 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Feast of the Transfiguration" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(August 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| The Transfiguration of the Lord | |
|---|---|
.jpeg) Icon of theTransfiguration byTheophanes the Greek, 15th century | |
| Observed by | Christians |
| Significance | Transfiguration of Jesus |
| Date | 6 August |
| Frequency | Annual |
TheFeast of the Transfiguration is celebrated by various Christian communities in honor of thetransfiguration of Jesus. The origins of the feast are less than certain and may have derived from the dedication of three basilicas onMount Tabor.[1] The feast was present in various forms by the 9th century, and in theWestern Church was made a universal feast celebrated on 6 August byPope Callixtus III to commemorate the raising of thesiege of Belgrade (1456).[2]
In theSyriac Orthodox,Malankara Orthodox,Revised Julian calendars withinEastern Orthodoxy,Catholic,Old Catholic, andAnglican churches, the Feast of the Transfiguration is observed on 6 August. In theArmenian Apostolic Church, the Feast of the Transfiguration is observed on the fourteenth Sunday after Easter.[3] In some Lutheran traditions preceding the reforms to the liturgy in the 1970s, 6 August was also observed as the Feast of the Transfiguration. In those Orthodox churches which continue to follow theJulian Calendar, 6 August falls on 19 August of theGregorian Calendar. TheTransfiguration is considered a major feast, numbered among the twelveGreat Feasts in Byzantine Catholicism and Orthodoxy. In all these churches, if the feast falls on a Sunday, its liturgy is not combined with the Sunday liturgy, but completely replaces it.
The transfiguration can also be remembered at other points in the liturgical year, sometimes in addition to the feast itself. In the ancient western lectionary, theEmber Saturday in Lent included the gospel of the Transfiguration. In the Catholic lectionary, on the second Sunday in Lent the gospel of the Transfiguration is read. In the LutheranChurch of Sweden and theChurch of Finland, the story is read on the seventh Sunday afterTrinity, the eighth Sunday after Pentecost. In theRevised Common Lectionary, followed by some Lutherans, Anglicans, Methodists and others, the last Sunday in theEpiphany season (that immediately precedingAsh Wednesday) uses the gospel account, which has led some churches without established festal calendars to refer to this day as "Transfiguration Sunday".
In the Byzantine Catholic andEastern Orthodox Churches, the Transfiguration falls during theDormition Fast, but in recognition of the feast the fast is relaxed somewhat and the consumption of fish, wine and oil is allowed on this day.
In the Byzantine view the Transfiguration is not only a feast in honor of Jesus, but a feast of theHoly Trinity, for all three Persons of the Trinity are interpreted as being present at that moment:God the Father spoke from heaven;God the Son was the one being transfigured, andGod the Holy Spirit was present in the form of a cloud. In this sense, the transfiguration is also considered the "Small Epiphany" (the "Great Epiphany" being theBaptism of Jesus, when the Holy Trinity appeared in a similar pattern).
The Transfiguration is ranked as one of theTwelve Great Feasts of theByzantine liturgical calendar, and is celebrated with anAll-Night Vigil beginning on the eve of the Feast.
Grapes are traditionally brought to church to be blessed after theDivine Liturgy on the day of the Transfiguration. If grapes are not available in the area, apples or some other fruit may be brought. This begins the "Blessing ofFirst Fruits" for the year (in the Western Churches—Catholic, Lutheran and Anglican, the first fruits are blessed onLammas).
The Transfiguration is the second of the "Three Feasts of the Saviour in August", the other two being theProcession of the Cross on 1 August and theIcon of ChristNot Made by Hand on 16 August. The Transfiguration is preceded by a one-dayForefeast and is followed by anAfterfeast of eight days, ending the day before the Forefeast of the Dormition.
In Byzantine theology, theTabor Light is the light revealed on Mount Tabor at the Transfiguration of Jesus, identified with the light seen by Paul on the road to Damascus.
