Ascension of Jesus

{{short description|Departure of Christ from Earth into the presence of God}}
[[File:Jesus ascending to heaven.jpg|right|upright=1.2|thumb|Jesus' ascension to Heaven depicted by [[John Singleton Copley]] in ''Ascension'' (1775)]]
{{Death of Jesus|expanded=Resurrection}}
{{Christianity|state=collapsed}}
The '''Ascension of Jesus''' ([[anglicized]] from the [[Vulgate]] {{lang-la|ascensio Iesu|lit=ascent of Jesus}}) is the [[Christianity|Christian]] belief, reflected in the major [[Christian creeds]] and confessional statements, that [[Jesus]] ascended to [[Heaven in Christianity|Heaven]] after his [[Resurrection of Jesus|resurrection]], where he was [[exaltation of Jesus|exalted]] as Lord and [[Christ (title)|Christ]],{{sfn|Novakovic|2014|p=135}}{{sfn|Hurtado|2005|p=508, 591}} [[session of Christ|sitting]] at the [[right hand of God]].{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|2005|p=114}} 

The Gospels and other New Testament writings imply resurrection and exaltation as a single event.{{sfn|Dunn|2009|p=146}}{{sfn|Zwiep|2016|p=145}} The ascension is "more assumed than described," and only Luke and Acts contain direct accounts of it,{{sfn|Holwerda|1979|p=310-311}} but with different chronologies.{{refn|group=note|In Luke, the ascension seems to be on the same day as the resurrection. In [[Acts of the Apostles|Acts]], Jesus' ascension is situated on the fortieth day counting from the resurrection in the presence of eleven of his [[Apostles in the New Testament|apostles]],{{sfn|Holwerda|1979|p=310}} thereby putting a limit on the number of resurrection appearances,{{sfn|Dunn|2009|p=146}} and effectively excluding [[Conversion of Paul the Apostle#Acts of the Apostles|Paul's conversion experience]] from the ''bona fide'' resurrection appearances.{{sfn|Dunn|2009|p=140}}}}

In [[Christian art]], the ascending Jesus is often shown blessing an earthly group below him, signifying the entire Church.{{sfn|Ouspensky|Lossky|1999|p=197}} The [[Feast of the Ascension]] is celebrated on the 40th day of [[Easter]], always a Thursday;{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|2005|p=114}} some Orthodox traditions have a different calendar up to a month later than in the Western tradition. The [[Lutheran Church]]es and the [[Anglican Communion]] continue to observe the Feast of the Ascension.<ref name="COD2024">{{cite book |title=Ascension Day |date=2024 |publisher=[[Church of Denmark|Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Denmark]] |url=https://www.lutheranchurch.dk/liturgy-and-worship/festivals-and-traditions/ascension-day |access-date=1 April 2024 |language=English}}</ref> Certain [[Nonconformist (Protestantism)|Nonconformist]] churches, such as the [[Plymouth Brethren]], do not observe the feast.{{sfn|Quast|2011|p=45}}{{sfn|Stokl-Ben-Ezra|2007|p=286}}

== 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}}

== Views on the Ascension ==
[[File:Adriaen van Overbeke - Ascension of Christ.jpeg|thumb|upright|''Ascension of Christ'' by [[Adriaen van Overbeke]], {{circa|1510–1520}}]]

===Background===
Ascension stories were fairly common around the time of Jesus and the evangelists,{{sfn|McDonald|2004|p=22}} signifying the deification of a noteworthy person (usually a Roman Emperor), and in Judaism as an indication of divine approval.{{sfn|Aune|2003a|p=65}} Another function of heavenly ascent was as a mode of divine revelation reflected in Greco-Roman, early Jewish, and early Christian literary sources, in which particular individuals with prophetic or revelatory gifts are said to have experienced a heavenly journey during which they learned cosmic and divine secrets.{{sfn|Aune|2003a|p=65}} 

Figures familiar to Jews would have included [[Enoch (ancestor of Noah)|Enoch]] (from the [[Book of Genesis]] and a popular non-Biblical work called [[1 Enoch]]); the 5th-century sage [[Ezra]]; [[Baruch ben Neriah|Baruch]] the companion of the prophet [[Jeremiah]] (from a work called [[2 Baruch]], in which Baruch is promised he will ascend to heaven after forty days); [[Levi]] the ancestor of priests; the [[Teacher of Righteousness]] from the [[Qumran]] community; the prophet [[Elijah]] (from [[2 Kings]]); [[Moses]], who was deified on entering heaven; and the children of [[Book of Job|Job]], who according to the [[Testament of Job]] ascended heaven following their [[Universal resurrection|resurrection from the dead]].{{sfn|Munoa|2000|p=109}}{{sfn|Zwiep|2016|p=16}} 

Non-Jewish readers would have been familiar with the case of the emperor [[Augustus]], whose ascent was witnessed by Senators; [[Romulus]] the founder of Rome, who, like Jesus, was taken to heaven in a cloud; the Greek hero [[Heracles]] (Hercules); and others.{{sfn|McDonald|2004|p=21}}

