106. Christ's Transfiguration: Suitability, Glory, and Witnesses

Subscribe in Podcast App | Download Transcript

Lecture Notes

Main Topics #

The Purpose and Suitability of Transfiguration #

• Christ’s transfiguration was necessary to show disciples the glorious end awaiting them through passion
• The disciples needed foreknowledge of the end (glory) to understand and endure the difficult means (passion) leading to it
• Key principle: One must know the end to properly navigate the road toward it—like an archer who must see the target before shooting
• By contemplating the joy of future glory (delayed briefly), disciples could more bravely endure present adversities

Understanding the Terminology: “Figure” and “Transfiguration” #

• Figure (forma in Latin; morphē in Greek) pertains to the extremity or surface of a body, not its substance
• Figure is defined as “that which is contained by a limit or limits” (from Euclid)
• All qualities and features appearing at the extremity of a body pertain to its figure
• Color and clarity both appear on the body’s surface, so both can be said to pertain to figure
• Transfiguration (metamorphosis in Greek) properly means a change in the quality appearing on the body’s surface
• The word “figure” is extended metaphorically from shape to other qualities (e.g., “in good form,” “in good shape”)
• Thomas insists: Christ’s substance and the truth of his body were not changed; only the glory/clarity manifesting on the surface was changed

The Clarity of Glory: Essence versus Mode of Being #

• The clarity Christ displayed in transfiguration was the clarity of glory as to its essence (quid sit), but not as to its mode of being (modus existendi)
• In a glorified body: Clarity redounds from the soul as a permanent, abiding quality of the person
• In Christ’s transfiguration: The clarity was derived from his divinity and his soul, but appeared in a transient manner (per modum passionis)—a passing manifestation, not a permanent quality
• From the beginning of his conception, Christ possessed the glory of his soul, but by divine dispensation this glory did not redound to his body, allowing his body to be capable of suffering for redemption
• Christ retained the power to manifest this glory when he wished; in the transfiguration he allowed the clarity to shine forth miraculously
• Analogy: Like air illuminated by the sun—the illumination is transient; or like a blush appearing on the face—a temporary quality, not a permanent alteration
• This miraculous manifestation is comparable to walking on water: extraordinary precisely because it exceeds the natural order

The Four Gifts of the Glorified Body #

• Impassibility (impassibilitas): The body cannot be acted upon or harmed by external things
• Agility (agilitas): The body can move with great speed
• Subtlety (subtilitas): The body can pass through material obstacles (e.g., through walls)
• Clarity (claritas): The body shines with brightness and luminosity
• Among these four gifts, clarity alone is a quality of the person in themselves; the other three are perceived only through acts, motions, or ways of being affected
• Therefore, while Christ showed signs of the other gifts during his earthly ministry (walking on water demonstrating agility; passing through closed doors demonstrating subtlety; evading those who sought to stone him demonstrating impassibility), he manifested clarity specifically in the transfiguration

Moses and Elijah as Witnesses: Multiple Reasons #

• Why these two specifically rather than angels or all prophets?

  1. To manifest the difference between Christ and the prophets (crowds thought he was Elijah or Jeremiah; this clarifies the distinction)
  2. Law and Prophets: Moses represented the Law he gave; Elijah was the chief of the Prophets—showing Christ fulfills and supersedes both
  3. To refute Jewish accusations: Moses shows Christ did not transgress the Law; Elijah (zealous for God’s glory) shows Christ did not usurp God’s glory as the Jews claimed
  4. To demonstrate Christ’s power over both life and death (Moses dead; Elijah living, taken up in a fiery chariot)
  5. To inspire apostles to imitate Moses’s mildness and Elijah’s zeal
  6. To show Christ was preached by the Law and Prophets

• Reality of their appearance: They appeared truly, not imaginarily

  • Moses: His soul appeared in an assumed body (as angels sometimes assume bodies to appear)
  • Elijah: Appeared in his own body, descended from the eminent place where he had been carried up in the fiery chariot
  • Thomas rejects the spurious gloss (falsely ascribed to Augustine) that claimed their appearance was merely imaginary or fantastical

• Why only three apostles and not all twelve?

