The Symbolism Within the Transfiguration of Jesus

Princeton Theological Seminary The Symbolism Within the Transfiguration of Jesus NT3460: Ancient Artifacts, Texts and Symbolism Dr James H Charlesworth January 25, 2016 Astor Yelangueuzian INTRODUCTION “[The hea]vens and the earth will listen to His Messiah, and none therein will stray from the commandments of the Holy Ones…Over the poor His spirit will hover and will renew the faithful with His power…And He will glorify the pious on the throne of the eternal Kingdom He who liberates the captives, restores sight to the blind, straightens the b[ent]…For He will heal the wounded, and revive the dead and bring good news to the poor.”1 The words here are from a Dead Sea Scrolls fragment found in cave at Qumran, referred to as “A Messianic Apocalypse” (4Q521).2 The document consists of five fragments describing an eschatological judgment in which a messiah presides over the resurrection of the righteous and destruction of the accursed Judaism generally believed that evil powers dominated this age but that all people would acknowledge God’s rule in an age to come (Isa 52:7; Dan 2:44; 4Ezra 7:97) At the time of the coming age, there would be a “messiah” who would deliver the faithful and put the world back to rights (Isa 45:1; Ps of Sol 17:2; 2Bar 29:3) 4Q521 seems to fall in line with these expectations Interestingly, the messianic figure in 4Q521 also has striking similarities with the Jesus of the NT While the text has become the focus of scholarly debate since its publication in 1992, mainly because of its reference to raising the dead and preaching good news to the poor, two features that resemble Jesus’ answer to John the Baptizer’s question about whether he is the “one to come” (Matt 11:2-5; Lk 7:20-22), we believe what has been greatly overlooked in this discussion is what is said at the outset of this apocalyptic text, namely, that, “[The hea]vens and the earth will listen to His Messiah…” These words echo the revelatory statement found in the Geza Vermes, The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English (London: Penguin Books, 2004), 412-413 For more on 4Q521, see Collins, John J “Jesus, Messianism, and the Dead Sea Scrolls” in QumranMessianism: Studies on the Messianic Expectations in the Dead Sea Scrolls, edited by James H Charlesworth, Hermann Lichtenberger and Gerbern S Oegema (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1998), 110-120; and Tabor, James and Wise, Michael “4Q521 ‘On Resurrection’ and the Synoptic Gospel Tradition: A Preliminary Study,” in Qumran Questions, edited by James H Charlesworth (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1995), 161-163 4Q521 may be related to other apocalyptic texts: 4QSecond Ezekiel and 4QApocryphpon of Daniel transfiguration episode of Jesus (Matt 17:15; Mk 9:7; Lk 9:35) There, in reference to Jesus, a voice from the clouds declares, “This is my beloved Son, listen to him.” Everything leading up to this event, from the preaching of the kingdom (Mk 1:15), the feasting with outcasts (Mk 2:1517), the healing of the sick (Mk 2:1-12; 5:21-43; 6:53-56), and the confession of Peter (Mk 8:2730), would suggest that Jesus is the long awaited Messiah of Israel But the command to “listen to him” certainly furthers this possibility, as it vaguely resembles 4Q521’s opening statement If so, this might explain why the early church viewed Jesus as God’s cosmic agent who would one day return in power and glory to rule heaven and earth (Mk 14:61-62; 13:26-27) Naturally, this brings us to our current discussion: the Transfiguration of Jesus The primary sources that record the Transfiguration are the synoptic Gospels: Matthew, Mark and Luke Although Peter 1:16-18 briefly refers to the event and some have suggested that the Fourth Gospel alludes to the episode (Jn 1:14),4 the synoptic traditions present the most detailed account of the story The scene begins with Jesus traveling up a high mountain with three of his disciples, Peter, James and John Suddenly, Jesus is transfigured and is shinning in glistering white Immediately after, Elijah and Moses appear and exchange words with Jesus Peter then asks Jesus if he should make tents for him and the two prophets Before an answer is given, a voice from a cloud declares Jesus as the “beloved Son,” who should be listened to The scene ends with everything returning to normal with Jesus standing on the mountain by himself The content recorded in the Transfiguration is theologically rich with apocalyptic undertones From the location of a mountain, the transfiguration, the appearance of Elijah and Moses, to a cloud that forms and a voice declares, “This is my beloved Son, listen to him,” this episode is filled with themes that are found in both biblical and extra-biblical apocalyptic texts Meaning, much of the language should be understood metaphorically That being said, the See Dorothy Lee, Transfiguration: New Century Theology (London: Continuum, 2005), 103 modern reader can easily miss the depth of this story if they are not familiar with the symbolic language associated with apocalyptic genre Literal interpretations are a modern phenomenon—a post-scientific worldview.5 After the ‘Enlightenment’ everything from history, mathematics, science and philosophy began to shift from revelation to reason, from what ‘the Bible deemed to be true’ to what was empirically verifiable Antiquity, however, did not operate as such The people of the ancient world shared their stories with the use of symbols, allegories, metaphors and poetry Historical accuracy was important, but it wasn’t necessary Something could be true but not necessarily a fact Words had meaning beyond themselves—they often functioned as signpost’ for deeper realities Hence, in order for the modern reader to properly interpret a passage like the Transfiguration, they would have to: (1) recognize their preconditioned methods of interpretation; and (2) learn the literally and cultural customs of antiquity Therefore, our current discussion seeks to properly interpret the event commonly known as the, “Transfiguration of Jesus.” Here we want to identify and analyze the symbolic features that are present in this passage, ultimately, to discern whether they carry any messianic significance with Jesus? Our study will be based off of the Markan version of the event We will begin our inquiry by first providing the context of the Transfiguration within the narrative structure of Mark’s Gospel; we will then examine the literary and theological features present in the passage; thereafter, we will look at some ancient Armenian illuminated manuscripts of this story and analyze how the event is expressed by the symbolic representation of the artwork; and finally, we will close by offering our opinion on the inquiry