Ascension

/euh sen"sheuhn/, n.

a British island in the S Atlantic Ocean: constituent part of St. Helena. 1130; 34 sq. mi. (88 sq. km).

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In Christian belief, the ascent of Jesus into heaven 40 days after the Resurrection.

The Book of Acts relates that, after several appearances to the Apostles over a period of 40 days, Jesus was taken up in their presence and hidden behind a cloud, a symbol of God's presence. The event is thought to indicate a new relationship between Jesus and God and between Jesus and his followers. The feast of the Ascension is universally observed by Christians, and its celebration emphasizes the kingship of Christ. Since the 4th century, it has been celebrated 40 days after Easter and 10 days before Pentecost.

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▪ Christianity

      in Christian belief, the ascent of Jesus Christ into heaven on the 40th day after his Resurrection (Easter being reckoned as the first day). According to the first chapter of The Acts of the Apostles (Acts of the Apostles, The), after appearing to the Apostles on various occasions during a period of 40 days, Jesus was taken up in their presence and was then hidden from them by a cloud, a frequent biblical image signifying the presence of God. Although belief in the Ascension is apparent in other books of the New Testament, the emphasis and the imagery differ. In The Gospel According to John (John, Gospel According to), the glorification described by the Ascension story seems to have taken place immediately after the Resurrection. The imagery of the account in The Gospel According to Luke (Luke, Gospel According to) is similar to that of Acts, but there is no mention of a period of 40 days.

      The meaning of the Ascension for Christians is derived from their belief in the glorification and exaltation of Jesus following his death and Resurrection, as well as from the theme of his return to the Father. Thus, The Gospel According to John uses both the sayings of Jesus and his post-Resurrection appearances to indicate a new relationship between Jesus and his Father and between him and his followers, rather than a simple physical relocation from earth to heaven.

      The Ascension of Jesus is mentioned in the Apostles' Creed, a profession of faith used for baptism in the early church. The feast of the Ascension ranks with Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost in the universality of its observance among Christians. The feast has been celebrated 40 days after Easter in both Eastern and Western Christianity since the 4th century. Prior to that time, the Ascension was commemorated as a part of the celebration of the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

      A distinctive feature of the feast's liturgy in the Western churches is the extinguishing of the Paschal candle, first lit on Easter, after the Gospel has been read, as a symbol of Christ's leaving the earth. Despite the idea of separation indicated in this act, which might be expected to set a note of sadness, the whole liturgy of Ascensiontide, through the 10 days to Pentecost, is marked by joy in the final triumph of the risen Lord. One of the central themes of the feast is the kingship of Christ, and the theological implication is that the Ascension was the final redemptive act conferring participation in the divine life on all who are members of Christ. In other words, Christ “was lifted up into heaven so that he might make us partakers of his Godhead.”

      In the European Middle Ages the people's delight in the visual and dramatic found an outlet in various ritual practices that came to be associated with the feast. Popular customs included a procession in imitation of Christ's journey with his Apostles to the Mount of Olives, as well as the raising of a crucifix or a statue of the risen Christ through an opening in the church roof.

      In Christian art the Ascension is an old theme, appearing since the 5th century. The earliest version of the Ascension, which persisted in the West until the 11th century, shows Christ from the side, climbing to the top of the hill and grasping the hand of God, which emerges from a cloud above to pull him into heaven. The Apostles, assembled below, watch the event.

      In the 6th century a different version of the Ascension was developed in Syria and was later adopted in Byzantine art. This version emphasizes Christ's divinity, showing him frontally, standing immobile in a mandorla, or almond-shaped aureole, elevated above the earth and supported by angels. He holds a scroll and makes a gesture of benediction. A curious detail of this version is the regular inclusion of the Virgin Mary, who is not mentioned in the biblical account of the event, and St. Paul, who, on historical grounds, was not present. The inclusion of these figures has not been adequately explained, but they may represent, with the figure of St. Peter, an allegory of the church that Christ leaves behind. This type of Ascension, which follows the Roman tradition of representing the apotheosis of an emperor, often figured prominently in the monumental decoration of Byzantine churches as the emblem of one of the principal church feast days. By the 11th century, the West had also adopted a frontal representation. In the Western version, however, the humanity of Christ is emphasized: he extends his hands on either side, showing his wounds. He is usually in a mandorla but is not always supported or even surrounded by angels; thus, he is no longer carried to heaven but ascends by his own power. In the 12th century this version of the Ascension had an especially prominent place in French Romanesque church decoration. The Ascension remained important as a devotional subject in the art of the Renaissance and Baroque periods, both of which retained the iconography of Christ displaying his wounds.

▪ island, Atlantic Ocean

 island in the South Atlantic Ocean, a dependency of the British overseas territory of St. Helena (Saint Helena), 700 miles (1,100 km) to the southeast. The main settlement, and the location of the island's administrative headquarters, is Georgetown.

      Except on the heights of Green Mountain (2,817 feet [859 metres]), where fruit, vegetables, and livestock are raised, the island is mostly a desert of dormant volcanic craters and extensive lava flows. There are no surface streams. Catchment basins constructed on Green Mountain in the 19th century yield some fresh water, but desalinization plants produce the bulk of the water supply. The sandy beaches, unprotected by coral reefs, are vulnerable to heavy oceanic swells but are critical nesting sites for the globally endangered green sea turtles, which come ashore to lay eggs between January and April. Sooty terns also breed in abundance. After the island's feral cats were eradicated in the early 21st century, populations of other birds—including the masked booby, brown booby, and red-billed tropic bird but not the globally threatened native Ascension frigate bird—began recolonizing the island.

      The island was discovered by the Portuguese navigator João da Nova (Nova, João da) on Ascension Day in 1501, but it remained uninhabited until 1815, when British marines were stationed there to discourage Napoleon I from attempting an escape from St. Helena. An administrator, under the governor of St. Helena, represents the British crown; from 1922 until 2002, however, most governmental and economic administration was provided by the military and by various entities including Cable & Wireless PLC and the British Broadcasting Corporation, which have continued to operate telecommunications facilities on the island. Other important presences have been the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the U.S. Air Force, the Royal Air Force, the European Space Agency, and British and American intelligence organizations. In 2002, following consultation among the governor, administrator, and island residents, a democratic form of government was instituted. Taxation was introduced for the first time, and an Island Council was established. The council, which advises the governor on matters of law and policy, has seven elected members, plus the attorney general and the head of the Ascension Island government's finance department.

      In addition to the contributions to the economy made by telecommunication and satellite-tracking activities, since the 1990s there has been a modest level of ecotourism. A small number of facilities for overnight accommodations are available, as are other tourist services. About three-fourths of the inhabitants are St. Helenian contract labourers, some 200 are Americans, and the remainder are British nationals.

      Wideawake Airfield, built by American engineers during World War II, was critical to British success during the Falkland Islands War of 1982, when a tent city of British marines and soldiers sprang up overnight. Royal Air Force flights between the United Kingdom and the Falklands refuel at Ascension, the midpoint of their journey. U.S. military flights travel to Ascension from Patrick Air Force Base, Florida, via the Caribbean island of Antigua. Boat access to Ascension is limited, although private yachts may remain for three days, at the discretion of the island administrator. Area 34 square miles (88 square km). Pop. (2003) 1,030.

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