The Way Of Transfiguration

Transfiguration: Poetic Metaphor and the Languages of Religious Belief

Jesus metamorphosed. Celebrities from the past. Petrified disciples. Luminous cloud. An event as important as Christmas or Easter! Are you a preacher wondering what you can possibly say new and interesting on Transfiguration this year—to say nothing of all the Transfigurations that lie ahead of you? Are you an everyday believer curious to learn more about this holiday celebrated ievery year, yet somehow overlooked and ignored? Are you hooked on weird theological terms, intrigued by the fact that “transfiguration” is Latin for the Greek “metamorphosis” (as in butterflies and Kafka), and love to explore every wild and woolly corner of the Bible? Are you tired of Peter always getting bashed for his offer to build booths? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, then Seven Ways of Looking at the Transfiguration needs to be at the top of your reading list! The seven ways: 1. Metamorphosis : Jesus 2. Eschaton : Elijah 3. Exodus : Moses 4. Tabernacles : Israel 5. Eyewitnesses : Peter, James, and John 6. Cloud : God the Father 7. Parousia : My Son, My Beloved Questions about the Transfiguration answered in the book: + What can it possibly mean for the eternal Lord to be transfigured, metamorphosed—changed? + Why does Luke delete the word “transfigured” from his version of the, um, well, Transfiguration? + Why does only Jesus’ clothing change in Mark’s Gospel, but his face, too, in Matthew and Luke? + Why was it Moses and Elijah, out of all possible Old Testament figures, who met with Jesus on the mountaintop? (Not because they represent “the law and the prophets”!) + Which mountain was it, anyway? + Why were Peter, James, and John the only disciples invited to see the Transfiguration? + Why was it so offensive for Peter to offer to build three booths for the three famous men? (Not because he was a babbling idiot!) + Why does God speak to Jesus at his Baptism and his Transfiguration, but not at his Resurrection? + Why doesn’t the Gospel of John have a Transfiguration story? (Or does it?) + Why doesn’t St. Paul talk about the Transfiguration? (Or does he?) + Why does Second Peter, of all oddball little epistles, talk about the Transfiguration? + Will we be transfigured someday, too? + What essential thing does the Transfiguration tell us about Jesus that his Resurrection does not?

What is Transfiguration? This book answers the question and describes the transition humanity is going through now to achieve light body illumination through transfiguration. Delightful stories and analogies are embedded within wisdom provided by a conglomerate of ascended adepts called Those Who Teach. Transfiguration, When Perception Meets Truth covers a wide range of interrelated and fascinating topics including accelerated evolution, new humans and rainbow children, stargate mechanics, light body illumination, foundational frequencies of creation, the role of the light bearer, and more. Additionally, powerful and illuminating visualizations are provided to assist the reader on the path to truth realization.

Danto argues that recent developments in art--in particular the production of works that cannot be told from ordinary things--make urgent the need for a new theory of art. He demonstrates the relationship between philosophy and art and the connections that hold between art, social institutions, and art history.

Spiritual leader and peace activist John Dear guides readers on the path to finding peace within, and bringing harmony to a world torn by hatred and violence, through following in the footsteps of Jesus. John Dear’s efforts on behalf of social justice and world peace have won him international admiration and spurred features in the New York Times, the Washington Post, NPR’s All Things Considered, USA TODAY, and the National Catholic Reporter. Seen by many to be the spiritual heir to the Berrigan brothers, Dear believes that the key to the spiritual life is not just finding inner peace, but also bringing that peace to bear on the outside world. In his latest work, Dear uses the Gospel account of the Transfiguration, inviting readers to shape their lives along the story of Jesus and to continue his mission of love and peace. These practices have sustained him through his work with the homeless in Washington, D.C., and New York City, as a human-rights advocate in Northern Ireland and Iraq, and on his many missions for peace in war-torn places around the world. Dividing the lifelong pursuit of peace into three distinct parts—an inner journey, a public journey, and the journey of all humanity—he delves into the challenges of learning to love ourselves as we are, diffusing the hatred we feel toward others, and embracing the choice to live in peace.

Dorothy Lee argues passionately for restoring the study of The Transfiguration to the centre of the theological stage, and she succeeds triumphantly. Whereas a theology of transfiguration has long been an essential part of the Eastern theologoical tradition, it has often seemed strange to our Western rational minds. The book argues that the transfiguration functions as an epiphany revealing Jesus' true identity and also an apocalyptic vision, depicting God's transforming future. A chapter is devoted to each of the four New Testament narratives of the transfiguration, setting the story within the wider literary and theological framework of the text. Traces of the transfiguration are examined in other parts of the New Testament, particularly in The Gospel of John, where the symbolism is close to that of the transfiguration. Finally, the author draws out the symbolism and theological implications of the transfiguration for an understanding of Christ, God's radical future and the transformation of all creation, drawing on the icons of Eastern Christianity and Western theologies of beauty. This book is a small masterpiece and a model of clarity and lucid exposition.

To read and visualize the transfiguration of Christ is to enter its mystery and encounter its hope. Like the Gospel writers and the disciples who climbed the mountain with Jesus, we struggle to tell the story and explain its meaning. Yet this astounding event reveals God’s ultimate purpose in sending his Son—the complete restoration of humanity and all creation—our transfiguration in Christ. The light and glory of that moment reveal a destiny that is infinite and eternal, made possible by the power of grace. Transfiguration is the trajectory and goal of our spiritual journey. Across time and space, Christians have reflected on the mystery and hope epitomized in the transfiguration, yet their voices have been heard primarily within their own cultural and ecclesiastical contexts. This study gathers many of those voices from the panorama of Scripture and church history and finds in them the common theme of radical transformation in Christ. The point of this theological conversation is spiritual transfiguration and hope for each of us as we reach toward the future Christ has shown us in himself.

The biblical story of Jesus' Transfiguration on a high mountain bristles with meanings germane to present-day concerns and spiritual longings. Together with its later artistic representations, this episode from the synoptic gospels seizes the imagination as an icon of mystical hope, beauty, and possibility. What might such an iconic episode, long honored liturgically in the Eastern church, disclose not only about Jesus, but also about the prospect of seeing our human nature transformed? And as interpreted by Christian tradition since the patristic era, what might it tell us about the worth of envisioning not just a conservation or preservation of natural resources but a transfiguration of all creation, and about how this feast of beauty could re-energize current discussions of Christianity's relation to environmental attitudes and policy? Such questions are addressed in this book through an original blend of personal reflection with commentary on relevant theological and scriptural texts, literary works, music, and art.