Bible Apologetics – Principle of Confirmed Testimony 2

Darek Barefoot continues to explore the “pair-plus-one” pattern discussed in “The Principle of Confirmed Testimony Part 1.” He analyzes a curious episode in which three apostles—Peter, James, and John—accompany Jesus up the side of a mountain one evening. The disciples see Jesus’ face and clothing begin to glow with supernatural light. The disciples further have a vision of two prophets from Israel’s ancient past, Moses and Elijah, who speak with Jesus about his coming departure from Jerusalem. They also hear the voice of God declaring that Jesus is God’s own Son.

The vision on the mountain, which is commonly called the Transfiguration, involves several trio’s of witnesses that conform to the pair-plus-one pattern. The innermost trio consisted of Moses, Elijah, and God, all of whom testify to Jesus’ identity. In the next layer are the apostolic witnesses, Peter, James, and John. Yet another layer is formed by the three documentary witnesses to the Transfiguration story, the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Unexpectedly, an additional fourth layer emerges when the first three groups are closely examined.

Having identified various trios of witnesses associated with the Transfiguration, Barefoot takes a different kind of look at the episode on the mountain and uncovers its final secret.