The Christian doctrine Christian theology is discourse concerning Christian faith. Christian theologians use biblical exegesis, rational analysis and argument to understand, explain, test, critique, defend or promote Christianity. Theology might be undertaken to help the theologian understand Christianity more truly, make comparisons between Christianity and other of the Ascension holds that Jesus Jesus of Nazareth , also known as Jesus Christ, is the central figure of Christianity, and within most Christian denominations he is venerated as the Son of God and as God incarnate. Christians also view him as the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament; however, Judaism rejects this claim. Islam considers Jesus a prophet, while several other ascended to heaven Heaven may refer to the physical heavens, the sky or the seemingly endless expanse of the universe beyond. This is the traditional literal meaning of the term in English, however since at least AD 1000, it is typically also used to refer to an afterlife plane of existence in various religions and spiritual philosophies, often described as the in the presence of his Eleven Apostles Traditionally, the Twelve include Peter, Prince of the Apostles; Andrew, James the Greater, James the Lesser, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, Thaddeus, Simon, and Judas Iscariot. Judas had been one of the Twelve, but he betrayed Jesus and killed himself. With Judas gone, Matthias became one of the Twelve. In the Synoptic Gospels, Mark following his resurrection Within the body of Christian beliefs, the resurrection of Jesus is a core biblical event—upon which much of Christian doctrine, ritual and theology critically depend. According to the New Testament, after Jesus was executed by Roman crucifixion and buried, he was then resurrected on the third day. His empty tomb was found by his followers and he, and that in heaven he sits at the right hand of God the Father In many religions, the supreme deity is given the title and attributions of Father. In many forms of polytheism, the highest god has been conceived as a "father of gods and of men". In the Israelite religion and its closest modern relative, Talmudic Judaism, God is called Father because he is the creator, law-giver, and protector. In.