in question based off of our research NARRATIVE STRUCTURE OF MARK’S GOSPEL The scientific revolution of the 16th century, led by figures such as Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, and Isaac Newton, transformed views of society and nature There were new developments in mathematics, physics, astrology, astronomy, biology and chemistry, which challenged traditional views of the world, particularly matters related to religion The scientific revolution began in Europe towards the end of the Renaissance period and continued through the late 18th century, influencing the intellectual social movement known as the Enlightenment As stated above, we will conduct our study by using the Marcan version of the story, mainly because it likely represents the earliest and most authentic testimony from the three available sources.6 In all likelihood, Matthew and Luke drew their material and developed their traditions from Mark’s testimony.7 It appears that Mark wants to reveal Jesus as the long awaited Messiah of Israel, who has come to inaugurate the kingdom of God In fact, Mark looks to have assembled his Gospel with geographical turning points, divided into major sections throughout his narrative (1:1-13; 1:14-8:21; 8:22-10:52; 11:1-15:47; 16:1-20), that gradually unveil the full identity and mission of Jesus, as he travels from north to south, from Galilee to Jerusalem Mark 9:2-8 records the Transfiguration event of Jesus This passage forms part of a larger thematic section in which Jesus has been declared the Messiah (though not sure if he is the true messiah or a false one) and is now making this identity known to the public as he travels to Jerusalem, where he will eventually embrace his fate on a cross (8:27-15:47) More specifically, this passage is sandwiched between two accounts that consist of a Christological revelation accompanied by a Markan emphasis on apostolic obtuseness (8:27-9:1; 9:9-13) It appears that 9:2-8 is a fulfillment of 8:38, namely, that, “the Son of Man would come in the glory of his Father with the holy angels [or messengers (tw◊n gglwn)].” This would explain the appearance of Elijah and Moses, who evoke images of God’s return to Israel (Mal 4:4-6; Test of Mos 2.2.3.187) If so, one could then suggest 9:2-8 is a partial fulfillment of the prophecy made The Gospel of Mark is anonymous The book was probably written c AD 66–70, during Nero’s persecution of the early Christians in Rome or the Jewish revolt, as suggested by internal references to war in Judea and to persecution The author used a variety of sources derived from accounts predating the gospel's composition, such as conflict stories (Mark 2:1-3:6), apocalyptic discourse (4:1-35), and collections of sayings (although not the Gospel of Thomas) It is important to note that most scholars maintain a Two-Source Hypothesis for the Synoptic Gospels That is, that the authors of Matthew and Luke used Mark and a sayings source, referred to as Q, in addition to their own special traditions when writing their respective Gospels The Two-Source Hypothesis was first articulated in 1838 by Christian Herman Weisse But it did not gain wide acceptance among German critics until Heinrich Julius Holtzmann endorsed it in 1863 The Two-Source Hypothesis eventually gained popularity in England because of the work of B.H Streeter in 1924 According to Streeter, there were additional sources, referred to as M and L, which lay behind both Matthew and Luke For more, see William R Farmer, The Synoptic Problem: A Critical Analysis 2nd Edition (London: Macmillan Company, 1976), 14-18 in 9:1, as the glory of Jesus signals that the kingdom of God has arrived in power This might also explain why Mark records Jesus taking the disciples “up a high mountain” in 9:2, and then cites them “coming down the mountain” in 9:9 Mark may be carving out these boundaries in order to make his Christological claim fully visible for his readers Ultimately, 9:2-8, with its acclamation of Jesus as the Son of God by a voice from the cloud, forms a centerpiece between the beginning and the end of the narrative, where the reader finds similarly worded acclamations (1:11; 15:39) LITERARY ANALYSIS In terms of literary form, the language and imagery of 9:2-8 suggests a theophany A theophany refers to the appearance of a deity to a human or other being.8 Theophanies were common in the OT: God’s self revelation to Adam and Eve (Gen 3:9-19); Moses receiving his first revelation from God through the burning bush (Ex 3:1-3); Isaiah’s first revelation from God (Isa 6:1-15); and so with Jeremiah (Jer 1:11), Ezekiel (Ezek 8:1-3) and Zechariah (Zech 1:1-6) Consequently, what Mark has done is create a direct association between Jesus and the heavenly realm, for the Transfiguration echoes the images of shekinah in the OT—that is, the splendor of God (Ex 16:10; Num 14:10; Ps 57:5) Mark 9:2-8 also carries apocalyptic imagery.9 Apocalyptic literature is a genre of prophetical writings that developed in post-exilic Jewish culture Apocalypse comes from the Greek word, ‘pokalufß,’ meaning revelation—that is, an unveiling or unfolding of things not Theodore Hiebert, “Theophany” in The Anchor Bible Dictionary, Volume 6, A-C, edited by David Noel Freeman (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 511 This term has been used to refer to appearances of the gods in the ancient Greek and Near Eastern religions While the Iliad is the earliest source for descriptions of theophanies in the Classical tradition, (and they occur throughout Greek mythology), probably the earliest description of a theophany is in the Epic of Gilgamesh The ideas and concepts that come to expression in apocalyptic writings range broadly from ancient mythic motifs to biblical themes to speculation reflecting a Hellenistic milieu Various Jewish writers contrasted the present age with the future one (cf e.g., Ezra 7:50; Bar 15:8; Ber 6:21; Sipre Num 115.5.7; Sipre Deut 31.4.1) previously known and which could not be known apart from the unveiling.10 As a genre, apocalyptic literature details the authors’ visions of the end times as revealed by an angel or other heavenly messenger As stated earlier, Judaism believed that evil powers dominated this age but that all people would acknowledge God’s rule in an age to come (Isa 52:7; Dan 2:44; 4Ezra 7:97) At the time of the coming age, there would be a “messiah” who would deliver the faithful into the new age and put the world back to rights (Isa 45:1; Ps 2:2; Ps of Sol 17:2; 4Ezra 7:28; 2Bar 29:3) In fact, in the Book of Enoch, in the final judgment the messiah sits on the “throne of glory” (47:3), the righteous are clothed in garments of glory (62:16) and light shines upon their faces (38:8) That being said, ‘apocalyptic eschatology’ more accurately provides the conceptual