Since learning of this quote from Will Rogers, I liked it for its charity for other’s knowledge, and how it applies to my vast areas of ignorance. I was thinking about this regarding when I first starting reading the Bible.
Growing up, I was interested in Greek myths and the tales involved. I especially enjoyed the Odyssey. This served me well to discern some literary references. When it came to references to Bible stories, I absorbed some of what I thought of as mythology from culture and the media. I had zero interest in exploring these myths further, as I had done with Greek and Roman mythology.
When reading scripture for the first time, all the stories I knew rather shocked me, but did not know they were from the Bible. I was more surprised by all that I found I did not know were biblical allusions.
I spent many hours of my childhood in Mt. Tabor Park in Portland, Or. It was really just across the street from where we lived. So, imagine my surprise when I learned that Mt. Tabor derives its name from a mountain in Israel, which has traditionally been associated with the Transfiguration. I guess not surprising since I hadn’t heard of the Transfiguration either.
> “A young man who wishes to remain a sound Atheist cannot be too careful of his reading. There are traps everywhere” – C.S Lewis
Surprised by Joy
This mystery of the Transfiguration tantalised me, as I perceived there was so much going on here that I only had an inkling (pun always intended) of this at a surface level. Over the years, as read more about this event, I came to appreciate how deep this mystery went. While it is uncertain that Mount Tabor was the site of the Transfiguration, just the name’s connection with what was my childhood playground.
Last month, after the Feast of the Transfiguration, Dale Price wrote::
While vividly-central in the East, it is recognized that August 6 passes by almost unnoticed on the Western liturgical calendar, despite its clearly-biblical provenance.
In passing, I might have noted how this feast had become important to me. I had not thought about it not getting much attention, at least in the Western liturgical calendar.
Dale writes:
Evangelical theologian Patrick Schreiner has written an absolutely essential book on the subject, The Transfiguration of Christ: An Exegetical and Theological Reading. Published this year, Schreiner notes the disparate emphasis between East and West:
In the Western tradition, this day passes by unsung, unhonored, unacknowledged. Consider: how many sermons have you heard on the transfiguration? How many songs do you know about the transfiguration? The transfiguration is a curiosity in want of practical significance.
I immediately bought this book and I agree with Dale’s more knowledgeable assessment. I took a lot of notes to further reflect on, as it had deepened those areas of interest I already had. We should pay close attentions to any theophanies in scripture, and the Transfiguration is deeply rich in signification and tie backs to events in the Old and New Testament. The time-cues in the synoptic Gospels referencing the Transfiguration had caught my attention previously. That Jesus predicts that some of the disciples will not die until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.
It tickled me when Patrick Schreiner mentioned in his book, “The campus of my first teaching position, Western Seminary, is situated under the shadow of another Mount Tabor in Portland, Oregon.”
