The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1890-05-08
SUNDAY MEDITATION.
Practical Duties Taught by a Study of the Inter.
national Sunday school Lesson Appointed for


SUBJECT: THE TRANSPORTATION or CHRIST.
/. Preliminary.
We study our Saviors 18th miracle. 1t is
certain the TRANSPORTATION does not accord
with the ordinary events of lfo. No law
which we understand can account for the ap-
pearance into life of two men who lived cen
turies before that event. Doubtless Jesus knew
prior to ascending the mountain what was to
occur. lie was particular 10 havo with him
three Witnesses they the most trusted of his
Apostles Important theological questions were
to be settled in the conversation to be held by
Jesus Moses and Elijah. lie went up into tho
mountain to pray. (St Luke, o. 5.) But we
cannot imagine the tranfguratiOn was n sur
prise to him. Ho himself manipulated the
miracle by his power and will. He had n pur-
pose in it. Or, were the act outside the dicta-
ton and management of Christ he being pas
siye, still we cannot think it was beyond his
omniscience.
We have three accounts Of tho transfigura-
ton, and he is an exceedingly superficial stu
dent who will be content without reading all
the reports. See St. Matt II: Is; st. Mark,
9: %; st. Luke, s.: 1886. St. Matthew was at
only little distance from the scene of the
event. IIe saw Sts Peter, James and John
ascend the hill with Christ, and he saw them
return. 1t is quite in favor of tho sincerity of
st. Matthew that he does not fail to notice the
seeming partiaIity of Jesus in selecting three
lavorte Apostles to be witnesses of tho trans
figuration, aud his sincerity is especially ap-
parent from the fact that he gives the names of
the three, himself not being of the number
st. Matthew must soon have heard about the
TRANSPORTATION, and that though Jesus charged
the three not to tell about the wonderful sight
and conversation. Aud yet silence was really
moro than ordinarily observed as we see from
st. Luke's report" they kept it close, and
-
which they had seen" (St. Luke, 9: 361 st.
Luke is the only author who states the subject
Of the conversation held by Christ, Moses and
Elijah. st. Mark alone refers to tho fnllers
whitening. SITS. Mark and Luke probably
heard reports OF the TRANSPORTATION. All the
Gospel writer's were however, dependent on
revelation from God by inspiration in order to
give reliable reports. The Gospel writer who
saw the TRANSPORTATION and heard the CONVEX
saton 0mits any allusion to it in his life of
Christ, to wit, ST. John. The three Gospel ac-
counts of tho TRANSPORTATION we've written
about three decades from the event. Sts. Mat
thew and Mark wrote at Rome; st. Luke at
Aehaia, Greece.
g. Time
We put the date Of the TRANSPORTATION May,
A. ID. 2S Jesus was - and three-lourths years
of age. The event was 10 months before his
death. Christ had been in the ministry proper
for about two years and nine months. We study
n scene which occurred I.sC2 years ago 1t is
wonderful so many centuries have passed and
yet the TRANSPORTATION is Of interest. The
metamorphosis was probably a night scene
We so suppose for the following reasons: |. st.
Luke. 9 u, shows Christ went up into the
mountain to pray. He usually gave up night
hours to such devotons. (St. Matt, II %;
st. Luke. 6 l2.) 2. The Qualification attend
ing the TRANSPORTATION would he greatly hight
cnod by darkness. >. The Apostles were asleep.
Tr.f.a. \ a a.g
early IN the morning Of next day. (Sl. Luke.
$3.50
Barnes Bengcl, Bloomfield A. Clarke J.
Parker. DIR. John Hall, Afford. place the scene
at night.
There is seeming discrepancy in the &C.
counts Sta Matthew and Mark say after six
days" while St Luke has it about an eight
days after IL Is likely St Luke included the
day OF the ascent and that OF the return from
the mountain. The French call fortnight
. 10 days We see ST. Luke seems 20 speak n
way showing he writes rs giving the round
number. Barnes, Bengcl, Adam Clarke, Joseph
Parker, ID, and others think 81. Luke in.
cludes the day OF the conversation narrated
just before our lesson by all the synoptic Cos
pcls, aud also the day might Of the transGgu-
ration.
Moses died about 800 years before the trans.
fgnrations and Elijah was carried to Paradise
about 900 years prior to the events recorded IN
the lesson we now study.
A. Place
We notice the place of the TRANSPORTATION is
not named. Possibly the omission WAS inten-
tiona 80 as 10 prevent supersti tious associa-
tions with the spot Some hold that we are TO
understand Mount Tabor. This is about eight
miles northeast Of Nazareth. For the last is
centuries almost universal consent existed as TO
Mt Tabor having been the Mount Of Transdgu-
ration. In 81. Matt, Is: - we find Christ at
Ccsarea Philippi. The distance from Cesarea
Thlippi to Mt. Tabor was about 81 miles But
six days INTERVIEWED tI7:I) giving ample
time to 20 from one place 10 the other. Mean
der puts tho TRANSPORTATION in Gallee on nc
count of the presence OF scribes Just after the
occurrence. tSt. Mark, 9:1i) IL is said that
on Mt Tabor are three contiguous grottoes
representing the tabernaclcs which ST. Peter
proposed 10 arrange for Christ and his two
visitors from Paradise. To the objection Mt
Tabor was too thickly inhabited for a decd evil.
IDENTIFY intended TO be quite private il is replied
the circumstance happened at midnight, and
would hence DO retired.
Lightf0Ot questioned as TO Mt Tabor, and
believed a mountain near Ccsarea Philippi
must be understood; To wit, Mount Hermon
Christ was last in the vicinity of Cesarea Phil
ippi. tSt. Matt, l6 49, The retirement and
freedom from population make it peculiarly
adapted. The reason why the opinion gained
10 was Mt. Tabor may have been the fact that
Little Mt. Hermou was very near Mt Tabor
and the two were often associated together
FPS, 80 l2.1 Mt. Tabor was inhabited to its
very summit. Robinson shows fortified city
was nc It's very top long before the trausigu-
ration. 1t was not till the fourth century Mt
Tabor was pitched on tho mount of the
famous incident which VIC study. The part of
Nj. Hermon was "A spur of the Lebanon Mount
aims. II ran into the plain of the Jordan about
six miles north of Cesarea Phiippi, aud was
probably the mount known "a Mons Paneum
IL could not have been high up. for the peak is
st. Mark, 8: 3. Was not the expression sug-
gested by the snow crest, possibly Illuminated
by tho moons raysP
The Commentator Lange says:
Since the fourth century tradition Inns fixed on
Mount Tabor, in GRlilce rs the locality OF this
event. TINS opinion appears to be uutenahle for
two reasons: Robinson holds that it's summit was
Inhabited AT this time, aud not only but ID is inn
probable That Jesus would have left his retreat In
tile highlands of Gauontis aud transferred the
scene OF one of his most secret revelations Cali
lee, where he was everywhere prosecuted. The
highest mouniain-top IN Gaulonitis was Mount
licrmon. Accordingly, some fix upon Hermon
Itself rs the scene of this event; others on Mount
PRnias, near Cesarca Philpp But from the de-
serlpllon OF the mountain, and the statement in
verse y that they came down. IL seems likely
rom It's hight TO have been Mount Hermon."
Afford says
ION liermon alone IN Palestine, could snow be-
found Notice the comparison of Jesus 5 garments
with the snow"
+. w. Farrar, DID,, says:
" IL Is almost certain that Tabor was not the
scene OF that great epiphany. The rounded sum-
nit of that picturesque and wood crowned hill