The mysterious promise thus made by Jesus, of a new and peculiar
exhibition of himself, to some of his chosen ones, he soon sought an
occasion of executing. About six or eight days after this remarkable
conversation, he took Peter, and the two sons of Zebedee, James and
John, and went with them up into a high mountain, apart by themselves.
As to the name and place of this mountain, a matter of some interest
certainly, there have been two opinions among those who have attempted
to illustrate the topography of the gospels. The phrase, “a high
mountain,” has instantly brought to the thoughts of most learned
readers, Mount Tabor, famous for several great events in Bible history,
which they have instantly adopted, without considering the place in
which the previous account had left Jesus, which was Caesarea Philippi;
hereafter described as in the farthest northern part of Galilee. Now,
Mount Tabor, however desirable in other particulars, as the scene of a
great event in the life of Jesus, was full seventy miles south of the
place where Jesus had the conversation with his disciples, which led to
the remarkable display which followed a few days after, on the mountain.
It is true, that the intervening period of a week, was sufficient
to enable him to travel this distance with ease; but the difficulty
is, to assign some possible necessity or occasion for such a journey.
Certainly, he needed not to have gone thus far to find a mountain,
for Caesarea Philippi itself stands by the base of Paneas, which is
a part of the great Syrian range of Antilibanus. This great mountain,
or mountain chain, rises directly behind the city, and parts of it are
so high above the peak of Tabor, or any other mountain in Palestine,
as to be covered with snow, even in that warm country. The original
readers of the gospel story, were dwellers in Palestine, and must have
been, for the most part, well acquainted with the character of the
places which were the scenes of the incidents, and could hardly have
been ignorant of the fact, that this splendid city, so famous as the
monument of royal vanity and munificence, was near the northern end of
Palestine, and of course, must have been known even by those who had
never seen it, nor heard it particularly described, to be very near
the great Syrian mountains; so near too, as to be very high elevated
above the cities of the southern country, since not far from the city
gushed out the most distant sources of the rapid Jordan. But another
difficulty, in respect to this journey of seventy miles to Tabor, is,
that while the gospels give no account of it, it is even contradicted
by Mark’s statement, that after departing from the mountain, he passed
through Galilee, and came to Capernaum, which is between Tabor and
Caesarea Philippi, twenty or thirty miles from the former, and forty
or fifty from the latter. Now, that Jesus Christ spared no exertion of
body or mind, in “going about doing good,” no one can doubt; but that
he would spend the strength devoted to useful purposes, in traveling
from one end of Galilee to the other, for no greater good than to
ascend a particular mountain, and then to travel thirty miles back on
the same route, is a most unnecessary tax upon our faith. But here,
close to Caesarea Philippi, was the mighty range of Antilibanus, known
in Hebrew poetry by the name of Hermon in this part; and _He_, whose
presence made all places holy, could not have chosen, among all the
mountains of Palestine, one which nature had better fitted to impress
the beholder who stood on the summit, with ideas of the vast and
sublime. Modern travelers assure us that, from the peaks behind the
city, the view of the lower mountains to the south,――of the plain
through which the young Jordan flows, soon spreading out into the broad
sheet of lake Houle, (Samachonitis lacus,) and of the country, almost
to lake Tiberias, is most magnificent. The precise peak which was the
scene of the event here related, it is impossible to conjecture. It may
have been any one of three which are prominent: either the castle hill,
or, farther off and much higher, Mount Bostra, once the site of a city,
or farther still, and highest of all, Merura Jubba, which is but a few
hours walk from the city. The general impression of the vulgar, however,
and of those who take the traditions of the vulgar and the ignorant,
without examination, has been, that Tabor was the scene of the event,
so that, at this day, it is known among the stupid Christians of
Palestine, by the name of the Mount of the Transfiguration. So idly
are these foolish local traditions received, that this falsehood, so
palpable on inspection, has been quietly handed down from traveler to
traveler, ever since the crusades, when hundreds of these and similar
localities, were hunted up so hastily, and by persons so ill-qualified
for the search, that more modern investigators may be pardoned for
treating with so little consideration the voice of _such_ antiquity,
when it is found opposed to a rational and consistent understanding
of the gospel story. When the question was first asked, “Where is the
mount of the transfiguration?” there were enough persons interested to
reply, “Mount Tabor.” No reason was probably asked for the decision,
and none was given; but as the scene was acted on a high mountain
in Galilee, and as Tabor answered perfectly to this very simple
description, and was moreover interesting on many other accounts, both
historical and natural, it was adopted for the transfiguration without
any discussion whatever, among those on the spot. Still, to learned and
diligent readers of the gospels, the ♦inconsistencies of such a belief
have been so obvious, that many great theologians have decided, for the
reasons here given, that the transfiguration must have taken place on
some part of Mount Paneas, as it was called by the Greeks and Romans,
known among the Jews, however, from the earliest times, by the far
older name of Mount HERMON. On the determination of this point, more
words have been expended than some may deem the matter to deserve; but
among the various objects of the modern historian of Bible times, none
is more important or interesting, ♠than that of settling the often
disputed topography of the sacred narrative; and as the ground here
taken differs so widely from the almost universally received opinion,
the minute reasons were loudly called for, in justification of the
author’s boldness. The ancient blunders here detected, and shown to be
based only upon a guess, is a very fair specimen of the way in which,
in the moral as in the natural sciences, “they all copy from one
another,” without taking pains to look into the truth of small matters.
