Download Systamatic II Paper Transfiguration

The Theological Meaning
of Luke’s Account of the Transfiguration
____________________
A Term Paper
Presented to Professor John M. Hicks
Harding Graduate School of Religion
Memphis, Tennessee
____________________
As a Requirement in
Course 540 B
Systematic Christian Doctrine
____________________
by
G. K. Pennington
April 21, 1996
The Theological Meaning of
Luke’s Account of the Transfiguration
The synoptic gospels all record the transfiguration and show
similar information with minor variations in detail.
Studies often focus on comparisons, discussions of
redaction, or similar issues.1 These studies are important
but it is possible to become so involved in the analysis
that the theological purpose is neglected.
Allison A.
Trites is correct when he states the need to honor the
literary choices made by the writers of the gospels.
“Each
gospel writer was a theologian in his own right, and his
editorial arrangement quite naturally reflected his special
aims and objectives.”2
Stuart Hall agrees that the
As an example, Barbara Reid, noting the
similarities of sequence in the synoptics, cites fifteen
elements following true to form in all the accounts. She
recognizes the comparable context between accounts,
similarities in language, then starts the case for a
separate Lukan source. Barbara Reid, “Voices and Angels:
What Were They Talking About at the Transfiguration? A
Redaction-Critical Study of Luke 9:28-36,” Biblical Research
34 (1990): 20.
1
2Allison
A. Trites, “The Transfiguration of Jesus:
The Gospel in Microcosm, The Evangelical Quarterly 51 no.2
(April-June 1979): 72.
2
variations in Luke’s account “reveal his purposes.”3
This
study will look for what Luke meant for his recording of the
transfiguration to accomplish in the context of his “orderly
account.”4
The sources for Luke’s gospel and his goal.
It is not a surprise that there is evidence of
multiple sources.
Luke tells us of his interest in order
and accuracy as a part of the gospel’s introduction.
He
says that he relied on the “eyewitnesses and servants of the
word.” (Luke. 1:2)5
He clearly is drawing from the
experience, knowledge and perhaps written works of others.
Some commentators emphasize Luke’s reliance on the gospel of
Mark or the “Q” source.6
“Almost all scholars begin with
3Stuart
Hall, “Synoptic Transfigurations: Mark 9,210 and Partners” King’s Theological Review 10 (Autumn
1987): 41.
4From
Lk. 1:3 the Greek term for “orderly” is kaqechj.
This adverb is a compound of kata & echj. It implies “in a
continual order or series, successively, consecutively.”
Here Luke seems to be taking the purpose of his work to the
level of systematically, methodically organizing even the
sequence of events recorded so that they would best reflect
his information. The Analytical Greek Lexicon, Zondervan
Publishing House (Grand Rapids, MI 1968): 206.
5All
biblical references in this paper are taken
from the New International Version.
6The
issue of Q being a written document or a part
of the oral tradition has not been resolved. Either type of
source would not be out of character with the objectives and
3
the basic assumption that Mark’s account was the primary
source ...”7
The synoptic problem provides us with some
difficult questions but it does not change the basic meaning
of Luke’s work.
Luke’s goal was to provide a reasonable base of
assurance for anyone who reads his account of the life of
Jesus.8
Peter Renju identifies the witnesses and sources as
reasonable factors for the differences in this gospel.
Speaking of Luke he says; “He did his research and arrived
at a presentation of Jesus that is unique to his gospel.”9
Renju gives a summation for the uniqueness of Luke as either
“special sources ... or to his particular understanding of
the message and mission of Jesus.”10
This is what molds
process stated in the introduction of Luke. See Allen
Black’s class notes. Allen Black, An Outline Of New
Testament Introduction, Harding Graduate School of Religion,
(Spring, 1997): 28.
7Barbara
Reid, “Prayer and the Face of the
Transfigured Jesus,” The Lord’s Prayer and Other Prayer
Text from the Greco-Roman Era, ED. James H. Charlesworth
with Mark Harding and Mark Kiley (Valley Forge: Trinity
Press International, 1994), 39.
8Commenting
on this goal in Lk. 1:4, Joseph A.
Fitzmyer says, “Asphaleia, assurance is put in the emphatic
position at the end of the periodic sentence.” Joseph A.
