The Transfiguration and the Jewish Feast of Booths

LivingWordUnity · Feb 21, 2016

I believe that the Transfiguration took place during the Jewish Feast of Booths (Sukkot). And I think it partly explains why St. Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Eli'jah." Some theorize that St. Peter made the suggestion because he wanted the experience to last. This might also be true.

Luke 9:28-36 (Feb 21, 2016 Gospel Reading)

"Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his countenance was altered, and his raiment became dazzling white. And behold, two men talked with him, Moses and Eli'jah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, and when they wakened they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Eli'jah" -- not knowing what he said. As he said this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silence and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.

Feast of Booths

Some Scripture scholars theorize that the Transfiguration occurred during the Feast of Sukkot, or the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles. This was a biblical Jewish feast that fell sometime within September or October (in the Jewish calendar this was the 15th day of the month of Tishrei) commemorating the 40 year sojourn in the desert and remembrance of dwelling in tents, including the temporary tabernacle for the dwelling of God (Holy of Holies) until the permanent Temple was built by Solomon.

If this wasn't during the actual feast, the whole scene does hearken back to wandering in the desert and the revelation of the Covenant with the Jewish people. Understanding the context of the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles helps understand why Peter would even suggest erecting tents. (More)

pdudgeon · Feb 21, 2016

5 things struck me about this passage;

first the appearance of both Moses and Elijah in a glorified form, translated from where they had been in Paradise.
second, that Peter recognized both Moses and Elijah--OT prophets who died long before Peter was born.

third, the unique presence of God in the cloud on this occasion, and that the disciples recognized that this was no ordinary cloud.

and lastly, God's directive to Peter that here was a Man, Jesus, who was greater than either Moses or Elijah. Jesus was God's Son.

this puts the heavenly sonship of Jesus directly in opposition to the earthly sonship of Herod Antipas, who was the son of Herod the King,
the ruler over one of the 4 districts in Palestine.

and lastly that Jesus, (who the diciples thought was a teacher that they had been walking with and talking to, and thinking of him as a man)
was actually greater than King Herod, an earthly king, and greater than Moses, and greater than Elijah
(both the very personification of the Law and the Prophets, both revered by the Jews.)

and this Jesus whom they knew personally was greater than all of them!

what a revelation that must have been!

LivingWordUnity · Feb 21, 2016

“After centuries of antagonism, we now see it as our task to bring these two ways of rereading the biblical texts—the Christian way and the Jewish way—into dialog with one another, if we are to understand God’s will and his word aright.”

— Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI), Jesus of Nazareth Vol II, pp. 33-34

LivingWordUnity · Feb 21, 2016

Our Jewish Roots: The Feast of Booths

All who are left of all the nations that came against Jerusalem shall come up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to celebrate the feast of Booths — Zechariah 14:16.

Autumn has always been my favorite season. I am enamored by the cooler temperatures that bring crisp night breezes wafting through the open windows and the beauty of leaves changing colors on all the trees. College fight songs, stores filled with back-to-school supplies, and wardrobes that include warm and fuzzy flannels are harbingers of the peaceful days that will fill the season. I'm not yet waylaid by inches of snow and slush nor am I suffering through the humidity of the dog days of summer. Yes, in my heart, there is no other season that holds the magic of fall.

Autumn also ushers in the last of the fall harvests, the final crops. Farmers Markets are filled with the best of the fruits and vegetables from the season and there is a smile on everyone's face as they peruse the succulent choices for purchase. It is no wonder that this time of year is of special importance to our Creator, as well. It is during this time that Sukkot, the feast of Booths, is celebrated.

The fifteenth day of this seventh month is the Lord's feast of Booths which shall continue for seven days — Leviticus 23:34.

The equivalent of this fifteenth day of the seventh month translates, this year, into September 27th. September 27th begins a seven day feast (see Deut. 16:15) so joyful that it has been said that to have seen it celebrated during Christ's time is to have seen joy beyond comprehending. And it is no wonder that during this blissful time Jesus revealed Himself as the fulfillment of this pilgrim festival that calls everyone in Israel to celebrate at the Temple.