Jesus died circa Circa means "in approximately" (it literally means "around"), generally referring to a date. It is widely used in genealogy and historical writing, when the dates of events are approximately known 30. In the Epistle to the Romans The Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Romans is one of the letters of the New Testament canon of the Christian Bible. Often referred to simply as Romans, it is one of the seven currently undisputed letters of Paul. It is even counted among the four letters accepted as authentic by Ferdinand Christian Baur and the Tübingen School of (c. 56-57),^[1] Saint Paul According to the Acts of the Apostles, his conversion took place on the road to Damascus. Thirteen epistles in the New Testament are attributed to Paul. Paul's influence on Christian thinking has arguably been more significant than that of any other New Testament author describes Christ In the first century C.E., a growing sect of religious converts believed that Jesus is "the Christ" , and these became known as "Christians." This usage remains current, such that while "Messiah" may specifically refer to the Jewish concept of "the Messiah" yet to come, or to the concept of such a being in as in heaven and in the abyss The Harrowing of Hell is a doctrine in Christian theology referenced in the Apostles' Creed and the Athanasian Creed (Quicumque vult), which states that Jesus "descended into Hell". His descent to the underworld has been termed the most controversial phrase in the Apostles' Creed,^[2] the earliest Christian reference to Jesus in heaven. The most influential account of the Ascension, and according to the two-source hypothesis The Two-Source Hypothesis is an explanation for the synoptic problem, the pattern of similarities and differences between the three Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It posits that the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke were based on the Gospel of Mark and a lost, hypothetical sayings collection called Q the earliest,^[3] is in Acts of the Apostles The Acts of the Apostles is a book of the Christian Bible, which now stands fifth in the New Testament. It is commonly referred to as simply Acts. The title "Acts of the Apostles" (Greek Πράξεις ἀποστόλων Praxeis Apostolon) was first used by Irenaeus in the late second century, but some have suggested that the title & 1:1-11, where Jesus is taken up bodily into heaven forty days after his resurrection as witnessed by his apostles, after giving the Great Commission The Great Commission, in Christian tradition, is the instruction of the resurrected Jesus Christ to his disciples, that they spread his teachings to all the nations of the world. It has become a tenet in Christian theology emphasizing mission work, evangelism, and baptism. It has been a primary basis for Christian missionary activity. Some with a prophecy to return In most Christian theologies, the Second Coming of Christ is the anticipated return of Jesus from Heaven to earth, an event to fulfill aspects of Messianic prophecy, such as the general resurrection of the dead, the Last Judgment of the dead and the living and the full establishment of the Kingdom of God on Earth , including the Messianic Age. In the Gospel of Luke The Gospel of Luke is a synoptic Gospel, and is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels of the New Testament. The text narrates the life of Jesus of Nazareth. The gospel opens with the miraculous births of John the Baptist and of Jesus. Jesus, born to the Virgin Mary, has a humble birth in a stable, and is attended by shepherds. Jesus, the Ascension takes place on Easter Sunday Easter is the most important annual religious feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to Christian scripture, Jesus was resurrected from the dead on the third day from his crucifixion. Christians celebrate this resurrection on Easter Day or Easter Sunday (also Resurrection Day or Resurrection Sunday), two days after Good Friday and three evening.^[4] The Gospel of John The Gospel of John is the fourth gospel in the canon of the New Testament, traditionally ascribed to John the Evangelist. Like the three synoptic gospels, it contains an account of some of the actions and sayings of Jesus of Nazareth, but differs from them in ethos and theological emphases. The Gospel may have been written with an evangelistic (c. 90-100)^[5] refers to Jesus returning to the Father.^[6] In the First Epistle of Peter The First Epistle of Peter is a book of the New Testament. It has traditionally been held to have been written by Saint Peter the apostle during his time as bishop of Rome or Bishop of Antioch, though neither titles are used in the epistle. The letter is addressed to various churches in Asia Minor suffering religious persecution (c. 90-110),^[5] Jesus has ascended to heaven and is at God's right side.^[7] The Epistle to the Ephesians Described by William Barclay as the "Queen of the Epistles", the Epistle to the Ephesians is one of the books of the Bible in the New Testament. Saint Paul is traditionally said to have written the letter while he was in prison in Rome . This would be about the same time as the Epistle to the Colossians (which in many points it resembles) (c. 90-100)^[5] refers to Jesus ascending higher than all the heavens.^[8] The First Epistle to Timothy The First Epistle to Timothy is one of three letters in New Testament of the Bible often grouped together as the Pastoral Epistles. The letter, traditionally attributed to Saint Paul, consists mainly of counsels to his younger colleague and delegate Timothy regarding his ministry in Ephesus (1:3). These include instructions on the forms of worship (c. 90-140)^[5] describes Jesus as taken up in glory.^[9] The traditional ending of Mark includes a summary of Luke's resurrection material and describes Jesus as being taken up into heaven and sitting at God's right hand.^[10] The imagery of Jesus' Ascension is related to the broader theme of his exaltation and heavenly welcome, derived from the Hebrew Bible The term Hebrew Bible is a generic reference to those books of the Bible originally written mostly in Biblical Hebrew with some Biblical Aramaic. The term closely corresponds to contents of the Jewish Tanakh and the Protestant Old Testament but does not include the deuterocanonical portions of the Roman Catholic or the Anagignoskomena portions of.^[11] The image of Jesus rising bodily into the heavens reflects the ancient view that heaven was above the earth.^[12]

Belief in the Ascension of Jesus is found in the Nicene Creed The Nicene Creed is the creed or profession of faith (Greek: Σύμβολον τῆς Πίστεως) that is most widely used in Christian liturgy. It is called Nicene (pronounced /ˈnaɪsiːn/) because, in its original form, it was adopted in the city of Nicaea by the first ecumenical council, which met there in 325. The Nicene Creed has been, and is affirmed by Christian liturgy A liturgy is a set form of ceremony or pattern of worship. Christian liturgy is a pattern for worship used by a Christian congregation or denomination on a regular basis and, in the West, by the Apostles' Creed The Apostles' Creed , sometimes titled Symbol of the Apostles, is an early statement of Christian belief, a creed or "symbol". It is widely used by a number of Christian denominations for both liturgical and catechetical purposes, most visibly by liturgical Churches of Western tradition, including the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic. The Ascension implies Jesus' humanity being taken into heaven.^[11] Ascension Day, celebrated 40 days after Easter, is one of chief feasts of the Christian year.^[11] The feast dates back at least to the later 300s, as is widely attested.^[11]

