Nina
17-05-2007, 03:07 AM
"The essence and meaning of the feast is immensely great and high. If the power of death and the devil was overcome by the Resurrection, our nature ascended to the throne of God by the Ascension and we ourselves were given the possibility of attaining the experience of the Ascension, which is deification." p.284
"[...] St. Gregory Palamas says that the Resurrection is connected with all men, but the Ascension only with the saints. [...] Thus all will be resurrected, but only the righteous will be taken up, will be caught up in the clouds to meet Christ coming from Heaven. This shows a greater communion and unity with Him. That is why, from the soteriological point of view, the Ascension is regarded as a greater feast, precisely because he who has a share in the Ascension has a share in deification.
From the teachings of the holy Fathers [...] it is shown clearly that the essence and meaning of the feast [Ascension] is not only christological, but also anthropological. By His Ascension Christ lifted up our own human nature into Heaven [because of His two natures: God and Man] " p.283
"Christ is the first and only one who has gone up to Heaven with the body which He assumed from the Panagia. On this subject we have assurance from Christ Himself, Who said: "No one has ascended to heaven but the one who came down from heaven, the Son of Man who is in heaven" (Jn. 3, 13). The word 'no one' does not permit of any doubt, because it came from the undeceitful mouth of the Lord. To be sure, according to the interpretation of the Fathers of the Church, the Panagia too ascended to heaven with her body, but this happened after Christ's Ascension, precisely because it was from her body that Christ became incarnate. But even in this case the body of the Panagia receives deification, while Christ's Body is a source of uncreated grace." p.285
"Christ's Ascension is the jewel of all the feasts of the Lord, the completion of all that Christ did for us, through the work of the divine Dispensation. This consummate feast invites us to spiritual perfection and fullness, to participate in Christ's Ascension and the experience our own ascension." pp. 305-306
The feasts of the Lord: An introduction to the twelve feasts and Orthodox Christology by the Metropolitan of Nafpaktos Hierotheos
"[...] St. Gregory Palamas says that the Resurrection is connected with all men, but the Ascension only with the saints. [...] Thus all will be resurrected, but only the righteous will be taken up, will be caught up in the clouds to meet Christ coming from Heaven. This shows a greater communion and unity with Him. That is why, from the soteriological point of view, the Ascension is regarded as a greater feast, precisely because he who has a share in the Ascension has a share in deification.
From the teachings of the holy Fathers [...] it is shown clearly that the essence and meaning of the feast [Ascension] is not only christological, but also anthropological. By His Ascension Christ lifted up our own human nature into Heaven [because of His two natures: God and Man] " p.283
"Christ is the first and only one who has gone up to Heaven with the body which He assumed from the Panagia. On this subject we have assurance from Christ Himself, Who said: "No one has ascended to heaven but the one who came down from heaven, the Son of Man who is in heaven" (Jn. 3, 13). The word 'no one' does not permit of any doubt, because it came from the undeceitful mouth of the Lord. To be sure, according to the interpretation of the Fathers of the Church, the Panagia too ascended to heaven with her body, but this happened after Christ's Ascension, precisely because it was from her body that Christ became incarnate. But even in this case the body of the Panagia receives deification, while Christ's Body is a source of uncreated grace." p.285
"Christ's Ascension is the jewel of all the feasts of the Lord, the completion of all that Christ did for us, through the work of the divine Dispensation. This consummate feast invites us to spiritual perfection and fullness, to participate in Christ's Ascension and the experience our own ascension." pp. 305-306
The feasts of the Lord: An introduction to the twelve feasts and Orthodox Christology by the Metropolitan of Nafpaktos Hierotheos