Chapel of the Ascencion

Acts 1:6-11So when they had come together, they asked him,

"Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7 He replied, "It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." 9 When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. 11 They said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."

Luke 24:46-53 And he said to them, "Thus it is written, that the

Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." 50 Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; 53 and they were continually in the temple blessing God

Bible StudyCompare and contrast the two ascension

stories.What was the disciples question to the

Risen Christ? What answer were they expecting?

How would you have reacted to witnessing the resurrection of Jesus?

What does it mean to be a witness of Jesus Christ? How are you or could you be a witness to Jesus in your church, family, community or place of work?

The Original church was built in 380 AD by a pious Roman matriarch named Pmenia. She erected a large circular shrine at the iste open to the sky, called the Imbomon. This church was destroyed in 614 when Persian hoardes massacred over 1200

Christians on Mount of Olives.

The dome of the church of the Ascension was closed when it was turned into a mosque in 1187. The ascension of Jesus is

recognized in Islam, although it is not mentioned in the Qur'an. The building remained in use as a mosque for over 300 years.

The site still remains in Muslim possession today

The Crusaders designed an octagonal Church of the Ascension, with beautifully dressed arches that created an inner courtyard that was also open to the sky. Beneath the altar, inside an asymmetrically placed frame, was a slab of stone

imprinted with the right footprint of Christ (Pictured below)

It is difficult to see the foot print today, possibly because pilgrim in the Byzantine period were permitted to take bits of the rock away. Only the right footprint is visible

today as the left footprint was taken to al-Aqsa Mosque during the Middle Ages