framework within which the materials encompassed by the apocalyptic writings are interpreted Common to both is the belief that, the adverse conditions of the present world would end in judgment of the wicked and vindication of the righteous, thereby ushering in a new era of prosperity and peace.11 Mark and his readers, standing after the resurrection of Jesus, could have understood this scene as a glimpse of both the present and the future, a revelation of Jesus as the Messiah, whose imminent coming in glory (8:38-9:1) would consummate the end-time he had announced and inaugurated in his ministry Though, this is more of an assumption than a fact This leads us to pointing out that some NT scholars consider the Transfiguration in Mark 9:2-8 a “displaced” or relocated post-resurrection appearance of Jesus.12 Rudolf Bultmann, for example, believed this story originally testified a resurrection appearance of Jesus, but then was reinserted here in the Gospel, “to serve as a heavenly ratification of Peter’s confession [in 8:29] and as a prophecy of the resurrection in visual form.”13 Others, such as, Gerd Theissen, have 10 Richard Goswiller, Revelation (Melbourne: Pacific Study Series, 1987), Paul D Hanson, “Apocalypses and Apocalypticism” in The Anchor Bible Dictionary, Volume 1, A-C, edited by David Noel Freeman (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 279 12 C Clifton Black, Mark: Abington New Testament Commentaries (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2011), 203 13 Rudolf Bultmann, History of the Synoptic Tradition Rev Ed (New York: Harper and Row, 1963), 260 11 argued that this story should be properly understood as Jesus’ permanent entrance into heaven.14 Though these suggestions continue to gain some support, here we side with Clifton Black as he argues, “If the Evangelist did not consider heavenly confirmation of Jesus resurrection needed in chapter 16, why would he think it appropriate in chapter 9?”15 Black provides a legitimate critique to such theories Nowhere in 9:2-8 is there a reference to Peter’s confession or a citation of Jesus’ resurrection Plus, at no point does Jesus ever leave the mountain Instead, the church might have perpetuated this tradition in order to: (1) remind the faithful of the apocalyptic hope that is found in Jesus, as his transfiguration symbolized the arrival and presence of the new age; and (2) fight off heresies that disassociated the Hebrew God with the NT, namely, Marcionism.16 THEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS It goes without saying that the Transfiguration is no ordinary event It stands as one of the more unique stories in the entire NT canon, next to the virgin birth and resurrection narratives There are, however, elements in this event that reminisce popular OT themes or stories So much so, that there may have been a deliberate effort made by Mark to link Jesus with these OT typologies We will identify and unpack each one of these features and assess their historical and theological significance within ancient Judaism The term “transfiguration” comes from a Latin verb meaning to change in shape, form, or appearance, from which we derive the word “metamorphosis.”17 Transformations appear in both 14 Gerd Theissen, The Miracle Stories of the Early Christian Tradition (Edinburgh and Philadelphia: T&T Clark/Fortress, 1983), 96-97 15 Black, Mark, 203 16 Marcionism was an early Christian dualist belief system that originated in the teachings of Marcion of Sinope at Rome around the year 144 CE Marcion believed Jesus was the savior sent by God and Paul was the chief apostle, but he rejected the OT and the God of Israel Marcionist’s believed that the wrathful Hebrew God was a separate and lower entity than the all-forgiving God of the NT Marcionism, similar to Gnosticism, depicted the God of the OT as a tyrant or demiurge Marcionism was denounced by its opponents as heresy, and written against, notably by Tertullian, in a five-book treatise entitled, Adversus Marcionem, written about 208 CE 17 Gerhard Kittel, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament Vol (Grand Rapids: William Eerdmans Greek myths and Jewish apocalyptic literature, but the background of Jesus’ transformation here echoes Moses’ glorification on Mt Sinai (note: the mountain was the biblical locus of divine revelation, e.g., Ex 19:3-25; 24:12-18; 1Kgs 19:8) God had revealed his glory to Moses on Mt Sinai, so that Moses had come down from the mountain reflecting God’s glory (Ex 32-34) Having said that, the narrative structure is even more reminiscent of Moses’ ascent of Mt Sinai in Ex 24 At the close of the story, Moses is said to ascent the mountain, when God’s glory, as a cloud, covered it (v.15) The covering lasted six days (v 16) After that time, the LORD calls to Moses from the cloud, which is like a devouring fire (vv 17-18) Earlier in the chapter, Moses is commanded to select three worshippers (Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu) in order to confirm the covenant (vv.1-8) The result is that just these people (v.9) are explicitly said to have seen “the God of Israel” in his court (v.10) and to have celebrated their vision The similarities with this text are alarming Here Jesus’ walks up a mountain after six days of travel and is suddenly glorified next to three bystanders, Peter, James and John A cloud forms and presumably God exhorts those in attendance to heed to Jesus’ instructions.18 This theophany presents Jesus in a twofold manner: (1) a ‘new Moses-like’ figure and (2) a divinely incarnate figure All to say, if we are to take into account all of the OT features that are in play here, it is hard to miss the symbolic meaning that is trying to be conveyed—namely, that Jesus’ transformation on a mountain suggests that the God of Israel is present and actively revealing himself in and through the Galilean preacher There is simply too much textual evidence here to conclude otherwise Moving on, the appearance of Elijah and Moses also leaves strong symbolic impressions in the Transfiguration event New Testament scholar Joel Marcus has noticed that Publishing Company, 1964), 755 18 It is worth noting that Jesus’ clothes turn dazzling white in the transfiguration Interestingly, shinning white clothing was also common with the appearance of heavenly beings like in Dan 7:9 and in other apocalyptic texts (1Enoch 14:20; 2Enoch 22:8-9; 3Enoch 12:1; Test of Job 46:7-9) where God wears light almost like garment 10 this passage is chiastic in structure:19 A C C’ B’ A’ Jesus alone with the disciples (9:2a) B Transfiguration (9:2b-3) Appearance of Elijah and Moses with Jesus (9:4) Peter’s suggestion of tents for Jesus, Moses and Elijah (9:5-6) Voice from heaven, interpreting transfiguration (9:7) Jesus alone with the disciples (9:8) This acknowledgement illuminates significant meaning for our text The chiasm emphasizes that the central point is not the transformation of Jesus itself, but the theological implications of Elijah and Moses’ presence on the mountain Moses ascended Mt Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments and converse with God in a great cloud of divine glory (Ex 24:12-18; Ex 33:1123; 34:4-6, 8) Elijah was told to ascend Mt Horeb (probably an alternative name for Sinai) where he heard the voice of God in the “gentle breeze” (1Kgs 19:12) Elijah had also been taken to heaven without dying, and in some traditions of first-century Judaism, Moses too had not died but had been taken to heaven (Josephus, Antiquities 4.423-26) More importantly, however, both were expected to play a role in the eschatological events (Duet 18:15-18; Mal 4:5-6) Moses and Elijah were explicitly linked as tandem heralds of the Lord’s Day.20 Thus their significance in the OT cannot be circumscribed within the terms of Law and Prophets 21 All of this plugs right into what Mark looks to be suggesting in the event Jesus is the one in whom the promise of the second exodus becomes a reality Moses appears as the representative of the old covenant and the promise, and Elijah as the appointed restorer of all things (1:2f; 9:11-12) Speaking on this issue NT scholar William Lane states, “The presence of Elijah and Moses has eschatological 19 Joel Marcus, Mark 8-16: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary: The Anchor Yale Bible (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2009), 635 20 By the first century CE, a parallel between the lives of Moses and Elijah had become sufficiently well established in Jewish tradition that Elijah appears as Moses redivivus There was speculation that Jesus was either Elijah (6:14-15; 8:28) or a ‘new Moses’ (though not a dominant typology in Mark’s Gospel, but an inherited tradition of thought) For Mark, however, Jesus’ is far superior to his prophetic predecessors Jesus too will be taken to heaven, but not without dying 21 Arthur Michael Ramsey, The Glory of God and the Transfiguration of Christ (New York: Longmans Green and Company, 1950), 114 12 can subsequently suggest the idea of the faithful return of God and the establishment of the messianic age With this picture in mind, Mark appears to have steadily built a strong case for Jesus and his intimate association with the God of Israel The next major feature in the episode even furthers this possibility Mark ends this dramatic event with a cloud overshadowing the men and a voice coming out from it saying, “This is my beloved Son, listen to him” (9:7-8) We believe there is much to unpack here, so we will conduct a separate discussion for the cloud and the voice from that of the declarative statement In the case of the former, the arrival of a cloud in the OT was a symbol of God’s presence and protection (Ex 16:10; 19:9; 33:10) It was also natural for the Jews to include a cloud manifestation of God in their expectation of the end (e.g 2Macc 2:8) In this case, however, it looks like we are meant to see the cloud as a divine endorsement of Jesus, as at the baptism, where we also have the presence of God coming down (in the form of the Spirit) and a voice from heaven giving endorsement to Jesus But while a cloud is also a frequent theophanic motif in both the OT and other apocryphal writings, the echoes here are (again) more specifically of the Sinai narratives, in the coming of a cloud on the mountain (Ex 19:16; 24:15-16) and the voice of God speaking from the cloud (Ex 19:19:24:16; 24:18-25:1; 34:5) Ex 19:19 offers a particularly interesting parallel, in that God’s speaking out of the cloud to Moses was intended to ensure that the Israelites would thereafter heed his words Here, too, the voice is not so much a pronouncement to Jesus but is addressed to the disciples and calls on them as a result to “listen to him”.27 It is worth noting that in Jewish tradition the bat qol was an inferior substitute for the 27 NT scholar James H Charlesworth has argued that before AD 100, Jews had expressed belief in the existence of a heavenly creature called ‘the Voice,’ most commonly found in apocalyptic texts (Dan 7:11; 4Ezra 11:15-17; 2Bar 36:7; Apocalypse of Sedrach 2; Martyrdom and Ascension Isaiah 9:2; Apocalypse of Abraham) Charlesworth contends that this “Voice” is hypostatic—that is, a heavenly being, independent from God, such as Sophia, Logos, Memra or Bat Qol Given the amount of textual support Charlesworth cites, this theory is quite persuasive For more, see James H Charlesworth, “Hypostatic Voice,” in Scottish Journal of Theology Vol 39 edited by T.F Torrance and J.K.S Reid (Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press, 1986), 19-41 13 direct communication of God’s voice Here we have no bat qol, but God himself is heard to speak This, together with the return of the glory of the shekinah cloud, constitutes a new level of divine revelation Mark could be drawing from all these ancient stands of thought, ultimately to advance his Christological agenda What is certain, however, is that the images of a cloud coupled with the voice would have resonated with the religious milieu of Mark’s day, as they would have understood them as symbols of God’s presence and a new revelation for the people This brings us to our final point—the declarative statement, “This is my beloved Son, listen to him.” In the OT, “Son of God” is used in a variety of ways to express a special relation to God It is used of angels and divine beings (Gen 6; Job 1); Israel (Ex 4:22-23); the Israelite king (Ps 2:7); or a wise person (Wis 2:16-20) In the Latin and Syriac versions of 4Ezra, God refers to the Messiah as “My Son” (7:28-29).28 In the NT, Jesus is conceived as the preexistent Son who has been “sent” by God into the world in order to bring salvation to humankind (Gal 4:4-5; Rom 8:3-4; cf Jn 3:17) The specific act through which the Son effects salvation is his death on the cross (Gal 2:20; Rom 8:3) In regards to Mark, we believe the title of “Son of God” is a clue to the identity of Jesus and carries messianic connotations It is found in the first verse of the work, which is then matched by demons (3:11; 5:1) and later by a Roman centurion at the cross (15:39).29 But with the word beloved (gaphto/ß) added into the clause, makes the endorsement that much more special According to Gerhard Kittel ‘beloved’ is one in whom God has immense pleasure with, who is pure in heart and seeks after righteousness.30 Outside of Jesus’ baptism (Matt 3:13-17; Mk 1:9-11; 3:21-23), this is the only other instance in which the 28 Jarl Fossum, “Son of God,” in The Anchor Bible Dictionary, Volume 6, Si-Z, edited by David Noel Freeman (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 