===Theology===
In [[Christian theology]], the death, resurrection, and exaltation of Jesus are the most important events, and a foundation of the Christian faith.{{sfn|Dunn|1985|p=53}}{{sfn|Dunn|2009|p=149}} The early followers of Jesus believed that [[God in Christianity|God]] had vindicated Jesus after his death, as reflected in the stories about his resurrection, ascension, and exaltation.{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|2005|p=114}} The [[Jewish Christian|early followers of Jesus]] soon believed that Jesus was raised as [[Firstborn (Judaism)|first of the dead]],{{sfn|Novakovic|2014|p=152}} taken into Heaven, and [[exaltation of Jesus|exalted]],{{sfn|Novakovic|2014|p=135}}{{sfn|Hurtado|2005|p=508, 591}} [[heavenly session|taking the seat at the right hand of God]] in Heaven, as stated in the [[Apostles' Creed]]: "He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty."{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|2005|p=114}} [[Psalm 110]] ({{bibleref2|Psalms|110:1}}) played an essential role in this interpretation of Jesus' death and the resurrection appearances: "The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool." It provided an interpretative frame for Jesus' followers to make sense of his death and the resurrection appearances.{{sfn|Dunn|2009|p=218}}{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|2005|p=114}}

This understanding is summarized by the theologian [[Justus Knecht]] who wrote: "Our Lord went up Body and Soul into heaven in the sight of His apostles, by His own power, to take possession of His glory, and to be our Advocate and Mediator in heaven with the Father. He ascended as Man, as Head of the redeemed, and has prepared a dwelling in heaven for all those who follow in His steps (Sixth article of [[Apostles' Creed|the Creed]])."{{sfn|Knecht|1910|p=729}}

=== Cosmology ===
The [[Biblical cosmology|cosmology]] of the author of Luke–Acts reflects the beliefs of his age,{{sfn|Dunn|2009|p=148}} which envisioned a three-part cosmos with the heavens above, an Earth centered on Jerusalem in the middle, and the [[underworld]] below.{{sfn|Wright|2002|p=53}}{{sfn|Najman|2014|p=93}} Heaven was separated from the Earth by the [[firmament]], the visible sky, a solid inverted bowl where God's palace sat on pillars in the celestial sea.{{sfn|Pennington|2007|p=41-42}} Humans looking up from Earth saw the floor of Heaven, made of clear blue [[lapis-lazuli]] ({{bibleverse|Exodus|24:9-10|KJV}}), as was God's throne ({{Bibleverse|Ezekiel|1:26|KJV}}).{{sfn|Wright|2002|p=54,56}} According to Dunn, "the typical mind-set and worldview of the time conditioned what was actually seen and how the recording of such seeings was conceptualized,"{{sfn|Dunn|2009|p=148}} and "departure into heaven could only be conceived in terms of 'being taken up ', a literal ascension."{{sfn|Dunn|2009|p=148}} 

In modern times, a literal reading of the ascension-stories has become problematic, due to the differences between the pre-scientific cosmology of the times of Jesus, and the scientific worldview that leaves no place for a Heaven above earth.{{sfn|Seim|2009|p=23}}{{sfn|Farrow|2011|p=16}} Theologian [[James Dunn (theologian)|James Dunn]] describes the Ascension as at best a puzzle and at worst an embarrassment for an age that no longer conceives of a physical Heaven located above the Earth.{{sfn|Seim|2009|p=23}} Similarly, in the words of McGill University's Douglas Farrow, in modern times the ascension is seen less as the climax of the mystery of Christ than as "something of an embarrassment in the age of the telescope and the space probe,"{{sfn|Farrow|2011|p=16}} an "idea [that] conjures up an outdated cosmology."{{sfn|Farrow|2004|p=9}} 

Yet, according to Dunn, a sole focus on this disparity is beside the real importance of Jesus' ascension, namely the resurrection and subsequent exaltation of Jesus.{{sfn|Dunn|2009|p=149}} Farrow notes that, already in the third century, the ascension-story was read by [[Origen]] in a mystical way, as an "ascension of the mind rather than of the body," representing one of two basic ascension theologies.{{sfn|Farrow|2011|p=17}} The real problem is the fact that Jesus is both present and absent,{{sfn|Farrow|2004|p=3, 8}} an ambiguity which points to a "something more" to which the Eucharist gives entry.{{sfn|Farrow|2004|p=3}}{{refn|group=note|According to Farrow, this ambiguity of absence and presence poses central christological and theological questions concerning the identity of the church and its relation to past (death and resurrection) and future (second coming) events,{{sfn|Farrow|2004|p=8-9}} and to the present world, in which it is situated, but from which it is also different, through "its mysterious union with one whose life, though lived ''for'' the world, involves a genuine break with it."{{sfn|Farrow|2004|p=11}}}}

