The Transfiguration (Mt 17.1-9; Mk 9.2-10; Lk 9.28-36):
Mk 9.2 2 Καὶ μετὰ ἡμέρας ἓξ παραλαμβάνει ὁ Ἰησοῦς τὸν Πέτρον καὶ τὸν Ἰάκωβον καὶ Ἰωάννην, καὶ ἀναφέρει αὐτοὺς εἰς ὄρος ὑψηλὸν κατʼ ἰδίαν μόνους. καὶ μετεμορφώθη ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῶν, 3 καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο στίλβοντα λευκὰ λίαν οἷα γναφεὺς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς οὐ δύναται οὕτως λευκᾶναι. 4 καὶ ὤφθη αὐτοῖς Ἠλίας σὺν Μωϋσεῖ, καὶ ἦσαν συλλαλοῦντες τῷ Ἰησοῦ. 5 καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Πέτρος λέγει τῷ Ἰησοῦ· Ῥαββί, καλόν ἐστιν ἡμᾶς ὧδε εἶναι, καὶ ποιήσωμεν τρεῖς σκηνάς, σοὶ μίαν καὶ Μωϋσεῖ μίαν καὶ Ἠλίᾳ μίαν. 6 οὐ γὰρ ᾔδει τί ἀποκριθῇ, ἔκφοβοι γὰρ ἐγένοντο. 7 καὶ ἐγένετο νεφέλη ἐπισκιάζουσα αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἐγένετο φωνὴ ἐκ τῆς νεφέλης· Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός, ἀκούετε αὐτοῦ. 8 καὶ ἐξάπινα περιβλεψάμενοι οὐκέτι οὐδένα εἶδον ἀλλὰ τὸν Ἰησοῦν μόνον μεθʼ ἑαυτῶν.
9 Καὶ καταβαινόντων αὐτῶν ἐκ τοῦ ὄρους διεστείλατο αὐτοῖς ἵνα μηδενὶ ἃ εἶδον διηγήσωνται, εἰ μὴ ὅταν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστῇ. 10 καὶ τὸν λόγον ἐκράτησαν πρὸς ἑαυτοὺς συζητοῦντες τί ἐστιν τὸ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστῆναι.
And after six days Jesus took Peter and James and John and brought them up high into the mountain by themselves. And he changed in front of them, and his clothes began shining very white as no one who bleaches on earth can bleach them. And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter answering said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here, and we can make three tabernacles, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah. For he did not know what he answered for he was very afraid.” And a cloud formed overshadowing them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my beloved Son, listen to him!” And suddenly they looked around and there was no one except Jesus alone.
And they went down from the mountain he ordered to them that no one should tell what they saw until the Son of Man rose from the dead. And they grasped onto this discussing among themselves what is the ‘raising from the dead’.
Mt 17.1 1 Καὶ μεθʼ ἡμέρας ἓξ παραλαμβάνει ὁ Ἰησοῦς τὸν Πέτρον καὶ Ἰάκωβον καὶ Ἰωάννην τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀναφέρει αὐτοὺς εἰς ὄρος ὑψηλὸν κατʼ ἰδίαν. 2 καὶ μετεμορφώθη ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῶν, καὶ ἔλαμψεν τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ὡς ὁ ἥλιος, τὰ δὲ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο λευκὰ ὡς τὸ φῶς. 3 καὶ ἰδοὺ ὤφθη αὐτοῖς Μωϋσῆς καὶ Ἠλίας συλλαλοῦντες μετʼ αὐτοῦ. 4 ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ Πέτρος εἶπεν τῷ Ἰησοῦ· Κύριε, καλόν ἐστιν ἡμᾶς ὧδε εἶναι· εἰ θέλεις, ποιήσω ὧδε τρεῖς σκηνάς, σοὶ μίαν καὶ Μωϋσεῖ μίαν καὶ Ἠλίᾳ μίαν. 5 ἔτι αὐτοῦ λαλοῦντος ἰδοὺ νεφέλη φωτεινὴ ἐπεσκίασεν αὐτούς, καὶ ἰδοὺ φωνὴ ἐκ τῆς νεφέλης λέγουσα· Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός, ἐν ᾧ εὐδόκησα· ἀκούετε αὐτοῦ. 6 καὶ ἀκούσαντες οἱ μαθηταὶ ἔπεσαν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον αὐτῶν καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν σφόδρα. 7 καὶ προσῆλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ ἁψάμενος αὐτῶν εἶπεν· Ἐγέρθητε καὶ μὴ φοβεῖσθε. 8 ἐπάραντες δὲ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν οὐδένα εἶδον εἰ μὴ αὐτὸν Ἰησοῦν μόνον.
9 Καὶ καταβαινόντων αὐτῶν ἐκ τοῦ ὄρους ἐνετείλατο αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς λέγων· Μηδενὶ εἴπητε τὸ ὅραμα ἕως οὗ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐκ νεκρῶν ἐγερθῇ.
