View source for Feast of the Ascension

{{Short description|Christian commemoration}}
{{Infobox holiday
| holiday_name        = Feast of the Ascension
| image               = Obereschach_Pfarrkirche_Fresko_Fugel_Christi_Himmelfahrt_crop.jpg
| caption             = ''Christi Himmelfahrt'' by [[Gebhard Fugel]], {{circa|1893}}
| nickname            = Ascension Day<br />Ascension Thursday<br />Holy Thursday
| observedby          = Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, Moravians, Methodists, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox
| date                = 39 days after Easter
| date{{LASTYEAR}}    = {{Unbulleted list
| {{Moveable date |holiday = Ascension Thursday |format=infobox |year={{LASTYEAR}}}} (Western)
| {{Moveable date |holiday = Ascension Thursday (Eastern) |format=infobox |year={{LASTYEAR}}}} (Eastern) }}
| date{{CURRENTYEAR}} = {{Unbulleted list
| {{Moveable date |holiday = Ascension Thursday |format=infobox |year={{CURRENTYEAR}} |cite=y}} (Western)
| {{Moveable date |holiday = Ascension Thursday (Eastern) |format=infobox |year={{CURRENTYEAR}}}} (Eastern) }}
| date{{NEXTYEAR}}    = {{Unbulleted list
| {{Moveable date |holiday = Ascension Thursday |format=infobox |year={{NEXTYEAR}}}} (Western)
| {{Moveable date |holiday = Ascension Thursday (Eastern) |format=infobox |year={{NEXTYEAR}}}} (Eastern) }}
| date{{NEXTYEAR|2}}  = {{Unbulleted list
| {{Moveable date |holiday = Ascension Thursday |format=infobox |year={{NEXTYEAR|2}}}} (Western)
| {{Moveable date |holiday = Ascension Thursday (Eastern) |format=infobox |year={{NEXTYEAR|2}}}} (Eastern) }}
| frequency           = annual
| duration            = 1 day
| observances         = [[Church service|Service of Worship]] / [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]]
| type                = Christian
| significance        = Commemorates the [[Ascension of Jesus]] into [[Heaven (Christianity)|Heaven]]
| relatedto           = [[Easter]], [[Pentecost]]
}}
The '''Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ'''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.goarch.org/special/listen_learn_share/ascension/index_html|title=Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ|year=2015|publisher=Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America|language=en|access-date=17 May 2015|quote=The Solemnity of the Ascension of Jesus Christ is celebrated each year on the fortieth day after the Great and Holy Feast of Pascha (Easter). Since the date of Pascha changes each year, the date of the Feast of the Ascension changes. The Feast is always celebrated on a Thursday.|archive-date=7 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207194355/http://www.goarch.org/special/listen_learn_share/ascension/index_html|url-status=dead}}</ref>  (also called the '''Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord''', '''Ascension Day''', '''Ascension Thursday'''; or sometimes '''Holy Thursday''', which can also mean [[Maundy Thursday|the Thursday before Easter]])<ref name=Forster>{{Cite book|url = https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_F2K4iE_VTC0C|page = [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_F2K4iE_VTC0C/page/n402 377]|title = Circle of the Seasons, and Perpetual key to the Calendar and Almanack|publisher =[[Oxford University Press]]|author=Thomas Ignatius M. Forster|year=1828|quote=Holy Thursday or Ascension Day. Festum Ascensionis. Le Jeudi Saint d' Ascension.|access-date = 1 April 2012}}</ref><ref name=Soane>{{Cite book|url = https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_6V4vAD0m57sC|page = [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_6V4vAD0m57sC/page/n302 275]|title = New Curiosities of Literature and Book of the Months|publisher =Churton|author=George Soane|author-link=George Soane|year=1847|quote=Ascension Day, or Holy Thursday. This, as the name sufficiently implies, is the anniversary of Christ's Ascension.|access-date = 1 April 2012}}</ref> commemorates the Christian belief of the bodily [[Ascension of Jesus]] into Heaven. It is one of the [[ecumenical]] (shared by multiple [[Christian denomination|denominations]]) feasts of Christian churches, ranking with the feasts of the [[Passion (Christianity)|Passion]] and [[Pentecost]]. Following the account of {{bibleverse||Acts|1:3|NRSV}} that the risen Jesus appeared for 40 days prior to his Ascension, Ascension Day is traditionally celebrated on a Thursday, the fortieth day of [[Easter]] according to [[inclusive counting]], although some Christian denominations have moved the observance to the following Sunday, sometimes called '''Ascension Sunday'''. The day of observance varies by ecclesiastical province in many Christian denominations, as with Lutherans and Catholics, for example.<ref>{{cite web |title=Table of Movable Feasts For Church Years 2022-2060 |url=https://files.lcms.org/dl/f/A5F38289-C7B5-4E54-8EF9-F3C7CFAF6BB7 |publisher=[[Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod]] |year=2021 |access-date=5 June 2025}}</ref>

