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It is of faith that Christ ascended into heaven, as stated in the
Apostles' Creed;[2324] that He ascended body and
soul;[2325] that He sits at the right hand of the
Father,[2326] according to the natural mode of
existing;[2327] that His kingdom is eternal;[2328] and
that He will judge the living and the dead,[2329] coming in His
body.[2330]
The principal passages from Sacred Scripture in testimony of the
Ascension are: "And the Lord Jesus, after He had spoken to
them, was taken up into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of
God";[2331] "And it came to pass whilst He blessed them,
He departed from them and was carried up to heaven";[2332]
"And when He had said these things, while they looked on, He was
raised up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while
they were beholding Him going up to heaven, behold two men stood by
them in white garments, who also said: "Ye men of Galilee, why
stand you looking up to heaven? This Jesus who is taken up from you
into heaven, shall so come as you have seen Him going into heaven. '
"[2333]
St. Thomas, having presupposed faith in Christ's ascension, in
this question makes several inquiries about the fittingness, manner,
and effects of Christ's ascension.
First Article:
It was fitting for Christ to ascend into heaven because after the
resurrection Christ's body was incorruptible, and heaven is a place
of incorruption. Moreover, this was a better way of manifesting
Christ's victory over death. Finally, it befitted Christ to
ascend, since this increased our faith, which is of things unseen; it
advanced us in hope, because thus Christ, our head, gave us hope of
reaching heaven, for He said: "I go to prepare a place for
you."[2334] This mystery also increases love in us, for St.
Paul says: "Seek the things that are above. where Christ is
sitting at the right hand of God."[2335]
Christ fittingly ascended into heaven forty days after His
resurrection,[2336] so as to prove more efficaciously the truth
of the Resurrection; and also as the Scripture says: "For forty
days appearing to them, and speaking of the kingdom of
God,"[2337] in order to instruct them in those matters that
pertain to the faith.
Second Article:
Christ ascended into heaven as man, but by the power of the divine
nature.
Third Article:
Christ ascended into heaven by His own power, first of all by His
divine power, and secondly by the power of His glorified soul moving
His body at will, "inasmuch as His glorified body was endowed with
the gift of agility."[2338] Although Christ did ascend into
heaven by His own power, yet "He was raised up and taken up into
heaven by the Father, since the Father's power is the same as the
Son's."[2339]
Fourth Article:
"Christ ascended above all the heavens,"[2340] and this was
most fitting because of His dignity. Hence St. Paul says: "For
it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy,
innocent, ... and made higher than the heavens."[2341]
"God's seat is said to be in heaven, not as though heaven contained
Him, but rather because it is contained by Him."[2342]
Fifth Article:
Christ's body ascended above every spiritual creature on account of
the dignity of the hypostatic union, for St. Paul says: "He set
Him above all principality and power, and virtue, and dominion, and
every name that is named not only in this world, but also in that which
is to come."[2343]
Sixth Article:
Christ's ascension is the cause of our salvation. (1) On our
part, because by it faith which is of things unseen, is increased,
there is an advancement in hope, an enkindling of charity, and greater
reverence for Christ is thereby fostered. (2) On His part, for
by thus ascending into heaven He prepared the way for us, as our
Head.[2344] In sign whereof He took to heaven the souls of the
saints delivered from hell, as the Scripture says: "Ascending on
high He led captivity captive."[2345] So also Christ
"entered into heaven to make intercession for us,"[2346] and
"that He might fill all things."[2347]
Reply to first objection. Christ's ascension is the cause of our
salvation, by way not of merit, but of efficiency, as His
resurrection was.
Reply to third objection. "Christ... from some special
dispensation sometimes comes down in body to earth, either in order to
show Himself to the whole world, as at the judgment; or else to show
Himself particularly to some individual, as to St.
Paul.[2348] And lest any man may think that Christ was not
bodily present, but in some way, when this occurred the contrary is
shown from what the Apostle says to confirm faith in the
Resurrection: "Last of all He was seen also by Me, as by one born
out of due time. ' "[2349]
This vision would not prove, of course, the truth of the
Resurrection, unless he had seen Christ's true body.
St. Thomas does not here discuss the mission of the Holy Ghost,
because He had already spoken about this mystery at the end of the
treatise on the Trinity,[2350] concerning the mission of the
divine persons.
It suffices to note that the effects produced in the apostles by the
mission of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost were a great
increase of sanctifying grace and charity, to confirm them in grace, a
proportionate increase of the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost, and the
twelve fruits resulting from these gifts,[2351] and the gratiae
gratis datae enumerated by St. Paul.[2352] Thus the gift of
tongues was bestowed upon each of the apostles so that they might speak
in the languages of the various nations, and also they sometimes spoke
in one language so that the people of various nations understood them.
Thus it is said: "They began to speak with divers tongues,
according as the Holy Ghost gave them to speak";[2353] "They
shall speak with new tongues";[2354] "I thank my God I speak
with all your tongues."[2355]
The virtual catholicity of the Church was in this way manifested,
which had to become increasingly an actual fact by the preaching of the
gospel throughout the world.
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