The canonical account of Jesus ascending bodily into the clouds contrasts with the gnostic Gnosticism refers to diverse, syncretistic religious movements in antiquity consisting of various belief systems generally united in the teaching that humans are divine souls trapped in a material world created by an imperfect god, the demiurge; this being is frequently identified with the Abrahamic god, and is contrasted with a superior entity, tradition, by which Jesus was said to transcend the physical realm and return to his home in the spirit world. It also contrasts with the beliefs of Docetism In Christianity, Docetism is the belief that Jesus' physical body was an illusion, as was his crucifixion; that is, Jesus only seemed to have a physical body and to physically die, but in reality he was incorporeal, a pure spirit, and hence could not physically die. This belief treats the sentence "the Word was made Flesh" (John 1:14) as, in which matter is intrinsically evil and Jesus was said to have been pure spirit.

Scholars of the historical Jesus The historical Jesus is the figure of the first-century Jesus of Nazareth as reconstructed by scholars using historical methods that include critical analysis of gospel texts as the primary source for his biography, and non-biblical sources for the historical and cultural context in which he lived. Use of the term "the historical Jesus" commonly reject New Testament The New Testament is the name given to the second major division of the Christian Bible, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament. The New Testament is sometimes called the Greek New Testament or Greek Scriptures, or the New Covenant accounts of Jesus' resurrection as inventions of the Christian community in the Apostolic Age According to most scholars, the followers of Jesus composed an apocalyptic Jewish sect during the late Second Temple period of the 1st century. Some early Christian groups were strictly Jewish, such as the Ebionites and the early church leaders in Jerusalem, collectively called Jewish Christians. During this period, they were led by James the Just.^[4] Some describe the Ascension as a convenient device to discredit ongoing appearance claims The major Resurrection appearances of Jesus are reported in the New Testament to have occurred after his death and burial and prior to his Ascension. These are: Matthew 28:8–20, Mark 16:9–20 , Luke 24:13–49, John 20:11–21:25, Acts 1:1–11, and 1 Corinthians 15:3–9. Among these primary sources, most scholars believe First Corinthians was within the Christian community.^[4]

Biblical accounts

The first account of the Ascension found in the Christian Bible Modern Judaism generally recognizes a single set of canonical books known as the Tanakh, or Hebrew or Jewish Bible. It comprises three parts: the Torah , the Prophets, and the Writings. It was primarily written in Hebrew with some small portions in Aramaic.[citation needed] In Christian religions, the Tanakh is known as the Old Testament is in the Gospel of Mark (16:14-19)—but see article on Mark 16. The description is brief: Jesus Jesus of Nazareth , also known as Jesus Christ, is the central figure of Christianity, and within most Christian denominations he is venerated as the Son of God and as God incarnate. Christians also view him as the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament; however, Judaism rejects this claim. Islam considers Jesus a prophet, while several other and the remaining eleven apostles are seated at a table, presumably in a room in or near Jerusalem Jerusalem (Hebrew: יְרוּשָׁלַיִם‎ (help·info), Yerushaláyim; Arabic: القُدس (audio) (help·info), al-Quds)[ii] is the capital[iii] of Israel and its largest city in both population and area, with a population of 747,600 residents over an area of 125.1 square kilometres (48.3 sq mi) if disputed East Jerusalem is included.[iv]. Jesus commands his followers to spread the Gospel In Christianity, a gospel is to be generally one of the first four books of the New Testament that describe the birth, life, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus. The four canonical texts are the Gospel of Matthew, Gospel of Mark, Gospel of Luke and Gospel of John, probably written between AD 65 and 100 (see also the Gospel according (see also Great Commission The Great Commission, in Christian tradition, is the instruction of the resurrected Jesus Christ to his disciples, that they spread his teachings to all the nations of the world. It has become a tenet in Christian theology emphasizing mission work, evangelism, and baptism. It has been a primary basis for Christian missionary activity. Some) and tells them that those who believe will be known by their invulnerability to poison, ability to heal the sick Faith healing is a concept that religious belief can bring about healing—either through prayers or rituals that, according to adherents, evoke a divine presence and power toward correcting disease and disability in particular indicated individuals. Belief in divine intervention in illness or healing is related to religious belief in general. In, exorcise Exorcism is the practice of evicting demons or other evil spiritual entities from a person or place which they are believed to have possessed. The practice is quite ancient and part of the belief system of many countries demons, speak in "new tongues," and the like. After delivering these final words, Jesus is received into heaven Heaven may refer to the physical heavens, the sky or the seemingly endless expanse of the universe beyond. This is the traditional literal meaning of the term in English, however since at least AD 1000, it is typically also used to refer to an afterlife plane of existence in various religions and spiritual philosophies, often described as the to sit at the right hand of God God is most often conceived of as the supernatural creator and overseer of the universe. Theologians have ascribed a variety of attributes to the many different conceptions of God. The most common among these include omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, omnibenevolence , divine simplicity, and eternal and necessary existence. God has also been. No description of the Ascension itself is given; Mark simply states that it happened. This traditional ending of Mark is considered a summary of Luke's resurrection appearances, commission, and ascension, plus miracles from the apostolic tradition.^[13]

