Event New Testament
The transfiguration
Also known as Jesus transfigured on the mountain
About a week after Peter's confession Jesus took Peter, James, and John up a high mountain, where His face and clothing shone, Moses and Elijah appeared talking with Him, and a voice from the cloud called Him the beloved Son and told the disciples to listen to Him. Coming down, Jesus told them that Elijah had already come, and they understood He meant John the Baptist.
Why it matters. The Law and the Prophets stand beside Jesus and then fade, leaving Him alone, while the Father's voice repeats the words of the baptism.
- Primary passages
- Witnesses
Chronology confidence: medium
All three Synoptics place the event about a week after Peter's confession on a high mountain, which is not named; Luke records that Moses and Elijah spoke of His departure at Jerusalem.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
Connections
Peter's confession at Caesarea Philippi precedes The transfiguration
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceAll three Synoptics date the transfiguration about a week after the confession.
Evidence:The transfiguration precedes The parables of the lost sheep, coin, and son
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceLuke places the parables of the lost on the journey to Jerusalem that begins after the transfiguration.
Follow The parables of the lost sheep, coin, and son in the graph
Elijah participates in The transfiguration
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceElijah appears with Moses, talking with Jesus about His coming departure at Jerusalem.
Evidence:James son of Zebedee participates in The transfiguration
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceOne of the three disciples Jesus took up the mountain.
Evidence:James son of Zebedee witnesses The transfiguration
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceOne of the three who saw Jesus transfigured; 2 Peter later appeals to that eyewitness memory.
Evidence:Jesus participates in The transfiguration
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceJesus takes Peter, James, and John up the mountain and is transfigured before them.
Evidence:John the apostle participates in The transfiguration
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceOne of the three disciples Jesus took up the mountain.
Evidence:John the apostle witnesses The transfiguration
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceOne of the three who saw Jesus transfigured; 2 Peter later appeals to that eyewitness memory.
Evidence:Moses participates in The transfiguration
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceMoses appears with Elijah, talking with Jesus about His coming departure at Jerusalem.
Evidence:Peter participates in The transfiguration
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceOne of the three disciples Jesus took up the mountain.
Peter witnesses The transfiguration
Explicit in ScriptureHigh confidenceOne of the three who saw Jesus transfigured; 2 Peter later appeals to that eyewitness memory.
Evidence: