He Ascended into Heaven

“He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.” These clauses follow, with fitting brevity, at the end of this part of the creed, which deals with the Son. What is said is plain; the question is how and in what sense it should be understood. For to “ascend,” to “sit” and to “come” seem to point to something of human weakness, unless you understand the words in keeping with the dignity of the divine nature. Having finished what was to be done on earth, and having called souls back from captivity in hell, he is spoken of as ascending into heaven, as the prophet had foretold: “Ascending on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts to men.” These are the gifts which Peter, in the Acts of the Apostles, spoke of concerning the Holy Spirit: “Being therefore exalted by the right hand of God, he has poured out this gift which you see and hear.” He gave the gift of the Holy Spirit to men because the captives, whom the devil had earlier carried off into hell through sin, Christ called back to heaven by his resurrection from death. He ascended into heaven, then, not where God the Word had not been before, for he was always in heaven and remained in the Father, but where the Word made flesh had not been seated before. [a]

Then, since this entry within the gates of heaven seemed new to its ministers and rulers, they say to one another, on seeing the nature of flesh making its way into the hidden depths of heaven, as David, full of the Holy Spirit, declares: “Lift up your gates, you rulers, and be lifted up, you everlasting gates, and the King of glory will come in. Who is the King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.” These words are spoken not with regard to the power of the divine nature, but with regard to the newness of flesh ascending to the right hand of God. The same David says elsewhere, “God has gone up with rejoicing, and the Lord with the sound of the trumpet.” For conquerors usually return from battle to the sound of the trumpet. Of him it is also said, “Who builds his ascent in heaven.” And again, “Who has gone up above the cherubim, flying on the wings of the winds.”