And it seems to show, moreover, how, when men of patient and zealous
accuracy, have taken the greatest pains to expose and correct so
causeless an error, common readers and writers too, will carelessly
and lazily slip back into the old blunder, thus making the counsels of
the learned of no effect, and loving darkness rather than light, error
rather than exactness, because they are too shiftless to find a good
reason for what is laid down before them as truth. But so it is. It
is, and always has been, and always will be, so much easier for men to
swallow whole, or reject whole, the propositions made to them, that the
vast majority had much rather believe on other people’s testimony, than
go through the harassing and tiresome task, of looking up the proofs
for themselves. In this very instance, this important topographical
blunder was fully exposed and corrected a century and a half ago, by
Lightfoot, the greatest Hebrew scholar that ever lived; and we see how
much wiser the world is for his pains.
♦ “inconsistences” replaced with “inconsistencies”
♠ duplicate word “than” removed
_Caesarea Philippi._――This city stood where all the common
maps place it, in the farthest northern part of Palestine, just
at the foot of the mountains, and near the fountain head of
the Jordan. The name by which it is called in the gospels, is
another instance, like Julias Bethsaida, of a compliment paid
by the servile kings, of the divisions of Palestine, to their
imperial masters, who had given, and who at any time could take
away, crown and kingdom from them. The most ancient name by
which this place is known to have been mentioned in the Hebrew
scriptures, is _Lasha_, in Genesis x. 19, afterwards variously
modified into _Leshem_, (Joshua xix. 47,) and _Laish_, (Judges
xviii. 7: xiv. 29,) a name somewhat like the former in sound,
though totally different in meaning, (לשם _leshem_, “a precious
stone,” and ליש _laish_, “a lion,”) undoubtedly all three being
from the same root, but variously modified in the changing
pronunciations of different ages and tribes. In the earliest
passage, (Genesis x. 19,) it is clearly described as on the
farthest northern limit of the land of Canaan, and afterwards,
being conquered long after most of the cities of that region, by
the tribe of Dan, and receiving the name of this tribe, as an
addition to its former one, it became proverbially known under
the name of _Dan_, as the farthest northern point of the land of
Israel, as Beersheba was the southern one. It did not, however,
lose its early Canaanitish name till long after, for, in Isaiah
x. 30, it is spoken of under the name of Laish, as the most
distant part of Israel, to which the cry of the distressed could
reach. It is also mentioned under its later name of Dan, in
Genesis xiv. 14, and Deuteronomy xxxiv. 1, where it is given by
the writer, or some copyist, in anticipation of the subsequent
account of its acquiring this name after the conquest. Josephus
also mentions it, under this name, in Antiquities book i.
chapter 10, and book viii. chapter 8, section 4, in both which
places he speaks of it as standing at one of the sources of
the Jordan, from which circumstance, no doubt, the latter part
of the river’s name is derived. After the overthrow of the
Israelitish power in that region, it fell into the hands of new
possessors, and under the Greeks and Romans, went by the name of
Panias, (Josephus and Ptolemy,) or Paneas, (Josephus and Pliny,)
which name, according to Ptolemy, it had under the Phoenicians.
This name, supposed to have been taken from the Phoenician name
of the mountain near, Josephus gives to it, in all the later
periods of his history, until he speaks of the occasion on which
it received a new change of name.
Its commanding and remarkable position, on the extremity of
Palestine, made it a frontier post of some importance; and it
was therefore a desirable addition to the dominions of Herod the
Great, who received it from his royal patron, Augustus Caesar,
along with its adjacent region between Galilee and Trachonitis,
after the death of Zenodorus, its former possessor. (Josephus
Antiquities book xv. chapter 10, section 3.) Herod the Great,
out of gratitude for this princely addition to his dominions,
at a time when attempts were made to deprive him of his imperial
master’s favor, raised near this city, a noble monument to
Augustus. (Josephus as above quoted.) “He built a monument to
him, of white marble, in the land of Zenodorus, near Panium.
