having obtained such splendid good things? Then in addition to these things, he instills fear in them, saying that he will descend from heaven not in the initial meanness and in the humility that is ours, but in the glory of the Father, with angels as a bodyguard. Therefore, it is very difficult and full of destruction to be condemned for lack of love and lack of work when the judge descends from above and the angelic ranks stand around, but great and worthy of all wonder and a cause of unending prosperity for them to rejoice over what has already been labored for and to expect the rewards for their sweat; for such people will be praised when Christ says: Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 79 {3Zu Lk. 9, 27-29 Since the disciples had not yet received the power from on high, it was likely that they would perhaps fall into human weaknesses and, having thought something of this sort among themselves, would say: How will someone deny himself? or how, having lost his own soul, will he find it again? What will be the equivalent reward for those who suffer this? or of what spiritual gifts will he be a partaker? Therefore, in order to turn them away from such thoughts and, as it were, to reforge them towards manliness by instilling a desire for the good repute that would be theirs, he says: But I say to you: there are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God. He calls the kingdom of God the very sight of the glory in which he himself will also be seen at that time, when he will shine upon those on earth; for he will come in the glory of God the Father and no longer in the meanness that is ours. How then did he make those who received the promise spectators of the wonder? He goes up the mountain, having with him three chosen ones from among them. Then he is transformed into a certain exceptional and god-befitting splendor, so that even his clothing shone from the impact of the light and seemed, as it were, to flash like lightning. ZU LK 9, 30φ But Moses and Elijah, standing around Jesus, were speaking, he says, to one another of his departure, which he was about to 80 fulfill in Jerusalem, that is, the mystery of the economy in the flesh and the saving passion, I mean that upon the precious cross; for they always call it glory. For it is true that the law through Moses and the word of the holy prophets prefigured the mystery of Christ, the one in types and shadows, almost as if sketching it on a tablet, the others having foretold in many ways that he would be seen at the appointed times in our form and that for the sake of the salvation and life of all he would not refuse to suffer death on a tree. Therefore, the appearance of Moses and Elijah and their speaking to one another was a certain dispensation, demonstrating very well that our Lord Jesus Christ is attended by the law and the prophets as Lord of both law and prophets, and was prefigured by them, through whom they proclaimed harmonious things to one another. ZU LK 9, 29 We say that the transfiguration took place not by the body changing its human form, but by a certain light-like glory enveloping it and transforming the most dishonored character of the flesh into a more glorious appearance, according to what was well and correctly said by the blessed Paul: It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. For now this very flesh is naked, not colored by any glory, not adorned with natural splendor, but having only the bare dishonor and weakness from nature, but at the time of the resurrection there will be a god-befitting change and a transformation of glory, not of form. For henceforth it will shine with the covering of divine glory; 81 for the righteous will shine like the sun in the

