Sinaksar to the Transfiguration of the Lord

(Matthew 16:21) He said this in Caesarea Philippi [a city in northern Palestine at the foot of Mount Hermon].

It was built by Herod the Great's son, tetrarch Philip; he decorated the city and named it Caesarea in honor of the Roman emperor Tiberius; unlike Caesarea Palestiniana or Stratonova, the city is named Caesarea Philippi.] after His confession by the Apostle Peter as Christ, Son of the living God, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16).

(Matt. 16:22) The apostle Peter, however, was not surprised when Jesus said: "Be kind to yourself, Lord; you will not have this destiny at all".

Noting the disciples' grief and desiring to relieve it, Jesus Christ promises some of them that he will show them his glory, which he will put on after his departure: "There are some standing here that will not taste death at all until first they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom".

Six days after the events described, the Lord, accompanied by his disciples and a large crowd, left the region of Caesarea Philippi and went to Galilee [Galilee region in northern Palestine, or Galilee (from the Hebrew word "Galilee" <unk> region, district) constituted the third region of Palestine in the days of Christ the Savior, and was divided into northern, upper, <unk> pagan, and southern-lower.

Galilee occupies a prominent place in world history as the homeland and place of the Lord Jesus' preaching. Galilee was about 120 yards from east to west and 40 yards from north to south. It was bounded by Syria and the mountains of Lebanon to the north, Phoenicia to the west, Samaria to the south, and the Jordan River to the east...

In the birthplace of Jesus Christ, Nazareth, Galilee was the cradle of the Christian faith, and the parables of Jesus Christ are images that reflect the richness and beauty of the nature and customs of Galilee.

The heavens, the earth, the sea, the fields, the gardens, the flowers, the vineyards, the grasses of the meadows, the fishes, and the birds, were all there for the Savior to use as the basis and form of the wondrous teachings of His divine preaching.]; the day was already turning to evening when He reached the Galilean Mount Tabor [Tabor <unk> an isolated mountain seven cubits from Nazareth, about 500 feet high.

(Matthew 17:1; Mark 9:2; Luke 9:28) This glorious destiny of Tabor was foreseen by David (Psalm 88:13): "In thy name shall Tabor and Hermon rejoice".

And he took with him Peter, and James, and John, and went up into a mountain to pray: and when he had withdrawn them a little way, he went up into a high hill to pray.

While they were asleep, the Lord Jesus Christ was transfigured in the glory of his divinity, and two prophets appeared to him by his command, Moses from the dead and Elijah from heaven, who spoke of his suffering and death that was about to take place in Jerusalem.

This conversation and a special manifestation of divine power awakened the apostles. When they saw the unmistakable glory of the Lord Jesus, his face shining like the sun and his reins shining white as snow, and the two men standing in the glory speaking with him, the apostles were terrified.

By the revelation of the Holy Spirit, they immediately recognized Moses and Elijah in their husbands and understood that they were talking about the free suffering of Christ.

Moses once asked God to show him His divine glory face to face, to which God replied: "No man can see me and yet live". - Exodus 33:20.

When Christ's conversation with Moses and Elijah was coming to a close and the apostles were informed by the holy spirit of their imminent departure, the apostle Peter was moved with grief that the prophets wanted to hide from their sight.

While the apostle Peter was speaking, a bright cloud representing Christ overshadowed the apostles, encompassing the mountain tops, and again the apostles were divinely commanded to take the prophets and bring each one to his place. The apostles were even more afraid when, as they approached Christ, they entered the cloud and heard a voice from the cloud saying: "This is my Son, the beloved, whom I have approved; listen to him". - Luke 9:35.

When they heard this, the apostles were seized with fear and fell to the ground. Suddenly, the glory of the Lord appeared to them, and the angels also.

At daybreak they came down from the mountain. On the way, the Lord instructed them not to tell anyone about the vision until he had risen from the dead on the third day. And they kept quiet and told no one at that time what they had seen.