There is a beautiful cave in the mountain, and beneath it there
is a chasm in the earth, rugged, and of immense depth, full
of still water, and over it hangs a vast mountain; and under
the cave rise the springs of the Jordan. This place, already
very famous, he adorned with the temple which he consecrated to
Caesar.” A lofty temple of white marble, on such a high spot,
contrasted with the dark rocks of the mountain and cave around,
must have been a splendid object in the distance, and a place of
frequent resort.
This city, along with the adjacent provinces, after the death
of the first Herod, was given to his son Philip, made tetrarch
of Iturea and Trachonitis. This prince, out of gratitude to
the royal donor, at the same time when he rebuilt and repaired
Bethsaida, as already mentioned, “also embellished Paneas, at
the fountains of the Jordan, and gave it the name of Caesarea.”
(Josephus Antiquities book xviii. chapter 2, section 1, also
Jewish War, book ii. chapter 9, section 1,) and to distinguish
it from other Caesareas, hereafter to be mentioned, it was
called from the name of its royal builder, Caesarea Philippi,
that is, “the Caesarea of Philip.” By this name it was most
commonly known in the time of Christ; but it did not answer the
end of perpetuating the name of its builder and his patron, for
it shortly afterwards recovered its former name, Paneas, which,
probably, never went wholly out of use. As late as the time
of Pliny, (about A. D. 70,) Paneas was a part of the name of
Caesarea. _Fons Paneas, qui cognomen dedit Caesareae_, “the
fountain Paneas, which gave to Caesarea a surname.” (Pliny
Natural History book v. chapter 15,) which shows, that at that
time, the name Paneas was one, by which even foreign geographers
recognized this city, in spite of the imperial dignity of its
new title. Eusebius, (about A. D. 315,) speaks of “Caesarea
Philippi, which the Phoenicians call Paneas, at the foot
of mount Panium.” (Φιλιππου Καισαρεια ἡν Πανεαδα Θοινικες
προσαγορευσι, &c. Church History book vii. chapter 17.) Jerome,
(about A. D. 392,) never mentions the name Caesarea Philippi,
as belonging to this city, except in commenting on Matthew
xvi. 13, where he finds it necessary to explain this name, as
an antiquated term, then out of use. _Caesaream Philippi, quae
NUNC dicitur Paneas_, “Caesarea Philippi, which is _now_ called
Paneas;” and in all the other places where he has occasion to
mention the place, he gives it only the name of Paneas. Thus, in
commenting on Amos viii. 14, he says, “Dan, on the boundary of
the Jewish territory, where _now_ is Paneas.” And on Jeremiah
iv. 15,――“The tribe Dan, near mount Lebanon, and the city which
is _now_ called Paneas,” &c.――See also commentary on Daniel
xiii. 16.
After the death of Philip, this city, along with the rest of
his dominions, was presented by Cains Caligula to Agrippa, who
added still farther to the improvements made by Philip, more
particularly ornamenting the Panium, or famous source of the
Jordan, near the city, as Josephus testifies. (Jewish War, book
iii. chapter 9, section 7.) “The natural beauty of the Panium,
moreover, was still more highly adorned (προσεξησκηται) with
royal magnificence, being embellished by the wealth of Agrippa.”
This king also attempted to perpetuate the name of one of
his imperial patrons, in connection with the city, calling it
_Neronias_, in honor of one who is well enough known without
this aid. (Josephus Antiquities book xx. chapter 8, section 3.)
The perfectly transient character of this idle appellation, is
abundantly shown from the preceding copious quotations.
The city, now called Banias, (not _Belinas_, as Wahl erroneously
says,) has been visited and examined in modern times by several
travelers, of whom, none has described it more minutely than
Burckhardt. His account of the mountains around the city,
so finely illustrates my description of the scene of the
transfiguration, that I extract largely from it here. In order
to appreciate the description fully, it must be understood that
_Heish_ is now the general Arabic name for the mountain chain,
which was by ancient authors variously called Lebanon, Libanus,
Anti-Libanus, Hermon, and Panium; for all these names have been
given to the mountain-range, on whose slope Caesarea Philippi,
or Paneas, stood.
“The district of Banias is classic ground; it is the ancient
_Caesarea Philippi_; the lake Houle, is the _Lacus Samachonitis_.
Immediately after my arrival, I took a man of the village to
shew me the way to the ruined castle of Banias, which bears
East by South from it. It stands on the top of a mountain, which
forms part of the mountain of Heish, at an hour and a quarter
from Banias; it is now in complete ruins, but was once a very
strong fortress. Its whole circumference is twenty-five minutes.
