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Matthew

About this book
Chapter 17

1 Six days later Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them privately up a high mountain.⁠ 2 And he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.⁠ 3 Then Moses and Elijah also appeared before them, talking with him. 4 So Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you want, I will make three shelters—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my one dear Son, in whom I take great delight. Listen to him!”⁠ 6 When the disciples heard this, they were overwhelmed with fear and threw themselves down with their faces to the ground. 7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Do not be afraid.” 8 When they looked up, all they saw was Jesus alone. 9 As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Do not tell anyone about the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” 10 The disciples asked him, “Why then do the experts in the law say that Elijah must come first?” 11 He answered, “Elijah does indeed come first and will restore all things.⁠ 12 And I tell you that Elijah has already come. Yet they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wanted. In the same way, the Son of Man will suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist. 14 When they came to the crowd, a man came to him, knelt before him, 15 and said, “Lord, have mercy on my son because he has seizures and suffers terribly, for he often falls into the fire and into the water. 16 I brought him to your disciples, but they were not able to heal him.” 17 Jesus answered, “You unbelieving and perverse generation! How much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I endure you? Bring him here to me.” 18 Then Jesus rebuked the demon and it came out of him, and the boy was healed from that moment. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why couldn’t we cast it out?” 20 He told them, “It was because of your little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; nothing will be impossible for you.” 21 When they gathered together in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. 22 They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised.” And they became greatly distressed. 23 After they arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax came to Peter and said, “Your teacher pays the double drachma tax, doesn’t he?” 24 He said, “Yes.” When Peter came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do earthly kings collect tolls or taxes—from their sons or from foreigners?” 25 After he said, “From foreigners,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. 26 But so that we don’t offend them, go to the lake and throw out a hook. Take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth, you will find a four-drachma coin. Take that and give it to them for me and you.”

Texts in conversation

Compare Matthew 17:5 and 2 Baruch 22:2

New Testament · Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses

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Summary

In Matthew, a voice from a bright cloud identifies Jesus to the disciples as God's beloved Son, while in 2 Baruch a voice from on high answers Baruch in his distress. These are similar to what Rabbinic tradition calls the bat kol, a voice from heaven.

Passages

Matthew 17:5

New Testament
3 Then Moses and Elijah also appeared before them, talking with him. 4 So Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you want, I will make three shelters—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my one dear Son, in whom I take great delight. Listen to him!” 6 When the disciples heard this, they were overwhelmed with fear and threw themselves down with their faces to the ground. 7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Do not be afraid.”
70–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Matthew

2 Baruch 22:2

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses · Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch
1 And it came to pass after these things that look, the heavens were opened, and I saw, and power was given to me, and a voice was heard from on high, and it said to me: 2 ‘Baruch, Baruch, why are you troubled? 3 He who travels by a road but does not complete it, or who departs by sea but does not arrive at the port, can he be comforted? 4 Or he who promises to give a present to another, but does not fulfill it, is it not robbery?
70–135 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 2 Baruch

References

"... The Gospel of Matthew contains two passages where the voice from heaven reiterates what it had previously announced; compare Matthew 3:17 and 17:5 ... A few commonly known (Jewish) texts include: Daniel, 1 Enoch, 4 Ezra, and the Sibylline Oracles. Some of its predominant themes include the problem of evil in the world, reward and punishment after death, the heavenly Temple, and the divine throne room. Though he does not expound, D.S. Russell opined that every reference to heavenly voices in apocalyptic literature is the rabbinic bat kol. One could infer that factors like same geographical location and time period could have contributed to the similarities in terminology and leitmotifs. My intention here is to draw out common themes and descriptive language so as to corroborate the view that apocalyptic literature bore influence upon the rabbis. The texts to be consulted will be the pseudepigrapha of 2 Baruch, 3 Baruch, and 4 Ezra ..."
John D. Grullon, Heavenly Voice, Earthly Echo: Unraveling the Function of the Bat Kol in Rabbinic Writings (Florida International University, 2016), 15, 66–67.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Matthew 17:5 and 2 Baruch 22:2

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