Christmas that year was set to be different. As a new arrival in Scotland, with only a fledgling grasp of English, I was tasked by the parish priest with translating Polish carols into English. The idea was to incorporate a few of them into our Christmas celebrations because of the substantial contingent of Poles in the parish, but we wanted our non-Polish-speaking members to know the meaning of those carols. That was the moment when I learnt the hard way that while translating wasn’t just a matter of replacing word for word, with poetry it was a near-impossible task. What I instantly grasped with the Polish lyrics because of my upbringing was very hard to put into words in English. I did my best (I’m still blushing), handed my translation on to my Scottish parish priest, and then he massively improved it. His English was pretty good…
The event we heard described in today’s gospel might look like a story bordering on a fairytale. Enriched with so many spectacular, out-of-this-world elements, it is a bit hard to take it seriously by our rational Western minds. However, every Jew in St Matthew’s audience would have instantly realised the meaning of this event. It was steeped in the Jewish tradition, religion and history; something the Jews would have been brought up with, their heritage and identity. They would get the event viscerally without analysing it. We cannot do that unless we have a good and deep knowledge of the Old Testament. What I’m setting out to do now is a bit of a backhanded, self-congratulatory claim that I meet the criteria. Without falling into a pit of boastful pride, I think I know a thing or two about the Bible. I suppose it will be on par with my efforts at translating Polish carols, though this time, the Holy Spirit will have to work hard to improve my attempts.
Let’s start with the characters. Moses was the father head of the people of Israel, the founder and creator of the Jewish religious, political and national identity. He was the lawgiver of immense importance, a bit like the founding fathers of the American Constitution. Elijah was a prophet of God, active in the schismatic Northern Kingdom of Israel. Unlike the prophets we are more familiar with, who were effectively writers and public speakers, Elijah was an acting prophet, actively fighting against the spread of the idolatrous cult of Baal. He became a folklore figure, a powerful defender of the Jewish faith. His spectacular assumption to heaven fed the widespread expectation of his reappearance when the time would be ripe for the arrival of the Messiah, as announced in the Book of the prophet Malachi: “I will send Elijah the prophet to you. He will come before that great and terrible time of judgment from the Lord.” (4:5) Moses and Elijah represented the two constituent parts of Jewish tradition: the Law and the Prophets, a phrase we find a number of times in the gospels.
Now it’s time for the scene or environment of the event. In the biblical tradition, mountains were always special, spiritual places. Virtually all important events happened on the top of a mountain or had a strong connection to one. For the sake of brevity, I’m going to mention only Mount Sinai or Horeb. According to Jewish tradition, Moses received the Law on that mountain after the Israelites had escaped from slavery in Egypt. Centuries later, the prophet Elijah was sent to travel to the same mountain, where God commissioned him to restore true faith.
Then there is the cloud, another hugely important symbol of God’s presence in the Old Testament. On Mount Horeb, when Moses received the Law, God spoke from the fire and cloud, an experience so terrifying that the people of Israel begged Moses to talk to God on their behalf so they wouldn’t have to. The cloud made God’s presence visible and, at the same time, obscured the view. The pillars of fire and cloud accompanied the Israelites’ journey towards the promised land as a sign of God’s ever-presence. The extensive use of incense to produce fragrant smoke was referring to the cloud as a symbol of God’s presence.
The last feature I’d like to draw your attention to is the proposal by Peter and his companions to make three tents. Where would he get them from? Did he bring them up the mountain just in case there would be a heavenly vision? Unlike modern outdoor equipment, ancient tents weren’t particularly mobile unless you had carts to transport them. The proposal was a reference to the Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths), one of the three main festivals when Jews were commanded to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. This feast commemorated the Exodus and the People of Israel’s dependence on God’s will (see Leviticus 23:42-43).
Having skimmed the surface, we can see that the spectacular elements of the story in today’s gospel were literaly vehicles to reveal who Jesus was. Years later, Peter referred to that event in a very sombre fashion: “It was not any cleverly invented myths that we were repeating when we brought you the knowledge of the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; we had seen his majesty for ourselves. God the Father honoured and glorified him when the Sublime Glory itself spoke to him and said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; he enjoys my favour.’ We heard this ourselves, spoken from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.” (2 Peter 1:16-18) Then Peter stated that the entire event revealed to him, James and John that Jesus was the fulfilment of all the prophecies of the Law and the Prophets: “So we have confirmation of what was said in prophecies.” (2 Peter 1:19) Their required response was simple: “This is my Son, the Beloved; […] Listen to him.” We are called to do the same.
