Matthew 17:1

Verse 1. And after six days. S. Mat. reckons neither the day of the promise, nor the day of the transfiguration; Saint Luke, including both, calls the interval about eight days, ωσει ημεραι οκτω. S. Chry.—He took Peter, as head of the apostolic college; James, as first to shed his blood for the faith; and John, as he was to survive all the rest, and to transmit to posterity the circumstances of this glorious mystery; or, according to S. Chry. on account of their more excellent love, zeal, courage, sufferings and predilection. The mountain is generally believed to be Thabor, and as such is considered by Christians as holy, and was much frequented by pilgrims, as S. Jerom testifies. Ven. Bede tells us that three churches were built upon it; and Mr. Maundrell, in his Journey from Aleppo to Jerusalem, p. 112, says there are still three grottoes, made to represent the three tabernacles proposed by Saint Peter. According to Le Brun, Thabor is situated about 12 miles from the sea of Galilee, and eight from Nazareth. Others, however, do not think the transfiguration took place on Mount Thabor, which was in the middle of Lower Galilee, because Saint Mark (9:29,) says, that Christ and his apostles, departing thence, passed through Galilee, and not out of Galilee, and suppose it might be Libanus, because it was near Cæsarea Philippi; in the borders of which Christ appears at this time to have been, at least the promise of the transfiguration was made there, and this place is distant about 60 miles from Mount Thabor. Matthew 16:13.—Mount Libanus is the highest in Palestine, according to S. Jerom; and of it Isaias prophesied: “the glory of Libanus is given to it, the beauty of Carmel and Saron; they shall see the glory of our God,” 35:2. Tirinus.—But, as we said above, Thabor is very generally supposed to have been the mountain.