Matthew 17:1 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

And after six days— That is, about six days if we reckon exclusively, and about eight days if we reckon inclusively, after our Lord had accepted the title of Messiah. See Luke 9:28 who has it, about eight days after. The two accounts differ only, as if one should say, that Christ appeared to his disciples after his death, another after his resurrection: the connection with the end of the former chapter must be attended to here, as in many other places. Heylin. Tradition has generally conferred the honour of the transfiguration on mount Tabor, famed in ancient history for the victory which Deborah and Barak gained over Sisera, Judges 4:14. Roland observes, that this tradition took its rise from Mark 9:2 where it is said, that Jesus carried Peter, James, and John into a high mountain apart by themselves. It seems the original words κατ ιδιαν, apart, were thought to describe the position of the mountain; and because Tabor is very high, and stands in the plain of Esdraelon, at a distance from other hills, they thought it could be said of no other mountain so properly, that it is an high mountain by itself. Hence the tradition of our Lord's being transfigured on this mountain might arise; especially as this mountain is not only high, but verdant also, and woody, and of a beautiful regular form; nevertheless the whole account determines the transfiguration to some mountain not far from Caesarea Philippi, rather than to Tabor, which was situated in the south of Galilee: for after the transfiguration, when Jesus had cured an epileptic who was also possessed by a demon, it is said, Mark 9:30 that they departed and passed through Galilee, and then to Capernaum. Now it is not very probable that the Evangelist would in this manner have related our Lord's journey from the mount of transfiguration to Capernaum, if that mountain had been in Galilee, the region in which Capernaum stood, especially if, as the continuators of Chemnitz's Harmony affirm, the word παραπορευεσθαι signifies to pass through quickly, secretly, and as it were in a journey: yet, upon the faith of the tradition mentioned above, theChristians very early built a monastery and church on the top of Tabor, which, according to the account of travellers, spreads itself into an ample plain, surrounded with a wood. The church was dedicated to Jesus, and his two attendants Moses and Elias; and from 2 Peter 1:18 they call the mountain itself the Holy Mount. Our Lord admitted to the singular honour of his transfiguration, Peter his most zealous, James his most active, and John his most beloved disciple. It was necessary that this remarkable occurrence should be supported by sufficient evidence: hence it was that three of the disciples were chosen, because so many witnesses were required to establish a fact by the Jews; and no more were chosen, because this number was sufficient. Besides this reason for electing these three persons in particular, we may add, that Peter was the most sanguine and the most forward speaker among the apostles, that James was the first martyr, and that John, being the survivor of all the other Apostles, gave a sanction to this record, as it is most probable that he had a sight of all the other Gospels, and likewise confirmed it by his personal testimony as long as he lived. See Macknight, Renald's Palaest. Illust. lib. 1 and Maundrell's Journey, p. 112.