The Transfiguration of Christ Icon Postcard

The Transfiguration of Christ: Part of an iconostasis in Constantinople style. Middle of the 12th century. The Transfiguration of Jesus is an event described in the New Testament where Jesus is transfigured and becomes radiant in glory upon a mountain. The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 17:1–8, Mark 9:2–13, Luke 9:28–36) recount the occasion, and the Second Epistle of Peter also refers to it. In the gospel accounts, Jesus and three of his apostles, Peter, James, and John, go to a mountain (later referred to as the Mount of Transfiguration) to pray. On the mountaintop, Jesus begins to shine with bright rays of light. Then the Old Testament figures Moses and Elijah appear, and he speaks with them. Both figures had eschatological roles: they symbolise the Law and the prophets, respectively. Jesus is then called "Son" by the voice of God the Father, as in the Baptism of Jesus. Many Christian traditions, including the Eastern Orthodox, Catholic Church, Lutheran and Anglican churches, commemorate the event in the Feast of the Transfiguration, a major festival. In the original Koine Greek, the word μετεμορφώθη (metemorphōthē), "he was transformed" is used to describe the event in Luke and Mark. In Greek Orthodoxy, the event is called the metamorphosis