===Islam===
The same doctrine takes on another [[Jesus_in_Islam#Ascension|meaning for Muslims]]: most Islamic scholars hold that Jesus, the penultimate prophet of Islam, was not crucified or resurrected but his body directly ascended.<ref name="Hughes 2013">{{cite book |last=Hughes |first=Aaron W. |author-link=Aaron W. Hughes |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZmGrAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA85 |chapter=The Quran: The Base Narrative |title=Muslim Identities: An Introduction to Islam |page=85 |year=2013 |location=[[New York City|New York]] |publisher=[[Columbia University Press]] |isbn=978-0-231-53192-4 |jstor=10.7312/hugh16146.8 |s2cid=169663918 |access-date=24 October 2020}}</ref><ref name="Reynolds 2009">{{cite journal |last=Reynolds |first=Gabriel S. |author-link=Gabriel Said Reynolds |date=May 2009 |title=The Muslim Jesus: Dead or Alive? |url=https://www3.nd.edu/~reynolds/index_files/jesus%20dead%20or%20alive.pdf |journal=Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London) |location=[[Cambridge]] |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |volume=72 |issue=2 |pages=237–258 |doi=10.1017/S0041977X09000500 |jstor=40379003 |s2cid=27268737 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617010816/https://www3.nd.edu/~reynolds/index_files/jesus%20dead%20or%20alive.pdf |archive-date=17 June 2012 |url-status=live |access-date=24 October 2020}}</ref><ref name="Lanier 2016">{{cite journal |last=Lanier |first=Gregory R. |date=May 2016 |title='It Was Made to Appear Like that to Them:' Islam's Denial of Jesus' Crucifixion |url=https://journal.rts.edu/article/it-was-made-to-appear-like-that-to-them-islams-denial-of-jesus-crucifixion-in-the-quran-and-dogmatic-tradition/ |journal=Reformed Faith & Practice: The Journal of Reformed Theological Seminary |publisher=[[Reformed Theological Seminary]] |location=[[Orlando, Florida]] |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=[https://journal.rts.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/1.1-Final.pdf 39-55] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630042518/https://journal.rts.edu/article/it-was-made-to-appear-like-that-to-them-islams-denial-of-jesus-crucifixion-in-the-quran-and-dogmatic-tradition/ |archive-date=30 June 2019 |url-status=live |access-date=24 October 2020}}</ref>

===Nonreligious views===
Russian skeptic [[Kirill Eskov]] in his "Nature"-praised work [[The Gospel of Afranius]] argues that it was politically prudent for the local Roman administration to strengthen Jesus's influence by spreading rumors about his miracles via [[active measures]], with this story originating as a well-crafted deliberate lie.

== Liturgy: Feast of the Ascension ==
{{Main article|Feast of the Ascension}}
[[File:The Ascension of Jesus - Orthodox.ogv|thumb|270px|Orthodox [[Feast of the Ascension]]]]

The Feast of the Ascension is a major [[feast day]] of the Christian [[liturgical year]], along with the [[Passion of Jesus|Passion]], [[Easter]], [[Pentecost]], and [[Christmas]].{{sfn|Quast|2011|p=45}} Ascension Day is traditionally celebrated on the sixth Thursday after Easter Sunday, the fortieth day from [[Easter]] day, although some Roman Catholic provinces have moved the observance to the following Sunday to facilitate the obligation to attend Mass. [[Saint Jerome]] held that it was of apostolic origin, but in fact the Ascension was originally part of [[Pentecost]] (the coming of the [[Holy Spirit]]), and developed as a separate celebration only slowly from the late 4th century onward. In the Catholic tradition it begins with a three-day "rogation" to ask for God's mercy, and the feast itself includes a procession of torches and banners symbolising Christ's journey to the [[Mount of Olives]] and entry into Heaven, the extinguishing of the [[Paschal candle]], and an all-night vigil; white is the liturgical colour. The feast was retained at the [[Protestant Reformation]]. It continues to be observed in [[Lutheran]], [[Anglican]], [[Methodist]], and most [[Calvinism|Reformed]] churches. The [[Eastern Orthodox]] tradition has a slightly different calendar up to a month later than in the Western tradition. Other denominations, such as the [[Plymouth Brethren]] and [[Quakers]], do not celebrate it as they do not adhere to the traditional Christian calendar of feasts.{{sfn|Quast|2011|p=45}}{{sfn|Stokl-Ben-Ezra|2007|p=286}}

One of the Ascension hymns is [[Christ fuhr gen Himmel]].

