A question I was asked to respond to in seminary recently was, essentially: if John was an eyewitness to the Transfiguration, why does he not record the event in his Gospel? Upon thinking through this and reading the Transfiguration pericope, I came to the conclusion that the key lies in St. Clement's description of John as a spiritual Gospel. In my view, John has recorded the meaning of the Transfiguration rather than the story itself. One might even say he has given the long version of the pericope, but from a theological rather than historical perspective.
Consider a couple of comparisons. One of the central motifs of the Transfiguration story is a revelation - really a theophany - of God's energies represented in light. Matthew has Jesus saying, "the Son of Man is going to come. . . in the glory of His Father" (16:27). This seems like a prediction of the eschaton until we read his conditional remark, "There are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." Immediately after this, Matthew has recorded the Transfiguration.
With this bit of background to how Jesus is preparing his disciples, we can appreciate what St. John writes. He implies his knowledge of the Transfiguration in his Gospel prologue, especially in this section:
Consider a couple of comparisons. One of the central motifs of the Transfiguration story is a revelation - really a theophany - of God's energies represented in light. Matthew has Jesus saying, "the Son of Man is going to come. . . in the glory of His Father" (16:27). This seems like a prediction of the eschaton until we read his conditional remark, "There are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." Immediately after this, Matthew has recorded the Transfiguration.
With this bit of background to how Jesus is preparing his disciples, we can appreciate what St. John writes. He implies his knowledge of the Transfiguration in his Gospel prologue, especially in this section:
6 There was a man named John
who was sent from God.
7 He came as a witness
to testify about the light,
so that all might believe through him.
8 He was not the light,
but he came to testify about the light.
9 The true light, who gives light to everyone,
was coming into the world.
Again, referring back to Matthew, we see there also the importance of John the Forerunner. So, the Synoptic account gives the story, really in a series of three pericopes beginning at the Great Confession, Matthew 16:13-20, and ending with the explanation of John the Baptist's role in 17:13. St. John gives the meaning using the figures of John the Forerunner and ineffable light - forcefully asserting that Jesus is God in the flesh and that the way of the Cross will be lifegiving.who was sent from God.
7 He came as a witness
to testify about the light,
so that all might believe through him.
8 He was not the light,
but he came to testify about the light.
9 The true light, who gives light to everyone,
was coming into the world.
