Tag: Ascension

The following is my translation of Martin Chemnitz’s Homily Outline for the Ascension of Our Lord (Himmelfahrts Tage deß Herrn) as found in his Postilla (Vol. II, pg. 193). Chemnitz uses a composite text that includes Matthew 28:16–20, Mark 16:15–20, Luke 24:50–53, Acts 1:4–14, and 1 Corinthians 15:3–8. Square brackets indicate my own personal notes or additions.

Chemnitz’s Homily Outline

In order that such may be done all the better by us through God’s grace, so we want to direct this sermon in a simple way and thus grasp thus:

1. First, that we take not of the accounts, how they have been described thus far by the evangelists and apostles, what the Lord had done during the forty days which He spend with His disciples after His resurrection before He ascended into heaven in a bodily manner (leiblich Weise), how He finally carried out the ascension on the fortieth day and had allowed it to be seen by His apostles and disciples, insofar as that He lifted His feet into the air from the Mount of Olives and thus ascended even higher until a cloud came and had placed itself between the sight of the apostles and the body of Christ and which shortly thereafter led Him to heaven. This shall be the first part.
2. Second, we want to further search out from other places in Scripture how the holy fathers and prophets, in the Spirit, had looked through the clouds, and had become aware of this most-Christian and most powerful triumph which the Lord Christ has held in the air and in heaven at His ascension, the like of which has happened to no other potentate on earth; which thereafter also the Holy Spirit, when He was given to the apostles, had properly showed and revealed to them. Therefore, they have spoken and written so gloriously and powerfully about [Christs’s ascension] as the prophets in the Old Testament, that even Paul in his sermon, which He gives in Ephesians 4[:8] on this article [of the ascension], expressly refers to David and has taken from Psalm 68[:18] the words used and introduced concerning the ascension of Christ, so that one can see from it the unanimity of this doctrine among the saints (die Einhelligkeit dieser Lehr bei den Heiligen) in the Old and New Testaments.
3. Third, how thereafter God the heavenly Father had further received His beloved Son into heaven, and set Him with great solemnity and glory upon the thrown of majesty (den Stul der Maiestät) and has given Him, according to His human nature (nach seiner menschlichen Natur), inexpressible majesty and glory. There, He is also preparing our place for us, that we, in His time, shall come to Him and be with Him in eternal joy and glory also, as He Himself is; and there He now intercedes (vertritt) for us with His heavenly Father, governs (regiert) and protects (beschützet) us on earth, preserves (erhält) us, and provides (versorget) for all our needs of body and soul.
4. Fourth, how we ought to rightly make use of this doctrine of such a glorious ascension of Christ, so that we also can grasp from it enduring comfort and joy in our hearts.

To these four points Your Grace (E. L.; an abbreviation for Eure Liebden) should now give attention and mark them in this sermon, and thus rightly learn to rightly understand this high article as it is set forth in Scripture according to such instruction; then, without doubt, the Holy Spirit will be present it it so that we can also understand the use of this doctrine and comfort which is contained herein.