Quaestio 45 Question 45 De transfiguratione Christi Christ’s Transfiguration Deinde considerandum est de transfiguratione Christi. Et circa hoc quaeruntur quatuor. We now consider Christ’s transfiguration; and here there are four points of inquiry: Primo, utrum conveniens fuerit Christum transfigurari. (1) Whether it was fitting that Christ should be transfigured? Secundo, utrum claritas transfigurationis fuerit claritas gloriosa. (2) Whether the clarity of the transfiguration was the clarity of glory? Tertio, de testibus transfigurationis. (3) Of the witnesses of the transfiguration; Quarto, de testimonio paternae vocis. (4) Of the testimony of the Father’s voice. Articulus 1 Article 1 Utrum fuerit conveniens Christum transfigurari Whether it was fitting that Christ should be transfigured? Ad primum sic proceditur. Videtur quod non fuerit conveniens Christum transfigurari. Non enim competit vero corpori ut in diversas figuras mutetur, sed corpori phantastico. Corpus autem Christi non fuit phantasticum, sed verum, ut supra habitum est. Ergo videtur quod transfigurari non debuit. Objection 1: It would seem that it was not fitting that Christ should be transfigured. For it is not fitting for a true body to be changed into various shapes (figuras), but only for an imaginary body. Now Christ’s body was not imaginary, but real, as stated above (Q. 5, A. 1). Therefore it seems that it should not have been transfigured. Praeterea, figura est in quarta specie qualitatis, claritas autem est in tertia, cum sit sensibilis qualitas. Assumptio ergo claritatis a Christo transfiguratio dici non debet. Obj. 2: Further, figure is in the fourth species of quality, whereas clarity is in the third, since it is a sensible quality. Therefore Christ’s assuming clarity should not be called a transfiguration. Praeterea, corporis gloriosi sunt quatuor dotes, ut infra dicetur, scilicet impassibilitas, agilitas, subtilitas et claritas. Non ergo magis debuit transfigurari secundum assumptionem claritatis, quam secundum assumptionem aliarum dotium. Obj. 3: Further, a glorified body has four gifts, as we shall state farther on (Suppl., Q. 82), viz. impassibility, agility, subtlety, and clarity. Therefore His transfiguration should not have consisted in an assumption of clarity rather than of the other gifts. Sed contra est quod dicitur Matth. XVII, quod Iesus transfiguratus est ante tres discipulorum suorum. On the contrary, It is written (Matt 17:2) that Jesus was transfigured in the presence of three of His disciples. Respondeo dicendum quod dominus discipulos suos, praenuntiata sua passione, induxerat eos ad suae passionis sequelam. Oportet autem ad hoc quod aliquis directe procedat in via, quod finem aliqualiter praecognoscat, sicut sagittator non recte iaciet sagittam nisi prius signum prospexerit in quod iaciendum est. Unde et Thomas dixit, Ioan. XIV, domine, nescimus quo vadis, et quomodo possumus viam scire? Et hoc praecipue necessarium est quando via est difficilis et aspera, et iter laboriosum, finis vero iucundus. Christus autem per passionem ad hoc pervenit ut gloriam obtineret, non solum animae, quam habuit a principio suae conceptionis, sed etiam corporis, secundum illud Luc. ult., haec oportuit Christum pati, et ita intrare in gloriam suam. Ad quam etiam perducit eos qui vestigia suae passionis sequuntur, secundum illud Act. XIV, per multas tribulationes oportet nos intrare in regnum caelorum. Et ideo conveniens fuit ut discipulis suis gloriam suae claritatis ostenderet (quod est ipsum transfigurari), cui suos configurabit, secundum illud Philipp. III, reformabit corpus humilitatis nostrae, configuratum corpori claritatis suae. Unde Beda dicit, super Marcum, pia provisione factum est ut, contemplatione semper manentis gaudii ad breve tempus delibata fortius adversa tolerarent. I answer that, Our Lord, after foretelling His Passion to His disciples, had exhorted them to follow the path of His sufferings (Matt 16:21, 24). Now in order that anyone go straight along a road, he must have some knowledge of the end: thus an archer will not shoot the arrow straight unless he first see the target. Hence Thomas said (John 14:5): Lord, we know not whither Thou goest; and how can we know the way? Above all is this necessary when hard and