The Gospel of Luke is even more brief in its description (24:50-51). Jesus led the eleven to Bethany Bethany is recorded in the New Testament as the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, as well as that of Simon the Leper. Jesus is reported to have lodged there after his entry into Jerusalem, and it was from Bethany that he parted from his disciples at the Ascension. Bethany is commonly identified with the Palestinian village of al-Eizariya located, not far from Jerusalem. While in the act of blessing them, Jesus was carried up to heaven. Since Luke was once the first part of Luke-Acts Luke-Acts is the name usually given by Biblical scholars to the composite work of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament. Together they describe the Ministry of Jesus and the subsequents lives of the Apostles and the Apostolic Age, scholars surmise that this Ascension, different from that in Acts, is from a separate hand, perhaps created when Luke-Acts Luke-Acts is the name usually given by Biblical scholars to the composite work of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament. Together they describe the Ministry of Jesus and the subsequents lives of the Apostles and the Apostolic Age was divided into Luke and Acts.^[4]

The third account of the Ascension is in the Acts of the Apostles 1:9-12). For forty days after the Resurrection, Jesus continued to teach his followers. Jesus and the eleven were gathered near Mount Olivet, to the northeast of Bethany. Jesus tells his apostles that they will receive the power of the Holy Spirit In Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is the Spirit of God. In mainstream Christian theology he is the third person of the Trinity and part of the Godhead, equal with God the Father and with God the Son, the "Comforter," see also Paraclete Paraclete comes from the Koine Greek word παράκλητος (paráklētos, "one who consoles, one who intercedes on our behalf, a comforter or an advocate"). It may reflect a translation of the Hebrew word מְנַחֵם‎ (mənaḥḥēm "comforter"). According to Walter Bauer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, and that they will spread his message the world over, i.e. the Great Commission The Great Commission, in Christian tradition, is the instruction of the resurrected Jesus Christ to his disciples, that they spread his teachings to all the nations of the world. It has become a tenet in Christian theology emphasizing mission work, evangelism, and baptism. It has been a primary basis for Christian missionary activity. Some. Jesus is taken up and received by a cloud. Two men clothed in white (i.e., angels) appear and tell the apostles that Jesus will return in the same manner as he was taken.

Even though these three accounts might appear contradictory, the reader should keep in mind that the original Gospel of Luke and Acts (Luke-Acts) were both written by the same author and were thus very unlikely to contain such glaring discrepancies in their original form.^[14]

Not only is the Ascension related in the passages of Scripture cited above, but it is also elsewhere predicted and spoken of as an established fact. Thus, in John 6:62, Christ asks the Jews: "What if then you shall see the son of Man ascend up where He was before?" and 20:17, He says to Mary Magdalene: "Do not touch (translated "approach" in the Aramaic) Me, for I am not yet ascended to My Father, but go to My brethren, and say to them: I ascend to My Father and to your Father, to My God and to your God." Again, in Acts 2:30-33, Ephesians 4:8-10, and in I Timothy 3:16, the Ascension of Christ is spoken of as an accepted fact.

