The Word Transfigured

Καὶ οὐ μόνον αὐτὸς μεταμορφοῦται ἔμπροσθεν τῶν τοιούτων μαθητῶν, οὐδὲ προστίθησι μόνον τῇ μεταμορφώσει τὸ λάμψαι τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ὡς ὁ ἥλιος· ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ τοῖς ἀναχθεῖσιν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ ὑψηλὸν ὄρος κατ' ἰδίαν φαίνεται λευκὰ ὡς τὸ φῶς · ἱμάτια δὲ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ αἱ λέξεις καὶ ἂ ἐνεδύσατο τῶν Εὐαγγελίων γράμματα. Οἴμαι δ' ὅτι καὶ τὰ παρὰ τοῖς ἀποστόλοις δηλοῠντα τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ, ἱμάτιά ἐστιν Ἰνσοῦ, γινόμενα τοῖς ἀναβαίνουσιν εἰς τὸ ὑψηλὸν ὃρος μετὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ λευκά. Ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ καὶ λευκῶν εἰσι διαφοραὶ, τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ γίνονται λευκὰ ὡς τὸ πάντων λευκὸν λαμπρότατον καὶ καθαρώτατον· τοῦτο δέ ἐστι τὸ φῶς. Ἐπὰν οὖν ἴδῃς τινὰ οὐ μόνον τὴν περὶ Ἰησοῦ θεολογίαν ἀκριβοῦντα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν λέξιν τῶν Εὐαγγελίων πᾶσαν σαφηνίζοντα, μὴ ὄκνει τῷ τοιούτῳ φάσκειν γεγονέναι τὰ ἱμάτια τοῦ Ἰησοῦ λευκὰ ὡς τὸ φῶς. Ἐπὰν δὲ οὕτω νοηθῇ καὶ θεωρηθῇ μεταμορφωθεὶς ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὡς τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ εἶναι ἥλιον, καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ λευκὰ ὡς τὸ φῶς, εὐθέως ὀφθεῖεν ἂν τῷ τοιοῦτον ἰδόντι τὸν Ἰησοῦν Μωσῆς ὁ νόμος, καὶ ὁ Ἠλίας συνεκδοχικῶς, οὐχ εἰς μόνος, ἀλλὰ πάντες οἱ προφῆται κοινολογούμενοι πρὸς τὸν Ἰησοῦν· τοιοῠτον γάρ ἐστι τὸ δηλούμενον· Μετ' αὐτοῦ συλλαλοῦντες· κατὰ δὲ τὸν Λουκᾶν· Μωσῆς καὶ Ἠλίας ὀφθέντες ἐν δοξῃ, καὶ τὰ ἐξῆς, ἕως τοῦ, ἐν Ἰερουσαλήμ. Εἴ τις δὲ εἶδε Μωσέως τὴν δόξαν, νοήσας τὸν πνευματικὸν νόμον, ὡς ἕνα πρὸς τὸν Ἰησοῦν λόγον, καὶ τὴν ἐν τοῖς προφήταις ἐν μυστηρίῳ ἀποκεκρυμμένην σοφίαν, εἴδε Μωσῆν καὶ Ἠλἰαν ἐν δόξῃ, ὅτε εἶδε αὐτοὺς μετὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ. Εἶτα, ἐπεὶ κατὰ τὸν Μάρκον δεήσει διηγήσασθαι τό· Καὶ ἐν τῷ προσεύχεσθαι αὐτὸν μετεμορφώθη ἔμπροσωεν αὐτῶν, λεκτέον, ὅτι μήποτε μάλιστά ἐστιν ἰδεῖν τὸν Λόγον ἔμπροσθεν ἡμῶν μεταμορφούμενον, ἐὰν τὰ προειρημένα ποιήσωμεν, καὶ ἀναβῶμεν εἰς τὸ ὅρος, καὶ ἴδωμεν τὸν Αὐρολόγον κοινολογούμενον πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα, καὶ εὐχόμενον αὐτῷ ὑπὲρ ὦν εὔξαιτ' ἄν ἀληθινὸς ἀρχιερεὺς ἀληθινῷ μόνῳ Θεῷ. Ἵνα δὲ οὕτω Θεῷ ὁμιλῇ, καὶ προσεύξηται τῷ Πατρὶ, ἀναβαίνει εἰς τὸ ὅρος· τότε δὲ κατὰ Μάρκον Γίνονται τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ λευκὰ καὶ στίλβοντα ὡς τὸ φῶς, οἴα γναφεὺς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς οὐ δύναται οὕτως λευκάναι. Καὶ τάχα οἱ μὲν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς γναφεῖς οἱ ἐπιμελούμενοι εἰσι σοφοὶ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου λέξεως ἥς νομίζουσι λαμπρᾰς καὶ καθαρᾶς, ὡς κοσμεῖσθαι δοκεὶν καὶ τὰ αἰσχρὰ νοήματα, καὶ τὰ ψευδῆ δόγματα ὑπὸ τῆς, ἵν' οὕτως ὀνομάσθ, γναφικῆς αὐτῶν· ὁ δὲ στίλβοντα τοῖς ἐπαναβεβηκόσον ἐπιδεικνὺς τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ, καὶ λαμπρότερα ὦν δύναται ποιεῖν ἡ ἐκείνων γναφικὴ, ὁ Λόγος ἐστὶ, παριστὰς ἐν ταῖς ὑπὸ πολλῶν καταφρονουμέναις λέξεσι τῶν Γραφῶν τὴν τῶν νοημάτων στίλψιν, ὁτε ὁ ἱματισμὸς τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, κατὰ τὸν Λουκᾶν, λευκὸς καὶ ἐξαστράπτων γίνεται. Ὠριγένης, Κατὰ Ματθαιον Ἐξηγητικων, Τομος ΙΒ'

