, James and John to Tabor, because among the other disciples they were the most perfect in faith, in ascetic deeds, in knowledge of God, in love; however, the same grace of the Holy Spirit was active in the other apostles.
Secondly, some holy fathers believe that the Lord did not take the other apostles to Tabor so that Judas would not be among them
, who plotted to betray the Savior and therefore was not worthy to witness the manifestation of His Divine glory. This is what, for example, Saint Proclus, Archbishop of Constantinople, and Saint John of Damascus think so. At the same time, Damascene emphasizes: the physical absence on the mountain of other apostles faithful to the Lord, besides Peter, James and John, was not for the rest.
At the same time, Saint Gregory Palamas believes that the rest of the apostles - unlike Peter, James and John - were not yet completely spiritually ready to see the uncreated Divine Light of Transfiguration, and therefore the Lord took with Him the most perfect.
Read the reflections of the holy fathers on the Transfiguration in the book by Peter Malkov
“Transfiguration of the Lord. Anthology of patristic sermons" .
Story
The last days of Christ's earthly life were approaching.
The day before, the Lord for the first time directly asked His disciples who they thought He was. Then Peter answered firmly and without hesitation: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:16), expressing the opinion of all the apostles. The significance of his words lay in the fact that before this Jesus Himself had not in any way clearly revealed His Divine nature to them, so that the apostles would believe in Him as God not forcedly, but freely. After all, He could have revealed Himself to the disciples in all His greatness and glory at the very beginning of the sermon, but then the apostles would have confessed Jesus as God simply out of fear, impressed by what was revealed to them. Then the Lord, beginning to “tune” the apostles to the upcoming events, said that “He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and high priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day rise again” (Matthew 16:21). These words saddened the apostles so much that Peter even began to rebuke the Teacher: “Be merciful to yourself, Lord! let this not happen to you!” (Matt. 16:22).
After several days, the Lord, taking Peter, James and John with him, went up Mount Tabor to pray. And when they were at the top, Christ was transformed before them. At the same time, two great Old Testament prophets appeared - Elijah and Moses, who talked with the Lord about the future.
A bright cloud descended on the mountain, from which the voice of God the Father was heard: “This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; Listen to Him” (Matthew 17:5). The apostles fell to the ground in horror.
When they stood up and stood up, the Old Testament prophets and the cloud had already disappeared, and their Teacher stood before them - no longer shining with a blinding light.
Thus, the Savior revealed His Divine nature to the apostles, strengthening them in faith before His future torment and death on Calvary and showing everyone who follows Him the light with which he will be transformed in the Kingdom of Heaven.
