Ascension of Christ

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church | 2000 | 700+ words | Copyright

Ascension of Christ. The statement in the Creeds that Christ ‘ascended into heaven’ is based mainly on Acts 1: 1–9 where, after 40 days of appearances, the Risen Lord speaks to the Apostles and is then taken up in a cloud. The reference to the Apostles' return to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives (Acts 1: 12) gave rise to the tradition that it took place there. Lk.24: 50–53 by contrast seems to imply that this withdrawal of Christ into Heaven occurred at Bethany on the evening of the day of the Resurrection. Behind St Luke's narrative stands the conviction of the early Church that God had vindicated Jesus after His crucifixion. The Ascension marks the close of the post-Resurrection appearances and signifies the rule of Christ in the present (cf. 1 Cor. 15: 25). Doctrinally it implies Christ's humanity being taken into Heaven. Ascension Day, kept on the 6th Thursday, i.e. the 40th day, after Easter, is one of the chief feasts of the Christian year.

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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Ascension of Christ." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Ascension of Christ." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-AscensionofChrist.html

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Ascension of Christ." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-AscensionofChrist.html

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