What disciple was not present at the transfiguration?

Answer 1

This depends which time sequence is being referred to. Initially none of the apostles believed the testimony of the women who were the first to see Him. So, if the 'they' is referring to the initial testimony of others then all the apostles refused to believe. This is a consistent message of the resurrection accounts and demonstrates the fact that the apostles exercised a natural skepticism, even though they may have wished the resurrection to have happened. It is recorded that they did not believe until they had sufficient evidence that it was so. Jesus later rebuked them for this, since He had told them Himself that this would happen, and of course for refusing to believe the eyewitness testimony of the women.

11And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. 12After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. 13And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them. 14Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. 10It was Mary Magdalene and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles. 11And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.

Later, two men on the road to Emmaus were described by Jesus Himself as 'slow to believe.' 24And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not. 25Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: 26Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?

Thomas, who was not present when Jesus appeared to the ten others, refused to believe at that point. Later, when Jesus did appear to him, he believed.

19Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 20And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the LORD. 21Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 22And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. 24But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the LORD. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. 26And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. 27Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. 28And Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God. 29Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

The verse which follows reports that even to the point of the ascencion there were a few who still doubted, despite the various evidences and appearances.

16Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. 17And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. There is no record of who these doubters were -but evidently this doubt changed at some point, either at the time referred to in Matthew or afterwards. This is so, since it is recorded that on the day of Pentecost that they 'were all with accord in one place.' This refers to the eleven and those who were with them (see Acts 1:26 to 2:1). They obviously could not have been of one accord if any of them had any lingering doubts about the central event of the resurrection.

In the end there were no apostles who remained disbelieving, since they actually saw Him, they talked with Him. They also saw Him eat some fish. Thomas and the others with him also saw the scars His body bore from the crucifixion. So, when they literally saw Him for themselves their initial and natural disbelief of the testimony of others turned around. The lingering doubts of some seems inexplicable in light of the actual evidence. This is a testimony to the brutal honesty of the record -even lingering doubts are recorded, a witness against those who were to be the future leaders of the church. Their names however remain unknown.

Answer 2

In John's Gospel, Thomas was not present when the risen Jesus appeared to the other ten disciples. When told, he refused to believe that Jesus was alive.

Since this account does not appear in any of the other gospels, some scholars say that this did not really happen. The respected New Testament scholar, Elaine Pagels, says that John's Gospel has a thread of anti-Thomas rhetoric that could explain this account.

Answer 3

A:In Matthew's gospel, Jesus appeared to the disciples just once, in a mountain in Galilee, and all the disciples were present. Jesus commanded the disciples to spread out and preach the gospel to the whole world.

Mark's Gospel originally ended at verse 16:8, with the young man telling the women that Jesus was risen and they fled in terror, telling no one: it seems that Jesus appeared to no one. The 'Long Ending' (verses 16:9-20) was added much later and says that Jesus appeared just once to the eleven at a meal, telling them to trav el the world and preach the gospel, and they went forth and preached everywhere.

In Luke's Gospel, Jesus appeared to all the disciples together at a meal on the evening of the day of his resurrection, after which he took them out on the road to Bethany, where he was taken bodily up into heaven.

It is in John's Gospel that Jesus appeared to all the disciples except Thomas and they received the Holy Spirit. Jesus appeared to all the disciples in the same room a few days later, and this time Thomas was present.

In each case, it is assumed that there are only eleven disciples, as Judas Iscariot was no longer a disciple.

Answer:Thomas. See John 20:24.

Answer 4

Only three of Jesus' disciples were present at the transfiguration: Peter, James and John. See Matthew 17:1-9, Mark 9:2-9 and Luke 9:28-36.

Answer 5

Judas