The Holy Mountain of Galilee: Could Mount Meron Be the Site of the Transfiguration?
Abstract
The traditional location of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor has long been challenged by exegetes, since it does not adequately fit the narrative context of the Gospels, especially the Gospel of Mark. Alternative hypotheses have likewise encountered widespread scepticism, leading most scholars to treat the question as unresolved. This article proposes that Mount Meron in Upper Galilee is a particularly strong candidate for the historical site of the Transfiguration. A close reading of Mark’s Gospel, supported by the reference in 2 Pet 1:18, points to a high and holy mountain in the context of Jesus’ final Galilean ministry. Although the later Jewish veneration of Meron cannot be directly traced to the time of Jesus, the strongest case for this identification arises from a historiographical reading of Mark, in which the events surrounding the Transfiguration are concentrated in the Meron region.
Keywords:
Transfiguration, Mount Meron, Gospel of Mark, Upper Galilee, “messianic secret” motifReferences
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