οὕτω λαμπρῶν τετυχηκότες ἀγαθῶν; εἶτα πρὸς τούτοις φόβον αὐτοῖς ἐντίκτει καταβήσεσθαι λέγων ἐξ οὐρανοῦ οὐκ ἐν σμικροπρεπείᾳ τῇ πρώτῃ καὶ ἐν ὑφέσει τῇ καθ' ἡμᾶς, ἀλλ' ἐν δόξῃ τῇ τοῦ πατρὸς δορυφορούντων ἀγγέλων. οὐκοῦν παγχάλεπον καὶ ὀλέθρου μεστὸν τὸ καταγνωσθῆναι μὲν ἐπὶ ἀφιλίᾳ τε καὶ ἀφιλεργίᾳ καταφοιτήσαντος ἄνωθεν τοῦ κριτοῦ καὶ ἀγγελικῶν ταγμάτων περιεστηκότων, μέγα δὲ καὶ παντὸς θαύματος ἄξιον καὶ τῆς εἰς λῆξιν εὐημερίας πρόξενον τὸ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἤδη προπεπονημένοις χαίρειν αὐτοὺς καὶ τὸ προσδοκᾶν τῶν ἱδρώτων τὰς ἀμοιβάς· ἐπαινεθήσονται γὰρ οἱ τοιοίδε Χριστοῦ λέγοντος· ∆εῦτε οἱ εὐλογημένοι τοῦ πατρός μου, κληρονομήσατε τὴν ἑτοιμασμένην ὑμῖν βασιλείαν ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου. 79 {3Zu Lk. 9, 27-29 Οὔπω τὴν ἐξ ὕψους δύναμιν ἐσχηκότας τοὺς μαθητὰς εἰκὸς ἦν τάχα που καὶ ἀνθρωπίναις περιπεσεῖν ἀσθενείαις καί τι τοιοῦτον καθ' ἑαυτοὺς ἐννενοηκότας εἰπεῖν· Πῶς ἀρνήσεταί τις ἑαυτόν; ἢ πῶς ἀπολέσας τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν εὑρήσει πάλιν αὐτήν; τί δὲ τοῖς τοῦτο παθοῦσι τὸ ἰσοστατοῦν ἔσται γέρας; ἢ καὶ ποίων ἔσται χαρισμάτων μέτοχος; ἵνα τοίνυν τῶν τοιούτων αὐτοὺς ἀποστήσῃ λογισμῶν καὶ οἷον μεταχαλκεύσῃ πρὸς εὐανδρίαν τῆς ἐσομένης αὐτοῖς εὐκλείας ἐπιθυμίαν ἐντεκών φησι· Λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν· εἰσί τινες τῶν αὐτοῦ ἑστηκότων, οἳ οὐ μὴ γεύσωνται θανάτου ἕως ἂν ἴδωσι τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ. βασιλείαν δὲ θεοῦ λέγει αὐτὴν τὴν θέαν τῆς δόξης, ἐν ᾗ καὶ αὐτὸς ὀφθήσεται κατ' ἐκεῖνο τοῦ καιροῦ, καθ' ὃν ἐπιλάμψει τοῖς ἐπὶ γῆς· ἥξει γὰρ ἐν δόξῃ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ πατρὸς καὶ οὐκ ἔν γε μᾶλλον σμικροπρεπείᾳ τῇ καθ' ἡμᾶς. πῶς οὖν ἄρα θεωροὺς ἐποιεῖτο τοῦ θαύματος τοὺς λαβόντας τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν; ἄνεισιν ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος τρεῖς ἀπ' αὐτῶν τοὺς ἀπολέκτους ἔχων. εἶτα μεταπλάττεται πρὸς ἐξαίρετόν τινα καὶ θεοπρεπῆ λαμπρότητα ὥστε καὶ τὸν ἱματισμὸν αὐτοῦ τῇ τοῦ φωτὸς προσβολῇ διαλάμψαι καὶ οἷον ἀπαστράψαι δοκεῖν. ZU LK 9, 30φ Πλὴν Μωυσῆς καὶ Ἠλίας περιεστηκότες τὸν Ἰησοῦν προσελάλουν, φησίν, ἀλλήλοις τὴν ἔξοδον αὐτοῦ, ἣν ἔμελλε 80 πληροῦν ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ, τουτέστι τῆς μετὰ σαρκὸς οἰκονομίας τὸ μυστήριον καὶ τὸ σωτήριον πάθος, τὸ ἐπί γέ φημι τῷ τιμίῳ σταυρῷ· δόξαν γὰρ αὐτὸ καλοῦσιν ἀεί. καὶ γάρ ἐστιν ἀληθὲς ὅτι ὁ διὰ Μωυσέως νόμος καὶ τῶν ἁγίων προφητῶν ὁ λόγος τὸ Χριστοῦ μυστήριον προανέδειξαν, ὁ μὲν ἐν τύποις καὶ σκιαῖς, μονονουχὶ καθάπερ ἐν πίνακι καταγράφων αὐτό, οἱ δὲ πολυτρόπως προηγορευκότες ὡς καὶ ὀφθήσεται κατὰ καιροὺς ἐν εἴδει τῷ καθ' ἡμᾶς καὶ ὅτι τῆς πάντων ἕνεκα σωτηρίας καὶ ζωῆς οὐ παραιτήσεται τὸ παθεῖν τὸν ἐπὶ ξύλου θάνατον. οὐκοῦν ἡ Μωυσέως καὶ Ἠλίου παράστασις καὶ τὸ προσλαλεῖν ἀλλήλοις αὐτοὺς οἰκονομία τις ἦν εὖ μάλα καταδεικνύουσα δορυφορούμενον μὲν ὑπὸ νόμου καὶ προφητῶν τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ὡς καὶ νόμου καὶ προφητῶν δεσπότην, προκαταδειχθέντα δὲ παρ' αὐτῶν, δι' ὧν ἀλλήλοις συνῳδὰ προεκήρυξαν. ZU LK 9, 29 Πεπρᾶχθαι δέ φαμεν τὴν μεταμόρφωσιν οὐχὶ δή που τὸ σχῆμα τὸ ἀνθρώπινον μεταβαλόντος τοῦ σώματος, ἀλλὰ δόξης τινὸς φωτοειδοῦς περιστελλούσης αὐτὸ καὶ τὸν ἀτιμότατον τῆς σαρκὸς χαρακτῆρα μεταχρωννύσης ὥσπερ εἰς ὄψιν εὐκλεεστέραν κατὰ τὸ Σπείρεται ἐν ἀτιμίᾳ, ἐγείρεται ἐν δόξῃ, παρὰ τοῦ μακαρίου Παύλου καλῶς τε καὶ ὀρθῶς εἰρημένον. νυνὶ μὲν γὰρ αὐτὸ τοῦτο σάρξ ἐστι γυμνή, οὐ δόξῃ τινὶ κατακεχρωσμένη, οὐ λαμπρότητι φυσικῇ κατηγλαϊσμένη, ψιλὴν δὲ καὶ μόνην τὴν ἐκ φύσεως ἀδοξίαν καὶ ἀσθένειαν ἔχουσα, κατὰ δὲ τὸν τῆς ἀναστάσεως καιρὸν ἐξαλλαγή τις ἔσται θεοπρεπὴς καὶ δόξης, οὐ σχήματος, μεταβολή. θείας γὰρ δόξης 81 ἐπιβλήματι περιαστράψει λοιπόν· ἐκλάμψουσι γὰρ οἱ δίκαιοι καθάπερ ὁ ἥλιος ἐν τῇ