It is surrounded by a wall ten feet thick, flanked with numerous
round towers, built with equal blocks of stone, each about
two feet square. The keep, or citadel, seems to have been on
the highest summit, on the eastern side, where the walls are
stronger than on the lower, or western side. The view from
thence over the Houle and a part of its lake, the Djebel Safad,
and the barren Heish, is magnificent. On the western side,
within the precincts of the castle, are ruins of many private
habitations. At both the western corners, runs a succession of
dark, strongly built, low apartments, like cells, vaulted, and
with small narrow loop holes, as if for musquetry. On this side
also, is a well more than twenty feet square, walled in, with a
vaulted roof at least twenty-five feet high; the well was, even
in this dry season, full of water: there are three others in the
castle. There are many apartments and recesses in the castle,
which could only be exactly described by a plan of the whole
building. It seems to have been erected during the period of
the crusades, and must certainly have been a very strong hold
to those who possessed it. I could discover no traces of a road
or paved way leading up the mountain to it. In winter time,
the shepherds of the Felahs of the Heish, who encamp upon the
mountains, pass the night in the castle with their cattle.
“Banias is situated at the foot of the Heish, in the plain,
which in the immediate vicinity of Banias is not called Ard
Houle, but Ard Banias. It contains about one hundred and fifty
houses, inhabited mostly by Turks: there are also Greeks, Druses,
and Enzairie. It belongs to Hasbeya, whose Emir nominates the
Sheikh. On the north-east side of the village, is the source
of the river of Banias, which empties itself into the Jordan
at the distance of an hour and a half, in the plain below. Over
the source is a perpendicular rock, in which several niches
have been cut to receive statues. The largest niche is above a
spacious cavern, under which the river rises. This niche is six
feet broad and as much in depth, and has a smaller niche in the
bottom of it. Immediately above it, in the perpendicular face of
the rock, is another niche, adorned with pilasters, supporting a
shell ornament.
“Round the source of the river are a number of hewn stones.
The stream flows on the north side of the village, where is
a well built bridge, and some remains of the ancient town,
the principal part of which seems, however, to have been on
the opposite side of the river, where the ruins extend for a
quarter of an hour from the bridge. No walls remain, but great
quantities of stones and architectural fragments are scattered
about.
“I went to see the ruins of the ancient city of Bostra, of which
the people spoke much. Bostra must not be confounded with Boszra,
in the Haouran; both places are mentioned in the Books of Moses.
The way to the ruins lies for an hour and a half in the road by
which I came from Rasheyat-el-Fukhar, it then ascends for three
quarters of an hour a steep mountain to the right, on the top
of which is the city; it is divided into two parts, the largest
being upon the very summit, the smaller at ten minutes walk
lower down, and resembling a suburb to the upper part. Traces
are still visible of a paved way that had connected the two
divisions. There is scarcely any thing in the ruins worth notice;
they consist of the foundations of private habitations, built
of moderate sized square stones. The lower city is about twelve
minutes walk in circumference; a part of the four walls of one
building only remains entire; in the midst of the ruins was
a well, at this time dried up. The circuit of the upper city
may be about twenty minutes; in it are the remains of several
buildings. In the highest part is a heap of wrought stones, of
larger dimensions than the rest, which seem to indicate that
some public building had once stood on the spot. There are
several columns of one foot, and of one foot and a half in
diameter. In two different places, a short column was standing
in the centre of a round paved area of about ten feet in
diameter. There is likewise a deep well, walled in, but now dry.
“The country around these ruins is very capable of cultivation.
Near the lower city are groups of olive trees.
“I descended the mountain in the direction towards the source of
the Jordan, and passed, at the foot of it, the miserable village
of Kerwaya. Behind the mountain of Bostra is another, still
higher, called Djebel Meroura Djoubba.” [Burckhardt’s Syria,
pp. 37‒42.]
From Conder’s Modern Traveler I also draw a sketch of other
travelers’ observations on the place and the surrounding country.
“BURCKHARDT, in coming from Damascus, pursued the more direct
route taken by the caravans, which crosses the Jordan at Jacob’s
Bridge. Captains Irby and Mangles left this road at Khan Sasa,
and passed to the westward for Panias, thus striking between the
road to Acre, and that by Raschia and Hasbeya. The first part
of the road from Sasa, led through a fine plain, watered by a
pretty, winding rivulet, with numerous tributary streams, and
many old ruined mills. It then ascended over a very rugged and
rocky soil, quite destitute of vegetation, having in some places
traces of an ancient paved way, ‘probably the Roman road from
Damascus to Caesarea Philippi.’ The higher part of Djebel Sheikh
was seen on the right. The road became less stony, and the
shrubs increased in number, size and beauty, as they descended
into a rich little plain, at the immediate foot of the mountain.