== In Christian art ==
{{Main|Ascension of Jesus in Christian art}}
The Ascension of Jesus has been a frequent subject in [[Christian art]].{{sfn|Becchio|Schadé|2006|loc=unpaginated}} By the 6th century, the iconography of the Ascension had been established and by the 9th century, ascension scenes were being depicted on domes of churches.{{sfn|Baggley|2000|p=137-138}}{{sfn|Jensen|2008|p=51-53}} The [[Rabbula Gospels]] (c. 586) include some of the earliest images of the ascension.{{sfn|Jensen|2008|p=51-53}} Many ascension scenes have two parts, an upper (Heavenly) part and a lower (earthly) part. The ascending Christ may be carrying a resurrection cross-banner or make a sign of benediction with his right hand.{{sfn|Earls|1987|p=26-27}} The blessing gesture by Christ with his right hand is directed towards the earthly group below him and signifies that he is blessing the entire Church.{{sfn|Ouspensky|Lossky|1999|p=197}} In the left hand, he may be holding a Gospel or a scroll, signifying teaching and preaching.{{sfn|Ouspensky|Lossky|1999|p=197}}

The [[Eastern Orthodox]] portrayal of the ascension is a major metaphor for the mystical nature of the Church.{{sfn|Nes|2005|p=87}} In many Eastern icons, the [[Virgin Mary]] is placed at the center of the scene in the earthly part of the depiction, with her hands raised towards Heaven, often accompanied by various Apostles.{{sfn|Nes|2005|p=87}} The upwards-looking depiction of the earthly group matches the Eastern liturgy on the Feast of the Ascension: "Come, let us rise and turn our eyes and thoughts high&nbsp;..."{{sfn|Ouspensky|Lossky|1999|p=197}}

=== Olivet and the Chapel of the Ascension ===
{{Main article|Chapel of the Ascension (Jerusalem)}}
{{multiple image
|align=right
|direction=vertical
|width=170
|image1=5035-20080122-jerusalem-mt-olives-ascension-edicule.jpg|caption1=The Ascension edicule
|image2=Church of the Ascension, Jerusalem3001.JPG|caption2=Close-up of the Rock of the Ascension inside the Ascension edicule
}}
The traditional site of the ascension is [[Mount Olivet]] (the "Mount of Olives"), on which the village of Bethany sits. Before the conversion of [[Constantine the Great]] in 312 AD, early Christians honored the ascension of Christ in a cave on the Mount, and by 384 the ascension was [[venerated]] on the present site, uphill from the cave.{{sfn|Murphy-O'Connor|2008|p=142}}

Around the year 390 a wealthy [[Roman Empire|Roman]] woman named Poimenia financed construction of the original [[Church (building)|church]] called "[[Eleona Basilica]]" (''elaion'' in Greek means "olive garden", from ''elaia'' "olive tree", and has an oft-mentioned similarity to ''eleos'' meaning "mercy"). This church was destroyed by [[Sassanid Empire|Sassanid Persians]] in 614. It was subsequently rebuilt, destroyed, and rebuilt again by the [[Crusaders]]. This final church was later destroyed by Muslims, leaving only a 12×12 meter octagonal structure (called a ''martyrium''—"memorial"—or "[[edicule]]") that remains to this day.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Christ Church Angelus|url=http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs015/1102441252649/archive/1105697406908.html|website=archive.constantcontact.com|access-date=2020-05-26}}</ref>{{better source|date=October 2018}} 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 [[Russian Orthodox Church]] also maintains a [[convent]] of the ascension on the top of the Mount of Olives.

=== Gallery ===
<gallery widths="160px" heights="200px">
File:RabulaGospelsFol13vAscension.jpg|[[Rabbula Gospels]]<br />6th century
File:Enluminure Drogon c.jpg|[[Drogo Sacramentary]]<br />c. 850
File:Ascension from Vasilyevskiy chin (15th c., GTG).jpg|[[Andrei Rublev]]<br />1408
File:Pietro Perugino cat48c.jpg|[[Pietro Perugino]]<br />1496–1500
File:Dosso Dossi 022.jpg|''The Ascension'', [[Dosso Dossi]], 16th century.
File:Benvenuto Tisi da Garofalo - Ascension of Christ - WGA08474.jpg|[[Il Garofalo|Garofalo]]<br />1520
File:Bodleian Library MS. Arm. d.13. Armenian Gospels-0023-0.jpg|Armenian Gospel manuscript<br />1609
File:Rembrandt van Rijn 192.jpg|[[Rembrandt]]<br />1636
File:Voznesenie Sv. Petka Malovište.jpg|Macedonian icon, Bitola, Macedonia<br />19th century 
File:ND Rosaire mosaïque 03.jpg|[[Rosary Basilica]], [[Lourdes]]<br />19th century
</gallery>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Christianity}}
* [[Ascension Parish, Louisiana|Ascension Parish]]
* [[Assumption of Mary]]
* [[Chronology of Jesus]]
* [[Church of the Ascension (disambiguation)]]
* [[Entering Heaven Alive]]
* [[Life of Jesus in the New Testament]]
* [[Rapture]]
* [[Session of Christ]]
* [[Transfiguration of Jesus]]