rough is the road, heavy the going, but delightful the end. Now by His Passion Christ achieved glory, not only of His soul, which He had from the first moment of His conception, but also of His body; according to Luke (24:26): Christ ought to have suffered these things, and so to enter into His glory. To which glory He brings those who follow the footsteps of His Passion, according to Acts 14:21: Through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God. Therefore it was fitting that He should show His disciples the glory of His clarity (which is to be transfigured), to which He will configure those who are His; according to Phil. 3:21: (Who) will reform the body of our lowness configured to the body of His glory. Hence Bede says on Mk. 8:39: By His loving foresight He allowed them to taste for a short time the contemplation of eternal joy, so that they might bear persecution bravely. Ad primum ergo dicendum quod, sicut Hieronymus dicit, super Matth., nemo putet Christum per hoc quod transfiguratus dicitur, pristinam formam et faciem perdidisse, vel amisisse corporis veritatem et assumpsisse corpus spirituale vel aereum. Sed quomodo transformatus sit, Evangelista demonstrat, dicens, resplenduit facies eius sicut sol, vestimenta autem eius facta sunt alba sicut nix. Ubi splendor faciei ostenditur, et candor describitur vestium, non substantia tollitur, sed gloria commutatur. Reply Obj. 1: As Jerome says on Matt. 17:2: Let no one suppose that Christ, through being said to be transfigured, laid aside His natural shape and countenance, or substituted an imaginary or aerial body for His real body. The Evangelist describes the manner of His transfiguration when he says: ‘His face did shine as the sun, and His garments became white as snow.’ Brightness of face and whiteness of garments argue not a change of substance, but a putting on of glory. Ad secundum dicendum quod figura circa extremitatem corporis consideratur, est enim figura quae termino vel terminis comprehenditur. Et ideo omnia illa quae circa extremitatem corporis considerantur ad figuram quodammodo pertinere videntur. Sicut autem color, ita et claritas corporis non transparentis in eius superficie attenditur. Et ideo assumptio claritatis transfiguratio dicitur. Reply Obj. 2: Figure is seen in the outline of a body, for it is that which is enclosed by one or more boundaries. Therefore whatever has to do with the outline of a body seems to pertain to the figure. Now the clarity, just as the color, of a non-transparent body is seen on its surface, and consequently the assumption of clarity is called transfiguration. Ad tertium dicendum quod, inter praedictas quatuor dotes, sola claritas est qualitas ipsius personae in seipsa, aliae vero tres dotes non percipiuntur nisi in aliquo actu vel motu, seu passione. Ostendit igitur Christus in seipso aliqua illarum trium dotium indicia, puta agilitatis, cum supra undas maris ambulavit; subtilitatis, quando de clauso utero virginis exivit; impassibilitatis, quando de manibus Iudaeorum, vel praecipitare vel lapidare eum volentium, illaesus evasit. Nec tamen propter illas transfiguratus dicitur, sed propter solam claritatem, quae pertinet ad aspectum personae ipsius. Reply Obj. 3: Of those four gifts, clarity alone is a quality of the very person in himself; whereas the other three are not perceptible, save in some action or movement, or in some passion. Christ, then, did show in Himself certain indications of those three gifts—of agility, for instance, when He walked on the waves of the sea; of subtlety, when He came forth from the closed womb of the Virgin; of impassibility, when He escaped unhurt from the hands of the Jews who wished to hurl Him down or to stone Him. And yet He is not said, on account of this, to be transfigured, but only on account of clarity, which pertains to the aspect of His Person. Articulus 2 Article 2 Utrum illa claritas fuit claritas gloriosa Whether this clarity was the clarity of glory? Ad secundum sic proceditur. Videtur quod illa claritas non fuit claritas gloriosa. Dicit enim quaedam Glossa Bedae, super illud Matth. XVII, transfiguratus est coram eis, in corpore, inquit, mortali ostendit, non immortalitatem, sed claritatem similem futurae immortalitati. Sed claritas gloriae est