‘From this plain,’ continues captain M., ‘we ascended, and,
after passing a very small village, saw on our left, close to
us, a very picturesque lake, apparently perfectly circular,
of little more than a mile in circumference, surrounded on
all sides by sloping hills, richly wooded. On quitting Phiala,
at but a short distance from it, we crossed a stream which
discharges into the larger one which we first saw: the latter
we followed for a considerable distance; and then, mounting a
hill to the south-west, had in view the great Saracenic castle,
near Panias, the town of that name, and the plain of the Jordan,
as far as the Lake Houle, with the mountains on the other
side of the plain, forming altogether a fine _coup d’œil_. As
we descended towards Panias, we found the country extremely
beautiful. Great quantities of wild flowers, and a variety of
shrubs, just budding, together with the richness of the verdure,
grass, corn and beans, showed us, all at once, the beauties of
spring, (February 24,) and conducted us into a climate quite
different from Damascus. In the evening we entered Panias,
crossing a causeway constructed over the rivulet, which flows
from the foot of Djebel Sheikh. The river here rushes over great
rocks in a very picturesque manner, its banks being covered with
shrubs and the ruins of ancient walls.’
“Panias, afterwards called Caesarea Philippi, has resumed its
ancient name. The present town of Banias is small. Seetzen
describes it as a little hamlet of about twenty miserable huts,
inhabited by Mahomedans. The ‘Castle of Banias’ is situated
on the summit of a lofty mountain: it was built, Seetzen says,
without giving his authority, in the time of the caliphs.”
[Modern Traveler Vol. I. pp. 353‒6.]
The distance, in time, from Mount Tabor to Caesarea Philippi,
may be conceived from the account given by Ebn Haukal, an
Arabian geographer and traveler of the tenth century. He says
“from Tibertheh (Tiberias, which is near Tabor) to _Sur_, (Tyre,)
is one day’s journey; and from that to _Banias_, (Paneas,) is
two day’s easy journey.” [Sir W. Ouseley’s translation of Ebn
Haukal’s Geography, pp. 48, 49.]
This was an occasion on which Christ did not choose to display his
glories to the eyes of the ignorant and impertinent mobs that usually
thronged his path, drawn together as they were, by idle curiosity,
by selfish wishes for relief from various diseases, or by the
determination to profit by the mischief, which almost always results
from such a promiscuous assemblage. It may be fairly considered a moral
impossibility, for such disorderly and spontaneous assemblies to meet,
without more evils resulting, than can possibly be counterbalanced
by the good done to the assembly as a whole, whatever it may be to
individuals. So, at least, Jesus Christ seems always to have thought,
for he never encouraged such gatherings, and took every desirable
opportunity of getting rid of them, without injury to themselves, or of
withdrawing himself quietly from them, as the easiest way of dispersing
them; knowing how utterly hopeless must be the attempt to do any great
good among such a set of idlers, compared with what he might do by
private and special intercourse with individuals. It is worthy of
note, that Matthew and all whose calls are described, were about
their business. Thus, on an occasion already mentioned, when Jesus was
walking by the sea of Galilee, with the simple object of doing most
good, he did not seek among the multitude that was following him, for
the devoted laborers whom he might call to the great work of drawing
in men to the knowledge of the truth as revealed in him. No: he turned
from all the zealous loungers who had left their business, if they had
any, to drag about after the wonderful man who had attracted general
attention by his great and good deeds. He dispatched them as fast as
possible with a few words of instruction and exhortation; for though
he did not seek these undesirable occasions, yet he would have been
as much wanting in benevolence as in wisdom, if, when all the evils of
such a throng had occurred by the meeting, he had not hastened to offer
the speediest antidote to the mischief, and the best compensation for
the loss of time to the company, by giving them such words of counsel,
reproof, correction or encouragement, as, even when cast like bread
upon the waters, or seed by the way side, might yet perchance, or by
grace, “be found after many days,” returning to the hands of the giver,
in gratitude, by springing up and bearing some fruit to the praise and
glory of God. Having thus sent off the throng, he addressed himself
to the honest men whom he had found quietly following their daily
employments, and immediately performed with them there, and, as is
evident, mainly for their benefit, a most remarkable miracle; and when
they had been thus impressed with his power and wisdom, summoned them
to his aid in converting the world; sagely and truly judging, that
those who had been faithful in few things, would be the best rulers
over many things,――that they who had steadily and faithfully worked at
their proper business, had the best talent and disposition for laboring
in a cause which needed so much patient industry and steady application
in its devotees. These were the men whom he hoped to make by his
instructions, the successful founders of the Christian faith; and these
were the very men whom, out of thousands who longed for the honors
of his notice, he now chose as the objects of his special instruction
and commission, and called them apart to view the display of the most
wonderful mystery of his life.