TheArmenian Apostolic Church celebrates the feast of the transfiguration (Պայծառակերպութիւն in Armenian[4]) on the fourteenth Sunday after Easter. It is one of the five major feasts in the Armenian Church calendar. It is also calledVardavar (Վարդավառ or rose festival), a pagan celebration that the observance of the transfiguration officially replaced but some of whose customs and traditions are still observed by Christian Armenians and MuslimHemshin people.[5]
The Coptic Orthodox Church Celebrates the feast of transfiguration on the 13th of Mesri according to theCoptic calendar (i.e. 6 AugustO.S. or 19 AugustN.S.). The Transfiguration always falls duringSt Mary's Fast so it is observed as a fasting feast. The feast is considered one of the seven minor Feasts of the Lord, and is celebrated in the joyful tune.[clarification needed]
| Liturgical seasons |
|---|
|
TheEthiopian Orthodox Church holds the ceremony ofBuhe on the Feast of the Transfiguration.
In theRoman Catholic Church, the Transfiguration was once celebrated locally in various parts of the Catholic world on different days, including 6 August, but was not universally recognized. In 1456, theKingdom of Hungary repulsed anOttoman invasion of the Balkans by breaking thesiege of Belgrade. News of the victory arrived in Rome on 6 August.[6] Given the importance to international politics at that time of such battles between Christian and Muslim nations, in celebration of the victory, PopeCallixtus III elevated the Transfiguration to a Feast day to be celebrated in the entireRoman rite.
In 2002,Pope John Paul II selected the Transfiguration as one of the fiveLuminous Mysteries of theRosary.
TheOld Catholic Church celebrates the Transfiguration typically on 6 August, according to the Roman rite calendar; however, every local Old Catholic Church throughout the world has the option to celebrate this major feast on a different day. The Old Catholic theological view of the Transfiguration shares much in common with the Eastern Orthodox perspective. Old Catholics also believe that the transfiguration was a major event that revealed the divinity of Christ; that Jesus is indeed the splendor andeikon of the Father. The Transfiguration shows forth humanity in the splendor of its original form when it was united in the life-giving love of the Triune God. This event reveals the possibility of humanity'stheosis.
If the Transfiguration falls on a Sunday, it replaces the ordinary liturgical Ordo of the season for Sacred Liturgy.
TheEvangelical Lutheran Church in America,Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, theEvangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, and the North American Lutheran Church (NALC) observe the Feast of the Transfiguration as the last Sunday after theEpiphany, which is the Sunday immediately precedingAsh Wednesday and the season ofLent.[7]
In theBook of Common Prayer (1549 and 1552) the feast of the Transfiguration, which had a relatively low rank in the Sarum Calendar, is omitted, but was restored to the Calendar without a collect and reading being provided by royal order in 1560. This state of affairs is perpetuated in the 1662 Prayer Book, but would have been remedied had the 1928 Proposed BCP been approved by Parliament. As it was, the Bishops of the Church of England refused to sanction those who used the 1928 Book of Common Prayer as the 6 August date came into general use. The Feast of the Transfiguration is retained in the Common Worship lectionary of the Church of England (6 August). The AmericanBook of Common Prayer of 1892 has been incorporated into most modern Anglican calendars (sometimes called "The Transfiguration of Our Lord").[8]
TheBook of Common Prayer of the AmericanEpiscopal Church lists the feast of The Transfiguration of Our Lord as occurring on August 6th.[9]
In thePresbyterian Church, the Sunday of the Transfiguration marks the last day of theEpiphany season, on the last Sunday before Ash Wednesday. The inceptive Calvinist tradition rejected all liturgical feasts, including the Feast of the Transfiguration. This, however, does not mean that the Transfiguration itself was ignored by the Calvinists. Calvin's own views on the Transfiguration were far from ambivalent:
With time, most major feasts were restored to the Reformed ecclesiastical calendar. The Sunday of Transfiguration is now a part of theRevised Common Lectionary. Whether it is celebrated liturgically or in name only, it is left to the discretion of the clergy or Session.
The Book of Common Worship of 1993 (Presbyterian Church USA) contains the order of the service for Transfiguration of the Lord. This order is either combined with the Sunday liturgy or replaces it in those congregations which orient themselves towards liturgical practices and observances.[11]
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)| Calendar |
|
|---|---|
| Topics | |
| Traditions | |
| Hymns and carols |
|
| Noted works | |
