The Icon of the Transfiguration is an icon of the divine light revealed to the Apostles. St. Basil the Great said, “The light that appeared on Mount Tabor at the Transfiguration of the Lord is a preparation for the glory of Christ in His second coming.” All the Fathers agree that the light revealed to the Apostles is the uncreated divine light, the eternal glory that shone in the Resurrection and will shine in the second coming of Christ. The Apostles saw God because God is light. The icon expresses this by depicting Jesus in the center, “His face was like the sun, and his garments were white as light” (Matthew 17:2), from which light shines and a ray reaches each of the three disciples.

In the Matins we chant, “O Word, Light that is not changed, Light of the unbegotten Father, in your light that appeared today on Tabor we have seen the Father, Light, and the Spirit, Light that enlightens all creation.” We see Jesus within a circle, which appears in this icon in green. This circle represents the divine glory that the disciples saw “as much as they were able” – as we chant in the feast kontakion – that is, as much as they were prepared to receive the light. Jesus is surrounded by Moses and Elijah, and he speaks with them about “his departure which he would accomplish at Jerusalem” (Luke 9:32), that is, about his passion and resurrection. Moses and Elijah represent the Law and the Prophets, and they are the ones who saw the glory of God in the Old Testament in symbolism. They see God directly in the Transfiguration, as we chant at the feast vespers, “He who spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai… was transfigured today on Mount Tabor…”

We see the disciples as if they were falling from a high mountain, frightened and shocked by the terrible scene. There is a great contrast between the top of the icon, where Christ, Moses and Elijah form a complete circle that expresses eternity, and the bottom of the icon, where the disciples are making human movements and a crowd far from calm and peace. On one side of the icon we see the Lord ascending the mountain with the three disciples, and we see them descending on the other side. The disciples were also transfigured, that is, transformed, so that they could see the light, that is, see God. At the end of the Mass, after we have received the Body and Blood of the Lord, we say, “We have seen the true light and received the heavenly Spirit and found the true faith,” indicating the continuation of the transfiguration in the Divine Sacrifice.
In the Transfiguration, the glory of Christ was revealed to the disciples for the first time.

• Christ is clothed with light like a garment.
• Moses represents the Old Testament law, and Elijah is the Old Testament prophet, and symbolizes our resurrection and ascension with the Lord because he ascended in the chariot of fire. They speak with Jesus and bear witness to Him.
• John: incomprehensible, rolled away, wearing a red dress, a symbol of love.
• Peter: The Lord speaks.
• Jacob: He covers his head without understanding.
• The mountain represents the entire inhabited earth.
• Disciples: The humanity that before the cross, the grave, and the resurrection did not understand anything.
• The halo of Christ: symbolizes divine glory.
• Blue color: not close to it.
• Arrows: Ray of Divine Light.
• John: He has his eyes closed and does not understand, but he accepts everything.
• Peter: 3 tents (the tent of testimony).
• Those who carry a scroll (book) in the icon are the prophets and evangelists.

From my parish bulletin 1995