  • High mysteries should not be exposed to all indiscriminately but transmitted through those excelling in their time
  • God loves order: the revelation is ordered, not democratic
  • The three chosen: Peter (excelling in love for Christ and given power); John (privileged in love by Christ and preeminent in virginity); James (preeminent in the privilege of martyrdom—he was the first apostle to be martyred)
  • Biblical warrant: “In the mouth of two or three witnesses stands every word”

• Why the disciples were commanded not to tell what they had seen until after the Resurrection:

  • The magnitude of the thing would seem incredible to others
  • Revealing it would create scandal at the cross before they understood it through the Resurrection
  • Also would be impeded by the Jewish authorities
  • Only after being filled with the Holy Spirit could they be true witnesses of spiritual things

The Father’s Voice and the Trinity #

• The Father’s voice testified: “This is my beloved Son”

• Why was this testimony suitable despite being given also at baptism?

  • The adoption of sons of God comes about in two ways: (1) imperfectly through grace in this life (baptism); (2) perfectly through glory in the next life (transfiguration)
  • Both require knowledge of Christ’s natural sonship as the model to which we are conformed
  • The voice was therefore suitable in both contexts but for different reasons—showing the same natural sonship as the model for different degrees of filial conformity

• Christ’s coming to give grace vs. promise glory:

  • In baptism, Christ gives grace and thus does not command “hear him” regarding future promises
  • In transfiguration, Christ promises glory and thus the Father commands “hear him,” inducing disciples to listen to him regarding what is to come

• The Trinity in the transfiguration:

  • Father: Manifest in the paternal voice
  • Son: Manifest in his radiant human form
  • Holy Spirit: Manifest in the lucid cloud overshadowing them
  • The lucid cloud signifies either the glory of the Holy Spirit or the eternal divine power protecting saints in future glory; it can also signify the clarity of the renovated world which will be the dwelling-place of saints

• The disciples’ fear and prostration:

  • It was fitting that the disciples fell on their faces in fear
  • This terror shows the excellence of the glory displayed
  • The glory exceeds every sense and faculty of mortal human nature
  • Biblical principle: “Man would not see me and live” (Exodus 33)
  • Christ’s word—“Get up, do not be afraid”—healed their fragility

Key Arguments #

Arguments Against Transfiguration (Objections Addressed) #

Objection 1 (from the nature of bodies)

• A true body should not change in diverse figures; such change belongs only to fantastic or imaginary bodies
• Christ’s body is true, not fantastical (we are not Manichaeans)
• Therefore, Christ was not transfigured

Objection 2 (from the categories of quality)

• Figure is in the fourth species of quality; clarity is in the third species (sensible qualities)
• Taking on clarity should not be called transfiguration
• Therefore, the terminology is inappropriate

Objection 3 (regarding the four gifts)

• The glorious body has four gifts: impassibility, agility, subtlety, and clarity
• If Christ took on clarity in transfiguration, why is it called transfiguration and not by one of the other three gifts?
• Therefore, this terminology seems ill-suited

Objection 4 (regarding Moses and Elijah)

• Angels, not men, should be witnesses (they alone experienced future glory)
• Moses and Elijah were not truly there but imaginary appearances
• All prophets gave testimony to Christ, not just these two
• All disciples should have witnessed, not just three

Objection 5 (regarding the paternal voice)

• God spoke once and does not repeat himself (Job 33)
• The Father’s voice was already professed at baptism; therefore unsuitable here
• The Holy Spirit appeared at baptism but not at transfiguration
• The Father did not command “hear him” at baptism regarding future teaching
• Disciples cannot bear the Father’s voice (they fell in fear)

Thomas’s Solutions #

To Objection 1 and 2 (the terminology and nature of figure)

• Figure pertains to the extremity or surface of a body, not to its substance
• Just as color appears on the surface of a non-transparent body, so too clarity appears on the surface
• All qualities and features appearing at the body’s extremity pertain to figure
• Therefore, taking on clarity can properly be called transfiguration
• Jerome: Christ did not lose his pristine form or the truth of his body; the substance was not taken away, but the glory manifesting on the surface was changed

To Objection 3 (why clarity specifically)