'''Ascensiontide''' refers to the ten-day period between the Feast of the Ascension and the Feast of Pentecost.<ref>St Joseph's Catholic Church, Derby, [http://www.stjosephderby.org.uk/ascensiontide/ Ascensiontide] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115010305/http://www.stjosephderby.org.uk/ascensiontide/ |date=2023-01-15 }}, published 14 May 2021, accessed 14 January 2023</ref> The Sunday within that period may be referred to as the Seventh Sunday of Easter or the Sunday in Ascensiontide.<ref>Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes (1999), ''Methodist Worship Book'',  p. 580</ref>

==History==
The observance of this feast is of great antiquity. [[Eusebius]] seems to hint at the celebration of it in the 4th century.<ref>Eusebius, ''Life of Constantine'' IV.54</ref> At the beginning of the 5th century, [[Augustine of Hippo]] says that it is of [[Apostolic Fathers|Apostolic]] origin, and he speaks of it in a way that shows it was the universal observance of the Catholic Church long before his time. Frequent mention of it is made in the writings of [[John Chrysostom]], [[Gregory of Nyssa]], and in the ''[[Apostolic Constitutions|Constitution of the Apostles]]''. The ''[[Egeria (pilgrim)|Pilgrimage of Aetheria]]'' speaks of the vigil of this feast and of the feast itself, as they were kept in the church built over the grotto in [[Bethlehem]] in which Christ is traditionally regarded as having been born.<ref>[[Louis Duchesne]], ''Christian Worship: Its Origin and Evolution'' (London, 1903), 491–515.</ref> It may be that prior to the 5th century the event narrated in the Gospels was commemorated in conjunction with the feast of Easter or Pentecost. Some{{who|date=May 2020}} believe that the much-disputed forty-third decree of the [[Synod of Elvira]] ({{Circa|300|lk=no}}) condemning the practice of observing a feast on the fortieth day after Easter and neglecting to keep Pentecost on the fiftieth day, implies that the proper usage of the time was to commemorate the Ascension along with Pentecost.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} Representations of the [[Sacred mysteries#Christian mysteries|mystery]] are found in [[diptych]]s and [[fresco]]es dating as early as the 5th century.{{citation needed|date=July 2016}} Hymns for this feast are found in the Georgian Chantbook of Jerusalem,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Frøyshov |first=Stig Simeon |title=[Hymnography of the] Rite of Jerusalem |url=https://www.academia.edu/4874556 |journal=Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology}}</ref> which contains material composed during the 5th century.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The first Christian hymnal : the songs of the ancient Jerusalem church |date=2018 |others=Stephen J. Shoemaker |isbn=978-1-944394-68-4 |location=Provo, Utah |oclc=1047578356}}</ref>