The Gospel of Matthew ends at a mountain in Galilee, with Jesus commanding the Disciples to spread the Gospel to the ends of the world, baptizing in the name of the Trinity (the "Great Commission"). No mention is made of the Ascension.

The Catholic and Orthodox traditional view is that Mary was also present at the Ascension, following her mention in Acts 1.

Extra-biblical accounts

Outside of the Biblical Canon, the Ascension is discussed in the Pistis Sophia. Irenaeus in Against Heresies notes the Gnostic view that the Ascension happened eighteen months after the Resurrection.^[15] The apocryphal text known as the Apocryphon of James describes the teachings of Jesus to James and Peter 550 days after the resurrection, but before the ascension, suggesting an even longer period. The recently discovered Nag Hammadi Gospel of Thomas, like the canonical Gospel of Matthew, does not mention the Ascension.

Location

The place of the Ascension is not distinctly mentioned in the Gospel of Mark. Luke 24,50 states that the event took place in Bethany while it appears from Acts that it took place on the Mount Olivet (the "Mount of Olives"), since after the Ascension the apostles are described as returning to Jerusalem from the mount that is called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, within a Sabbath day's journey. Tradition has consecrated this site as the Mount of Ascension.

Early Christians honored the Ascension by worshiping in a cave nearby, probably out of fear of persecution for worshipping openly.^{[citation needed]} Later, after the conversion of Constantine, the first church was built on the site around 390 AD by Poimenia, a pious Roman lady. St. Helena erected over the site a basilica called "Eleona Basilica" (elaion in Greek means "olive garden", from elaia "olive tree," and has an oft-mentioned similarity to eleos meaning "mercy") in 392, which was destroyed by the Sassanid Persians in 614. It was rebuilt in the eighth century, destroyed again, but rebuilt a second time by the Crusaders. This final church was also destroyed by Muslims, leaving only the octagonal structure (called a martyrium—"memorial"—or "Edicule") which remains to this day.

The site was ultimately acquired by two emissaries of Saladin in the year 1198 and has remained in the possession of the Islamic Waqf of Jerusalem ever since. The martyrium, though now only bare stone, enshrines the rock said to bear the imprint of the right foot of Christ as he ascended, and is venerated by Christians as the last point on earth touched by the incarnate Christ. The Crusader building was converted to a mosque but was never used by Muslims since the overwhelming majority of visitors were Christian. As a gesture of compromise and goodwill, Saladin ordered the construction of a second mosque and mihrab two years later next door to the chapel for Muslim worship while Christians continued to visit the main chapel. Though still under the control of the Moslems, this Chapel of the Ascension is currently opened to visitors for a nominal fee.

The Russian Orthodox Church also maintains a Convent of the Ascension on the top of the Mount of Olives.

Christian theology

Eastern and Oriental Christianity

In Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox theology, the Ascension is interpreted as the culmination of the Mystery of the Incarnation, in that it not only marked the completion of Jesus' physical presence among his apostles, but consummated the union of God and man when Jesus ascended in his glorified human body to sit at the right hand of God the Father. The Ascension and the Transfiguration both figure prominently in the Orthodox doctrine of theosis. The bodily Ascension into heaven is also understood as the final token of Christ's two natures: divine and human.^[16]

The Orthodox doctrine of salvation points to the Ascension to indicate that the state of redeemed man is higher than the state of man in Paradise before the fall.

The Orthodox understand Christ's physical presence to continue in the Church, which is the "Body of Christ" (I Corinthians 12:12-27). Jesus' promise that he will be "with you always" is understood not only in terms of his active, divine grace, but also in the divine institution of the church (human sinfulness notwithstanding).

