the Transfiguration

In the gospel story of the Transfiguration some of the disciples witness Jesus transformed into a white glowing being in the presence of Moses and Elijah. Some have suggested that the reason that these two appear with him is because of the miraculous manners of their deaths, or lack thereof. The grave of Moses was unknown to anyone, with the implication that angels buried him, and Elijah didn't die at all, but was taken up by the fiery chariot. However, in my perspective Moses and Elijah are representatives of the Law and the Prophets, the two main divisions of the Jewish scriptures. (While the Law could only be represented by Moses, there are a number of prophets who might have contended for the title of representative of the entire group of Prophets, and so perhaps Elijah's dramatic exit did help to secure him the position.)

In this the transformed Jesus writes in Moses' book of the Law, making him synonamous with the Jewish God, which I believe to have been the implication of the story. On the other side a banner reading "Prophets" extends from the mouth of a raven that Jesus is holding into the mouth of Elijah. A banner coming from the mouth of a prophet could represent their gift of prophecy, but the raven here is a reference to the Biblical story that Elijah was fed by ravens in the wilderness.

I did this for inclusion in a "white show," but it didn't get in because it wasn't white enough. I told the dealer that white makes me think of religious figures. His response was "Everything makes you think of religious figures." I suppose he had a point.

 

Return to "the Transfiguration"