==In Western Christianity==
The Latin terms used for the feast, {{lang|la|ascensio}} and, occasionally, {{lang|la|ascensa}}, signify that Christ was raised up by his own powers, and it is from these terms that the holy day gets its name. In the [[Book of Common Prayer]] of the [[Anglican Communion]], "Holy Thursday" is listed as another name for Ascension Day.<ref name="Forster"/><ref name="Soane"/><ref>[http://www.churchofengland.org/media/877842/5-table-vigils-fasts.pdf Church of England, "A Table of the Vigils, Fasts and Days of Abstinence to be observed in the year"]</ref> [[William Blake]]'s poem "[[Holy Thursday (Songs of Innocence)|Holy Thursday]]" refers to Ascension Day; Thomas Pruen used the term to refer to Ascension Day in his ''Illustration of the Liturgy of the Church of England'', published in 1820;<ref name="Pruen1820">{{cite book |last=Pruen |first=Thomas |title=An Illustration of the Liturgy of the Church of England|url=https://archive.org/details/anillustrationl00pruegoog|access-date=11 May 2014|year=1820|publisher=W. Bulmer and W. Nicol|language=en |page=[https://archive.org/details/anillustrationl00pruegoog/page/n303 173] |quote=Ascension Day. This, called also Holy Thursday, is ten days before Whitsuntide.}}</ref><ref name="Keene2000">{{cite book |last=Keene |first=Michael |title=Christian Life|year=2000|publisher=Nelson Thornes |isbn=9780748752874|page=60|quote=The day is sometimes called Holy Thursday.}}</ref> however use of the term "Holy Thursday" to mean Ascension Day is rare,<ref>[http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/holy-thursday Collins English Dictionary]: Definition of "Holy Thursday"</ref> and the term is more generally applied by most Christian denominations to [[Maundy Thursday]] in [[Holy Week]].

In [[Western Christianity]], the earliest possible date is April 30 (as in 1818 and 2285), the latest possible date is June 3 (as in 1943 and 2038). In the [[Catholic Church]], the Ascension of the Lord is ranked as a [[Solemnity]] and is a [[Holy Day of Obligation]]. In the [[Lutheranism|Lutheran Churches]], the Feast of the Ascension is a feast.<ref name="EinertsonMuench">{{cite web |last1=Einertson |first1=Kristen |last2=Muench |first2=Tessa |title=Feasts, Festivals, and Commemorations, Oh My! |url=https://allthehousehold.com/feasts-festivals-and-commemorations-oh-my/ |publisher=ATH |access-date=5 June 2025 |date=19 June 2023}}</ref> In the [[Anglican Communion]], Ascension Day is a [[Principal Feast]].{{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

The three days before Ascension Thursday are sometimes referred to as the [[Rogation days]], and the previous Sunday—the Sixth Sunday of Easter (or the Fifth Sunday {{em|after}} Easter)—as [[Rogation Sunday]].{{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

Ascension has a [[vigil]] and, since the 15th century, an [[octave (liturgical)|octave]], which is set apart for a [[novena]] of preparation for Pentecost.<ref>{{cite web|title=Rules to Order the Christian Year |publisher=[[Church of England]] |year=2015 |url= https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-worship/worship/texts/the-calendar/common-worship-rules/rulesyear.aspx |access-date=14 May 2015 |quote=Rogation Days are the three days before Ascension Day, when prayer is offered for God's blessing on the fruits of the earth and on human labour. The nine days after Ascension Day until Pentecost are days of prayer and preparation to celebrate the outpouring of the Spirit.}}</ref> In the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England the Sunday following Ascension Day is called the Sunday after the Ascension.<ref>''The First Prayer Book of Edward VI, 1549''. Griffith, Farran, Okeden & Welsh; p. 117</ref> For Anglo-Catholics Ascension Day is a double of the 1st class with a privileged octave of the third order.<ref>Cairncross, Henry, et al., comps. (1935) ''Ritual Notes''; 8th ed. London: W. Knott; p. 151</ref>

In traditional Methodist usage, ''[[Book of Worship for Church and Home (1965)|The Book of Worship for Church and Home]]'' (1965) provides the following [[Collect]] for Ascension Day, commonly called Holy Thursday:<ref name="BOW1964">{{cite book|title=The Book of Worship for Church and Home: With Orders of Worship, Services for the Administration of the Sacraments and Other Aids to Worship According to the Usages of the Methodist Church|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ckw6vgAACAAJ|access-date=25 March 2017|year=1964|publisher=Methodist Publishing House|language=en |pages=122}}</ref> 
{{blockquote|Almighty God, whose blessed Son our Saviour Jesus Christ ascended far above all heavens, that he might fill all things: Mercifully give us faith to perceive that according to his promise he abideth with his Church on earth, even unto the end of the world; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. {{strong|Amen.}}<ref name="BOW1964"/>}}
{{clear}}