== References ==
=== Notes ===
{{NoteFoot}}

=== Citations ===
{{Reflist|20em}}

=== Works cited ===
{{refbegin|2|indent=yes}}
* {{cite book 
| last         = Aune
| first        = David
| chapter      = Ascent, heavenly
| title        = The Westminster Dictionary of New Testament and Early Christian Literature and Rhetoric
| publisher    = Westminster John Knox Press
| year         = 2003a
| chapter-url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=nhhdJ-fkywYC&q=%22Ascent%22%22functioned+in+two+primary+ways%22&pg=PA65
|isbn=978-0-664-21917-8
}}
* {{cite book 
| last         = Baggley
| first        = John
| title        = Festival Icons for the Christian Year
| publisher    = St Vladimir's Seminary Press
| year         = 2000
| url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=agC0jwPtgC0C&q=Festival+Icons+for+the+Christian+Year
|isbn=978-0-88141-201-7
}}
* {{cite book 
| last1        = Becchio 
| first1       = Bruno
| last2        = Schadé
| first2       = Johannes P. 
| chapter      = Ascension
| title        = Encyclopedia of World Religions
| publisher    = Foreign Media Group
| year         = 2006
| chapter-url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=XRkfKdho-5cC&q=%22In+Christian+art+the+ascension%22&pg=PT81
|isbn=978-1-60136-000-7
}}
* {{cite book
| last         = Cresswell
| first        = Peter
| title        = The Invention of Jesus: How the Church Rewrote the New Testament
| year         = 2013
| publisher    = Duncan Baird Publishers
| url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=D47Pim5iozkC&q=%22consensus%22longer+ending+of+Mark+was+added+later%22&pg=PT192
|isbn=978-1-78028-621-1
}}
* {{cite book 
| last1        = Cross
| first1       = F.L.
| last2        = Livingstone
| first2       = Elizabeth A.
| chapter      = Ascension
| title        = The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church
| publisher    = Oxford University Press
| year         = 2005
| chapter-url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=fUqcAQAAQBAJ&q=%22The+statement+in+the+creeds%22&pg=PA114
|isbn=978-0-19-280290-3
}}
<!-- D -->
* {{cite book
| last          = Dunn 
| first         = James D.G. 
| title         = The Evidence for Jesus
| year          = 1985 
| publisher     = Westminster John Knox Press
|isbn=978-0-664-24698-3 
| url           = https://books.google.com/books?id=hfAcOPGt69YC
}}
* {{cite book
| last         = Dunn 
| first        = James D.G.
| year         = 2009  
| title        = Christianity in the Making Volume 2: Beginning From Jerusalem 
| publisher    = Eerdmans
|isbn=978-0-8028-3932-9
| url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=A_NgbeCRrIwC
}}
<!-- E -->
* {{cite book 
| last         = Earls
| first        = Irene
| title        = Renaissance Art: A Topical Dictionary
| publisher    = ABC-CLIO
| year         = 1987
| url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=xAdrziNnqLIC&q=Renaissance+art:+a+topical+dictionary
|isbn=978-0-313-24658-6
}}
* {{cite book
| last         = Farrow
| first        = Douglas
| title        = Ascension And Ecclesia
| year         = 2004
| publisher    = A&C Black
| url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=NgrUAwAAQBAJ&q=%22Today+it+is+something+of+an+embarrassment%22&pg=PA9
|isbn=978-0-567-08325-8
}}
* {{Citation | last =Farrow | first =Douglas B. | year =2011 | title =Ascension Theology | publisher =Bloomsbury Publishing}}
<!-- H -->
* {{Cite book 
| last         = Holwerda
| first        = D.E.
| chapter      = Ascension
| editor1-last = Bromiley
| editor1-first= Geoffrey 
| title        = The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
| publisher    = Eerdmans
| year         = 1979
| chapter-url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=wo8csizDv0gC&q=%22John+contains+three+specific+references+to+the+Ascension%22&pg=PA310
|isbn=978-0-8028-3781-3
}}
* {{Citation
| last         = Hurtado
| first        = Larry
| author-link   = Larry Hurtado
| year         = 2005
