© Copyright 2018 Saint Kosmas Orthodox Christian Education Association. All rights reserved. No part of this text may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or posted on another website without permission of the copyright owner. Permission is granted to share this lesson only by sharing the link to this webpage.
The Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Listen, children, and let us learn about the feast of the Transfiguration.
Our holy Orthodox Church celebrates the Transfiguration of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ every year on August 6th.
Christ's Transfiguration is mentioned in three of the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—and in the Second Epistle of Peter.
Matthew 17:1–8
Mark 9:2–8
Luke 9:28–36
2 Peter 1:16–18
His Transfiguration took place 40 days before His Passion, so it is always closely tied to the Crucifixion.
If we were to celebrate the Transfiguration when it took place, 40 days before Holy Friday, that would place the feast of Transfiguration during the fast of Great Lent.
However, Great Lent has a spirit of compunction, so we would not be able to celebrate it then properly.
So, the Church fathers placed the feast of the Transfiguration 40 days before the Elevation of the Cross.
This way we can properly celebrate it, from the forefeast on August 5th, until the Leave-taking on August 13th.
According to the Holy Fathers, "the Feast of the Exaltation of the Honorable Cross is equal to that of Great and Holy Friday."
The three scenes in this icon show us what is written in the Gospel.
The scene on the left side of the icon shows Christ ascending Mount Tabor with three disciples.
Forty days before Christ's Passion, He took three of His disciples — Peter, James, and John — up Mount Tabor to reveal to them His Divine nature and glory which up until this time had been hidden in the flesh.
Christ revealed His Divinity to His disciples to strengthen their faith, for what they were going to see with His Crucifixion.
Christ took these three disciples — Peter, James, and John — because they were in a suitable spiritual condition to receive this revelation of God.
“On the mount Thou wast transfigured, and Thy disciples, as much as they could bear, beheld Thy glory, O Christ God; that when they should see Thee crucified, they would know Thy Passion to be willing.”
— from the Kontakion of the Feast
There on Mount Tabor they saw Christ transfigured. His face shone like the sun, and his raiment became white as light. The disciples fell on their faces and were smitten with wonder.
Do you see here how the iconographer attempts to convey the beauty and brilliance of this Light? There are rings of blue and white around Christ, and also rays emanating from Him.
A bright cloud overshadowed them and the voice of the Father was heard saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; hear Him."
We see here how the iconographer uses rings of white, and other designs, to show us how Christ was shining with such brightness.
Here too, the Light is shown by the blue and white rings and rays around Christ, and the rays coming down on the apostles.
The scene on the right side of the icon shows Christ descending the mountain with his disciples and Christ is instructing them.
Christ's hand is pointing towards them and he is telling them not to say anything about what they have just seen until after His Resurrection.
This feast of Transfiguration is a Theophany — a revelation of the Triune God. The disciples hear the voice of the Father. They behold the Divinity of the Son. The Holy Spirit is present in the form of a bright cloud.
This Revelation of the three Persons of the Trinity took place at the end of Christ's public ministry.
Another Revelation of the Triune God took place at the beginning of Christ's public ministry.
Remember that at the beginning of Christ's public ministry, He was baptised and the Trinity was revealed.
Christ's baptism was the first Theophany of the New Testament.
At the Baptism of Christ, the Holy Spirit was seen in the form of a dove.
Now, at the Transfiguration, the Holy Spirit is seen in the form of a bright cloud.
Here is a mosaic icon from the church at St. Catherine’s Monastery on Mount Sinai, which was built by the emperor, Justinian, in the 6th century.
The church is dedicated to the Transfiguration, so this icon is on the dome above the altar.
Later the tradition was established to put the platytera icon above the altar in Orthodox churches.
Do you see how this is all in gold? Do you see how the gold beautifully reflects the light?
When we look at the icon of the Transfiguration, we see representatives from the Old and New Testament with Christ at the center.
We see the prophets Elias and Moses from the Old Testament.
They were both God-seers.
The Prophet Moses had seen the back of God as He passed by, but did not see his face (Exodus 33).
The Prophet Elias had experienced God in the gentle breeze (I Kings 19).
Do you recognize Elias? He is wearing his mantle.
Both had seen God, but not in the flesh. Now they see God incarnate, and talk with Him about His upcoming Passion, which had been prophesized in the Old Testament.
In this icon of the Transfiguration, we see Christ in the center, uniting the Old and New Testament.
Our church is the Church of the Prophets, who foresaw the Incarnation, and the Church of the Apostles, who were with Christ for the three years of His public ministry and were eye-witnesses of all that took place.
In the icon the disciples are beholding the Uncreated Light of God, falling down because of it's exceeding brightness.
The disciple on the left is looking up at Christ; that one is Peter. Peter had a more familiar relationship with Christ; he had more boldness.
It is Peter who there says to Christ, "It is good for us to be here. Let us build three tabernacles: one for You and one for Moses and one for Elias."
Peter saw Christ brighter than the sun, but with it was such a sweetness that Peter wanted it to stay. He said this in ignorance because only in Paradise can such a state remain.
According to St. Gregory Palamas, this Light which the three disciples beheld was the Uncreated Light, unlike the created light of the sun.
From the lives of the Saints, especially ascetics, we can read how saints throughout the ages beheld this Light. Many martyrs saw this Light or were seen bathed in it at the time of their martyrdom. It is the same Light that St. Seraphim saw with his disciple, Nikolai Motovilov.
A significant doctrinal error of Roman Catholic teaching is that this Light is created, rather than uncreated as taught by St Gregory Palamas.
When the saints participate in the Uncreated Light of God, it is the experience of theosis.
We are all called to see this Uncreated Light, which is union with God.
In the hymnography for the feast, there are many references to this Light.
The exapostilarion for the day states:
“Today on Tabor in the manifestation of Thy Light, O Word, Thou unaltered Light from the Light of the unbegotten Father, we have seen the Father as Light and the Spirit as Light, guiding with light the whole creation.”
The apolytikion for the feast says:
“Thou wast transfigured on the mountain, O Christ God, showing Thy disciples Thy Glory as much as they could endure. Shine on us, who are sinners, Thy Light everlasting, through the intercessions of the Theotokos. O Giver of Light, glory to Thee.”
THE END AND GLORY TO GOD FOR ALL THINGS!
© Copyright 2018 Saint Kosmas Orthodox Christian Education Association. All rights reserved. No part of this text may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or posted on another website without permission of the copyright owner. Permission is granted to share this lesson only by sharing the link to this webpage.
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