and John. St. Peter’s reference to the trans- figuration (just alluded to) shows what a deep and abiding impression it made on his mind. St. James, too, was there, as one who was to be amongst the first to die for his sake. St. John also was with them, who, having seen the glory of the Son of God, which is subject to no limits of time, might be bold to send forth his grand testimony, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” And bringeth them up into a high mountain apart by themselves. “It ia necessary for all,” says Remigius, “who desire to contemplate God, that they should not grovel amidst low thoughts and desires, but ever be tifted up to heavenly things. And thus our Lord was teaching his disciples that they must not look for the brightness of the Divine glory in the depths of this world, but in the kingdom of heavenly blessedness. And he leads them apart, because holy men are in intention and desire separated from evil, as they will be altogether separated from it in the world to come. For they who look for the glories of the resurrection ought now in heart and mind to dwell on high, and to seek these glories by continual prayer.” Into a high mountain. A tradition of the time of Jerome identifies this mountain with Tabor, in Galilee. But there are two weighty objections to this view: (1) that our Lord was at this time in the neighbourhowod of Osesarea Philippi, a considerable distance from Tabor, and (2) that there is strong reason for believing that Tabor had at this time a fortress on its summit. It must be remembered that Ossarea Philippi was at the foot of Libanus; and the spurs of Libanus would present several eminences answering to the description, “a high mountain (dpos iumAdv).” The Mount of Transfiguration was in all probability Hermon, a position of ex- treme grandeur and beauty, its snowy peuks overlooking the whole extent of Palestine. “High up,” says Dean Stanley, ‘‘on its southern slo there must be many a point where the tectlea could be taken ‘apart by themselves.’ Even the transient com- parison of the celestial splendour with the snow, where alone it could be seen in Pales- tine, should not, perhaps, be wholly over- looked. At any rate, the remote heights above the sources of the Jordan witnessed the moment when, his work in his own pecu- liar sphere being ended, he set his face for the last time to go up to Jerusalem.” Al- though compelled to dismiss from our minds the old tradition of Tabor as the scene of the Transfiguration, we still think of that moun- tain as near to Nazareth, where our Lord was brought up; and of Hermon, where he was tranafigured, as we rejoice in the fulfil- ment of the old prophecy, “ Tabor and Her-
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mon shall rejoice in thy Name.” And he was transfigured (uereuoppd0n) before them. The fashion of his appearance was changed. It was no illusion, no imaginary appearance, but a real transformation. It was the Divine glory within him manifesting itself through his humanity; and yet not that glory of Deity which no man hath seen or can see}; but such a manifestation that the disciples might in some degree behold the glory and majesty of Deity through the veil of his flesh. Nor, we may believe, did our Lord in his transfiguration change the essence or form of his countenance. But be assumed mighty splendour, so that, as St. Matthew (vii. 2) tells us, “his face did shine as the sun.” This splendour was not in the aiz, nor in the eyes of the disciples, but in the person of the Son of God—a splendour which communicated itself to his raiment, so that his garments became glistering (orlABSovra), exceeding white; so as no fuller on earth can whiten them. This figure is taken from natural things. The first idea of “fuller” from the Latin fullo, ia that of one who cleanses by “stamping with the feet.” His business is to restore the soiled cloth to its natural whiteness. The evan- gelist uses an earthly thing to represent the heavenly. The heavenly Fuller gives a purity and a brightness infinitely exceeding the power of any “fuller on earth.” It would almost seem as if the figure was one specially supplied by St. Peter.
Ver. 4.—And there appeared unto them Elijah with Moses. Moses and Elijah were there because Moses was the lawgiver of the old covenant, and Elijah was conspicuous among the prophets; so that they were the representatives, the one of the Law, and the other of the “goodly fellowship of the pro- phets.” They appear together to bear witness to Christ as the true Messiah, the Saviour of the world, prefigured in the Law, and fore- told by the prophets. They appear to bear witness to him, and then to resign their offices to the great Lawgiver and Prophet whom they foreshadow Then, further, Moses died, but Elijah was translated. Moses, therefore, represents the dead saints who shall rise from their graves and come forth at his coming, while Klijah represents those who shall be found alive at his advent. Our Lord brought with him, at his trans- a aa Moses who had died, and Elijah who had been translated, that he might show his power over both “the quick and the dead.” St. Luke (ax. 31) says that Moses and Elijah “appeared in glory, and spake of his decease (rv Etodov avrov) Which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.” They appeared in glory; the Divine splendour irradiated them. They “spake of his decease,” literally, his departure—his de
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not only out of Jerusalem, but out of this life, by his death upon the cross. The death of Christ was thus shown to be the ultimate end to which the Law and the prophets pointed. Even in that hour of his glory, on the Mount of Transfiguration, this was their theme; and thus the disciples were nerved to look with hope and faith to that which they had contemplated with dismay.
Ver. 5.—Peter answereth, and saith to Jesus. We learn from 8t. Luke (ix. 33) that this happened just as Moses and Elijah were departing. Peter was excited, and there was fear mingled with his excitement. He was bewildered. His first idea was to seek that they might remain, for he saw that they were just preparing to depart. Theo- hs says upon this, “Do not say with