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The Significance of the Ascension of Jesus Christ in the New Testament

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 February 2009

B. K. Donne
B. K. Donne
Affiliation:
32 Ashley Road Taunton Somerset
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Extract

The theme of the Ascension of Jesus Christ is one of the most JL important in the New Testament, yet during the present century, very little theological attention has been given to it. Most of the published work has been in the form of articles in theological journals and commentaries, though J. G. Davies' Bampton Lectures entitled He Ascended into Heaven, published in 1958, were devoted to the subject, and later, there appeared, also in English, U. Simon's The Ascent to Heaven in 1961. Even H. B. Swete's The Ascended Christ, which first appeared in 1910 and was subsequently published in several editions until 1916, expresses the hope that the work might awaken a response to a renewed sense of the importance of this great Christian festival. His earlier writing, The Apostles' Creed in 1894, contains a chapter on the Ascension which was a spirited reply to the German scholar Harnack, who asserted that the Ascension had no separate place in the primitive tradition, and whose views considerably influenced the thought of New Testament scholarship for many years to come. This article seeks to make an assessment of what the present writer considers to be a subject of the utmost importance, both in regard to its theological significance in the New Testament, and in its relevance for contemporary Christian experience. The Scriptures declare that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, buried, and raised again the third day.

Type
Research Article
Information
Scottish Journal of Theology , Volume 30 , Issue 6 , December 1977 , pp. 555 - 568
Copyright
Copyright © Scottish Journal of Theology Ltd 1977

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References

555 1 Swete, H. B., The Ascended Christ (1916), p. viiiGoogle Scholar

556 1 See Farmer, W. R., The Last Twelve Verses of Mark (S.N.T.S., 1974)Google Scholar, passim, for a thorough investigation of the external and internal evidence which leaves the matter ‘still open’.

556 2 Omitted in the ‘Western’ Text and found in א Da be ff2j 1 (syB). Streeter, B. H., The Four Gospels: A Study of Origins (1927), p. 143 saysGoogle Scholar, ‘It is the text which omits, not that which inserts, that has suffered harmonistic correction’. Cf. Jeremias, J., The Eucharistic Words of Jesus (ET 1966), p. 151Google Scholar, who accepts the Longer Text, and cites F. G. Kenyon who observes that it is not only in the West that the pure text is to be found.

556 3 Haenchen, E., The Acts of the Apostles (ET 1971), p. 138.Google Scholar

556 4 ibid.

557 1 Bruce, F. F., Commentary on the Book of Acts (1954), p. 36Google Scholar, in which he shows the verb to be cognate with λς (salt). Gf. Lampe, G. W. H., ‘Luke’ in Peake's Commentary on the Bible, ed. Black, M. and Rowley, H. H. (1962), p. 886Google Scholar, ‘the verb probably means “eating salt with”, the allusion being to the fellowship meals … cf. 10.41. Alternatively, the verb is a variant spelling for synaulizomai (instead of synalizomai) meaning “lodge with” which itself has a little support in the MS tradition.’

557 2 Metzger, B. M., ‘The Ascension of Jesus Christ’ in Historical and Literary Studies, Pagan, Jewish and Christian (1968), p. 82.Google Scholar

557 3 Conzelmann, H., The Theology of St. Luke (ET 1961), P- 203Google Scholar. Cf. Moule, C. F. D., ‘Expository Problems, The Ascension–Acts i.9’ in The Expository Times, Vol. LXVIII, No. 7 (April 1957), p. 207Google Scholar: ‘And Pentecost, about fifty days after Passover, or about forty days after the octave of Passover … fits the forty days’ appearances, plus a short period of waiting.

557 4 van Stempvoort, P. A., ‘The Interpretation of the Ascension in Luke and Acts’ in S.N.T.S., Vol. V (1958–1959), p. 37.Google Scholar

558 1 Enslin, M. S., ‘The Ascension Story’ in J.B.L. XLVII (1928), p. 61. Cf. Moule. op cit., p. 207.Google Scholar

558 2 van Stempvoort, op. cit., p. 38.

558 3 Swete, H. B., The Apostles' Creed (1894), p. 174.Google Scholar

558 4 Davies, J. G., He Ascended into Heaven (1958), p. 30.Google Scholar

559 1 Ramsey, A. M., ‘What was the Ascension?’ in S.N.T.S., Bulletin n (1951), p. 49.Google Scholar

559 2 Moule, op. cit., p. 207.

560 1 Evans, C. F., Resurrection and the New Testament: Studies in Biblical Theology, Second Series (1970), p. 83.Google Scholar

560 2 Davies, op. cit., p. 43.

560 3 Robinson, J. A. T., ‘Expository Problems—The Second Coming—Mark xiv.62’ in The Expository Time:, Vol. LXVII, No. 11 (August 1956), pp. 338f.Google Scholar

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561 1 Swete, op. cit., p. 66.

