Editing Transfiguration of Jesus (section)

=== Presence of prophets ===

The presence of the prophets next to Jesus and the perceptions of the disciples have been subject to theological debate. Origen was the first to comment that the presence of Moses and Elijah represented the "Law and the prophets", referring to the Torah (also called the Pentateuch) and the rest of the Hebrew Bible.{{sfn|Andreopoulos|2005|pp=60–65}} [[Martin Luther]] continued to see them as the Law and the Prophets respectively, and their recognition of and conversation with Jesus as a symbol of how Jesus fulfills "the law and the prophets" ([[Matthew 5:17]]–[[Matthew 5:19|19]], see also [[Expounding of the Law]]).{{sfn|Luther|1905|p=150}}

More recently, biblical scholar Caleb Friedeman has argued that the appearance of Moses and Elijah together at the transfiguration was because both of them had witnessed similar [[Theophany|theophanies]] at [[Mount Sinai (Bible)|Mount Sinai]]. Friedeman asserts that, in light of both Old Testament theophanies, the transfiguration must be considered a theophany in which Jesus manifests his divinity.{{sfn|Friedeman|2024|pp=64–71}} The connection between the Mount Sinai/[[Mount Horeb|Horeb]] theophanies of both Moses and Elijah and their presence at the Transfiguration is also made by the [[New American Bible]].<ref>1 Kings 19, fn. [d]. New American Bible, Revised Edition.</ref>

The real presence of Moses and Elijah on the mount is rejected by those churches and individuals who believe in "[[soul sleep]]" (Christian mortalism) until resurrection. Several commentators have noted that the Gospel of Matthew describes the transfiguration using the Greek word ''horama'' ({{Bibleverse|Matthew|17:9}}), according to [[Joseph Henry Thayer|Thayer]] more often used for a supernatural "vision" than for real physical events{{efn|{{bibleverse|Acts|12:9|KJV}} 'Peter thought he was seeing a "vision" {{gstrong's|37|05|hórama}} }} and conclude that Moses and Elijah were not truly there.{{sfn|Warren|2005|p=85}} In [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|LDS]] doctrine, Moses and Elijah ministered to Christ as "spirits of just men made perfect" (Doctrine and Covenants 129:1–3; see also Hebrews 12:23).