claritas immortalitatis. Non ergo illa claritas quam Christus discipulis ostendit, fuit claritas gloriae. Objection 1: It would seem that this clarity was not the clarity of glory. For a gloss of Bede on Matt. 17:2, He was transfigured before them, says: In His mortal body He shows forth, not the state of immortality, but clarity like to that of future immortality. But the clarity of glory is the clarity of immortality. Therefore the clarity which Christ showed to His disciples was not the clarity of glory. Praeterea, super illud Luc. IX, non gustabunt mortem nisi videant regnum Dei, dicit Glossa Bedae, idest, glorificationem corporis in imaginaria repraesentatione futurae beatitudinis. Sed imago alicuius rei non est ipsa res. Ergo claritas illa non fuit claritas beatitudinis. Obj. 2: Further, on Luke 9:27 They shall not taste death until they see the kingdom of God, Bede’s gloss says: That is, the glorification of the body in an imaginary vision of future beatitude. But the image of a thing is not the thing itself. Therefore this was not the clarity of beatitude. Praeterea, claritas gloriae non est nisi in corpore humano. Sed claritas illa transfigurationis apparuit non solum in corpore Christi, sed etiam in vestimentis eius, et in nube lucida quae discipulos obumbravit. Ergo videtur quod illa claritas non fuit claritas gloriae. Obj. 3: Further, the clarity of glory is only in a human body. But this clarity of the transfiguration was seen not only in Christ’s body, but also in His garments, and in the bright cloud which overshaded the disciples. Therefore it seems that this was not the clarity of glory. Sed contra est quod, super illud Matth. XVII, transfiguratus est ante eos, dicit Hieronymus, qualis futurus est tempore iudicii, talis apostolis apparuit. Et super illud Matth. XVI, donec videant filium hominis venientem in regno suo, dicit Chrysostomus, volens monstrare quid est illa gloria in qua postea venturus est, eis in praesenti vita revelavit, sicut possibile erat eos discere, ut neque in domini morte iam doleant. On the contrary, Jerome says on the words He was transfigured before them (Matt 17:2): He appeared to the Apostles such as He will appear on the day of judgment. And on Matt. 16:28, Till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom, Chrysostom says: Wishing to show with what kind of glory He is afterwards to come, so far as it was possible for them to learn it, He showed it to them in their present life, that they might not grieve even over the death of their Lord. Respondeo dicendum quod claritas illa quam Christus in transfiguratione assumpsit, fuit claritas gloriae quantum ad essentiam, non tamen quantum ad modum essendi. Claritas enim corporis gloriosi derivatur ab animae claritate, sicut Augustinus dicit, in epistola ad Dioscorum. Et similiter claritas corporis Christi in transfiguratione derivata est a divinitate ipsius, ut Damascenus dicit, et a gloria animae eius. Quod enim a principio conceptionis Christi gloria animae non redundaret ad corpus, ex quadam dispensatione divina factum est, ut in corpore passibili nostrae redemptionis expleret mysteria, sicut supra dictum est. Non tamen per hoc adempta est potestas Christo derivandi gloriam animae ad corpus. Et hoc quidem fecit, quantum ad claritatem, in transfiguratione, aliter tamen quam in corpore glorificato. Nam ad corpus glorificatum redundat claritas ab anima sicut quaedam qualitas permanens corpus afficiens. Unde fulgere corporaliter non est miraculosum in corpore glorioso. Sed ad corpus Christi in transfiguratione derivata est claritas a divinitate et anima eius, non per modum qualitatis immanentis et afficientis ipsum corpus, sed magis per modum passionis transeuntis, sicut cum aer illuminatur a sole. Unde ille fulgor tunc in corpore Christi apparens miraculosus fuit, sicut et hoc ipsum quod ambulavit super undas maris. Unde Dionysius dicit, in epistola IV, ad Caium, super hominem operatur Christus ea quae sunt hominis, et hoc monstrat virgo supernaturaliter concipiens, et aqua instabilis materialium et terrenorum pedum sustinens gravitatem. I answer that, The clarity which Christ assumed in His transfiguration was the clarity of glory as to its essence, but not as to its mode of being. For the clarity of the glorified