| title        = Lord Jesus Christ. Devotion to Jesus in Earliest Christianity
| publisher    = Eerdmans
}}
* {{cite book 
| last         = Jensen
| first        = Robin M.
| chapter      = Art in Early Christianity
| editor1-last = Benedetto
| editor1-first= Robert 
| editor2-last = Duke
| editor2-first= James O.
| title        = The New Westminster Dictionary of Church History
| publisher    = Westminster John Knox Press
| year         = 2008
|isbn=978-0-664-22416-5
| chapter-url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=g46euaF7HAsC&q=%22The+earliest+examples+of+explicitly+Christian+visual+art%22&pg=PA51
}}
* {{cite wikisource|wslink=A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture/LXXXIII. The Ascension of Jesus Christ|plainchapter=Chapter ·LXXXIII. The Ascension of Jesus Christ|title=A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture|year=1910|publisher=B. Herder|first=Friedrich Justus|last=Knecht|author-link=Justus Knecht}}
* {{cite book
|last1         = Köstenberger
|first1        = Andreas J.
|title         = John
|publisher     = Baker Academic
|year          = 2004
|url           = https://books.google.com/books?id=b9SXH_KuTwIC&q=Andreas+Kostenberger+John
|isbn=978-0-8010-2644-7
}}
* {{cite book
|last          =Lawson
|first         =Todd
|date          = 2009
|title         = The Crucifixion and the Quran: A Study in the History of Muslim Thought
|url           = https://books.google.com/books?id=C1cQBwAAQBAJ
|publisher     = Oneworld Publications
|isbn=978-1-85168-635-3
}}
* {{Cite book 
| last         = McDonald
| first        = Lee Martin
| chapter      = Acts
| editor1-last = Combes
| editor1-first= Isobel A. H. 
| editor2-last = Gurtner
| editor2-first= Daniel M.
| title        = Bible Knowledge Background Commentary
| publisher    = David C Cook
| year         = 2004
| chapter-url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=oP3k4TNiDWMC&q=%22Ascension+stories+were+fairly+common%22&pg=PA22
|isbn=978-0-7814-4006-6
}}
* {{Cite book 
| last         = Müller
| first        = Mogens
| chapter      = Acts as biblical rewriting of the gospels and Paul's letters
| editor1-last = Müller 
| editor1-first= Mogens
| editor2-last = Nielsen
| editor2-first= Jesper Tang 
| title        = Luke's Literary Creativity
| publisher    = Bloomsbury
| year         = 2016
| chapter-url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=DHWcDAAAQBAJ&q=%22forty-day+period%22%22before+the+ascension%22&pg=PA113
|isbn=978-0-567-66583-6
}}
* {{Cite book
| last         = Munoa
| first        = Phillip
| chapter      = Ascension
| editor1-last = Freedman 
| editor1-first= David Noel
| editor2-last = Myers
| editor2-first= Allen C.
| title        = Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible
| year         = 2000
| publisher    = Eerdmans
| chapter-url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=qRtUqxkB7wkC&q=%22figures+who+went+up+to+heaven%22&pg=PA109
|isbn=978-90-5356-503-2
}}
* {{cite book 
| last         = Murphy-O'Connor 
| first        = Jerome 
| title        = The Holy Land: An Oxford Archaeological Guide from Earliest Times to 1700 
| year         = 2008 
| publisher    = OUP Oxford 
| url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=m3Yy9FDcT8gC
|isbn=978-0-19-164766-6 
}}
<!-- N -->
* {{cite book 
| last         = Najman
| first        = Hindy
| title        = Losing the Temple and Recovering the Future: An Analysis of 4 Ezra
| year         = 2014
| publisher    = Cambridge University Press
| url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=-cAdAwAAQBAJ&q=%22Israel+sits+in+the+center+of+the+world%22&pg=PA93
|isbn=978-1-139-91584-7
}} 
* {{cite book 
| last         = Nes
| first        = Solrunn
| title        = The Mystical Language of Icons
| publisher    = Eerdmans
| year         = 2005
| url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=gy5sX4j4de4C&q=Solrunn+Nes+mystical+language+of+icons
|isbn=978-0-8028-2916-0
}}