Fitzmyer, “The Gospel According to Luke,” in The Anchor
Bible, ed. William F. Albright and David N. Freeman (Garden
City, NY: Doubleday & Company Inc. 1981): 289.
9Peter
Renju, “The Exodus of Jesus (Luke 9.31),” The
Bible Translator 46, no. 2 (April, 1995): 214.
10Ibid.,
215.
4
both this gospel and its transfiguration account.
Themes in the gospel of Luke.
The transfiguration is related to some of Luke’s key
themes.
Renju views Luke’s presentation of Jesus as that of
“a liberator, [and] a savior.”11
In the transfiguration he
makes his case for this from the exodus notion of Luke.
9:31.
He says; “...the transfiguration in Luke is a
metaphor in which there are references to Jesus’ mission and
role, that is, his mission as savior and liberator.”12
Another theme that follows Luke’s stated goal is the
issue “Who is Jesus?”
The answer to this question is the
base for the security of the believer and the purpose for
this account of his life.
Reid’s conclusion after making
the case for a special Lukan source is; “...in its final
form, [Luke’s Gospel] supplies one of the answers to Herod’s
question in 9:9, ‘Who is this?’”13 Reid expands this
relation to Herod’s question by noting nine occasions in
Luke 9:10-56 where this question is answered.14
While I agree with the conclusion Reid draws, she is
11Ibid.,
215.
12Ibid.,
217-218.
13Barbara
14Barbara
Reid, “Voices and Angels,” 27.
Reid, “Prayer and the Face of the
Transfigured Jesus,” 48-50.
5
shortsighted in that the question “Who is this?” flows from
one end of Luke to the other.
We can observe Luke’s
frequent use of the terms “Christ” and “Son of Man” as part
of the answer.
We also see the birth narrative, the
announcements at Jesus’ baptism, the transfiguration, and
the conclusion of the gospel, “Then they worshipped him...”
Luke 24:52, all addressing “Who is this?”
Another major theme of Luke is the “kingdom of God”.
This is evident in the context of the Transfiguration.15
There are other themes in this gospel but these are the most
pertinent to our discussion.
Making Known The Divine Glory.
Trites explains the absence of the transfiguration
in John’s gospel as seeing “the whole of Christ’s life as a
revelation of the divine glory.”16
One purpose for all the
synoptics including the transfiguration account may be to
move beyond the basic events of the life of Jesus and open
up a higher sense of Christology.
Seeing this event from Theophilus perspective.
15In
Luke. 9:27 the kingdom and its coming is the
last issue addressed by Jesus before the transfiguration.
16Ibid.
6
What might Luke’s readers think and feel as they
hear his account of the transfiguration?
The story would
captivate their minds as they reflected on parallels from
redemptive history.
Would they stagger at the “eight days”17 in Luke 9:28
instead of Matthew’s and Mark’s “six days”.
If so they
would miss the point that about a week “...after Jesus said
this, ...” Luke 9:28
This statement connects the
transfiguration to the context of Peter’s confession that
Jesus is the Christ of God, the suffering predictions, and
the kingdom prophecy.18
Perhaps they would identify that the transfiguration
occurred in conjunction with a time of prayer.
This would
have occasioned their recall of prayer as a theme also found
in this gospel being closely related to major events.19
17McGuckin
considers these differences to the idioms
with the “eight days” being Hellenistic and “six days” being
Semitic. John Anthony McGuckin, The Transfiguration of
Christ in Scripture and Tradition, Studies in the Bible and
Early Christianity, Vol. 9 (Lewiston, NY: The Edwin Mellen
Press, 1986), 7.
18T.
Francis Glasson notes the probability that the
transfiguration is God’s “divine conformation” and expansion
of Peter’s confession. T. Francis Glasson, “The Uniqueness
of Christ,” The Evangelical Quarterly, 43, no. 1 (January March 1971): 26.
19Gause
considers “eschatology” to be Luke’s most
often used theme related to prayer. Rufus H. Gause, “The
Lukan Transfiguration account, Luke’s Pre-Crucifixion
Presentation of the Exalted Lord in the Glory of the Kingdom
of God.” Theses, (Emory University, 1975) Microfilm, 153.
7
Moses and Elijah.
Theophilus may have heard stories about the
transfiguration but Luke was adding to his account the
purpose for the conversation with the two men.
These were
not just any men but two of the prominent people in Israel’s
redemptive history.