body is derived from that of the soul, as Augustine says (Ep. ad Diosc. cxviii). And in like manner the clarity of Christ’s body in His transfiguration was derived from His Godhead, as Damascene says (Orat. de Transfig.) and from the glory of His soul. That the glory of His soul did not overflow into His body from the first moment of Christ’s conception was due to a certain Divine dispensation, that, as stated above (Q. 14, A. 1, ad 2), He might fulfill the mysteries of our redemption in a passible body. This did not, however, deprive Christ of His power of outpouring the glory of His soul into His body. And this He did, as to clarity, in His transfiguration, but otherwise than in a glorified body. For the clarity of the soul overflows into a glorified body, by way of a permanent quality affecting the body. Hence bodily refulgence is not miraculous in a glorified body. But in Christ’s transfiguration clarity overflowed from His Godhead and from His soul into His body, not as an immanent quality affecting His very body, but rather after the manner of a transient passion, as when the air is lit up by the sun. Consequently the refulgence, which appeared in Christ’s body then, was miraculous: just as was the fact of His walking on the waves of the sea. Hence Dionysius says (Ep. ad Cai. iv): Christ excelled man in doing that which is proper to man: this is shown in His supernatural conception of a virgin and in the unstable waters bearing the weight of material and earthly feet. Unde non est dicendum, sicut Hugo de sancto Victore dixit, quod Christus assumpserit dotes claritatis in transfiguratione, agilitatis ambulando super mare, et subtilitatis egrediendo de clauso utero virginis, quia dos nominat quandam qualitatem immanentem corpori glorioso. Sed miraculose habuit ea quae pertinent ad dotes. Et est simile, quantum ad animam, de visione qua Paulus vidit Deum in raptu, ut in secunda parte dictum est. Wherefore we must not say, as Hugh of St. Victor said, that Christ assumed the gift of clarity in the transfiguration, of agility in walking on the sea, and of subtlety in coming forth from the Virgin’s closed womb: because the gifts are immanent qualities of a glorified body. On the contrary, whatever pertained to the gifts, that He had miraculously. The same is to be said, as to the soul, of the vision in which Paul saw God in a rapture, as we have stated in the Second Part (II-II, Q. 175, A. 3, ad 2). Ad primum ergo dicendum quod ex illo verbo non ostenditur quod claritas Christi non fuerit claritas gloriae, sed quod non fuit claritas corporis gloriosi, quia corpus Christi nondum erat immortale. Sicut enim dispensative factum est ut in Christo gloria animae non redundaret ad corpus, ita fieri potuit dispensative ut redundaret quantum ad dotem claritatis, et non quantum ad dotem impassibilitatis. Reply Obj. 1: The words quoted prove, not that the clarity of Christ was not that of glory, but that it was not the clarity of a glorified body, since Christ’s body was not as yet immortal. And just as it was by dispensation that in Christ the glory of the soul should not overflow into the body so was it possible that by dispensation it might overflow as to the gift of clarity and not as to that of impassibility. Ad secundum dicendum quod illa claritas dicitur imaginaria fuisse, non quin esset vera claritas gloriae, sed quia erat quaedam imago repraesentans illam gloriae perfectionem secundum quam corpus erit gloriosum. Reply Obj. 2: This clarity is said to have been imaginary, not as though it were not really the clarity of glory, but because it was a kind of image representing that perfection of glory, in virtue of which the body will be glorious. Ad tertium dicendum quod, sicut claritas quae erat in corpore Christi repraesentabat futuram claritatem corporis eius, ita claritas vestimentorum eius designat futuram claritatem sanctorum, quae superabitur a claritate Christi, sicut candor nivis superatur a candore solis. Unde Gregorius dicit, XXXII Moral., quod vestimenta Christi facta sunt splendentia, quia in supernae claritatis culmine sancti omnes ei luce iustitiae fulgentes adhaerebunt. Vestium enim nomine iustos, quos sibi adiunget, significat, secundum illud Isaiae XLIX, his omnibus velut ornamento vestieris. Reply