* {{Citation | last =Novakovic | first =Lidija | year =2014 | title =Raised from the Dead According to Scripture: The Role of the Old Testament in the Early Christian Interpretations of Jesus' Resurrection | publisher =A&C Black}}
<!-- O -->
* {{Cite book 
| last1        = Ouspensky
| first1       = Léonide
| last2        = Lossky
| first2       = Vladimir
| title        = The Meaning of Icons
| publisher    = St Vladimir's Seminary Press
| year         = 1999
| url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=iqncPadAx40C&q=ascension
|isbn=978-0-913836-77-4
}}
* {{cite book
|last          = Pennington
|first         = Jonathan T.
|title         = Heaven and earth in the Gospel of Matthew
|publisher     = BRILL
|year          = 2007
|url           = https://books.google.com/books?id=EGTaBJDQoD0C&q=ancient+Israelite+ideas+about+the+heavenly+realms&pg=PA42
|isbn=978-90-04-16205-1
}}
* {{cite book
| last         = Quast
| first        = Kevin
| title        = Reading the Gospel of John
| year         = 1991
| publisher    = Paulist Press
| url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=uhjJ8DNhQFAC&q=Johns+enigmatic+words+raise+several+questions&pg=PA134
|isbn=978-0-8091-3297-3
}}
* {{cite book 
| last         = Quast
| first        = Kevin
| chapter      = Ascension Day
| editor1-last = Melton
| editor1-first= J. Gordon
| title        = Religious Celebrations: An Encyclopedia of Holidays, Festivals, Solemn Observances, and Spiritual Commemorations
| publisher    = ABC-CLIO
| year         = 2011
| chapter-url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=KDU30Ae4S4cC&q=%22sixth+thursday+after+easter+sunday%22&pg=PA527
|isbn=978-1-59884-205-0
}}
* {{cite book 
| last         = Seim
| first        = Turid Karlsen
| chapter      = The Resurrected Body in Luke-Acts: The Significance of Space
| editor1-last = Seim 
| editor1-first= Turid Karlsen
| editor2-last = Økland
| editor2-first= Jorunn
| title        = Metamorphoses: Resurrection, Body and Transformative Practices in Early Christianity
| publisher    = Walter de Gruyter
| year         = 2009
| url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=GCRjbbjW39EC
|isbn=978-3-11-020299-1
}}
* {{cite book 
| last         = Stokl-Ben-Ezra
| first        = Daniel
| chapter      = Parody and Polemics on Pentecost
| editor1-last = Gerhards
| editor1-first= Albert 
| editor2-last = Leonhard
| editor2-first= Clemens
| title        = Jewish and Christian Liturgy and Worship
| publisher    = BRILL
| year         = 2007
| chapter-url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=UfivCQAAQBAJ&q=%22ascension+developed+only+slowly+from+the+late+fourth%22&pg=PA286
|isbn=978-90-474-2241-9
}}
* {{cite book 
|last          = Thompson 
|first         = Richard P.
|editor-last   = Aune 
|editor-first  = David E. 
|title         = The Blackwell Companion to The New Testament
|chapter       = Luke-Acts: The Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles
|publisher     = Wiley–Blackwell 
|year          = 2010 
|chapter-url           = https://books.google.com/books?id=ygcgn8h-jo4C&q=%22Chapter+19+Luke-Acts%22&pg=PA318
|isbn=978-1-4443-1894-4
}}
* {{cite book
| last         = Wright
| first        = J. Edward
| title        = The Early History of Heaven
| year         = 2002
| publisher    = Oxford University Press
| url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=lKvMeMorNBEC&q=%22The+ancient+Israelites+imagined+the+universe+as+a+tripartite+structure%22&pg=PA53
|isbn=978-0-19-802981-6
}}
* {{cite book 
| last         = Zwiep
| first        = Arie W.
| chapter      = Ascension scholarship past present and future
| editor1-last = Pao
| editor1-first= David W. 
| editor2-last = Bryan
| editor2-first= David K. 
| title        = Ascent into Heaven in Luke-Acts: New Explorations of Luke's Narrative Hinge
| year         = 2016
| publisher    = Fortress Press
| chapter-url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=u1N4DQAAQBAJ&q=%22recent+biblical+scholarship+on+the+Lukan+ascension+narratives%22&pg=PA7
|isbn=978-1-5064-1896-4
}}
{{refend}}

