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Ordinary Time · Transfiguration of the Lord · Year B

2 Peter 1:16-19

Prophecy of Scripture

The Transfiguration, Ludovico Carracci
The Transfiguration, Ludovico Carracci, 1595Pinacoteca Nazionale, Bologna
A Bolognese altarpiece with Christ lifted in light and the three disciples thrown flat below, painted as part of the Carracci reaction against mannerism.We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.Ludovico CarracciThe eldest of the three Carracci, who founded a Bolognese academy aimed at putting painting back on nature and the High Renaissance.Pinacoteca Nazionale, BolognaBologna's state gallery, built on works taken from suppressed churches and convents, and strongest in the Carracci and Guido Reni.Pinacoteca Nazionale, Bologna

Overview & Insights

“For we did not follow cleverly devised myths... but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” (2 Peter 1:16)

Peter now comes to the purpose of his letter. So , in view of all that I have outlined and because so much is at stake for your spiritual welfare, I will always remind you of these things . Here speaks the true preacher. Often a preacher is simply reminding listeners of Christian truths of faith and works they already know , as a spur to follow Christ more perfectly. But Peter is well aware, as have been all who have spoken in God’s name down through the ages, of the fallibility of human memory, of the lure of siren voices, and of the constant necessity to be brought back to God’s paths. In this, those who speak for God are following the divine example, for God himself has constantly been saying to his people “Remember!” (Num. 15:40; Isa. 46:9; Mal. 4:4; cf. Exod. 13:3; Josh. 1:13; Acts 20:35; Rom. 15:15; 1 Cor. 11:24–25; Phil. 3:1).

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Take it further: 2 Peter 1:16-19

Commentary

Background & Word Study

The Church Fathers

Questions preachers ask

What does Peter testify to?

Peter recalls the Transfiguration, where he heard the voice from the Majestic Glory, and calls the prophetic word a lamp shining in a dark place until the day dawns.

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