===Sunday observance===
{{Dates for Ascension Day}}
Catholic parishes in a number of countries that do not observe the feast as a public holiday have obtained permission from the [[Holy See|Vatican]] to move observance of the Feast of the Ascension from the traditional Thursday to the following Sunday, the Sunday before Pentecost. Similarly, the [[United Methodist Church]] allows the traditional celebration on Holy Thursday to be moved to Sunday.<ref name="Hickman2011">{{cite book|last=Hickman|first=Hoyt L.|title=United Methodist Altars|year=2011|publisher=Abingdon Press|language=en |isbn=9781426730696|page=52}}<!--|access-date=14 May 2015--></ref> This is in keeping with a trend to move [[Holy Day of Obligation|Holy Days of Obligation]] from weekdays to Sunday, to encourage more Christians to observe feasts considered important.<ref name="stcloud"/><ref name="sun" >On the following Sunday in some areas: see [[#Sunday observance|Sunday observance]]</ref> The decision to move a feast is made by each [[Episcopal conference|Conference of Catholic Bishops]] with prior approval of the [[Holy See|Apostolic See]].<ref>Canon 1246 §2</ref> In some cases the Conference may delegate the determination for specific feasts to the bishops of an [[ecclesiastical province]] within the conference, i.e. an [[archbishop]] and the neighbouring bishops.

The switch to Sunday was made in 1992 by the [[Roman Catholicism in Australia|Conference of Catholic Bishops in Australia]];<ref>
{{Cite news|title=Column 8 |date=14 May 1992 |work=[[Sydney Morning Herald]] |page=1 }}
</ref> before 1996 in parts of Europe;<ref>
{{Cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/1996/1010/96101000034.html |title=Church holy day changes sought |date=10 October 1996 |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |page=5 |access-date=2009-06-11}}
</ref> in 1997 in [[Roman Catholicism in Ireland|Ireland]];<ref>
{{Cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/1996/1017/96101700054.html |title=Holy days moved to following Sunday |last=Pollak |first=Andy |date=17 October 1996|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |page=7 |access-date=2009-06-11}}
</ref> before 1998 [[Roman Catholicism in Canada|in Canada]] and parts of the western United States;<ref name="stcloud">[http://www.stclouddiocese.org/worship/transfer.htm Ascension Day is Moving] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040119055844/http://www.stclouddiocese.org/worship/transfer.htm |date=2004-01-19 }} Michael Kwatera, OSB. Office of Worship, Diocese of Saint Cloud.</ref> in many other parts [[Roman Catholicism in the United States|in the United States]] from 1999;<ref name="stcloud"/> and in [[Roman Catholicism in England and Wales|England and Wales]] from 2007 to 2017, but in 2018 reinstated to [[Thursday]].<ref>[http://www.spectator.co.uk/the-magazine/the-week/658911/part_2/the-spectators-notes.thtml The Spectator's Notes: Charles Moore's reflections on the week] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081203233429/http://www.spectator.co.uk/the-magazine/the-week/658911/part_2/the-spectators-notes.thtml |date=2008-12-03 }}, Charles Moore ''The Spectator'', Wednesday, 7 May 2008</ref> In the U.S., the determination of whether to move Ascension was delegated to the provinces by the [[United States Conference of Catholic Bishops|USCCB]], and the ecclesiastical provinces which retain Thursday observance in 2022 are [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston|Boston]], [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford|Hartford]], [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York|New York]], [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha|Omaha]], [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia|Philadelphia]],<ref>[http://catholicism.about.com/od/holydaysandholidays/f/Ascension_Holy.htm Is Ascension a Holy Day of Obligation?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707075031/http://catholicism.about.com/od/holydaysandholidays/f/Ascension_Holy.htm |date=2011-07-07 }} Scott P. Richert, About.com</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=Staff Reports |date=2022-03-22 |title=Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord permanently transferred to Sunday - Catholic Star Herald |url=https://catholicstarherald.org/solemnity-of-the-ascension-permanently-transferred-to-sunday/,%20https://catholicstarherald.org/solemnity-of-the-ascension-permanently-transferred-to-sunday/ |access-date=2023-05-18 |language=en-US }}{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and the [[Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter]]. When celebrated on Sunday, the earliest possible date is May 3, and the latest is June 6.

