Dimensiunea eshatologică a Praznicului Schimbării la Față. Aspecte morale reflectate în imnografia praznicului
The Eschatological Dimension of the Feast of the Transfiguration. Moral Aspects Reflected in the Hymnography of the Feast

Summary/Abstract: The Feast of the Transfiguration is a celebration that annually re-presents the biblical moment of the Lord’s Transfiguration on Mount Tabor. Through hymnography, the faithful are invited to a deep meditation on the theological meanings conveyed by the hymnographic authors. The hymnographic themes that this study explores are: the eschatological dimension the eschatological dimension of the Transfiguration and the moral condition that the Christian must fulfil through the practice of virtues in order to partake of the uncreated light – that is, dispassion. The eschatological dimension of this feast is reflected in several aspects, being a central theme shaped in patristic literature through profound homilies and exegetical discourses. Thus, we can say that the presence of the two prophets from the Old Testament represents a deeply eschatological image, since, in patristic thought, the two symbolize both the living and the dead – Christ coming at the Parousia to judge the living and the dead. The light that emanates from the Body of the Savior Jesus Christ is the glory of the Godhead with which Christ, in a transfigured state, will appear at His Second Coming, at the Parousia. According to patristic interpretations, this is the glory of the age to come, which man, through the hesychastic way, can experience even while still on earth, just as the three disciples of the Lord did. This idea is reflected in the hesychast tradition, represented by Saints Gregory Palamas and Gregory of Sinai, who see this experience as the beginning of the deification of human nature through the vision of the divine light. In hesychast theology, this uncreated light is considered a foretaste of future glory, accessible to those who live in purity and prayer. The concept of an “anticipated Parousia” is an aspect of patristic thought conveyed in the message of the hymnographic text. According to Saints Basil of Seleucia and Gregory Palamas, through the revelation of His divine glory, Christ unveils to man the glory of the future age, calling him to a life of prayer and purification in order to behold this ineffable glory. Through His saving work, Christ lifts fallen humanity back to its original dignity – to the Adamic state before the fall – restoring to it the joy and radiant state to which it is called through the exercise of the virtues.

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