• Among the four gifts, clarity alone is a quality of the person in themselves
• The other three gifts (impassibility, agility, subtlety) are perceived only in acts or motions
• Christ showed signs of these other gifts in his miracles but manifested clarity itself in the transfiguration because clarity pertains to the aspect of his person itself

To Objection 4 (regarding witnesses)

• Regarding angels: Christ manifested the glory of his body, which pertains to man alone; angels have no body, so they are unsuitable witnesses
• Regarding the reality of Moses and Elijah: Jerome says they were truly present; Moses’s soul appeared in an assumed body; Elijah appeared in his own body
• Thomas rejects the spurious gloss claiming they were merely imaginary
• Regarding all prophets: High mysteries are transmitted through order, not exposed to all indiscriminately; three witnesses suffice by biblical warrant
• Regarding all disciples: Order is observed; those excelling in virtue are chosen (Peter, James, John)

To Objection 5 (regarding the paternal voice)

• The statement “God spoke once and does not repeat” refers to the eternal generation of the Word in the Trinity
• Nevertheless, the same thing can be said by God in diverse ways—not on account of difference in the thing itself, but to show the diverse ways men partake of likeness to God’s Son (imperfectly in grace, perfectly in glory)
• Regarding the Holy Spirit: In both baptism and transfiguration, the whole Trinity appears: in baptism, the incarnate Son, the Holy Spirit as dove (signifying innocence), and the Father’s voice; in transfiguration, the Son in man, the Holy Spirit in the shining cloud (signifying clarity and refreshment), and the Father’s voice
• Regarding “hear him”: Christ came to give grace and promised glory; therefore, suitably the Father commanded disciples to hear him regarding the glory he promised, though not regarding grace already given in baptism

Important Definitions #

Figure (forma; morphē) #

• That which is contained by a limit or limits (Euclid’s definition)
• Pertains to the extremity or boundary of a body
• Extended to any quality or feature appearing on the body’s surface
• Used metaphorically for other qualities (“in good form,” “in good shape”) and even for the soul as form of the body

Clarity (claritas) #

• A sensible quality appearing on the surface of a non-transparent body
• In glorified bodies: redounds from the soul as a permanent, abiding quality
• In Christ’s transfiguration: derived from divinity and soul but manifested transiently (per modum passionis)
• The third species of quality (sensible quality)

Transfiguration (transfiguratio; metamorphosis in Greek) #

• A change in the quality appearing on the body’s surface, not in the substance
• Miraculous because it exceeds the natural order
• Requires divine action to manifest the glory without it remaining as a permanent quality

The Four Gifts (dotes) of the Glorified Body #

• Impassibility (impassibilitas): Unable to be acted upon harmfully
• Agility (agilitas): Ability to move with great speed
• Subtlety (subtilitas): Ability to pass through material obstacles
• Clarity (claritas): Luminosity or brightness
• Note: A dote names a certain quality remaining permanently in the glorious body; Christ demonstrated miraculously what would be permanent in glory

Adoption of Sons (adoptio filiorum) #

• Imperfect conformity to God’s natural Son through grace in this life (baptism)
• Perfect conformity to God’s natural Son through glory in the next life (transfiguration)
• Christ’s natural sonship is the model for both degrees of filial conformity

Examples & Illustrations #

The Archer and the Target #

• An archer must see the target before shooting the arrow
• If he shoots at random without seeing the target, his chances of hitting it are practically nil
• By contrast, if he aims at a visible target, he has a much better chance
• Application: Disciples must foreknow the glorious end (target) to understand and endure the difficult path of passion (aiming at the target)
• Aristotle illustrates this principle in Nicomachean Ethics I regarding the end or purpose of man

The Sun and Snow #

• The brightness of snow is exceeded by the brightness of the sun
• Application: The clarity of Christ’s face exceeded that of his garments, just as sun exceeds snow; the clarity of the saints’ robes (future glory) will be exceeded by Christ’s clarity

Air Illuminated by the Sun #

• When air is illuminated by the sun, the illumination is transient, not permanent
• Application: Christ’s clarity in transfiguration was similar—a passing manifestation, not a permanent quality abiding in the body

