Ascension of Jesus

== Biblical accounts ==
{{Gospel Jesus}}

Although the ascension is an important article of faith in Christianity, only Luke and Acts contain direct accounts of it. In the shorter ending of Mark, in Matthew, and in John, it is only implied or alluded to.{{sfn|Holwerda|1979|p=310-311}} The Gospels do not picture resurrection and ascension as clearly separated in time.{{sfn|Dunn|2009|p=140}} Other New Testament writings also imply resurrection and exaltation as a single event.{{sfn|Dunn|2009|p=140}}

Various epistles ({{bibleverse|Romans|8:34|KJV}}, {{bibleverse|Ephesians|1:19–20|KJV}}, {{bibleverse|Colossians|3:1|KJV}}, {{bibleverse|Philippians|2:9–11|KJV}}, {{bibleverse|1 Timothy|3:16|KJV}}, and {{bibleverse|1 Peter|3:21–22|KJV}}) refer to an ascension without specifying details, seeming, like [[Luke–Acts]] and [[Gospel of John|John]], to equate it with the post-resurrection "exaltation" of Jesus to the right hand of God.{{sfn|McDonald|2004|p=21}}

The ascension is detailed in both Luke and Acts, a pair of works ascribed to the same author, [[Luke the Evangelist]]:{{sfn|Thompson|2010|p=319}}{{sfn|Holwerda|1979|p=310}} 
* [[Luke 24|Luke 24:51]]: Jesus leads the eleven remaining [[Apostles in the New Testament|disciples]] to [[Bethany (Biblical village)|Bethany]], a village on the [[Mount of Olives]], and instructs them to remain in Jerusalem until the coming of the [[Holy Spirit]]: "And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he parted from them, and was carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy." 
* [[Acts 1]] ({{Bibleverse|Acts|1:1-9|NRSV}}): Jesus tells the disciples to remain in Jerusalem and await the coming of the Holy Spirit; he is then taken up from the disciples in their sight, a cloud hides him from view, and two men in white appear to tell them that he will return "in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."{{sfn|Müller|2016|p=113-114}}

Luke and Acts appear to describe the same event but present quite different chronologies, the gospel placing it on the same day as the resurrection and Acts forty days afterwards;{{sfn|Seim|2009|p=24}} various proposals have been put forward to resolve the contradiction, but none have been found satisfactory.{{sfn|Müller|2016|p=113}} According to Dunn, the author of Acts separated the resurrection and ascension to put a limit on the number of resurrection appearances,{{sfn|Dunn|2009|pp=140, 146}} effectively excluding Paul's conversion experience from the ''bona fide'' resurrection appearances.{{sfn|Dunn|2009|p=140}} Zwiep argues that Jesus was originally believed to have been [[exaltation of Jesus|exalted]] with his ascension to heaven and seated at the right hand of God with his resurrection{{sfn|Zwiep|2016|p=145}} until the late first century where he argues the exaltation had been separated from the resurrection, and moved to a final ascension into heaven after his appearances on earth.{{sfn|Zwiep|2016|p=145}} Other scholars note that the biblical authors tended to conflate or compress different events and narrate them as one which was a literary theme seen in other ancient biographies to improve the narrative flow. Such scholars caution against a strictly chronological reading.<ref>''Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible'' | E. Randolph Richards, Brandon J. O'Brien | pages 137-152 (2012) {{ISBN|978-0-8308-3782-3}}</ref><ref>''Why Are There Differences in the Gospels: What We Can Learn from Ancient Biography'' | pages 20, 34-36, 46 | [[Mike Licona]] (2016) {{ISBN|978-0-19-026426-0}}</ref> 

John's Gospel has three references to ascension in Jesus' own words: "No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man" ({{bibleref2|John|3:13|NKJV}}); "What if you [the disciples] were to see the Son of Man ascending where he was before?" ({{bibleref2|John|6:62|NKJV}}); and to Mary Magdalene after his resurrection, "Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father..." ([[John 20:17]]).{{sfn|Holwerda|1979|p=310}} In the first and second Jesus is claiming to be the apocalyptic "one like a Son of Man" of [[Daniel 7]];{{sfn|Köstenberger|2004|p=85}} the last has mystified commentators – why should Mary be prohibited from touching the risen but not yet ascended Christ, while Thomas is later invited to do so?{{sfn|Quast|1991|p=134}} 

The [[Mark 16#Longer ending|longer ending]] of [[Gospel of Mark|Mark]] describes an ascension, but is a later addition to the original version of that gospel.{{sfn|Cresswell|2013|loc=unpaginated}}