==In Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Christianity==
In the [[Eastern Church]] this feast is known in Greek as ''Analepsis'', the "taking up", and also as the ''Episozomene'', the "salvation from on high", denoting that by ascending into his glory Christ completed the work of our [[redemption (theology)|redemption]].{{citation needed|date=May 2019}} Ascension is one of the Twelve [[Great Feasts]] of the Orthodox [[liturgical year]].

[[File:Ascension2007-04.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Liturgy during the Feast of the Ascension in a Mumbai [[Syriac Orthodox Church in India|Syriac Orthodox Church]]]]

===Celebration===
The feast is always observed with an [[All-night vigil]]. The day before is the [[Afterfeast|Apodosis]] (leave-taking) of Easter (i.e., the last day of the Feast of Easter). Before the Vigil, the [[Paschal Hours]] are said for the last time and the [[Paschal greeting]] is exchanged.{{citation needed|date=May 2019}}

The ''Paroemia'' ([[Old Testament]] readings) at [[Vespers]] on the eve of the Feast are {{bibleverse||Isaiah|2:2–3|KJV}}; {{bibleverse||Isaiah|62:10–63:3|KJV}}, {{bibleverse-nb||Isaiah|63:7–9|KJV}}; and {{bibleverse||Zechariah|14:1–4|KJV}}, {{bibleverse-nb||Zechariah|14:8–11|KJV}}.{{citation needed|date=May 2019}} A [[Lity (Orthodox Vespers)|Lity]] is celebrated. The [[troparion]] of the day is sung, which says:{{quote without source|date=May 2019}}

{{blockquote|<poem>
O Christ God, You have ascended in Glory,
Granting joy to Your disciples by the promise of the Holy Spirit.
Through the blessing they were assured
That You are the Son of God,
The Redeemer of the world!</poem>}}

During the [[Polyeleos]] at [[Matins]], the [[Epitaphios (liturgical)|Epitaphios]], which was placed on the altar on [[Holy Saturday]] (either at Matins or the [[Midnight Office]], depending on local custom) is taken from the altar and carried in procession around the church. It is then put in the place reserved for it. The Gospel is {{bibleverse||Mark|16:9–20|KJV}}. The kontakion is sung, which announces:{{quote without source|date=May 2019}}

{{blockquote|<poem>
When You did fulfill the dispensation for our sake,
And unite earth to Heaven:
You did ascend in glory, O Christ our God,
Not being parted from those who love You,
But remaining with them and crying:
I am with you and no one will be against you.</poem>}}

The [[megalynarion]] and [[irmos]] from Ode IX of the Canon (also sung at liturgy) is:

{{blockquote|<poem>
Magnify, O my soul, Christ the Giver of Life,
Who has ascended from earth to heaven!
We magnify you, the Mother of God,
Who beyond reason and understanding
gave birth in time to the Timeless One.</poem>}}

At the [[Divine Liturgy]], special antiphons are sung in place of Psalms 102 and 145 and the Beatitudes. The [[Epistle]] is {{bibleverse||Acts|1:1–12|KJV}}, and the [[Gospel]] is {{bibleverse||Luke|24:36–53|KJV}}.{{citation needed|date=May 2019}}

===Observance===
Ascension Thursday also commemorates the Holy [[Georgian Orthodox Church|Georgian]] [[Martyr]]s of Persia (17th–18th centuries).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Мученики, в долине Ферейдан: житие, иконы, день памяти |url=https://azbyka.ru/days/sv-mucheniki-v-doline-ferejdan |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=Православный Церковный календарь |language=ru}}</ref>

Ascension has an [[Afterfeast]] of eight days. The Sunday after Ascension is the Sunday of the [[Church Fathers|Holy Fathers]] of the [[First Ecumenical Council]] at [[Nicaea]].{{citation needed|date=May 2019}} This council formulated the [[Nicene Creed]] up to the words, "He (Jesus) ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father; and shall come again, with glory, to judge the living and the dead; Whose kingdom shall have no end."<ref>{{cite wikisource |title=Nicene Creed (Niceno-Constantinopolitan)|wslink=Nicene_Creed_(ECUSA_Book_of_Common_Prayer)}}</ref> The Afterfeast ends on the following Friday, the Friday before Pentecost. The next day is appropriately a [[All Souls Day|Saturday of the Dead]] (general commemoration of all faithful departed).