And after six days Jesus took Peter and James and John his brother and he took them high in the mountain privately. And he changed before them, and he show before them like the sun. And his clothes were white like light. And behold Moses and Elijah appeared to them talking together with him. And Peter answering said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here; if you want, I will make three tabernacles here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” While he was speaking behold a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold a voice from the cloud saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am pleased. Listen to him!” And hearing the disciples fell before him and they were greatly afraid. And Jesus came and touched them saying, “Stand up and do not fear.” And they lifted up their eyes and beheld no one except Jesus only. And while they were going down from the mountain Jesus commanded them, “Do not tell anyone until the Son of Man raises up.”
Lk 9.28 28 Ἐγένετο δὲ μετὰ τοὺς λόγους τούτους ὡσεὶ ἡμέραι ὀκτὼ καὶ παραλαβὼν Πέτρον καὶ Ἰωάννην καὶ Ἰάκωβον ἀνέβη εἰς τὸ ὄρος προσεύξασθαι. 29 καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ προσεύχεσθαι αὐτὸν τὸ εἶδος τοῦ προσώπου αὐτοῦ ἕτερον καὶ ὁ ἱματισμὸς αὐτοῦ λευκὸς ἐξαστράπτων. 30 καὶ ἰδοὺ ἄνδρες δύο συνελάλουν αὐτῷ, οἵτινες ἦσαν Μωϋσῆς καὶ Ἠλίας, 31 οἳ ὀφθέντες ἐν δόξῃ ἔλεγον τὴν ἔξοδον αὐτοῦ ἣν ἤμελλεν πληροῦν ἐν Ἰερουσαλήμ. 32 ὁ δὲ Πέτρος καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ ἦσαν βεβαρημένοι ὕπνῳ· διαγρηγορήσαντες δὲ εἶδον τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ καὶ τοὺς δύο ἄνδρας τοὺς συνεστῶτας αὐτῷ. 33 καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ διαχωρίζεσθαι αὐτοὺς ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ εἶπεν ὁ Πέτρος πρὸς τὸν Ἰησοῦν· Ἐπιστάτα, καλόν ἐστιν ἡμᾶς ὧδε εἶναι, καὶ ποιήσωμεν σκηνὰς τρεῖς, μίαν σοὶ καὶ μίαν Μωϋσεῖ καὶ μίαν Ἠλίᾳ, μὴ εἰδὼς ὃ λέγει. 34 ταῦτα δὲ αὐτοῦ λέγοντος ἐγένετο νεφέλη καὶ ἐπεσκίαζεν αὐτούς· ἐφοβήθησαν δὲ ἐν τῷ εἰσελθεῖν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν νεφέλην. 35 καὶ φωνὴ ἐγένετο ἐκ τῆς νεφέλης λέγουσα· Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἐκλελεγμένος, αὐτοῦ ἀκούετε. 36 καὶ ἐν τῷ γενέσθαι τὴν φωνὴν εὑρέθη Ἰησοῦς μόνος. καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐσίγησαν καὶ οὐδενὶ ἀπήγγειλαν ἐν ἐκείναις ταῖς ἡμέραις οὐδὲν ὧν ἑώρακαν. 1
And it came to be about eight days after these sayings he took Peter and John and James up into the mountain to pray. And while praying his face became different and his clothes shined like a flash of lightening. And behold two men were speaking with him, they were Moses and Elijah, which they saw in glory speaking of his departure, which was going to be fulfilled in Jerusalem. But Peter and those with him were overcome in sleep. And awakening they beheld his glory and the two men were standing with him. And as they were departing from him Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here, and we will make three tabernacles, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He did not know what he said. But as he was speaking a cloud formed to overshadow them. And they were fearful entering the cloud and a voice came from the cloud saying, “This is my chosen Son, listen to him!” And when they voice had been they found Jesus alone, and they kept silent and told no one in those days anything that they saw.
Juxtaposing Mk and Mt:
Mk transitions from Peter’s confession and he transitions into Jesus performing an exorcism. Mt transitions from Peter’s confession and Christ teaching on the cost of discipleship and he transitions into Jesus performing an exorcism. In Mk and Mt it has been six days since the last events. In both Jesus takes Peter, James, and John into a high mountain. Only Mt clarifies that John is James’ brother. Also, Mt emphasizes that it was privately. In Mk Jesus changes before them and his clothes beginning shining a bright white. Mk clarifies that no one could bleach them this white. In Mt Jesus himself changes and he shines like the sun. In Mk Elijah (mentioned first) and Moses appear talking to Jesus. In Mt Moses (mentioned first) and Elijah appear talking to Jesus. In both Peter interrupts the conversation. In Mk Peter calls Jesus “Rabbi”, says it is good that they are there, and he offers to build a tabernacle for each of them. In Mt it is the same except Jesus is called “Lord”. In Mk the narrator clarifies that Peter didn’t know what he was saying. In both a cloud forms (in Mt it is bright) and overshadows them. In both a voice speaks calling Jesus his “beloved Son” and commanding that they listen to him. Only Mk has the voice express pleasure in Jesus. In Mk everything suddenly disappears except Jesus. In Mt the disciples fall before Jesus greatly afraid. Jesus comes to them, touches them, and tells them to stand and not be afraid. At this point they look up to find him alone. In Mk they come down the mountain and Jesus commands them not to tell anyone until “the Son of Man” raises from the dead. The disciples begin discussing what this might mean. In Mt Jesus tells them not to tell anyone until “the Son of Man” raises up while they are going down the mountain.