Among these three favored ones, we see Peter included, and his name, as
usual, _first_ of all. By this it appears, that, however great his late
unfortunate misapprehension of the character and office of Christ, and
however he may have deserved the harsh rebuff with which his forward
but well meant remonstrance was met; still he was so far from having
lost his Master’s favor on this account, that he yet held the highest
place in the favor of Jesus, who had been moved by the exposure of
his favorite’s ignorance, only to new efforts to give him a just and
clear view of the important truths in which he was most deficient; for
after all, there was nothing _very_ surprising in Peter’s mistake. In
pursuance of this design, he took these three, Peter, James and John,
with him, up into the high mountain peaks of Hermon, from which their
eyes might glance far south over the land of Israel――the land of
their fathers for ages on ages, stretching away before them for a vast
distance, and fancy could easily extend the view. In this land, so holy
in the recollections of the past, so sad to the contemplation of the
present, were to begin their mighty labors. Here, too, bright and early,
one of the three was to end his; while his brother and friend were to
spread their common Master’s dominion over thousands and millions who
had never yet heard of that land, or its ancient faith. Jesus Christ
always sought the lonely tops of mountains, with a peculiar zest, in
his seasons of retirement, as well as for the most impressive displays
of his eloquence, or his miraculous power. The obvious reasons were the
advantages of perfect solitude and security against sudden intrusion;
――the free, pure air of the near heaven, and the broad light of the
immense prospect, were powerful means of lifting the soul to a state of
moral sublimity, equal to the impressions of physical grandeur, made by
the objects around. Their most holy historical associations, moreover,
were connected with the tops of high mountains, removed from which, the
most awful scenes of ancient miracle would, to the fancy of the dweller
of mountainous Palestine, have seemed stripped of their most imposing
aids. Sinai, Horeb, Moriah, Zion, Ebal, Gerizim and Tabor, were
the classic ground of Hebrew history, and to the fiery mind of the
imaginative Israelite, their high tops seemed to tower in a religious
♦sublimity, as striking and as lasting as their physical elevation.
From these lofty peaks, so much nearer to the dwelling place of God,
his soul took a higher flight than did ever the fancy of the Greek,
from the classic tops of Parnassus, Pelion, Ida, or the skyish head of
blue Olympus; and the three humble gazers, who now stood waiting there
with their divine Master, felt, no doubt, their devotion proportionally
exalted with their situation, by such associations. It was the
same spirit, that, throughout the ancient world, led the earliest
religionists to avail themselves of these physical advantages, as they
did in their mountain worship, and with a success just in proportion
as the purity and sincerity of their worship, and the high character of
its object, corresponded with the lofty grandeur of the place.
♦ “snblimity” replaced with “sublimity”
“Not vainly did the early Persian make
His altar the high places, and the peak
Of earth-o’er-gazing mountains, there to seek
The spirit, in whose honor shrines are weak,
Upreared of human hands. Come and compare
Columns and idol-dwellings, Goth or Greek,
With nature’s realms of worship, earth and air;
Nor fix on fond abodes to circumscribe thy prayer.”
In such a scene, and inspired by such sympathies, were the chosen three,
on this occasion. The bare details, as given in the three gospels, make
it evident that the scene took place in the night, as will be shown
in the course of the narrative; and this was in accordance also with
Christ’s usual custom of choosing the night, as the season of solitary
meditation and prayer. (Matthew xiv. 23.) Having reached the top, he
engaged himself and them in prayer. How solemn――how awful the scene!