Christ's Ascension into heaven is understood as a necessary prerequisite for the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (John 14:15-20, 14:25-28, 15:26, and especially 16:7). The biblical texts regarding the Ascension also prophesy the Second Coming of Christ, stating that Jesus will return not only in the same glorious manner, but in the same place. In other words, the Second Coming and Last Judgment will take place on the Mount of Olives, with the Valley of Hinnom (Gehenna) below and to the left.

Ephesians 4:7-13 is of theological consequence, in that it disproves the heresy of adoptionism.

Reformed tradition in Protestantism

The Westminster Confession of Faith (part of the Reformed tradition in Calvinism and influential in the Presbyterian church), in Article four of Chapter eight, states: "On the third day He arose from the dead, with the same body in which He suffered, with which also he ascended into heaven, and there sits at the right hand of His Father, making intercession, and shall return, to judge men and angels, at the end of the world."^[17]

Article 46 of the Heidelberg Catechism answers the question What do you confess when you say, He ascended into heaven? by stating "That Christ, before the eyes of His disciples, was taken up from the earth into heaven, and that He is there for our benefit until He comes again to judge the living and the dead."^[17]

The Catechism further explores aspects of the ascension, asking How does Christ's ascension into heaven benefit us? and replying, "First, He is our Advocate in heaven before His Father. Second, we have our flesh in heaven as a sure pledge that He, our Head, will also take us, His members, up to Himself. Third, He sends us His Spirit [...]"^[17]

The Second Helvetic Confession addresses the purpose and character of Christ's ascension in Chapter 11:^[17]

Christ Is Truly Ascended Into Heaven. We believe that our Lord Jesus Christ, in his same flesh, ascended above all visible heavens into the highest heaven, that is, the dwelling-place of God and the blessed ones, at the right hand of God the Father. Although it signifies an equal participation in glory and majesty, it is also taken to be a certain place about which the Lord, speaking in the Gospel, says: 'I go to prepare a place for you' (John 14:2). The apostle Peter also says: 'Heaven must receive Christ until the time of restoring all things' (Acts 3:21).

Feast

The Ascension is one of the great feasts in the Christian liturgical calendar, and commemorates the bodily Ascension of Jesus into heaven. Ascension Day is officially celebrated on a Thursday, the fortieth day from Easter day. However, some Roman Catholic provinces have moved the observance to the following Sunday. The feast is one of the ecumenical feasts (i.e., universally celebrated), ranking with the feasts of the Passion, of Easter and of Pentecost among the most solemn in the ecclesiastical calendar.

History

The observance of this feast is of great antiquity. Although no documentary evidence of it exists prior to the beginning of the fifth century, St. Augustine says that it is of Apostolic origin, and he speaks of it in a way that shows it was the universal observance of the Church long before his time. Frequent mention of it is made in the writings of St. John Chrysostom, St. Gregory of Nyssa, and in the Constitution of the Apostles. The Pilgrimage of Aetheria speaks of the vigil of this feast and of the feast itself, as they were kept in the church built over the grotto in Bethlehem in which Christ was born. ^[18] It may be that prior to the fifth century the fact narrated in the Gospels was commemorated in conjunction with the feast of Easter or Pentecost. Some believe that the much-disputed forty-third decree of the Council of Elvira (c. 300) condemning the practice of observing a feast on the fortieth day after Easter and neglecting to keep Pentecost on the fiftieth day, implies that the proper usage of the time was to commemorate the Ascension along with Pentecost. Representations of the mystery are found in diptychs and frescoes dating as early as the fifth century.

Western

The Latin terms used for the feast, ascensio and, occasionally, ascensa, signify that Christ was raised up by his own powers. In Roman Catholicism the Ascension of the Lord is a Holy Day of Obligation. The three days before Ascension Thursday are sometimes referred to as the Rogation days and the previous Sunday, the Fifth Sunday after Easter (or the Sixth Sunday of Easter), as Rogation Sunday. Ascension has a vigil and, since the fifteenth century, an octave, which is set apart for a novena of preparation for Pentecost, in accordance with the directions of Pope Leo XIII.

