At times, God deigns to show the inward effect of grace in the outward appearance of a person, as in the case of Moses, when he descended from Mount Sinai with the tablets of the Ten Commandments. When The Lord Jesus came down the mountain after his Transfiguration, he too was altered in appearance, as we can see from the reaction of the crowd which awaited him: "All the people, seeing Jesus, were astonished and struck with fear" (Mark 9, 14). In his commentary on the Gospel of St. Matthew, that great student of the Scriptures, Origen (d. 254), provides his insights into the Transfiguration of Jesus:
"His vestments seemed as white as light to those who were led apart by him onto the high mountain. The 'vestments' of Jesus are the words and letters of the Gospels with which he is clothed. I also consider the letters of the Apostles, which explain matters which pertain to Jesus, to be the 'vestments' of Jesus, made white to those who climbed the high mountain with Jesus. But since there are differences among things that are white, his vestments are made as the brightest and purest white, that is, as light. Therefore, when you see someone not only explaining the theology of Jesus accurately, but also the words of the Gospels, do not be slow to say that the vestments of Jesus have been made as white as light to him. After the transfigured Son of God is so understood and considered that his face is as the sun, and his vestments reflect the light by their whiteness, the one who truly sees Jesus shall also see Moses -- that is, the law -- and Elijah -- who stands not only for himself but even for all the prophets -- conversing with Jesus . . . If anyone understands the spiritual law as speech with Jesus, and understands the wisdom hidden in the prophets as a mystery, then when he sees Moses and Elijah speaking with Jesus, he sees them in their glory."
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