The Blush #

• When someone blushes, redness appears on the face transiently
• This is not a new permanent quality in the face, but something transient
• Application: Christ’s clarity appeared in this transient manner, not as a permanent quality like in a glorified body

Raphael’s Painting of the Transfiguration #

• Depicts Christ elevated in the air, radiant like the sun
• Moses and Elijah appear with him, seeming to kneel or be subordinated
• The apostles are shown below on the ground
• Below them is a scene of the disciples unable to cast out a demon (from Mark’s account)
• Connection: The lower scene connects to Christ’s word that they could not cast it out because they lacked faith; having seen his glory above, they should have had faith

Circe and the Odyssey #

• In Homer’s Odyssey, Circe transforms men into beasts through sorcery
• Point of contrast: This represents the kind of substantial change in figure that belongs to fantastic or false bodies, contrasted with Christ’s true body whose substance remained unchanged

Moses Putting His Staff as a Snake (Exodus) #

• Moses’s rod became a snake, illustrating transformation that belongs to the realm of signs and wonders
• Point: Even among true events, there are different kinds of change; Christ’s transfiguration involved no such substantial change

Notable Quotes #

“By pious provision, it was done, that by contemplation of the always remaining joy, delayed for a brief time, we might tolerate more bravely the adverse things of this life.” — Bede, Commentary on Mark (on the purpose of revealing glory briefly)

“The substance is not taken away, but the glory is changed.” — Jerome, Commentary on Matthew (on what transfiguration means)

“No one should think that Christ is said to be transfigured in such a way that he lost his pristine form and face, or that he lost the truth of his body and assumed some spiritual or air-like body.” — Jerome, cited by Thomas (against Manichaean misunderstandings)

“How he will be future in the time of judgment, such he appeared to the apostles.” — Jerome, Commentary on Matthew (on the eschatological significance of transfiguration)

“In the mouth of two or three witnesses stands every word.” — Scripture principle (on why three apostles suffice as witnesses)

Questions Addressed #

Article 1: Was it Suitable for Christ to be Transfigured? #

• Question: Does transfiguration fit Christ’s nature and purpose?
• Answer: Yes, because disciples needed to know the glorious end (heaven/beatitude) to understand and endure the difficult means (passion and cross) leading to it. By glimpsing the joy that awaits them through following Christ’s passion, they would bravely endure present adversities. This illustrates the principle that knowledge of the end is necessary for proper navigation of the means.

Article 2: Was the Clarity of Transfiguration the Clarity of Glory? #

• Question: Did Christ display the same clarity that the blessed will possess eternally, or something different?
• Answer: It was the clarity of glory as to its essence (what it is), but not as to its mode of being (how it exists). The essence was true glory-clarity derived from his divinity and soul, but it manifested transiently rather than as a permanent quality. In glorified bodies, clarity redounds from the soul as a permanent quality; in Christ’s transfiguration, it appeared miraculously in a passing manner (like light passing through air or a temporary blush), then ceased to shine forth visibly.

Article 3: Were Moses and Elijah Suitable Witnesses, and Why These Three Apostles? #

• Question: Should angels (who alone knew future glory) or all prophets witness? Should all apostles see?
• Answer: Moses and Elijah were suitable (representing Law and Prophets, refuting accusations against Christ, showing power over life and death, inspiring virtue, and testifying from Scripture). They were truly present, not imaginary. Three apostles suffice: Peter (excelling in love and authority), James (first martyr), and John (loved preeminently, virginal). Order and hierarchy are preserved; high mysteries are not exposed indiscriminately to all.

Article 4: Was the Father’s Voice Suitable Testimony? #

• Question: Why repeat what was said at baptism? Shouldn’t disciples who were terrified be spared?
• Answer: The Father’s voice testified to Christ’s natural sonship, which is the model for our adoption of sons. This was suitable in both baptism (manifesting imperfect conformity through grace) and transfiguration (manifesting perfect conformity through glory promised). The disciples’ fear was appropriate to show the excellence of the glory; Christ healed their fragility with his word. The Father commanded them to “hear” Christ here regarding the glory he promised, which he was not yet giving (as opposed to the grace of baptism already bestowed).