In Western Christianity, the earliest possible date is April 30, the latest possible date is June 3.

Sunday observance

The Roman Catholic Church in a number of countries has obtained permission from the Vatican to move observance of the Feast of the Ascension from the traditional Thursday to the following Sunday, the Sunday before Pentecost. This is in keeping with a trend to move Holy Days of Obligation from weekdays to Sunday, to encourage more Catholics to observe feasts considered important.^[19] The decision to move a feast is made by the bishops of an ecclesiastical province, i.e. an archbishop and the neighbouring bishops. The switch to Sunday was made in 1992 by the church in Australia;^[20] before 1996 in parts of Europe;^[21] in 1996 in Ireland;^[22] before 1998 in Canada and parts of the western United States;^[19] in many other provinces in the United States from 1999;^[19] and in England and Wales from 2007.^[23] The U.S. provinces which retain Thursday observance in 2009 are Boston, Hartford, New York, Newark, Philadelphia, and Omaha.^[24]

Eastern

In the Eastern Church this feast is known in Greek as Analepsis, the "taking up", and also as the Episozomene, the "salvation from on high", denoting that by ascending into his glory Christ completed the work of our redemption. Ascension is one of the Twelve Great Feasts of the Orthodox liturgical year.

The feast is always observed with an All-night vigil. The day before is the Apodosis (leave-taking) of Pascha (i.e., the last day of the Feast of Easter). The Paroemia (Old Testament readings) at Vespers on the eve of the Feast are Isaiah 2:2-3; Isaiah 62:10-63:3, 63:7-9; and Zecheriah 14:1-4, 14:8-11. At the Divine Liturgy, the Epistle is Acts 1:1-12, and the Gospel is Luke 24:36-53. Ascension Thursday also commemorates the Holy Georgian Martyrs of Persia (17th–18th centuries).

Ascension has an Afterfeast of eight days. The Sunday after Ascension is the Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea. This council formulated the Nicene Creed up to the words, "He (Jesus) ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father; and shall come again, with glory, to judge the living and the dead; Whose kingdom shall have no end." The Afterfeast ends on the following Friday, the Friday before Pentecost. The next day is appropriately a Saturday of the Dead (general commemoration of all faithful departed).

The Eastern Orthodox Church uses a different method of calculating the date of Pascha (Easter), so the Eastern Orthodox commemoration of Ascension will usually be after the western observance (anywhere from a week to as much as a month later; but occasionally on the same day). The earliest possible date for the feast is May 14, and the latest possible date is June 17. Some of the Oriental Orthodox Churches, however, observe Ascension on the same date as the Western Churches.^[25]

Customs

Certain customs were connected with the liturgy of this feast, such as the blessing of beans and grapes after the Commemoration of the Dead in the Canon of the Mass, the blessing of first fruits, afterwards done on Rogation Days, the blessing of a candle, the wearing of mitres by deacon and subdeacon, the extinction of the paschal candle, and triumphal processions with torches and banners outside the churches to commemorate the entry of Christ into heaven.

The antiquarian Daniel Rock records the English custom of carrying at the head of the procession the banner bearing the device of the lion and at the foot the banner of the dragon, to symbolize the triumph of Christ in his ascension over the evil one (and can also be interpreted by analogy as the triumph of England over Wales). In some churches the scene of the Ascension was vividly reproduced by elevating the figure of Christ above the altar through an opening in the roof of the church. In others, whilst the figure of Christ was made to ascend, that of the devil was made to descend.

In some countries (e.g. Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Indonesia, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Vanuatu) it is a public holiday; Germany also holds its Father's Day on the same date.

Coinciding with the liturgical feast is the annual commemoration by the Christian labour movement (especially syndical, in Belgium) of the encyclical Rerum Novarum issued by the Roman Catholic Pope Leo XIII on May 15, 1891.

Very recently Ascension day has become an annual celebration for those who practice the Ishayas' Ascension; a form of meditation said to have been taught by Jesus. On this day the ascenders take part in a twelve hour group meditation.