Obj. 3: Just as the clarity which was in Christ’s body was a representation of His body’s future clarity, so the clarity which was in His garments signified the future clarity of the saints, which will be surpassed by that of Christ, just as the brightness of the snow is surpassed by that of the sun. Hence Gregory says (Moral. xxxii) that Christ’s garments became resplendent, because in the height of heavenly clarity all the saints will cling to Him in the refulgence of righteousness. For His garments signify the righteous, because He will unite them to Himself, according to Isa. 49:18: Thou shalt be clothed with all these as with an ornament. Nubes autem lucida significat spiritus sancti gloriam, vel virtutem paternam, ut Origenes dicit, per quam sancti in futura gloria protegentur. Quamvis etiam convenienter significare posset claritatem mundi innovati, quae erit sanctorum tabernaculum. Unde, Petro disponente tabernacula facere, nubes lucida discipulos obumbravit. The bright cloud signifies the glory of the Holy Spirit or the power of the Father, as Origen says (Tract. iii in Matth.), by which in the glory to come the saints will be covered. Or, again, it may be said fittingly that it signifies the clarity of the world redeemed, which clarity will cover the saints as a tent. Hence when Peter proposed to make tents, a bright cloud overshaded the disciples. Articulus 3 Article 3 Utrum convenienter inducti fuerint testes transfigurationis Whether the witnesses of the transfiguration were fittingly chosen? Ad tertium sic proceditur. Videtur quod non convenienter inducti fuerint testes transfigurationis. Unusquisque enim maxime perhibere potest testimonium de notis. Sed qualis esset futura gloria, tempore transfigurationis Christi nulli homini per experimentum erat adhuc notum, sed solis Angelis. Ergo testes transfigurationis magis debuerunt esse Angeli quam homines. Objection 1: It would seem that the witnesses of the transfiguration were unfittingly chosen. For everyone is a better witness of things that he knows. But at the time of Christ’s transfiguration no one but the angels had as yet any knowledge from experience of the glory to come. Therefore the witnesses of the transfiguration should have been angels rather than men. Praeterea, testes veritatis non decet aliqua fictio, sed veritas. Moyses autem et Elias non ibi vere affuerunt, sed imaginarie, dicit enim quaedam Glossa super illud Luc. IX, erant autem Moyses et Elias etc., sciendum est, inquit, non corpus vel animas Moysi vel Eliae ibi apparuisse, sed in subiecta creatura illa corpora fuisse formata. Potest etiam credi ut angelico ministerio hoc factum esset, ut Angeli eorum personas assumerent. Non ergo videtur quod fuerint convenientes testes. Obj. 2: Further, truth, not fiction, is becoming in a witness of the truth. Now, Moses and Elias were there, not really, but only in appearance; for a gloss on Luke 9:30, They were Moses and Elias, says: It must be observed that Moses and Elias were there neither in body nor in soul; but that those bodies were formed of some available matter. It is also credible that this was the result of the angelic ministries, through the angels impersonating them. Therefore it seems that they were unsuitable witnesses. Praeterea, Act. X dicitur quod Christo omnes prophetae testimonium perhibent. Ergo non soli Moyses et Elias debuerunt adesse tanquam testes, sed etiam omnes prophetae. Obj. 3: Further, it is said (Acts 10:43) that all the prophets give testimony to Christ. Therefore not only Moses and Elias, but also all the prophets, should have been present as witnesses. Praeterea, gloria Christi fidelibus omnibus repromittitur, quos per suam transfigurationem ad illius gloriae desiderium accendere voluit. Non ergo solos Petrum et Iacobum et Ioannem in testimonium suae transfigurationis assumere debuit, sed omnes discipulos. Obj. 4: Further, Christ’s glory is promised as a reward to all the faithful (2 Cor 3:18; Phil. 3:21), in whom He wished by His transfiguration to enkindle a desire of that glory. Therefore He should have taken not only Peter, James, and John, but all His disciples, to be witnesses of His transfiguration. In contrarium est evangelicae Scripturae auctoritas. On the contrary is the authority of the Gospel.