The Savior of all, afar from the abodes of men, from the sound and
sight of human cares and sins, alone with his chosen three, on the vast
mountains, with the world as far beneath their eyes as its thoughts
were below their minds;――in the silence of the night, with the lights
of the city and villages faintly gleaming in the distance on the lower
hills and the plain,――with no sound near them but the murmuring of the
night wind about the rocks,――with the dark canopy of gathering clouds
above them,――Jesus prayed. His voice went up from this high altar of
earth’s wide temple to the throne of his Father, to whom he commended
in words of supplication, those who were to labor for him when his
earthly work should cease. We may well suppose that the substance
of his prayer was, that their thoughts, before so groveling, and now
so devotedly clinging to visions of earthly dominion and personal
aggrandizement, might “leave all meaner things, to low ambition and
the pride of kings,” and might rise, as on that high peak, from earth
towards heaven, to the just sense of the far higher efforts and honors
to which they were destined. With their thoughts and feelings thus
kindled with the holy associations of the hour, the place and the
person, their souls must have risen with his in that solemn and earnest
supplication, and their prayers for new devotion and exaltation of
spirit must have been almost equally ardent. Probably some hours were
passed in this employment, varied perhaps by the eloquent and pointed
instructions given by Jesus, to prepare these chiefs of the apostolic
band, for the full understanding of the nature of his mission and
theirs. How vastly important to their success in their labors, and to
their everlasting happiness, must these prayers and instructions have
been! The three hearers, we may presume, gave for a long time the most
devoted attention which a scene so impressive could awaken; but yet
they were men, and weary ones too, for they had come a considerable
distance up a very steep way, and it was now late at night,――no doubt
long past their bed-time. The exercise which their journey to the spot
had given them, was of a kind for which their previous habits of life
had quite unfitted them. They were all fishermen, and had dwelt all
their lives in the low flat country on the shores of lake Tiberias and
the valley of the Jordan, where they had nothing to do with climbing
hills. And though their constant habits of hard labor must have made
them stout men in their vocation, yet we all know that the muscles
called into action by the management of the boat and net, are very
different from those which support and advance a man in ascending
acclivities. Every one that has noticed the sturdy arms and slender
legs of most sailors, has had the practical proof, that a man may work
all his life at pulling the seine and drag-net, hauling the ropes of a
vessel, and tugging at the oar, without being thereby, in the slightest
degree, fitted for labors of a different character. The work of toiling
up a very high, steep mountain, then, was such as all their previous
habits of life had wholly unfitted them for, and their over-stretched
limbs and bodies must have been both sore and weary, so that when they
came to a resting place, they very naturally were disposed to repose,
and must have felt drowsy. In short, they fell asleep; and that too,
as it would appear, in the midst of the prayers and counsels of their
adorable Lord. And yet who, that considers all the reasons above given,
can wonder? for it is very possible for a man to feel the highest
interest in a subject offered to his consideration,――an interest, too,
which may for a long time enable a zealous mind to triumph over bodily
incapacity,――yet there is a point beyond which the most intense energy
of mind cannot drag the sinking body, when fatigue has drained its
strength, which nothing but sleep can renew. Men, when thus worn down,
will sleep in the midst of a storm, or on the eve of certain death.
In such a state were the bodies of the companions of Jesus, and thus
wearied, they slept long, in spite of the storm which is supposed by
many to have arisen, and to have been the immediate cause of some of
the striking appearances which followed. It is said by many standard
commentators, that the fairest account of such of the incidents as are
connected with natural objects, is, that a tremendous thunder-storm
came down upon the mountain while they were asleep, and that a loud
peal bursting from this, was the immediate cause of their awaking. All
the details that are given, certainly justify the supposition. They are
described as suddenly starting from their sleep, in such a manner as
would naturally follow only from a loud noise violently arousing the
slumbering senses. Awakened thus by a peal of thunder, the first sight
that struck their amazed eyes, was their Master, resplendent through
the darkness of night and storm, with a brilliant light, that so shone
upon him and covered him, as to change his whole aspect to a degree
of glory indescribable. To add to their amazement and dread, they saw
that he was not alone, but two mysterious and spiritual personages,
announced to them as Moses and Elijah, were now his companions, having
found means to join him, though high on the mighty rock, alone and in
darkness, so inaccessible to human approach. These two ancient servants
of God now appeared by his beloved Son, whose labors, and doctrines
and triumphs were so far to transcend theirs, and in the hearing of the
three apostles, uttered solemn words of prophecy about his approaching
death, and triumph over death. The two sons of Zebedee were so startled
as to be speechless, but the boldness and the talkativeness of Peter,
always so pre-eminent, enabled him, even here, to speak his deep awe
and reverence. Yet confused with half-awakened sleep, and stunned by
the bursting thunder, he spoke as a man thus suddenly awaked naturally
speaks, scarcely separating the thoughts of his dream, from the objects
that met his opening eye. He said “Lord, it is good for us to be here;
and if thou wilt, let us make three tabernacles, (or resting places;)
one for thee, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” These things he said
before his confused thoughts could fully arrange themselves into words
proper to express his feelings of awe, and he, half dreaming still,
hardly knew what he said. But as he uttered these words, the dark cloud
above them suddenly descended upon the mountain’s head, inwrapping and
overshadowing them, and amid the flash of lightnings and the roar of
thunders, given out in the concussion, they distinguished, in no human
voice, these awful words, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased; hear ye him.” Who can wonder that a phenomenon so tremendous,
both morally and physically, overwhelmed their senses, and, that
alarmed beyond measure, they fell again on their faces to the earth, so
astonished that they did not dare to rise or look up, until Jesus came
to them and reassured them with his friendly touch, saying “Arise and
be not afraid.” And lifting up their eyes, they saw no man any more,
save Jesus only with themselves. The whole object of their retirement
to this solitude being now accomplished, they prepared to return to
those whom they had left to wonder at their strange absence. It was
now probably about morning; the storm was passed,――the clouds had
vanished,――the thunder was hushed, and the cheerful sun now shone on
mountain and plain, illuminating their downward path towards the city,
and inspiring their hearts with the joyous emotions suited to their
enlarged views of their Lord’s kingdom, and their own duties. As they
went down, Jesus charged them to tell no man what things they had seen,
till he, the son of man, rose from the dead. And they kept it close,
and told no man in those days any of those things which they had seen.