And not only is He transfigured before such disciples, nor does He only add to the transfiguration his face shining like the sun, for even his garments appear white as the light to those who were led up by Him into the high mountain, 1 and the garments of Jesus are the expressions and letters of the Gospels with which He invested Himself. For I think that the words in the Apostles which indicate the truths concerning Him are the garments of Jesus, which become white to those who go up into the high mountain along with Jesus. But since there are differences of white things, it is said His garments become white as the brightest and purest of all white things, and that is light. When then you note someone not only having an accurate theology concerning Jesus, but also one who is able to make clear every expression of the Gospels, do not hesitate to say that to him the garments of Jesus have become white as the light. And when the Son of God in His transfiguration is so understood and beheld, His face like the sun, and His garments white like light, immediately there will appear to him who beholds Jesus in such a way Moses, the law, and Elijah, in the way of synecdoche, not one prophet only, but all the prophets, holding converse with Jesus, for such is clear from: 'they were talking with Him,' 2  and, according to Luke, 'Moses and Elijah appeared in glory,' down to the words, 'in Jerusalem.' 3  But if any one sees the glory of Moses, having understood the spiritual law as one with the teaching of Jesus, and the wisdom in the prophets which is hidden in a mystery, 4 he sees Moses and Elijah in glory when he sees them with Jesus. Then, since one must speak on the passage as given in Mark, ' And as He was praying He was transfigured before them,' 5 let it be said that one may certainly see the Word transfigured before us if we have done the things we have spoken of, and gone up the mountain, and seen the absolute Word holding converse with the Father, and praying to Him for such things as the true High Priest might pray for to the only true God. But that He might thus associate with God and pray to the Father, He goes up the mountain, and then, according to Mark, 'His garments became white and glistening as the light, as no fuller on earth can whiten them.' 6 And perhaps the fullers on the earth are the wise of this age who have great care over speech which they consider to be bright and pure, so that even their ugly thoughts and deceitful teachings seem to be beautified by their fulling, so to speak, but He who shows His own garments glistening and brighter than their fulling can make them to those who have ascended is the Word, who gives in the expressions of the Scriptures, which are despised by many, the glistening of His thoughts, when the garments of Jesus, according to Luke, became white and dazzling. 7 Origen, from the Commentary On The Gospel Of Saint Matthew, Book 12 1 Mt 17:2 2 Mt 17:3 3 Lk 9:30-31 4 1 Cor 2:7 5 Lk 9.28 ! 6 Mk 9:3 7 Lk 9:29