The Eastern Orthodox Church uses a different method of [[computus|calculating]] the [[date of Easter]], so the Eastern Orthodox commemoration of Ascension will usually be after the western observance (either one week, or four weeks, or five weeks later; but occasionally on the same day). The earliest possible date for the feast is May 13 (of the Western calendar), and the latest possible date is June 16. Some of the Oriental Orthodox Churches, however, observe Ascension on the same date as the Western Churches.<ref>"The Church in Malankara switched entirely to the Gregorian calendar in 1953, following Encyclical No. 620 from Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem I, dt. December 1952." [http://sor.cua.edu/Calendar/index.html Calendars of the Syriac Orthodox Church]. Retrieved 22 April 2009.</ref>

==Music==
The [[List of church cantatas by liturgical occasion#Ascension|feast has been associated]] with specific hymns and other church music. The oldest [[hymn]] in German related to the feast is the [[Leise]] "[[Christ fuhr gen Himmel]]", first published in 1480. [[Johann Sebastian Bach]] composed several [[Bach cantata|cantata]]s and the ''[[Ascension Oratorio]]'' to be performed in church services on the feast day. He first performed ''[[Wer da gläubet und getauft wird, BWV 37]]'', on 18 May 1724, ''[[Auf Christi Himmelfahrt allein, BWV 128]]'', on 10 May 1725, ''[[Gott fähret auf mit Jauchzen, BWV 43]]'', on 30 May 1726 and the oratorio, ''[[Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen, BWV 11]]'', on 19 May 1735.

Many [[Psalms|Messianic psalms]] are used at the feast of Ascension including [[Psalm 24]], [[Psalm 47]] and [[Psalm 68]]. The dialogue "Lift up your heads, O ye gates" from Psalm 24 (verses 7–10) has inspired Handel's setting in Part II of his ''[[Messiah (Handel)|Messiah]]'' in the scene "[[Messiah Part II#33|Ascension]]", and [[Christoph Bernhard Verspoell]]'s 1810 hymn in German, "{{lang|de|[[Öffnet eure Tore]]|italic=no}}". [[Philip Moore (organist)|Phillip Moore]]'s anthem ''The Ascension'' sets words based on the same verses.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Philip Moore – Ascension (Lift Up Your Heads) SATB & Organ|url=https://www.boosey.com/shop/prod/Moore-Philip-Ascension-Lift-Up-Your-Heads-SATB-Organ/641577|access-date=2021-04-20|website=www.boosey.com}}</ref>

[[Olivier Messiaen]] wrote an orchestral suite, later partly transcribed for organ, called ''[[L'Ascension]]'' in the 1930s.{{citation needed|date=February 2025}}

Settings of "God is gone up" have been composed by [[William Croft]], [[Arthur Hutchings]] and [[Gerald Finzi]] (words by Edward Taylor).<ref>{{Cite web|date=2015-10-15|title=Finzi G – God is gone up|url=https://www.sjcchoir.co.uk/listen/sjc-live/finzi-g-god-gone|access-date=2021-04-20|website=The Choir of St John's College, Cambridge|language=en|archive-date=2021-04-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420102300/https://www.sjcchoir.co.uk/listen/sjc-live/finzi-g-god-gone|url-status=dead}}</ref> Other settings suitable for the occasion include [[William Mathias|William Matthias]]'s ''Lift up your heads''. "[[Im Himmel hoch verherrlicht ist]]" (Highly gloryfied in Heaven) is a 1973 hymn in German for the occasion.

The [[Royal School of Church Music|RSCM]] has produced an extensive list of music (including hymns, anthems and organ music) suitable for Ascension.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Sunday by Sunday on the web: Musical resources for Ascension Day|url=https://www.rscm.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/ResourcesAndInfo/SBS/ascension.pdf}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Ascension of Jesus in Christian art]]
* [[Feast of the Transfiguration]]

==References==
{{Commons category|Feast of the Ascension}}
{{EB1911 poster|Ascension, Feast of the}}
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Liturgical year of the Catholic Church|state=collapsed}}
{{Slavic holidays|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

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