Mount of Transfiguration


One of the unknowns of the New Testament is the identification of the mountain where Jesus underwent his Transfiguration. The Matthew account of the Transfiguration is as follows.

"And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elijah talking with him.
Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.
While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.
And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.
And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.
And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead."

Identifications

Several candidates for this mountain have been suggested:

Mount Tabor

is the traditional location. The earliest identification of the Mount of Transfiguration as Tabor is by Origen in the 3rd century. It is also mentioned by St. Cyril of Jerusalem and St. Jerome in the 4th century. The Church of the Transfiguration is located atop Mount Tabor. It is later mentioned in the 5th century Transitus Beatae Mariae Virginis.

Mount Hermon

, was suggested by R. H. Fuller and J. Lightfoot for two reasons: It is the highest in the area, and it is located near Caesarea Philippi, where the previous events reportedly took place.
The fallen angels told of in the book of Enoch, landed on this mountain for the purpose of polluting God's creation through the creation of giants, "mighty men of old, men of renown"

Other locations

Other locations which have been proposed include: one of the Horns of Hattin by R. W. Stewart, Gebel Germaq 5 km SW of Safed, by W. Ewing, Tel El-Ahmar on Jabal al-Druze by Gustav Dalman, and Mount Nebo by H.A. Whittaker, Mount Sinai by Benjamin Urrutia. Others, such as A. Loisy, have deliberately rejected seeking a geographical location.