Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!’ Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them anymore, but only Jesus. (Mark 9:2-8)

This account of the so-called transfiguration of Jesus is often taken as evidence for the divinity of Jesus. That Jesus appeared “dazzling white” is thought to be a reflection of his true nature—a temporary revelation of his divine glory. But the text would not have been understood this way by Mark’s audience. What are the elements involved here? Jesus ascends a mountain, accompanied by his close companions. At the top of the mountain, Jesus becomes transfigured, glowing like radiant light. Jesus is then joined by two prophets from of old, Moses and Elijah, both of whom encountered God in mountaintop experiences, both of whom were said by tradition to have ascended into heaven. Seeing Jesus transfigured, his companions become terrified. On the mountain Jesus is enveloped in a cloud, and the voice of God speaks, identifying Jesus as his “Son,” who is “beloved,” and charges Jesus’ companions to “listen to him.”

Comparisons between this account and the experience of Moses on the mountain in Exodus 34 are not hard to find. Moses ascends the mountain with his companion Joshua. Moses enters the cloud of God’s glory and speaks with God, hearing his voice. When Moses comes out of the cloud and is seen by Aaron and the Israelites, they become terrified. The face of Moses is aglow with the radiance of God’s glory. Israel is charged to listen to Moses, who mediates the word which he received on the mountain to the people of God.

Elijah too encountered God, and heard God’s voice, on the mountaintop. In the ancient cosmology, it was believed that the gods lived in the heavens (i.e., skies) and that the ascent of a mountain brought one closer to the dwelling place of the gods, making close encounters possible.

Jesus here is portrayed as God’s prophet, a prophet no less significant than Moses and Elijah. In his terror, Peter offers to build monuments or tents to each of the three prophets: Jesus, Elijah and Moses. That Jesus is accompanied by these prophets indicates how Jesus is portrayed here, as a prophet in the company of prophets.

He is called God’s son, which is a title bestowed upon many a human being throughout history, from Adam, to Moses, to David, to Israel as a collective, and so on. It is primarily a royal appellative. As with Moses and David, Jesus is to be seen as king and prophet. He is also called “beloved,” which may be an allusion to the binding of Isaac (Gen 22:2), a Markan foreshadowing of Jesus’ impending sacrificial death. This account is in fact preceded and followed by predictions of Jesus’ suffering.

There is no indication in the text that Jesus is to be seen as anything more than a human being. The radiance that exudes from his clothes does not reflect a hidden divine nature, but the glory of God which again meets the preeminent prophet upon the mountain, at yet another—indeed this ultimate—crucial moment in salvation history.