The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 169

lust announoed his future sufferings and zeal, ancl Jove, and the part he was to ple.y deoth. T.his prediction hod been a grievous in the founding of the Church; John, blow to Peter, and doubtless to the others because he was beloved by Cliri.;t, and was to be the recipient of Divine re~elation; olso. He had stumbled at the cross, and Ja.mes, because he was to be the head of had brought on himself a a!ern rebuke for the Church of Jerusalem, and soon to drink his slowness and worldlineMs. Bo to comfort of CbriMt's cap ancl war a good warfare. the chosen three under the thought of what The James here named is the son of awaited their Ma.~ter, they were shown a Zcbedee, and brother of John, and was put to death by Herod Agrippa (Acts xii.). glimpse of the glory which he hfls in An high mountain. The only tradition heaven; they saw the Law and the prophets concerning the locality of the Transfigura- yielding subjection to him; they heord the tion (which none of the inspired narratives voice of the Father announci.ug his Bon ship. further identifies) affixes it to Mount Tabor, Henceforward they might take courage under the bea.utiFal isolated mountain, which rises. some eighteen hundred feet on the north- all circumstances ; the cross would be no east of the Plain of Esdraelon. Thi& infamy or disgrace-would open the way to tradition, as far as we know, was first victory and glory. Hern wns II foretaste published in the fourth century A.D., by of the blesaedness of heaven-to be with St. Cyril of Jerusalem (' Catech.,' xii. 16) Christ and bis eaints in his kingdom. Such e.nd St. Jerome (Ep. xliv. • A.d Marcell.;' Ep. cviii. • A.d Eastoch.'), and thence was ·was the Transfiguration to the three generally adopted e.nrl upheld till the witnesses. To the world, when in due sixteenth century, both by commen!atora time it was mnde known, it taught lessons and travellers. Si.Dee then more accurate of the Incarnation, the resurrection of the examination and historical criticism have- body, the glory that shall be the portion thrown grave doubts on this identification. The summit of Tabor has from a very early of the righteous. For Christ himself it age been occupied by habitations. It i.3 was the culminating point of his earthly spoken of in 1 Cbron. vi. 77 as including life, "the solemn installation of our Lord in its limits a city and its suburbs. Later to his sufferings and their result" (Alford). it was strongly fortified, and the whole area was surrounded with a wall, of which Ver. 1.-After six days. St. Luke says, the rnins can still be traced. In our Lord's. " about an eight days after these sayings," time the town e.nd the fortress covered the either speaking indefinitely, or using the level portion of tLe hill, and there would inclusive method of reckoning which we have been no place of retirement where find fa the accounts of our Lord's resur- he could have withdrawn apaTt for the rection. The days are counted from the purpose of the vision. There is another time of Petor's confession and Christ's rnnson that makes Tabor unlikely to have subsequent announcement. The little been the scene of the Trans.figuration. The comp1my were still in the ne:ghbourhood last geogrnpbicnl notice left our Lord and of Cmsarea Philippi, though we know not !Jis disciples outside Galilee in the neigh- exactly in what place, and nothing is told bourhood of Po.nee.a. It was about a three of the events of this week. The memorable days' journey thence to Esclraelon ; but no day may be specially noticed as being the mention is made of o.ny such movement. ea.me day of the week as that on which the during this week, and it is after the Trans- grent confession was made in tbe previous figuration that tb.e synoptists intimate that ae'nnigbt; or, if we regurd the typical bear- the return to Galilee took place (see ver. ing of numbers in Soriptnre, the six days 22; Mark ix. 30). We must therefore aigniFy the world and daily labour, the surrender the old tradition, o.nd look in the 11eventh, "after six days," typifies heaven vicinity of C:.-esorea for the liigh mo1'ntain ancl rest. Peter, James, and John. These of our narrative. Tb.ere was no lack of sncb. three, the chosen of tb.e chosen, had already in tb.nt region, and it was doubtless on one witnessed Christ's power over death in the of the offshoots of Hermon that the gloriou1 chamber of Jairus's d11.ughler; later they vision wos vouchsafed, though more precise were present at the ngony in the Garden idcmtification is impossible. Hermon itself of Gethsemane. They who had seen his is called by the Arabs Jebel-esh-Sheikh, glory were strengthened to behold his " The Chief Mountain," and tbtl way in swee.t of blood. These meu formed the which the locality is introduced in the- inner oircle of his friends ; to them he norrati ve, without further specification. gave the privilege of knowing more of his seems to point to some eminence of the inner life and nature. They were selected most obTions and best-kuown hill of the- for ve.rio11s reneoDB-Peter, for his enorgy, district. St. Peter, when in after-yeurll  Lr2 TIIE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHF.W. [en. xvu. 1-27,