But they questioned much with one another what the rising from the dead
should mean. So that it appears, that after all the repeated assurances
Jesus had given them of the certainty of this event, they had never put
any clear and definite meaning upon his words, and were still totally
in the dark as to their essential import. This proof of their continued
ignorance serves to confirm the view already taken of the way in which
they understood, or rather misunderstood, the previous warning of
the same event, in connection with his charge and rebuke of Peter.
In connection also with what they had seen on the mountain, and the
injunction of secrecy, another question arose, why they could not be
allowed to speak freely on the subject. “For if they had now distinctly
seen the prophet Elijah returned from the other world, as it appeared,
why could they not properly announce publicly, so important and
desirable an event? Else, why did the Jewish teachers say that Elijah
must first come before the Messiah? And why, then, should they not
freely offer their testimony of his presence with Jesus on this
occasion, as the most satisfactory proof of his Messiahship?” The
answer of Jesus very clearly informed them that they were not to
consider this vision as having any direct connection with the prophecy
respecting Elijah’s re-appearance, to precede and aid the true Messiah
in the establishment of the ancient Jewish dominion; but that all that
was intended in that prophecy had been fully brought to pass in the
coming of John the Baptist, who, in the spirit and power of Elijah,
had already run his bright but brief course as the Messiah’s precursor.
With such interesting conversation they continued their course in
returning towards the city. The way in which Luke here expresses
the circumstances of the time of their return, is the last and most
satisfactory proof to be offered of the fact, that their visit to the
mountain had been in the night. His words are, “And it came to pass
that on the next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large
multitude met them,” &c. This shows that they did not go and return
the same day, between sunrise and sunset; and the only reasonable
supposition left to agree with the other circumstances, is, that they
went at evening, and returned early in the morning of the next day.
After their descent, they found that the remaining disciples had been
making an unsuccessful attempt to relieve a lunatic person, who was
relieved, however, at a word, as soon as brought to Jesus himself. They
continued no very long time in this part of Galilee, after these events,
but journeyed slowly southwards, towards the part which Jesus had
formerly made his home. This journey was made by him with particular
care to avoid public notice, and it is particularly expressed by Mark
that he went on this homeward journey through by-ways or less public
roads than usual. For as he went, he renewed the sad warning, that
he was in constant danger of being given up into the hands of the
wicked men, who feeling reproved and annoyed by his life and doctrine,
earnestly desired his death; and that soon their malice would be
for a time successful, but that after they had done their worst, he
should at last triumph over them. Still this assurance, obvious as its
meaning may now seem to us, was not understood by them, and though they
puzzled themselves extremely about it, they evidently considered their
ignorance as of a somewhat justly blamable nature, for they dared not
ask for a new explanation. This passage still farther shows, how far
they must have been from rightly appreciating his first declaration on
this subject. Having followed the less direct routes, for these reasons,
he came, (doing much good on the journey, no doubt, in a quiet and
unnoticed way, as we know he always did,) to Capernaum, which he
still regarded as his home; and here again, as formerly, went directly
to the house of Simon Peter, which he is represented as entering on
his first arrival in the city, in such a way as to show that there was
his dwelling, and a welcome entertainment. Indeed we know of no other
friend whom he had in Capernaum, with whom he was on such terms of
intimacy, and we cannot suppose that he kept house by himself,――for
his relations had never yet removed from Nazareth.
Of the scenes of the transfiguration, so great a variety of
opinions have been entertained, that it would be impossible for
me to discuss the various views within my narrow limits. The
old speculations on the subject are very fully given in Poole’s
Synopsis, and the modern ones by Kuinoel, who mentions a vast
number of German writers, of whom few of us have ever seen even
the names elsewhere.
The view which I have taken is not peculiar to me, but is
supported by many high authorities, and is in accordance with
what seemed to me the simplest and fairest construction which
could be put upon the facts, after a very full and minute
consideration of the various circumstances, chronologically,
topographically and grammatically. It should be noticed that
my arrangement of the facts in reference to the time of day,
is this. Jesus and the three disciples ascended the mountain
in the evening, about sunset, remained there all night during
a thunder-storm, and returned the next morning.