Ascension Thursday

  • Thread starter Thread starter BBachman
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
B

BBachman

Guest
Regarding the mystery of the Ascension, I was hoping someone out there could clear up the following questions I have:

Where was Jesus for the 40 days following his ressurection?
Did anyone go to heaven before the Ascension?
What is the basis for answers to both questions?
 
I think that Jesus was with those who followed Him & helping them with doctrinal matters & such.

I’ve understood this to be MOSTLY no, save, maybe, Moses, Elijah, & Enoch. Isn’t this the theory behind “The Limbo of the Fathers.”

Both of these can be inferred from the Bible (save those who know tradition better than I, and, there are, well, infinately many).
 
40.png
BBachman:
Where was Jesus for the 40 days following his ressurection?
Did anyone go to heaven before the Ascension?
Click to expand...
Yes, Jesus stayed with his disciples until he was raised to his Father.

According to Catholic dogma defined at the Fourth Lateran Council, the “hell” mentioned in both the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds (literally translated as “netherworld”) was not the place of damnation that we associate with the word “hell”. Rather, it was the temporary resting place of the pre-Christian era just souls. There is a tradition in the Eastern Churches that Jesus descended into this netherworld in the days immediately following his death and delivered the righteous souls to Heaven.
 
40.png
BBachman:
Regarding the mystery of the Ascension, I was hoping someone out there could clear up the following questions I have:

Where was Jesus for the 40 days following his ressurection?
Did anyone go to heaven before the Ascension?
What is the basis for answers to both questions?
Click to expand...
My opinion, subject to correction, is that we don’t know. Certainly, the scriptures tell us that Jesus spent some of that time with the disciples, explaining things to them, and proving his bodily resurrection to them. But there also seems to be a note of mystery about him after he is risen. He seems to come and go, people don’t recognize him as they did before. All of which, for me, seems to indicate he wasn’t with them all the time. Where else was he? Beats me.
 
40.png
BBachman:
Where was Jesus for the 40 days following his ressurection?
Did anyone go to heaven before the Ascension?
What is the basis for answers to both questions?
Click to expand...
  1. during the 40 days He walked with the apostles/desciples, teaching things that they would need to establish His church.
  2. no. if anyone could have gotten to heaven without the cross/resurection, there would have been no need for the cross/resurection - st. paul tells us as much. before Christ opened the gates of heaven for us, the best you could do is “abraham’s bosom”. again, the bible tells us as much.
  3. the bible. abraham’s bosom - luke 16:19-31; heaven impossible without Christ - basically all of galatians; Christ teaching - acts 1:3.
hope this helps,
RyanL
 
Heck, i just wish that my Diocese would move the Solemnity back to the 40th day after the Resurrection!!! 😦
 
Re: Did anyone go to heaven before the Ascension?, I too think the answer is No other than possible exceptions for the people like Moses, David etc., that God specially touched.

Isn’t this why we say “…He descended to the dead…” in the Apostles Creed (similar in Nicene Creed)? He was liberating them to heaven…
 
The Apostle’s Creed states: …“he descended to Hell, the third day he rose again…” This implies he preached to the dead prior to his Resurrection. It does not imply he preached to the spirits in Limbo until the Ascension, and that no one ascended to heaven until the Ascension. Any thoughts?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top