Church Fathers Commentary Luke 9:28-31

"And it came to pass about eight days after these sayings, that he took with him Peter and John and James, and went up into the mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment [became] white [and] dazzling. And behold, there talked with him two men, who were Moses and Elijah; who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem." — Luke 9:28-31 (ASV)

Eusebius of Caesarea: When our Lord revealed the great mystery of His second coming to His disciples, He did not want them to believe based on His words alone. He proceeded to demonstrate it through His works, showing them the image of His kingdom through the eyes of their faith. As it is written, And it came to pass about eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray.

St. John of Damascus: Matthew and Mark do indeed say that the transfiguration took place on the sixth day after the promise was made to the disciples, but Luke says it was on the eighth. There is no disagreement in these testimonies. Those who arrive at the number six have removed a day from each end—the day He made the promise and the day He fulfilled it—and have counted only the days in between. But the one who arrives at the number eight has included both of those days in the count.

But why were not all called to behold this sight, but only some? Indeed, there was only one who was unworthy to see the divinity, namely Judas, according to the word of Isaiah, Let the wicked be taken away, that he should not behold the glory of God. If Judas alone had been sent away, he might have been provoked, as if by envy, to greater wickedness. Therefore, Christ removes every pretext for the traitor's treachery by leaving the rest of the Apostles below as well. He took three with Him so that in the mouths of two or three witnesses every word should be established.

He took Peter because He wished to show him that the testimony he had borne to Him was confirmed by the Father's testimony, and that he was, so to speak, to preside over the whole Church. He took James, who was to be the first of all the disciples to die for Christ. And He took John, as the preeminent herald of sacred doctrine, so that, having seen the timeless glory of the Son, he might proclaim, In the beginning was the Word.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Or, Peter went up, who received the keys of the kingdom of heaven; John, to whom our Lord's mother was entrusted; and James, who was the first to suffer martyrdom.

Theophylact of Ohrid: Alternatively, He takes these men with Him because they were able to keep this matter secret and not reveal it to anyone else. By going up into a mountain to pray, He teaches us to pray in solitude and, by ascending, to avoid stooping to earthly things.

St. John of Damascus: However, servants pray in one way, and our Lord prayed in another. A servant's prayer is offered by lifting the mind to God. But the holy mind of Christ (who was hypostatically united to God) prayed in order to lead us by the hand in the ascent by which we rise to God in prayer. He prayed to teach us that He is not opposed to God but reveres the Father as His origin. Indeed, by this He was even tempting the tyrant, who sought to determine if He was God (which the power of His miracles indicated). He concealed a hook, so to speak, under the bait, so that the one who had deceived humanity with the hope of divinity might himself be fittingly caught by the covering of humanity.

Prayer is the revelation of divine glory, as it is written: And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: This is not to say His body changed its human form, but that a certain glistening glory spread over it.

St. John of Damascus: Now the devil, seeing His face shining in prayer, remembered Moses, whose face was also glorified. But Moses was clothed with a glory that came from outside himself, whereas our Lord was clothed with a glory that proceeded from the inherent brightness of His divine nature. For in the hypostatic union, the glory of the Word and the flesh is one and the same. Therefore, He is transfigured not by receiving something He did not already have, but by revealing to His disciples what He truly was.

Hence, according to Matthew, it is said that He was transfigured before them, and that His face shone as the sun; for what the sun is to the senses, God is to the spirit. And just as the sun, the fountain of light, cannot be easily seen, but its light is perceived from what reaches the earth, so the face of Christ shines more intensely, like the sun, while His raiment is white as snow. As it follows, And his raiment was white and glistening; that is, illuminated by its participation in the divine light.

While this was happening, Moses and Elijah appeared, standing as servants by their Lord in His glory. This was to show that there is but one Lord of the new and old covenants, to silence the mouths of heretics, and to help people believe in the resurrection. It also showed that He who was transfigured is to be believed as the Lord of the living and the dead. Hence it follows, And behold there talked with him two men.

For it was fitting that people, seeing the glory and confidence of their fellow servants, should admire the Lord's merciful condescension. They should also emulate those who had labored before them. By looking to the delight of future blessings, they would be further strengthened for their struggles, for whoever knows the reward of his labors will endure them more easily.

St. John Chrysostom: Alternatively, this happened because the crowd said He was Elijah or Jeremiah, and it was necessary to show the distinction between our Lord and His servants. To make it clear that He was not an enemy of God or a transgressor of the Law, He showed these two standing with Him, for otherwise, Moses the lawgiver and Elijah, who was zealous for God's glory, would not have stood by Him. This was also to give testimony to the virtues of these men, for each had often exposed himself to death while keeping the divine commands.

He also wants His disciples to imitate them in leading the people, so that they might be meek like Moses and zealous like Elijah. He brings them forth as well to display the glory of His cross and to console Peter and the others who feared His Passion. Hence it follows, And spoke of his decease, which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: This refers to the mystery of His Incarnation and the life-giving Passion accomplished on the sacred cross.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Now, in a mystical sense, Christ's transfiguration is shown after the preceding words, since whoever hears the words of Christ and believes will see the glory of His resurrection. For the resurrection took place on the eighth day, which is why several Psalms are inscribed "for the eighth."

Or perhaps it was so that He might make clear what He had said: that he who for the word of God shall lose his own life, shall save it. This shows that He will make good on His promises at the resurrection.

The Venerable Bede: For just as He rose from the dead after the seventh day of the Sabbath, during which He lay in the tomb, we also will rise again in what is like an eighth age. This will happen after the six ages of this world and the seventh age of the soul's rest, which is spent in the next life.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Matthew and Mark have related that He took them with Him after six days. We might interpret this as being after 6,000 years (for a thousand years in the Lord’s sight are as one day), but more than 6,000 years are now reckoned. We would rather, then, interpret the six days symbolically. Just as the works of the world were completed in six days, so by the "time" we may understand the "works," and by the "works," the "world."

And so, with the ages of the world being finished, the future resurrection is declared. Alternatively, it is because He who has ascended above the world and passed beyond the moments of this life is waiting, seated as if on a high place, for the everlasting fruit of the resurrection.

The Venerable Bede: Therefore, He ascends the mountain to pray and be transfigured to show that those who expect the fruit of the resurrection and desire to see the King in His glory ought to have their hearts' dwelling place on high and be ever on their knees in prayer.

St. Ambrose of Milan: I might have thought that the three taken up the mountain represented the human race in a mystery, since the whole race of man sprang from Noah's three sons, but I perceive that they were specifically chosen. Three, then, are chosen to ascend the mountain because no one can see the glory of the resurrection except those who have preserved the mystery of the Trinity with an inviolable purity of faith.

The Venerable Bede: Now the transfigured Savior shows the glory of His own coming, or of our resurrection. Just as He then appeared to His Apostles, He will in like manner appear to all the elect. The Lord's clothing is taken to represent the company of His saints. In truth, when our Lord was on earth this company seemed to be despised, but when He ascended the mountain, it shines with a new whiteness, for now are we the sons of God; and it does not yet appear what we shall be. But we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Alternatively, the word is either diminished or increased for you according to your capacity. Unless you ascend to the summit of a higher wisdom, you do not behold the glory that is in the word of God. Now the garments of the Word are the discourses of the Scriptures and the very clothing of the Divine mind. Just as His clothing shone white, so in the eyes of your understanding, the meaning of the divine words becomes clear.

Therefore, after Moses comes Elijah; that is, the Law and the Prophets are found in the Word. For the Law cannot exist without the Word, nor can the Prophet exist unless he prophesied of the Son of God.