128-134 29 It is worth mentioning that for Mark: (1) Jesus, and nobody else, is the “Son of God”; (2) the description of Jesus as Son of God is couched in scriptural allusions, tinted by apocalyptic motifs and unveiled at climatic moments; and (3) Son of God is not the primary designation of Jesus, as it is counterbalanced with other titles attributed to him such as, Son of Man, the Christ, and Son of the Blessed One, most notably cited in 14:61-64 30 Gerhard Kittel, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament Vol (Grand Rapids: William Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1964), 22 14 phrase “beloved Son” is used in the NT The exclusivity of this phrase cannot be underestimate Our hope is that in our final analysis of the event, we will understand Mark’s use of the term This reverent view of Jesus is further heightened with the command aÓkou/ete aujtouv, which subsequently echoes Deut 18:15, where the promised ‘prophet like Moses’ is to be accorded the same authority as Moses himself at Sinai.31 But as R.T France insightfully points out, “No messianic expectation of the OT prepares the reader completely for the explicit Christology of these words, addressed this time not only to Jesus himself but deliberately to his three chosen disciples: Jesus is the beloved Son of God.”32 Even the royal use of the language of divine sonship (like in 2Sam 7:14 and Ps 2:7) fall short of this direct identification by the voice of God in a context where Jesus’ supernatural glory has been dramatically revealed This does not, however, rule out our original theory regarding the opening lines of 4Q521 In fact, Jesus appears to fit the description of this ruler quite favorably All of heaven and earth are commanded to listen to the messianic figure Who more than the one in whom God himself exhorts those in attendance to listen to than his beloved Son Jesus? The symbols of “Son” and “beloved” illustrate the intimacy of this relationship rather effectively More importantly, they draw a direct relationship between the “Son of God” and the “Messiah.” The linkage between the two is most visibly seen in the NT with the closing sentiments of the Fourth Evangelist, as he explains to his readers, “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah), the Son of God, and that by believing you many have life in his name” (Jn 20:31) ANCIENT ARMENIAN ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPTS Before examining some ancient Armenian illuminated manuscripts of the Transfiguration, we believe a short briefing of the Armenian Bible, the history of the Armenian 31 R.T France, The Gospel of Mark: The New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: William Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2002), 355 32 France, The Gospel of Mark, 355 15 illuminated manuscripts and the science of interpreting realia33 would serve the reader well for this undertaking The earliest Armenian literature, including the translation of the Bible, dates from the early part of the fifth century The translation of the Bible is attributed to St Mesrop Mastoch (c 361-440 CE), priest and inventor of the alphabet in 406 CE, and the patriarch Sahak (c 350-439 CE).34 By 414 CE the Bible, practically in its entirety, looks to have been translated into Armenian The first Armenian version of the Gospels appears to be based on a Syriac model; it seems probable that the earliest version of the Gospels was a translation of Tatian’s Diatessaron.35 The second version, although based on the Greek, has retained some elements of the first version The Gospels of this version are of the Caesarean text type Armenian historian Vrej Nersessian contends, “The Armenian translation displays remarkable literary qualities, combining intelligent and flexible accuracy with a respect for the genius of the language and the shades of meaning that modify words in context.”36 It is no accident that the late great NT text critic Bruce Metzger referred to the Armenian translation as “the Queen of versions.” 37 The illumination of manuscripts in Armenia must have started soon after the invention of the Armenian alphabet, but the first stages of its history – from the fifth to the eight centuries – remain unclear because no illuminated manuscripts have survived.38 However, from the second half of the ninth century to the eighteen, we can follow its development without interruption The oldest surviving Armenian illuminations consist of four miniatures of the 33 The term realia can refer to two or three-dimensional objects from real life such as coins, jewelry, tools, emblems, and textiles that not easily fit into the ordinary categories of printed material 34 Vrej Nersessian, Armenian Illuminated Gospel-Books (London: The British Library, 1987), 35 Nersessian, Armenian Illuminated Gospel-Books, The Diatessaron was a second century harmony of the Gospels composed by Tatian, an early Assyrian Christian apologist and ascetic Tatian sought to combine all the textual material he found in the four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—into a single coherent narrative of Jesus’ life and death 36 Nersessian, Armenian Illuminated Gospel-Books, 37 Bruce M Metzger, The Early Versions of the New Testament: Their Origin, Transmission, and Limitations (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1977), 180 38 Nersessian, Armenian Illuminated Gospel-Books, 16 Ejmiacin Gospels—the Annunciation to Zachariah, Annunciation to the Virgin Mary, Adoration of the Magi, and Christ’ Baptism—which all expound pictorially the theme of NT revelation Moreover, within the wide range of methods of Gospel illumination used in Byzantine and east Christian art, the ‘classical Armenian’ method constitutes a unique contribution.39 As represented in the manuscripts of the eleventh century, the Armenian type consists of a set of full-page scenes which follow the canon tables and which are in turn followed by portraits of the four evangelists, often grouped together on a single page Subsequently, the ‘Transfiguration of Jesus’ emerges within these manuscripts Furthermore, in order to understand the meaning of realia or iconography, one must go beyond what they read about them in texts A text cannot provide sufficient context By exploring the setting of a realia, one becomes more attuned with the author’s culture, customs and beliefs, leading to a better grasp of their imagination and intent Here we agree with James Charlesworth, as he argues, “One needs to apprehend form, subject matter, meaning, and psychological nuances and familiarize ourselves with the times, customs, and culture in which realia were fashioned and in which they were given meanings.”40 One cannot these things simply by reading a text about the ancient world The subject