=== Further reading ===
{{refbegin|2|indent=yes}}
* {{Cite book 
| last         = Aune
| first        = David
| chapter      = Cosmology
| title        = The Westminster Dictionary of New Testament and Early Christian Literature and Rhetoric
| publisher    = Westminster John Knox Press
| year         = 2003b
| chapter-url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=nhhdJ-fkywYC&q=%22knowledge+of+ancient+cosmologies%22%22interpreting+early+Christian+literature%22&pg=PA118
|isbn=978-0-664-21917-8
| ref          = none
}}
* {{Cite book 
|last          = Burkett 
|first         = Delbert 
|title         = An introduction to the New Testament and the origins of Christianity 
|publisher     = Cambridge University Press 
|year          = 2002 
|url           = https://books.google.com/books?id=EcsQknxV-xQC&q=%2213+The+Gospel+of+Luke%22&pg=PA195 
|isbn=978-0-521-00720-7 
| ref          = none
}}
* {{Cite book 
| last         = Charlesworth
| first        = James H. 
| title        = The Historical Jesus: An Essential Guide 
| publisher    = Abingdon Press 
| year         = 2008 
| url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=YTIGy5t45WgC&q=%22The+composition+of+Luke-Acts%22%2C%22usually+dated+around+80-90%22%2C%22perhaps+between+90+and+110%22&pg=PT64 
|isbn=978-1-4267-2475-6 
| ref          = none
}}
* {{cite book
| last         = Collins
| first        = Adela Yarbro
| title        = Cosmology and Eschatology in Jewish and Christian Apocalypticism
| year         = 2000
| publisher    = BRILL
| url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=eZv1JZAHdg0C&q=cosmology+hebrew+bible&pg=PA26
|isbn=978-90-04-11927-7
| ref          = none
}}
* Davies, J. G. (1958). ''He Ascended into Heaven'', London: Lutterworth Press.
* {{Cite book 
| last         = Dawson
| first        = Gerrit
| title        = Jesus Ascended: The Meaning of Christ's Continuing Incarnation
| publisher    = Bloomsbury
| year         = 2004
| url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=krneBAAAQBAJ&q=Jesus+Ascended%3A+The+Meaning+of+Christ%27s+Continuing+Incarnation&pg=PA106
|isbn=978-0-567-11987-2
| ref          = none
}}
* {{cite book|chapter=[[s:A Complete Catechism of the Catholic Religion/Sixth Article|The Sixth Article: 'He ascended into Heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.' ]]|title=A Complete Catechism of the Catholic Religion|year=1912|publisher=Schwartz, Kirwin & Fauss|first= Joseph|last=Deharbe|translator=Rev. John Fander}}
* {{cite book
| last         = Farrow
| first        = Douglas
| title        = Ascension Theology
| year         = 2011
| publisher    = Bloomsbury
| url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=2J9GBAAAQBAJ&q=%22an+absurdly+literal+interpretation+of+the+ascension%22&pg=PA16
|isbn=978-0-567-65188-4
| ref          = none
}}
* {{Cite book 
| last         = Hurtado
| first        = Larry W.
| title        = Lord Jesus Christ: Devotion to Jesus in Earliest Christianity
| publisher    = Eerdmans
| year         = 2005
| url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=k32wZRMxltUC&q=%22ascension+into+heaven%22%22Enoch%2C+Elijah+and+Moses%22&pg=PA345
|isbn=978-0-8028-3167-5
| ref          = none
}}
* {{cite book
|last1         = Knight
|first1        = Douglas A.
|last2         = Levine
|first2        = Amy-Jill
|title         = The Meaning of the Bible: What the Jewish Scriptures and Christian Old Testament Can Teach Us
|publisher     = HarperCollins
|year          = 2011
|url           = https://books.google.com/books?id=ox31oGXZzZQC&q=meaning+bene+elohim&pg=PT64
|isbn=978-0-06-209859-7
| ref          = none
}}
* {{cite book
| last1        = Lee
| first1       = Sang Meyng
| title        = The Cosmic Drama of Salvation
| year         = 2010
| publisher    = Mohr Siebeck
| url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=64p8Dmw8f-cC&q=New+Testament+cosmology&pg=PA65
|isbn=978-3-16-150316-0
| ref          = none
}}
* {{cite book
| last         = Lincoln
| first        = Andrew
| title        = Paradise Now and Not Yet
| year         = 2004
| publisher    = Cambridge University Press
| url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=1LagRe8vKHQC&q=%22stated+in+its+classic+form+by+Bultmann%22%22The+New+Testament+and+Mythology%22&pg=PA4
|isbn=978-0-521-60939-5
| ref          = none
}}
* {{Cite book 
| last         = Packer
| first        = J. I.
| title        = Affirming the Apostles' Creed
| publisher    = Crossway
| year         = 2008
| url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=iaNuAHjIQxIC&q=%22an+emblem+in+space+and+time%22&pg=PT70
|isbn=978-1-4335-2201-7
| ref          = none
}}
* {{Cite book 
| last         = Park
| first        = Eung Chun
| title        = Either Jew or Gentile: Paul's Unfolding Theology of Inclusivity
| publisher    = Westminster John Knox Press
| year         = 2003
| url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=TBmEyFqjX8EC&q=%22it+is+extremely+difficult+to+know+how+early+Christianity+started%22&pg=PA21
|isbn=978-0-664-22453-0
| ref          = none
}}
* {{Cite book
| last         = Vermes
| first        = Geza
| title        = The Changing Faces of Jesus
| year         = 2001
| publisher    = Penguin UK
| url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=LRtcWtZzYGIC&q=%22the+idea+of+the++descent+and+ascent+of+the+son+of+man%22&pg=PP55
|isbn=978-0-14-191258-5
| ref          = none
}}
* {{Cite Catholic Encyclopedia |wstitle=Ascension |volume=1 |first=John Joseph  |last=Wynne}}
* {{Cite book
| last         = Zwiep
| first        = Arie W.
| title        = The Ascension of the Messiah in Lukan Christology
| year         = 1997
| publisher    = BRILL
| url          = https://books.google.com/books?id=QIW7JywiBhIC&q=%22The+Ascension+of+the+Messiah+in+Lukan+Christology%22&pg=PA182
|isbn=978-90-04-10897-4
| ref          = none
}}
{{refend}}

{{Jesus footer}}
{{Miracles of Jesus}}
{{Gospel of Luke}}
{{Acts of the Apostles}}
{{Christianity footer}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ascension Of Jesus}}
[[Category:Ascension of Jesus| ]]
[[Category:Acts of the Apostles]]
[[Category:Angelic apparitions in the Bible]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Christian terminology]]
[[Category:Christianity and Islam]]
[[Category:Eastertide]]
[[Category:Entering heaven alive]]
[[Category:Glorious Mysteries]]
[[Category:Gospel episodes]]
[[Category:Heaven in Christianity]]
[[Category:Life of Jesus in the New Testament]]

[[fr:Ascension (fête)#Les sources néotestamentaires]]