At the core of the Sukkot celebration is the Sukkah itself. This is the booth, or tabernacle, that each family makes, according to specific guidelines. Essentially, both building the booth and dwelling in it for the seven days, or some portion thereof (see Lev. 23:42) is considered a mitzvah, or good deed. The booth is supposed to have only one permanent side and its roof is to be made of something grown from the ground but not tied together as it sits upon the tabernacle. In a spiritual sense, the temporary structure reflects our own temporary existence and ultimate dependence on God. The roof, while providing some protection, should allow the occupants to gaze up into the stars at night thus being able to know and worship God more intimately. And of course, the entire structure harkens to the 40 years that the Jews wandered the desert, depending completely upon God for food and shelter.

(More)

LivingWordUnity · Feb 25, 2016

“J.M. van Cangh and M. van Esbroeck have explored the connection with the calendar of Jewish festivals. They point out that only five days separate two major Jewish feasts that occur in the fall. First there is the feast of Yom ha-Kippurim, the great Day of Atonement; the celebration of the weeklong Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkoth) follows six days afterward. This would mean that Peter’s confession fell on the great Day of Atonement and should be interpreted theologically against the backdrop of this feast, on which, for the one time in the year, the high priest solemnly pronounced the name YHWH in the Temple’s Holy of Holies. This context would give added depth to Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Son of the living God. Jean Daniélou, by contrast, sees the Evangelists’ references to the timing of the Transfiguration exclusively in relation to the Feast of Tabernacles, which…lasted an entire week. On this reading, Matthew, Mark, and Luke would all be in agreement about the chronology of the event. The six or eight days would then designate the weeklong Feast of Tabernacles itself; Jesus’ Transfiguration would accordingly have taken place on the last day of the feast, which was both its high point and the synthesis of its inner meaning.”

— Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI), Jesus of Nazareth Vol. I, 306
.

AlasBabylon · Sep 23, 2018

.

I know this is an old topic. But I just found it while studying the Feast of Tabernacles [which begins at sundown today.] I too think Jesus' Transfiguration happened during the Feast of Tabernacles... specifically, on what is called the "Last Great Day." In Luke 9:28, Jesus' Transfiguration happened "eight days later"... that is, eight days after He told His disciples, "some standing here will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God." Interesting how that timing parallels the Feast of Tabernacles.

.

AlasBabylon · Sep 23, 2018

pdudgeon said:
5 things struck me about this passage;

first the appearance of both Moses and Elijah in a glorified form, translated from where they had been in Paradise.
second, that Peter recognized both Moses and Elijah--OT prophets who died long before Peter was born.

third, the unique presence of God in the cloud on this occasion, and that the disciples recognized that this was no ordinary cloud.

and lastly, God's directive to Peter that here was a Man, Jesus, who was greater than either Moses or Elijah. Jesus was God's Son.

this puts the heavenly sonship of Jesus directly in opposition to the earthly sonship of Herod Antipas, who was the son of Herod the King,
the ruler over one of the 4 districts in Palestine.

and lastly that Jesus, (who the diciples thought was a teacher that they had been walking with and talking to, and thinking of him as a man)
was actually greater than King Herod, an earthly king, and greater than Moses, and greater than Elijah
(both the very personification of the Law and the Prophets, both revered by the Jews.)

and this Jesus whom they knew personally was greater than all of them!

what a revelation that must have been!

Interesting that you would mention the Herod kings who were not Israelites but descendants of Edomite converts* who stood in opposition to God's Divine Son, the King of kings, of the bloodline of David, Jesus Christ.

* Per Josephus' History of the Jews, in the 2nd century BC after losing a war against the Kingdom of Israel, Israel's historic enemy, the Edomites, feigned "conversion" enmasse and were allowed to live in the Kingdom of Israel, becoming a fifth-column that destroyed it from within.

.

Search

Search

The Transfiguration and the Jewish Feast of Booths

LivingWordUnity

Unchanging Deposit of Faith, Traditional Catholic

More options

pdudgeon

Traditional Catholic

More options

LivingWordUnity

Unchanging Deposit of Faith, Traditional Catholic

More options

LivingWordUnity

Unchanging Deposit of Faith, Traditional Catholic

More options

LivingWordUnity

Unchanging Deposit of Faith, Traditional Catholic

More options

AlasBabylon

Mystic

More options

AlasBabylon

Mystic

More options

Similar threads