SUMMARY
Instead of relying on secondhand accounts or on more recent inventions, the faith of this particular Christian community rests on the teaching of one who walked with Jesus. The ApostleDerived from a Greek word meaning "one who is sent," an apostle is a person who embraces and advocates another person's idea or beliefs. At the beginning of his ministry Jesus called twelve apostles to follow and serve him. Paul became an apostle of Jesus... More Peter had been there on the Mount of TransfigurationThe Transfiguration was a mountaintop event in which Jesus was transformed and became dazzling white, in a manner that suggested his future glory. Peter, James, and John witnessed Jesus' transfiguration; Moses and Elijah appeared on the mountain and talked with Jesus. The event, which is... More when the glory of Jesus was revealed, and no other witness can compare to that.
ANALYSIS
This almost direct reference to the Transfiguration is one of the strongest assertions possible by the author to the apostolic authority of Peter. On one hand, this extends to the readers the assurance that their faith is grounded in the teaching of an eyewitness; on the other, it eliminates the need of the author to rely solely on his own arguments in disputing with false teachers.