References

1. ^ Harris, Stephen L., Understanding the Bible. Palo Alto: Mayfield. 1985. p. 321
2. ^ Romans 10:5-7
3. ^ The account in Acts was originally in Luke-Acts. The Ascension account in Luke came later, possibly after the text had been split in to Luke's gospel and Acts. Mark's reference to the Ascension is based on Luke, part of the traditional ending, written in the second century and added onto Mark. Funk, Robert W. and the Jesus Seminar. The acts of Jesus: the search for the authentic deeds of Jesus. HarperSanFrancisco. 1998.
4. ^ ^{a b c d} Funk, Robert W. and the Jesus Seminar. The acts of Jesus: the search for the authentic deeds of Jesus. HarperSanFrancisco. 1998. "Empty Tomb, Appearances & Ascension" p. 449-495.
5. ^ ^{a b c d} Harris, Stephen L., Understanding the Bible. Palo Alto: Mayfield. 1985.
6. ^ John 20:17
7. ^ 1 Peter 3:21-22
8. ^ Ephesians 4:7-13
9. ^ 1 Timothy 3:16
10. ^ 16:19
11. ^ ^{a b c d} "Ascension of Christ." Cross, F. L., ed. The Oxford dictionary of the Christian church. New York: Oxford University Press. 2005
12. ^ Ehrman, Bart. Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene: The Followers of Jesus in History and Legend. Oxford University Press, USA. 2006. ISBN 0-19-530013-0
13. ^ May, Herbert G. and Bruce M. Metzger. The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha. 1977.
14. ^ Bruce M. Metzger's Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament: Luke 24:51 is missing in some important early witnesses, Acts 1 varies between the Alexandrian and Western versions.
15. ^ Irenaeus Against Heresies I.XXX.14
16. ^ St. Leo the Great, Tome, Section V.
17. ^ ^{a b c d} Redman, Gary. "A Comparison of the Biblical and Islamic Views of the States of Christ/ Part 2: The State of Exaltation". The Muslim-Christian Debate Website. http://debate.org.uk/topics/theo/states_christ_03.html. Retrieved on 2007-06-22.
18. ^ Louis Duchesne, Christian Worship: Its Origin and Evolution (London, 1903), 491-515.
19. ^ ^{a b c} Ascension Day is Moving Michael Kwatera, OSB. Office of Worship, Diocese of Saint Cloud.
20. ^ "Column 8". Sydney Morning Herald: p. 1. 14 May 1992.
21. ^ "Church holy day changes sought". The Irish Times: p. 5. 10 October 1996. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/1996/1010/96101000034.html. Retrieved on 2009-06-11.
22. ^ Pollak, Andy (17 October 1996). "Holy days moved to following Sunday". The Irish Times: p. 7. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/1996/1017/96101700054.html. Retrieved on 2009-06-11.
23. ^ The Spectator's Notes: Charles Moore's reflections on the week, Charles Moore The Spectator, Wednesday, 7th May 2008
24. ^ Is Ascension a Holy Day of Obligation? Scott P. Richert, About.com
25. ^ "The Church in Malankara switched entirely to the Gregorian calendar in 1953, following Encyclical No. 620 from Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem I, dt. December 1952." Calendars of the Syriac Orthodox Church. Retrieved 22 April 2009.

• This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913. Feast of the Ascension

External links

• Catholic Encyclopedia: Ascension
• The Ascension of our Lord Orthodox Icon and Synaxarion
• The Ascension of the Lord S. V. Bulgakov, Manual for Church Servers (theology and symbolism of the Feast)
• The Chapel of the Ascension Studium Biblicum Franciscanum, Jerusalem
• Chapel of the Ascension, Jerusalem Detailed description, history and photos
• Convent of the Ascension Jerusalem Mission, Russian Orthodox Church

Categories: Christian festivals and holy days | Glorious Mysteries | Resurrection of Jesus | Christian miracle narrative | Doctrines and teachings of Jesus | Islam and other religions | Gospel episodes | Miracles attributed to Jesus

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• Ascension of Jesus
• Ascension of Jesus Christ
• Jesu
• Jesus
• Jesuses

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