One was Moses, the figure of such
authority that when he speaks his is the “voice of law.”20
“...Moses functions as the symbolic embodiment of Israel’s
torah.”21
He was the leader of the exodus from Egypt, a
savior and deliverer of his time.
Even his death and burial
had a traditional mystique.22
The other man was Elijah, whose role is debated with
some casting him as only a prophet.23
Others see his
20Warren
Joseph Moulton, “The Historical Significance
of the Transfiguration,” Biblical and Semitic Studies, (New
York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1902), 189.
21Rodney
R. Hutton, “Moses on the Mount of
Transfiguration,” In honor of Reuben Ahroni, Hebrew Annual
Review, ed. Theodore J. Lewis, Columbus: Ohio State
University 1994), 100.
22”...the
archangel Michael, when he was disputing
with the devil about the body of Moses,...” Jude 1:9.
Hutton suggests ...”five primary textual traditions from the
Old Testament as developed in intertestamental Judaism,...”
These he considers to be relevant to the transfiguration.
The last of these, “Moses as one who did not taste of
death”, he connects to the transfiguration as it involves
Elijah and tradition from intertestamental Judaism. Hutton,
115-117.
23Richard
P. Baldacci, “The Significance of the
8
purpose as being eschatological with other prophets being
more representative of the prophetic line.24
“In the inter-
testamental period Elijah is remembered not as the
quintessential prophet but rather as the object of a
prophetic promise.”25
Scripture links Moses and Elijah in the prophecy of
Mal. 4:4-5.
John Nolland’s summary of options is “...Moses
and Elijah represent, in effect, the sweep of the unfolding
of God’s purposes leading on to the role of Jesus.”26
Gause
links Elijah’s presence to the eschatological end of
Malachi’s prophecy about him.27
The person with knowledge of redemptive history
probably would have recalled the great deeds and struggles
of life these two had experienced.28
Some may have drawn
Transfiguration Narrative in the Gospel of Luke: A
Redactional Investigation,” (Marquett University, 1974),
microfiche, 143.
24John
Nolland, Luke In Word Biblical Commentary, ed.
David A. Hubbard, and Glenn W. Barker, vol. 35b (Dallas:
Word Books, 1993), 499.
25Hutton,
101.
26Ibid.
27Gause,
97. Trites’ reflection on the
transfiguration and eschatology is “In the twentieth century
it has become fashionable to stress its eschatological
character.” Trites, 67.
28Margaret
Pamment takes the view that Moses and
Elijah parallel Jesus in that each “...had been rejected by
people and vindicated by God.” Margaret Pamment, “Moses and
9
the parallel of their seemingly uncompleted work being
carried on by successors.
The names of these successors had
identical meanings to that of Jesus, “God or Jehovah is
salvation.”29
That could have caused readers to think “Who
will be the successor to Jesus?’
An overriding thought must
have been, “Where does Jesus stand in relation to these two
great men?”
Discussion of the Exodus.
Hearing the word “exodus” the readers of Luke would
have thought of the original deliverance under Moses.
Baladacci ties Jesus’ death to the “exodus” and refers to it
as the “central Lukan concern in the T [transfiguration]...”30
To emphasize the point he says, “...this is in
fact a central redactional concern ...”31
Gause takes
Elijah in the Story of the Transfiguration,” The Expositor
Times 92, no. 1 (August 1981): 339.
29The
names Joshua and Elisha are closely related and
“the Greek form of Joshua is Jesus.” James Orr, “Jesus” in
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, ed. James Orr
(Grand Rapids: WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1939
ed.), 3:1626., A. S. Geden, “Joshua” in The International
Standard Bible Encyclopedia, ed. James Orr (Grand Rapids:
WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1939 ed.), 3:1743., J.
J. Reeve, “Elisha” in The International Standard Bible
Encyclopedia, ed. James Orr (Grand Rapids: WM. B. Eerdmans
Publishing Company, 1939 ed.), 2:934.
30Baldacci,
31Ibid.
83.
10
“exodus” to incorporate “all the redemptive activity tha
would take place in Jerusalem. in Jesus’ last days.”32
Clearly a great event was on the horizon.
Jesus was
immersed in what was going to occur, and the climax would be
in Jerusalem.
The way this functions in Luke is that from
this point forward Jesus’ movement in the gospel account is
persistently, physically, emotionally, and spiritually
toward that end.