will remain theoretical This is precisely what E Ponofsky was inferring when he said, “It is impossible for us to give correct iconographical analysis by indiscriminately applying our literary knowledge to the motifs, as it is for us to vie a correct pre-iconographical description by indiscriminately applying our practical experience to the forms.”41 Meaning, our western textual understanding and experience can hinder us from properly interpreting ancient artifacts—and in our case, ancient illuminated manuscripts Interpreting these manuscripts is a science, one that requires individuals to immerse themselves into the world of antiquity This is the best way to insure that 39 Nersessian, Armenian Illuminated Gospel-Books, James H Charlesworth, The Good and Evil Serpent (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2008), 59 41 E Panofsky, Studies in Iconology (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1939), 12 40 17 the manuscripts will not be domesticated with modern western ideals The great historian of religion Othmar Keel also spoke on this matter, reminding us that, “Images have the right to be seen.”42 In other words, one cannot go to an object with answers Rather, one has to have an ear to listen, an eye to see, and a heart to feel In essence, the individual has to become one with the object Furthermore, in order to understand the complex nature of ancient illuminated manuscripts, one also needs to be aware of the use of symbology in antiquity In the ancient world, every handmade object or piece of artwork had some form of symbolic meaning Whether they were designed for the gods or for the common life, they inherently reflected the author’s beliefs, aspirations and fears of the natural and spiritual world Moreover, symbols were used to express a wide range of meanings, and not just one Thanks to the Keel school of symbolism, we have learned that realia have multivalent meanings and can present a double entendre This should also apply to ancient illuminated manuscripts Meaning, our initial interpretation of an artifact or artwork might not be completely accurate since we are not conditioned to think in this way Naturally, this requires us to change our approach when examining ancient artwork We must be open to new ways of understanding For example, one cannot approach artifacts of antiquity with the epistemological framework of ‘either-or.’ While this might be completely acceptable in the modern world, ancient realia and its symbolic intent needs to be given the freedom to be understood from a ‘both-and’ framework.43 Two opposing worldviews can coexist in an image or object and still provide rich meaning Now that we have briefed the reader with the various issues related to our subject, we can move forward and analyze some ancient Armenian illuminated manuscripts of the Transfiguration of Jesus For our study, we will present two different ancient 42 43 PTS lecture for NT 3460 given on September 15, 2015 Charlesworth, The Good & Evil Serpent, 39 18 Armenian illuminated manuscripts of the Transfiguration Our objective is to discern how these artworks compare with the textual account Are they similar or different from one another? What is added? What is missing? How are the characters portrayed? Ultimately, these questions may help us understand the artist, their culture and their theology We have copied and attached these images to the back of this paper Our first iconographical work of the Transfiguration (Fol 3b) comes to us from manuscript Or.2680 by an unknown artist from the year 1317 CE, which is designed on glazed paper.44 Our initial reaction is how different this version is from the biblical account First off, Jesus and his fellow interlocutors, Elijah and Moses, appear to be floating in the air There is no sight of a mountain This may suggest that the three men are somehow transcendent, belonging to another sphere of life, separate from those on earth Or, it could suggest the eschatological future of the resurrection If so, this could account for the scroll in Jesus’ right hand, signaling a new revelation, i.e a new era The multivalent meanings run deep with this feature Secondly, the awestruck image of how the Gospels depict this event is noticeably absent in the artwork This is visible in two ways One, all of the characters are emotionless The only discernible sentiment is how all but one of the disciples (possibly John, due to his youthful appearance) are looking at Jesus with their hands out, likely a gesture of reverence or praise John’s blatant disinterest in Jesus, coupled with his red and subsequent different colored halo from the other five, suggests a real sense of hopelessness This might reveal more about the author and his community than the miniature itself Armenia during this period faced brutal persecution by opposing powers, mainly due to socio-political and religious issues.45 Men, women and children were being massacred or enslaved at a frightening 44 Nersessian, Armenian Illuminated Gospel-Books, 84 In 1219, the Armenian King Leon II dies which leads to the destabilization of the Armenian Kingdom In 1241 there is a Mongol invasion of Anatolia, much of the sedentary population of Armenia is slaughtered up to the year 1244 In 1319 Ani suffers a major earthquake The city goes into permanent decline With the decline of Mongol power, Armenia is dominated once again by Anatolian Turkoman tribes such as the Chobanids in 1335 In 1375, the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia falls to the Mameluks of Egypt and their Ramadanid vassals Tamerlane’s 45 19 rate The disturbing state of affairs could be what is being reflected in the artwork—i.e a social consciousness A look of sadness, along with a posture of reverence might indicate that the artist was trying to express the community’s desperate need of God’s help And two, Jesus’ clothes are not glistering white Instead, Jesus is in a mandorla with a cruciform halo amid Moses and Elijah on his sides.46 The youthful Moses is to the right of Jesus, marked by the book in his right arm (representing the Torah), while the older Elijah to his left, evident by his white colored hair and beard, both symbols a seasoned prophet would personify, and his wearing of animal skins, reminiscent of the prophet John the Baptizer Meanwhile, the mandorla may symbolize Jesus transcending time and space, as well as being the focal point and culmination of both the Law and the Prophets Him gesturing the sign of the trinity with his left hand, could also further this reality Again, these are educated guesses and not absolute certainties It could be that Jesus is being regarded here both as a human and a god, in sadness and glory, and representing both life and death Our second iconographical work of the Transfiguration