In the name of God the Father, Christ Jesus His Son and the Holy Spirit, One True God. Amen.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus
Forty days after we celebrate the Feast of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, Christians all over the world commemorate another important feast – the Feast of Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ. We commemorate this feast in remembrance of Christ ascending into heaven and being seated at the right hand of the Father. The icon for this feast shows the events as described in the Book of Acts of the Apostles, though as with all icons, there is more revealed that just a straight retelling of the story in pictures.
Based on the accounts written by St Luke in his Gospel (Luke 24:36-53) and the Book of Acts (Acts 1:1-12), the icon of the Ascension is correspondingly ancient. One of the earliest surviving images of the Ascension, a full-page illustration from the 6th century Rabbula Gospels, is remarkably similar to all subsequent icons, with precious few variations. Icons from St Catherine’s monastery in Sinai, for example, show little change between images of the Ascension made in the 6th century with those painted almost 600 years later. Regardless of age or location, the Icon of the Ascension seems to have been “canonized” early on in the Church’s history.
The image itself is characterized by colour: the robes of the Apostles, the Mother of God, the Angels, and Christ Himself surrounded by light; all this is suitable for the Feast itself, which is one of the Twelve Great Feasts and a joyous celebration.
Let us look at the Icon and learn from it as was taught in the earliest Church setup, before the Bible was readily available to everyone in the written format.
A casual glance at the icon shows Christ, with angels, being escorted back to His heavenly throne, His Mother Mary stands in the middle with the angels and the faithful disciples beside them looking up towards the ascending Jesus. It can also be understood that while the icon depicts the events described by Saint Luke, it is not meant to be a historical picture, but a representation of the Church.
The icon is designed in two parts, the top and the bottom, signifying the heaven and the earth respectively. The top is in order, but the bottom, except for the Theotokos, everyone else is in confusion. The figures are set against the hilly landscape of the Mount of Olives, scattered with olive trees.
The Ascent of Christ Promises a Return
In the account written by St. Luke, Jesus is described as merely “taken up” into the skies and disappearing from sight behind a cloud. Contrary to this statement, the icon of the event depicts Jesus in glory: surrounded by a mandorla (or circle) of light, flanked by angels and blessing with His right hand while on the left He is holding an open scroll and He is arrayed in brilliant golden robes. The icon shows Him as if seated on a throne. This imagery of Christ ascending to heaven has a striking similarity to His appearance at His Second Coming. The image of Christ in glory, seated upon a “rainbow”, comes directly from the Book of Revelation, which describes the Last Judgment and the Second Coming of Christ.
Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.
Revelation 4:2-3
The reason Christ ascending into Heaven is depicted the same as Christ’s Second Coming is because of the words of the angels present at the Ascension:
Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
Acts of the Apostles 1:11
Thus the Icon depicts the Ascension of Jesus and also tells about His Second Coming “in like manner”.
But when we look at the disciples below Christ, it seems that they have not yet understood these words.
Abandoning on earth the things of earth, leaving to the dust the things of ash, now, let us come to our senses and raise on high our eyes and minds. Mortals, let us make our sight together with our senses fly heaven’s gates. Let us imagine we are standing on the Mount of Olives and that we bend our gaze on the Redeemer, as he rides up on a cloud. For, from where the Lord has hastened back to heaven, there too the One who loves to give has distributed his gifts to his Apostles, cherishing them as a father and confirming them, guiding them as sons and saying to them, ‘I am not parting from you. I am with you, and there is no one against you.’
Finding Heavenly Peace amidst Earthly Confusion
Let us now look at the second part of the icon. When we look at the bottom part of the icon, we see the disciples below Christ looking upwards to heaven and their expressions are of utter confusion. But why is there a confusion amidst them?
When we read the account of St. Luke, we can understand that even after 40 days of being with the resurrected Christ and witnessing to His glorified physical presence, they still had doubts in their hearts on the resurrection of Christ. To clear their doubts, Jesus partook of their meal with them. We also find the disciples questioning on the restoration of the kingdom of Israel.
Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
Acts of the Apostles 1:6
It would seem that the disciples were still not able to understand the reason for Christ’s death and resurrection and they were slowly turning their thoughts back to the worldly kingdom of Israel rather than the heavenly kingdom. Their intentions of following Jesus to become political rulers was being revived in their hearts. Amidst this discussion, they see Christ ascending up into heaven.
The confusion and wonder that the Apostles felt while seeing Christ ascending into heaven is clearly visible in the icon through their facial expressions and their hands waving like the olive trees on the mount. The disciples also signify the Church, specifically the “faithful learning Christians” who are confused at their Teacher leaving them and await the descent of the Paraclete on Pentecost.
In the centre, midst of these confused disciples, stand two angels “in white apparel”. They are depicted as if exhorting the men to cease their gazing into heaven and return to Jerusalem to receive the promised gift of the Holy Spirit.
We also find the Mother of God, the Theotokos, Mary depicted between the angels with hands raised in prayer. She is depicted as not gazing into the heavens and searching for her ascended Son, but her gaze seems to be directed at us, the readers of the icon. Her gaze is full of peace and tranquillity. Mary, already overshadowed by the Holy Spirit since the conception of Christ, appears to understand the deep mysteries of her Son’s birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension and is already hoping on Christ’s return. This hope brings her the divine peace shared by Jesus Christ and the angels: they all have halos signifying the grace and glory of God, whereas the disordered Apostles do not.
The Theotokos also signify the Church, specifically “faithful, baptized and hoping Christians”, those who look forward to the second coming of Christ and look towards the completion of the commission that is given to us – to be His witnesses in the four corners of the world. She signifies those among us who hold on to the peace granted by the Holy Spirit in face of all the confusion and the doubts that the world throws at us. She signifies those who hope on the return of the Messiah when surrounded by trials, temptations, pain and death in this world and look forward for an eternal life in His presence.
An Icon of the Church before Pentecost
The icon of the Ascension has never been understood in Orthodoxy as an accurate, formal illustration of the text of Holy Scripture. It is quite ahistorical. The iconography of this Feast, apart from portraying the Theotokos at the center of the scene (despite her absence in the New Testament accounts), also portrays Paul the Apostle among the disciples, even though he did not yet believe in God at the time of the miraculous event.
This ahistoric depiction is not uncommon in holy icons: the icon of Pentecost also shows Paul, as it too is an icon of the Church. The differences and similarities between the two festal icons (the feasts only being separated by 10 days) are deliberate. Before the coming of the Holy Spirit the Church is put into a certain amount of confusion by the physical absence of Christ. At Pentecost – by the power of the Holy Spirit – the Church, again represented by the Apostles, is shown in order. And the Apostles get their halos.
The image of the Ascension is a symbol of the New Testament Apostolic Church founded by Christ and spread throughout the world through the preaching of the apostles and their successors. Therefore, such figures as Mary and Paul the Apostle are witnesses of this event and emphasize the meaning of the whole Christian Church.
This majestic icon expresses the sovereignty of God over the Church, who is its guide and power. However, the main sense of the icon is rendered through the great glory of the ascended God, which inspires all Orthodox Christian believers.
Your brother in Christ Jesus
Jobin George