“...the purpose of His life can be found
in the word used in verse 31, “exodus.”33
considers the use of exodoj
Wilhelm Michaelis
(ecdon) in Luke 9:31 to be a
pointed reference to the end of Jesus’ life and not a focus
toward the redemptive act of resurrection.34
Only in the eschatological view of what Jesus
accomplished at Jerusalem does the lone Jesus standing on
the mountain find his full meaning.
As Trites has said:
Moses could not cure hardness of heart ... ...and
Elijah could not conquer vindictiveness ... ...only
in the person and work of Christ did mankind receive
God’s final word for the human predicament....”35
32Gause,
103. Note: I can spell “that” but in his
thesis it is spelled “tha .”
33Pokorny,
Daniel H. “The Transfiguration of Our Lord
Last Sunday after the Epiphany, Luke 9:28-36.” Concordia
Journal 11 (January 1985):18.
Michaelis. “eisodoj, ecodoj, diecodoj”
Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Tran. ed.
Geoffrey W. Bromiley (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1967) 5:107.
34Wilhelm
35Trites,
74.
11
Peter’s response.
Gause suggests that because of the disciples’ being
“very sleepy” (Luke 9:32) that the transfiguration was a
night event.36
What the apostles observed was not natural
and soon “they became fully awake” Luke 9:32
Awed by what he observed, even though Luke indicates
that Moses and Elijah had left already, Peter offered to
build structures to honor them.37
To Nolland this seems to
be an “innocent Christological error: he simply may be
thinking of capturing forever this scene which represents
the whole drama of salvation from Exodus to the eschaton.”38
A cloud and a voice.
With the appearance of the cloud Luke’s readers likely
would have started recalling past events.
There were over
forty references to the “cloud” in the torah related to “the
glory of the Lord”, “Sinai”, or the “tent of meeting” all
36Gause,
103.
37Jerome
Murphy-Oconner identifies confusion over the
sequence of the text. The two men are gone but Peter wants
to build shelters. This is pointed to as an indication of
redaction. Jerome Murphy-Oconner, “What Really Happens at
the Transfiguration.” Bible Review 3 (1987) 15.
38Nolland,
500.
12
indicating God is present.39
The picture was almost inescapable.
A mountain, a
figure glowing similar to Moses at Sinai, a cloud that by
itself invokes fear, and a voice that recalls the voice from
the cloud at Sinai!40
These are the things of the making of
covenants and kingdoms.
In retrospect, Luke will portray
this as a life-changing moment for Jesus since from here He
sets out for Jerusalem.
This moment is reminiscent of his
baptism that served as a doorway into his ministry.41
Theophilus pores over the event because it is webbed
into the whole gospel.
It is anchored in the eschatological
teaching of scripture.
It flows from Israel’s redemptive
history.
The voice at Jesus’ baptism had addressed him and
had given him assurance.
This time the voice gave assurance
and command to the disciples and all who would read Luke’s
gospel.
It puts Jesus’ glorification and authority on the
basis that He is the Son of God.
39”The
cloud here represents the presence of God in
witness to Jesus as the ‘elected’ son.” Gause, 182 Trites
also sees the “cloud imagery” as noteworthy and takes it
further into the ascension and return of Jesus. Trites, 75.
40Simon
J. DeVries argues for the literal occurrence
to have been Mount Sinai or a mythological occurrence
representing Sinai. Simon J. DeVries, “Vision on the Mount:
Moses and Elijah and Jesus.” Eastern Great Lakes Biblical
Society Proceedings, 3 (1983):6-7.
41H.
J. W. Drivers, “Christ as a Warrior and
Merchant,” Studia Partistica 21 (1989): 76.
13
Jesus alone.
The voice is silent, the cloud gone, Moses and
Elijah are nowhere to be found.
Jesus is alone and ready to
walk down the mountain and do what no one else can do.
The
journey to Jerusalem, toward death, burial, and resurrection
is not unexpected.
It has been discussed with God’s
servants experienced in “exodus”.
How does Luke’s transfiguration function for us?
For us this pericope serves the goal of encouraging
and strengthening our faith in Jesus.
It does this as an
integrated part of Luke’s gospel and turns us to the final
purpose for his incarnation.
authority, and his mission.