is a product of the Glajor Gospel, a fourteen-century illuminated manuscript from an unknown artist (Fig 106).47 There is much to comment here First, similar to the previous iconography, Moses and Elijah stand to the right and left of Jesus Logically this appears to be a correct arrangement, insofar as Moses is the senior of the two figures and the lawgiver of Israel This propriety could be drawn from the answer of the devastating invasion of Georgia, Armenia and Central Anatolia in the year 1400 leads to the slaughter of large portions of the population of Armenia and the enslavement of over 60,000 people from Anatolia and the Caucasus For more see, Rouben Paul Adalian, “Chronology,” in Historical Dictionary of Armenia 2nd Edition (United Kingdom: Scarecrow Press, 2010), xlii-xliii 46 A mandorla is a vesica piscis shaped aureola, which surrounds the figures of Christ and the Virgin Mary in traditional Christian art It is especially used to frame the figure of Christ in Majesty in early medieval and Romanesque art, as well as Byzantine art of the same periods For more, see Gertud Schiller, Iconography of Christian Art, Vol (London: Lund Humphries, 1971) 46 47 Thomas F Mathews and Avedis K Sanjian, Armenian Gospel Iconography: The Tradition of the Glajor Gospel (Washington: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, 1991), 84 20 petition of the sons of Zebedee in the Gospel account “The sons of Zebedee requested glory, one of them (to be) on the right and one on the left; and Jesus said to them, ‘It is not for me to give to those whom it has been given by my Father’ (Matt 17:3) Because of this, Moses might have appeared on the right and Elijah on the left, that they might see that it is necessary first to share in the sufferings, as they had done, and after in the glory Second, the presence of the two trees, as well as the postures of Moses and Elijah along with the disciples are noteworthy Trees are not mentioned in any of the Gospel accounts of this event It is possible that they represent the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil from the Garden of Eden If so, the artist may have wanted to depict this mountain as Paradise, the place where life begins If so, Jesus could then be symbolizing both the sword and the cherubim that guard the tree of life (Gen 3:24) But then having Moses and Elijah face Jesus, could also mean that Jesus is the very same Lord that they had seen face-to-face, one in the vision of the burning bush (Ex 3:2), the other in the “gentle breeze” (1Kgs 19:12) Their gesture seems to imply that Jesus’ deserves homage and praise, very much like a god would This could communicate the approval or fulfillment of Jesus by both the Law and the Prophets If so, Jesus would then not only be representing the sword and the cherubim, but also God himself This may explain why the disciples have prostrated themselves at Jesus’ feet, as if they were standing on holy ground, eerily similar to Moses’ actions after being sternly warned by Yahweh in Ex 3:5 But with both his hands spread wide open, the left holding a scroll and right in the traditional gesture of the trinity, Jesus is portrayed as one who rules in peace He comes in the name of God, with a new revelation, but not in vengeance or wrath, rather in peace and love Another important feature that exists in this miniature is the unusual insertion of the hand of God and the dove about Jesus’ head Symbol of God the Father, the hand is never used in 21 Byzantine Transfigurations, and is rare in Western art in this connection.48 In Armenian, however, in the early fourteen-century, painters frequently included the hand of God.49 The dove, on the other hand, is apparently quite unprecedented On one level the addition of the hand and the dove can be read as making a Trinitarian statement According to Yovhannes Erznkaci, “Peter recognized the Trinity in the vision—the Father manifest by his voice, the Son by his Transfiguration and the Spirit by the protecting cloud.”50 This view seems plausible, for the way the dove spreads its wings to embrace the mandorla in our miniature may be intended by the iconographer as a way of identifying the mandorla as the cloud and as the Holy Spirit The hand and the dove also remind us of the baptism of Jesus (Matt 3:3-17; Mk 1:9-11; Lk 3:21-23) It is important to remember that the Father’s message is almost identical on the two occasions At the baptism, the text tells us that when John saw the dove of the Spirit descend on Jesus, the Father proclaimed, “This is my beloved Son, whom I am well pleased.” The very same words are repeated at the Transfiguration, though with the addition of, “listen to him.” Because the disciples were not present to hear this message at the Jordan, the Gospel writers may have elected to include it again (staring with Mark), so that they too would be aware of this reality The repetition of the same message could have seemed to the artist to require a repetition of the same iconography CONCLUSION The Transfiguration of Jesus is a dramatic indication of the resplendent glory that belongs to Jesus as Israel’s Messiah and God’s unique Son The rich symbolism present in this apocalyptic episode makes our interpretation rather obvious In the case of the biblical text 48 In Western development of the Transfiguration, the hand of God occurs in the apse mosaic of S Apollinare in Classe and occasionally in Ottonian art Schiller, Iconography, Vol 1, figs 405,416 49 Matthew and Sanjian, Armenian Gospel Iconography, 96 50 Yovhannes Erznkac‘i and Nerses Snorhali, Meknut‘iwn Surb Awetaranin or ast Matt’eosi [Commentary on the Holy Gospel of Matthew] (Constantinople, 1825) 361 22 (Mark 9:2-8), the features of a mountain, the transfiguration, the appearance of Elijah and Moses, Peter’s proposal to make tents, the cloud, the voice and the declaration, “This is my beloved Son, listen to him,” all play off of OT or Second Temple Jewish motifs that suggest Jesus is the eschatological judge that marks the return of the Lord and subsequent messianic age—though in a way not entirely expected by all Here Mark 9:2-8 demonstrates the continuity of Jesus’ messiahship with scriptural precedent while showing how Jesus outruns all precedent 51 In 9:7c, the revelation is given that Jesus is the “beloved Son [of God]” and that his audience must “listen to him.” This is a direct order to pay attention to Jesus: a quotation from Deuteronomy, in which Moses enjoins Israel’s obedience to a prophet, like him, whom the Lord God would raise up (18:15) This is also reminiscent with the opening lines of the Qumran scroll 4Q521, in which it is said a messiah would arise so powerful that all those in heaven and on earth would listen to him, and later heed the words of his followers This Messiah’s ministry would be