Juxtaposing Mk and Lk:
Mk transitions from Peter’s confession and he transitions into Jesus performing an exorcism. Lk transitions from the feeding of the five thousand and into Jesus talking about discipleship. Mk mentions that it has been six days since the last event. Lk says that it had been about eight days. Mk and Lk have Jesus taking Peter, James, and John into the mountain. Mk emphasizes it was into a high mountain. Lk says it was to go pray. In Mk Jesus changes before them and his clothes beginning shining a bright white. Mk clarifies that no one could bleach them this white. In Lk they are praying, Jesus’ face changes, and his clothes shine like lightning. Lk has Jesus talking to two men, Moses (mentioned first) and Elijah. They discuss the glory of his “departure” with Jesus. Lk previews the Book of Acts by saying this would be fulfilled in Jerusalem. In Lk this causes Peter and the others to be overcome with sleep (fainting?). Eventually they awake and see Jesus in his glory with the two men. In Mk Peter calls Jesus “Rabbi”, says it is good that they are there, and he offers to build a tabernacle for each of them. In LK Peter sees the men leaving, calls Jesus “Master”, and offers to build a tabernacle for each of them. In Mk the narrator clarifies that Peter didn’t know what he was saying. In Lk a cloud forms while Peter is saying this. In Mk the narrator clarifies that Peter didn’t know what he was saying and a cloud forms and overshadows them. In Lk this happens too. In Mk a voice speaks calling Jesus his “beloved Son” and commanding that they listen to him. Only Mk has the voice express pleasure in Jesus. In Lk the disciples enter the cloud and the voice says, “This is my chosen Son, listen to him.” Only Lk has Jesus as the “chosen” Son. In both everything disappears except Jesus alone. In Mk they come down the mountain and Jesus commands them not to tell anyone until “the Son of Man” raises from the dead. The disciples begin discussing what this might mean. In Lk they keep silent and tell no one in those days.
Juxtaposing Mt and Lk:
Mt transitions from Peter’s confession and Christ teaching on the cost of discipleship and he transitions into Jesus performing an exorcism. Lk transitions from the feeding of the five thousand and into Jesus talking about discipleship. In Mt it has been six days since the last events. In Lk it has been eight. In both Jesus takes Peter, James, and John into a mountain. Mt emphasizes that it was high into the mountain. Mt emphasizes that it was privately Only Mt clarifies that John is James’ brother. Lk says it was to go pray. In Mt Jesus himself changes and he shines like the sun. Jesus’ face changes, and his clothes shine like lightning. Lk has Jesus talking to two men, Moses (mentioned first) and Elijah. They discuss the glory of his “departure” with Jesus. Lk previews the Book of Acts by saying this would be fulfilled in Jerusalem. In Lk this causes Peter and the others to be overcome with sleep (fainting?). Eventually they awake and see Jesus in his glory with the two men. Eventually they awake and see Jesus in his glory with the two men. In Mt Moses (mentioned first) and Elijah appear talking to Jesus. In both Peter interrupts the conversation. In Mt Peter calls Jesus “Lord”, says it is good that they are there, and he offers to build a tabernacle for each of them. In LK Peter sees the men leaving, calls Jesus “Master”, and offers to build a tabernacle for each of them. In Mt a “bright”cloud forms and overshadows them. In Mt a voice speaks calling Jesus his “beloved Son” and commanding that they listen to him. In Lk the disciples enter the cloud and the voice says, “This is my chosen Son, listen to him.” Only Lk has Jesus as the “chosen” Son. In both everything disappears except Jesus alone. . In Mk they come down the mountain and Jesus commands them not to tell anyone until “the Son of Man” raises from the dead. The disciples begin discussing what this might mean. In Mt Jesus tells them not to tell anyone until “the Son of Man” raises up while they are going down the mountain. In Lk they keep silent and tell no one in those days.
Unique to Mk:
Only Mk says that Jesus’ clothing was whiter than it could have been if bleached. Jesus is called “Rabbi”.
Unique to Mt:
Only Mt describes Jesus’ clothes as being like lightning. He says the cloud was “bright”. Mt alone doesn’t clarify that Peter was speaking ignorantly. Only Mt has Jesus called “Lord”. Only in Mt does Jesus come to the disciples, command them to stand up, and tell them not to fear.
Unique to Lk:
Lk alone has this event happening eight days after the last event (Mt and Mk says six days and they both have it happening after Peter’s confession). Lk has Peter and the disciples falling asleep (or fainting) and awaking. Only Lk has Jesus called “Master”. Only Lk calls Jesus the “chosen” Son rather than the “beloved” Son. Lk has the disciples entering the cloud.
[1] Holmes, M. W. (2010; 2010). The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition. Logos Bible Software.
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