It accents his glory, his
It ties the roots and heart of
Israel’s history to the culmination of God’s incarnation and
atonement for us.
It accents that the cross meant for our
justification was planned and God declared the one on it
“mine.”
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
The Analytical Greek Lexicon, Zondervan: Grand Rapids, 1968.
Baldacci, Richard P. “The Significance of the
Transfiguration Narrative in the Gospel of Luke: A
Redactional Investigation,” 1974 Marquett University,
Microfiche.
Black, Allen. An Outline Of New Testament Introduction,
Harding Graduate School of Religion, (Spring, 1997).
DeVries, Simon J. “Vision on the Mount: Moses and Elijah and
Jesus.” Eastern Great Lakes Biblical Society
Proceedings, 3 (1983):1-25.
Drivers, H. J. W. “Christ as a Warrior and Merchant,”
Studia Partistica 21, ed. Elizabeth Livingstone
(1989): 303-373.
Fitzmyer, Joseph A. The Gospel According to Luke. The
Anchor Bible, ed. William F. Albright and David N.
Freeman, vol. 28 Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1981.
Gause, Rufus H. “The Lukan Transfiguration account, Luke’s
Pre-Crucifixion Presentation of the Exalted Lord in
the Glory of the Kingdom of God.” Theses, Emory
University, 1975, Microfilm.
Geden, A. S. “Joshua.” in The International Standard Bible
Encyclopedia, ed. James Orr 3:1743-1747. Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 1939.
Glasson, T. Francis. “The Uniqueness of Christ.” The
Evangelical Quarterly 43 no. 1 (January - March
1971): 25-35.
14
15
Hall, Stuart “Synoptic Transfigurations: Mark 9,2-10 and
Partners.” Kings Theological Review 10 (Autumn
1987): 41-44.
The Holy Bible; New International Version.
Zondervan, 1978.
Grand Rapids:
Hutton, Rodney R. “Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration.”
Hebrew Annual Review ed. Theodore J. Lewis, 99-120.
Columbus: Ohio State University, 1994.
McGuckin, John A. “The Transfiguration of Christ in
Scripture and Tradition.” Studies in the Bible and
Early Christianity Vol. 9 Lewiston, NY: The Edwin
Mellen Press, 1986.
Moulton, Warren J. “The Historical Significance of the
Transfiguration.” Biblical and Semitic Studies (New
York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1902.
Murphy-Oconner, Jerome. “What Really Happened at the
Transfiguration.” Bible Review 3 (1987):8-21.
Nolland, John. “Luke.” In Word Biblical Commentary ed. David
A. Hubbard, and Glenn W. Barker, vol. 35b Dallas:
Word, 1993.
Orr, James. “Jesus Christ.” in The International Standard
Bible Encyclopedia, ed. James Orr 3:1624-1668. Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 1939.
Pamment, Margaret. “Moses and Elijah in the Story of the
Transfiguration.” The Expositor Times 92 no. 1
(August 1981): 338-339.
Pokorny, Daniel H. “The Transfiguration of Our Lord Last
Sunday after the Epiphany, Luke 9:28-36.” Concordia
Journal 11 (January 1985):17-18.
Reeve, J. J. “Elisha.” in The International Standard Bible
Encyclopedia, ed. James Orr 2:934-937 Grand Rapids:
Eerdmans, 1939.
16
Reid, Barbara. “Prayer and the Face of the Transfigured
Jesus.” The Lord’s Prayer and Other Prayer Texts From
the Greco-Roman Era ed. James H. Charlesworth with
Mark Harding and Mark Kiley. Valley Forge. PA:
Trinity Press International, 1994.
__________ “Voices and Angels: What Were They Talking About
at the Transfiguration? A Redaction-Critical Study
of Luke 9:28-36.” Biblical Research 34 (1989):19-31.
Renju, Peter M. “The Exodus of Jesus (Luke 9:31).” The Bible
Translator 46 (April 1995):213-218.
Trites, Allison A. “The Transfiguration in the Theology of
Luke: Some Redactional Links.” The Glory of Christ in
the New Testament, ed. L.D. Hurst and N.T. Wright,
71-82. New York: Oxford, 1987.
____________ “The Transfiguration of Jesus: The Gospel in
Microcosm.” The Evangelical Quarterly 51 no.2 (AprilJune 1979}: 67-79.