one of healing the sick and raising the dead—both features found in the life of Jesus But by asserting that Jesus is also the beloved Son, Mark adds more weight to his figure and authority Jesus is not only the Messiah, but he is also the beloved Son of God What was recommended at the baptism now appears to be clear: the beloved Son is the “only” or “unique” Son Meaning, the terms Messiah and Son of God are one and the same in reference to Jesus Naturally, Jesus stands on exclusive grounds His glory on the mountain therefore is justified, for it reveals both the fulfillment of messianic promises and the return of the Lord The ancient Armenian illuminated manuscripts of the Transfiguration also present the glory and majesty of Jesus—though differently In these cases, Jesus is portrayed as one who stands above the human realm, the focal point of history and the one who receives praise and 51 Margaret E Thrall, “Elijah and Moses in Mark’s Account of the Transfiguration.” New Testaments Studies Vol 16 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1970), 305-17 23 worship equal to God Thus, it is not an exact rendering of the story from the biblical text In fact, there are more differences than similarities But this is refreshing Both artists felt they had the freedom to illustrate the Transfiguration in such a way that incorporated rich material from the OT, the NT and even church history It appears that they were very aware of the power of symbols They understood the sphere of intentionality—that is, the space in which a symbol and an individual meet and revelation is discovered Moreover, they also understood how symbols could tell a story, bridge the past with the present, and give meaning for the future In some ways, symbols can bring people closer to God The intimacy of the relationship towards the sacred can deepen, as one stops, looks, feels, and reflects on the images they are confronted with Here symbols begin to speak and invite the viewer to a new world—one where the Spirit rules and reveals the glory of God and His Son in ways foreign to that of a text Hence, ‘illumination.’ Works Cited Adalian, Rouben Paul 2010 “Chronology,” in Historical Dictionary of Armenia 2nd Edition United Kingdom: Scarecrow Press Black, C Clifton 2011 Mark: Abington New Testament Commentaries Nashville: Abingdon Press 24 Bultmann, Rudolf 1963 History of the Synoptic Tradition Rev Ed New York: Harper and Row Charlesworth, James H 1986 “Hypostatic Voice,” in Scottish Journal of Theology Vol 39, edited by T.F Torrance and J.K.S Reid Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press 2008 The Good and Evil Serpent New Haven: Yale University Press Collins, John J 1998 “Jesus, Messianism, and the Dead Sea Scrolls,” in Qumran-Messianism: Studies on the Messianic Expectations in the Dead Sea Scrolls, edited by James H Charlesworth, Hermann Lichtenberger and Gerbern S Oegema Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck Erznkac‘I, Yovhannes and Snorhali, Nerses, 1825 Meknut‘iwn Surb Awetaranin or ast Matt’eosi [Commentary on the Holy Gospel of Matthew] Constantinople, 1825 Farmer, William R 1976 The Synoptic Problem: A Critical Analysis 2nd Edition London: Macmillan Company Fossum, Jarl 1992 “Son of God,” in The Anchor Bible Dictionary, Volume 6, Si-Z, edited by David Noel Freeman New York: Doubleday France, R.T 2002 The Gospel of Mark: The New International Greek Testament Commentary Grand Rapids: William Eerdmans Publishing Company Goswiller, Richard 1987 Revelation Melbourne: Pacific Study Series Healy, Nicolaus M 2003 Thomas Aquinas: Theologian of the Christian Life England: Ashgate Publishing Company Hanson, Paul D 1992 “Apocalypses and Apocalypticism,” in The Anchor Bible Dictionary, Volume 1, A-C, edited by David Noel Freeman New York: Doubleday Hiebert, Theodore 1992 “Theophany,” in The Anchor Bible Dictionary, Volume 6, A-C, edited by David Noel Freeman New York: Doubleday Kittel, Gerhard 1964 Theological Dictionary of the New Testament Vol Grand Rapids: William Eerdmans Publishing Company 25 1964 Theological Dictionary of the New Testament Vol Grand Rapids: William Eerdmans Publishing Company Lane, William L 1974 The Gospel According to Mark: The English Text With Introduction, Exposition and Notes Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Company Lee, Dorothy 2005 Transfiguration: New Century Theology London: Continuum Marcus, Joel 2009 Mark: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary: The Anchor Yale Bible New Haven: Yale University Press Mathews, Thomas F and Sanjian, Avedis K 1991 Armenian Gospel Iconography: The Tradition of the Glajor Gospel Washington: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection Metzger, Bruce M 1977 The Early Versions of the New Testament: Their Origin, Transmission, and Limitations Oxford: Clarendon Press Nersessian, Vrej 1987 Armenian Illuminated Gospel-Books London: The British Library Panofsky, E 1939 Studies in Iconology Oxford: Oxford University Press Ramsey, Arthur Michael 1950 The Glory of God and the Transfiguration of Christ New York: Longmans Green and Company Schiller, Gertud 1971 Iconography of Christian Art, Vol London: Lund Humphries Tabor, James and Wise, Michael 1995 “4Q521 ‘On Resurrection’ and the Synoptic Gospel Tradition: A Preliminary Study,” in Qumran Questions, edited by James H Charlesworth Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press Theissen, Gerd 1983 The Miracle Stories of the Early Christian Tradition Edinburgh and Philadelphia: T&T Clark/Fortress Thrall, Margaret E 1970 “ Elijah and Moses in Mark’s Account of the Transfiguration.” New Testament 26 Studies Vol 16 Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Vermes, Geza 2003 The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English London: Penguin Books Williamson Jr III, Lamar 2009 Mark: Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press Biblical Texts Used: Aland, Barbara, and Kurt Aland, et al 2006 Novum Testamentum Graece, 27th Edition Stuttgart, DE: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft Harrelson, Walter J 2003 The New Interpreter's Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha Nashville: Abingdon Press ... with Jesus? Our study will be based off of the Markan version of the event We will begin our inquiry by first providing the context of the Transfiguration within the narrative structure of Mark’s... from the answer of the devastating invasion of Georgia, Armenia and Central Anatolia in the year 1400 leads to the slaughter of large portions of the population of Armenia and the enslavement of. .. that they too would be aware of this reality The repetition of the same message could have seemed to the artist to require a repetition of the same iconography CONCLUSION The Transfiguration of Jesus