Ascension
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Ascension is a Christian holiday. According to the doctrine Jesus ascended to heaven with his apostles. The holiday is forty days after his resurrection. According to the doctrine, Jesus' body went to heaven, and that in heaven, Jesus sits at the right-hand side of God the Father.
Ascension Day is officially celebrated on a Thursday However not all countries hold the feast on this day. The feast is one of the ecumenical feasts. All Christians celebrate this feast, much like Easter and Pentecost. It is a very important feast in the calendar of the Church.
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[change] Texts in the Bible
The Epistle to the Romans was written about the year 56 or 57.[1] In it, Paul describes Christ as in heaven and in the abyss.[2] This seems to be the earliest Christian reference to Jesus in heaven.
One of the most important texts about the Ascension is in the Acts of the Apostles 1:1-11. According to the two-source hypothesis it is also the earliest.[3] There Jesus is taken up bodily into heaven forty days after his resurrection. The apsotles saw this, according to the text. Before going into heaven, he gave a speech called the Great Commission, and said he would return. In the Gospel of Luke, the Ascension[4] takes place on Easter Sunday evening.[5] The Gospel of John (c. 90-100)[6] refers to Jesus returning to the Father.[7] In 1 Peter (c. 90-110)[6], Jesus has ascended to heaven and is at God's right side.[8] Ephesians (c. 90-100)[6] refers to Jesus ascending higher than all the heavens.[9] First Timothy (c. 90-140)[6] describes Jesus as taken up in glory.[10] The traditional ending of Mark (see Mark 16) includes a summary of Luke's resurrection material and describes Jesus as being taken up into heaven and sitting at God's right hand.[11] The imagery of Christ's Ascension is related to the broader theme of his exaltation and heavenly welcome, derived from Hebrew scripture.[12] The image of Jesus rising bodily into the heavens reflects the ancient view that heaven was above the earth.[13]
[change] Other texts about the ascension
There are texts that are not in the Bible that also speak about ascension, for example Pistis Sophia. In his text Against Heresies, Irenaeus tells about the Gnostic view that the Ascension happened eighteen months after the Resurrection.[14] 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. This text suggests an even longer period. The recently discovered Nag Hammadi Gospel of Thomas, like the canonical Gospel of Matthew, does not mention the Ascension.
[change] 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.
Christ's ascension is mentioned in the original Nicene Creed. This text has been important to Christians, since it was made in 325. It is included in the Mass. It is also mentioned in the Apostles' Creed. In terms of belief, the Ascension implies Jesus' humanity being taken into Heaven.[12] Ascension Day is one of chief feasts of the Christian year.[12] The feast dates back at least to the later 300s, as is widely attested.[12]
The canonical account of Jesus ascending bodily into the clouds contrasts with the gnostic tradition, by which Jesus was said to transcend the physical realm and return to his home in the spirit world. It also contrasts with Docetic beliefs, by which matter is intrinsically evil and Jesus was said to have been pure spirit.
Scholars of the historical Jesus commonly reject New Testament accounts of Jesus' resurrection as inventions of the apostolic-era Christian community.[5] Some describe the Ascension as a convenient device to discredit ongoing appearance claims within the Christian community.[5]
[change] References
- ↑ Stephen L Harris|Harris, Stephen L., Understanding the Bible. Palo Alto: Mayfield. 1985. p. 321
- ↑ Romans 10:5-7
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 24:51
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 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.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Harris, Stephen L., Understanding the Bible. Palo Alto: Mayfield. 1985.
- ↑ John 20:17
- ↑ 1 Peter 3:21-22
- ↑ Ephesians 4:7-13
- ↑ 1 Timothy 3:16
- ↑ 16:19
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 "Ascension of Christ." Cross, F. L., ed. The Oxford dictionary of the Christian church. New York: Oxford University Press. 2005
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Irenaeus Against Heresies I.XXX.14
| Year | Western | Eastern |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | June 1 | June 8 |
| 2001 | May 24 | |
| 2002 | May 9 | June 13 |
| 2003 | May 29 | June 5 |
| 2004 | May 20 | |
| 2005 | May 5 | June 9 |
| 2006 | May 25 | June 1 |
| 2007 | May 17 | |
| 2008 | May 1 | June 5 |
| 2009 | May 21 | May 28 |
| 2010 | May 13 | |
| 2011 | June 2 | |
| 2012 | May 17 | May 24 |
| 2013 | May 9 | June 13 |
| 2014 | May 29 | |
| 2015 | May 14 | May 21 |
| 2016 | May 5 | June 9 |
| 2017 | May 25 | |
| 2018 | May 10 | May 17 |
| 2019 | May 30 | June 6 |
| 2020 | May 21 | May 28 |
[change] Other websites
- 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
- Feast of the Ascension