561 2 See Barrett, G. K., The Gospel According to St. John (1955; Ninth Impression 1972). P. 470Google Scholar. ‘A possible conclusion … is that John believed that between vv. 17 and 22 the ascension, or at least the complete glorification, of Jesus had taken place. But it must be admitted that he does not say so, and it is very strange that so vital a fact should be left as a matter of inference. A more profitable line of interpretation is obtained when it is noted (Lagrange, 512) that the δ which follows πoρɛoυ applies in effect to , the message to the “brothers” being parenthetical. The verse may then be paraphrased, ‘Stop touching me (or attempting to do so); It is true that I have not yet ascended to the Father but I am about to do so … this is what you must tell my brothers’. This is perfectly intelligible. The resurrection has made possible a new and more intimate spiritual union between Jesus and his disciples; the old physical contacts are no longer appropriate, though touch may yet (v. 27) be appealed to in proof that the glorified Lord is none other than he who was crucified.’

561 3 Barrett, C. K., ‘John’ in Peake's Commentary on the Bible, ed. Black, M. with Rowley, H. H. (1962), p. 867.Google Scholar

561 4 Davies, op. cit., p. 64.

562 1 Argyle, A. W., ‘The Ascension’ in The Expository Times, Vol. LXVI, No. 8 (May 1955), p. 241Google Scholar. Cf. P. Benoit, Jesus and the Gospel, Vol. 1 (ET 1973), p. 231; article published on ‘The Ascension’ in Revue Biblique (1949): ‘It is then certain enough that for Paul, Christ is glorified … and … no less certain that he had to ascend there (heaven) corporeally after issuing from the tomb.’

562 2 Dodd, C. H., The Founder of Christianity (1971), p. 181Google Scholar.

562 3 Conzelmann, op. cit., p. 203, says, ‘During the forty days, the appearances do not take place from Heaven. Such appearances presuppose the Ascension and are of a different kind … an example of the “appearances from Heaven” is given in the threefold account of the appearance near Damascus.’

563 1 Davies, op. cit., pp. 44f.

563 2 Moule, , ‘The Ascension’ in The Expository Times, Vol. LXVIII, No. 7 (April 1957), p. 209Google Scholar. Cf. Metzger, op. cit., p. 84, ‘The translation of his resurrected body to that sphere of existence to which it properly belonged can be said to be both natural and necessary.’

564 1 Cullmann, O., The Christology of the New Testament (ET 1959), p. 88Google Scholar.

564 2 ibid. p. 223.

564 3 Barth, K., Dogmatics in Outline (ET 1966), p. 124Google Scholar.

564 4 Ramsey, op. cit., p. 50.

564 5 Davies, op. cit., p. 180, ‘… it is the manhood of Christ which has entered heaven through the Ascension, that provides the point of contact between God and us in our creaturely state.’

565 1 Milligan, W., The Ascension and Heavenly Priesthood of Our Lord (1892), p. 152Google Scholar.

565 2 Swete, H. B., The Ascended Christ (1916), p. 43Google Scholar. Cf. Gullmann, op. cit., P. 193.

565 3 Conzelmann, op. cit., p. 178.

565 4 R. N. Flew, Jesus and His Church: A Study in the Idea of the Ecclesia in the New Testament (1938), p. 145. Cf. Swete, , The Appearances of Our Lord after the Passion (1915), p. 34Google Scholar, where Swete, following Theodore of Mopsuestia (Migne P.G. lxvi. 783), says, ‘… the ancient commentator was right who said “receive” in the mouth of the Risen Lord, meant, “ye shall receive” … they received the Spirit potentially from that moment, but the actual outpouring of the Spirit followed the Ascension, and could not precede it.’

566 1 Haenchen, op. cit., p. 183.

566 2 Moule, C. F. D., ‘St. Paul and Dualism, The Pauline Conception of Resurrection’ in S.N.T.S., Vol. 12, No. 2 (1966), p. 122Google Scholar.

566 3 Moule, , ‘The Ascension’ in The Expository Times, Vol. LXVIII, No. 7 (April 1957), p. 209Google Scholar. Cf. Torrance, T. F., Royal Priesthood. Scottish Journal of Theology Occasional Papers No. 3 (1955), p. 43, ‘If Jesus Christ is not ascended in the fulness of His Humanity, then … there is no hope for us men and women of flesh and blood …’Google Scholar.

566 4 Flender, H., St. Luke, Theologian of Redemptive History (1967), p. 19Google Scholar.

566 5 Moule, op. cit., p. 209.

566 6 Conzelmann, op. cit., p. 204, ‘The Ascension marks the limit of his stay on earth, and the beginning of the heavenly reign.’

567 1 Barth, op. cit., p. 128.

567 2 Torrance, op. cit., p. 59.

567 3 Barth, op. cit., p. 126.

567 4 Bernard, J. H., ‘Ascension and Assumption’ in Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics, Vol. 11 (1909), p. 157Google Scholar.

567 5 Swete, op. cit., p. 158.

568 1 Mann, C. S., ‘The New Testament and the Lord's Ascension’ in C.Q.R., CLVIII (1957), P. 465Google Scholar.

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568 3 Davies, op. cit., p. 174.