Who saw jesus ascend?

Answer 1

Answer

The transfiguration of Jesus is described as being witnessed by Peter, James and John up on a high mountain, where his appearance changed and they saw him talking to Moses and Elijah. Somehow, the disciples knew without question that the strangers talking to Jesus were Moses and Elijah.

Israe.l Finkelstein tells us that the majority of scholars believe that the historical events ascribed to Moses never occurred, and it is therefore most unlikely that Moses ever existed. Similarly, it is quite improbable that Elijah ever existed. If the scholars are right, the transfiguration did not really occur and no one witnessed the transfiguration.

Answer 2

The gospels tell us that Moses and Elijah talked to Jesus while he was transfigured.

However, many scholars do not believe that either Moses or Elijah ever really lived. This is important to the credibility of the gospels as a whole, since this would mean that Moses and Elijah could not have really talked to Jesus, as told in the gospels.

Answer 3

The story of the Transfiguration tells of Jesus speaking to Elijah and Moses, two of the most revered men in the Hebrew scriptures. This account first occurs in the Gospel of Mark, and we can see that its author wanted to associate Jesus as closely as possible with them and demonstrate their support for Jesus' mission.

A parallel structure is a sequence in which one set of events is mirrored by a second, parallel set in order to emphasise and reinforce the message of each event. Mark achieves the association of Jesus with Elijah and Moses by linking the most important early events at the beginning of his mission with their appearance at the Transfiguration. Thus the appearances of Elijah and Moses on the mount of Transfiguration ought not be understood separate from Mark's earlier allusions to them.

Mark 1:13 tells of Jesus going into the wilderness for forty days, ministered by angels just as Elijah was ministered by an angel and in the wilderness forty days (1 Kings 19:5-7). There is no actual suggestion inMark that Jesus fasted for this time, but those familiar with the story of Elijah are likely to have assumed he did do so. This brings into play the other allusion, to Moses when (Exodus 34:28) he fasted for 40 days while he wrote the words of the Ten Commandments on tablets. The structure links these early allusions to Elijah and Moses to their appearance at the Transfiguration, through the pair groups BCD and B'C'D' in the following list: A . John explains the coming of Jesus (Mark 1:1-8)

B .The baptism of Jesus (1:9)

C . The voice of God from heaven, "Thou art my beloved son" (1:11)

D . The forty days in the wilderness as an allusion to Elijah and Moses (1:13)

E . The people were astonished at what Jesus taught (1:22)

F . Jesus casts out an unclean spirit (1:23-26)

G . Pharisees took counsel with the Herodians how they might destroy Jesus (3:6)

H . Demons, whenever they see Jesus, fall down and say that he is the Son of God.

-- Jesus commands that they tell no one of this (3:11-12)

I .. Jesus calls the 12 disciples (3:13-19)

J .. Jesus rejects his own family: he has a new family, his followers (3:31-35)

K . Jesus rebukes the wind (4:36-41)

L . The demoniac, wearing no clothes (5:15), cries out that Jesus not torment him and Jesus sends out the demons (5:1-20)

M . Jesus comes into his own country (6:1)
-- Where he was brought up

N . The people misunderstand Jesus and he can do no mighty work (6:2-6)

O . Jesus sends out the disciples and curses those who will not receive them (6:7-11)
-- in sending the disciples with authority and expecting all to receive them, Jesus is asserting his own authority

P . Herod thinks that Jesus is John the Baptist risen from the dead (6:14)

Q . Herodias and her daughter conspire to kill John the Baptist (6:16-29)

R . Feeding the thousands, and related miracles and discourses (6:33-8:21)

S . Who do people say that I am (8:27)

T . Peter affirms faith in Jesus as the Christ (8:29)

U . Whosoever shall be ashamed of me: of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed (8:38)

V . The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and scribes (8:31a)

W . Be killed and after three days rise again (8:31b)

X . Prophecy of second coming (9:1)- Jesus tells the disciples that some of them would not taste death until they saw the kingdom of God coming with power.

B' .The Transfiguration of Jesus (9:2-3)

C' .The voice of God from heaven, "This is my beloved son" (9:7)

D' . Jesus talks to Elijah and Moses then to the disciples about Elijah (9:4-13)

E' .A great multitude was amazed at Jesus (9:15)

F' .Jesus cast out a dumb spirit (9:17-27)

G' .They shall kill the Son of man and he shall rise on the third day (9:31)

H' .Jesus clarifies his divine status, saying that he is not God: "Why call me good? There is none good but God" (10:18)

I' . Peter says the disciples have left all and followed Jesus (10:28)

J' . Those who have left their family for Jesus have a new family: all Jesus' followers (10:29-30)

K'. Jesus rebukes the 'sons of thunder', James and John (10:35-45 - cf 3:17)

L' .Blind Bartimaeus cries out for mercy and casts off his clothes, then Jesus heals him (10:46-52)

M' .Jesus comes into Jerusalem (11:1-10)
-- Where he will die

N' .Jesus misunderstands the fig tree that can provide no fruit (11:13-14)

O' .Jesus casts out them that sold and bought in the Temple and curses them for making the Temple a den of thieves (11:15-17)
-- Jesus is asserting his authority

P' .Jesus asks whether the baptism of John is from heaven or of men, and the priests, scribes and elders can not answer (11:30-33)

Q' .Parable of husbandmen who conspire to kill the vineyard owner's son (12:1-9)

X' .Prophecy of second coming (chapter 13)

-- on clouds of glory, within the lifetimes of some of those to whom he was speaking

R' .The Last Supper (14:17-25)

S' .Art thou the Christ, Son of God (14:61)

T' .Peter denies Jesus three times (14:66-72a)

U' .And when he thought thereon, Peter wept (14:72b)

V' .The chief priests, elders and scribes delivered Jesus to Pontius Pilate (15:1)

-- Delivering Jesus is a similar concept to rejecting him.
-- Both parts of the pair involve chief priests, elders and scribes

W' .Jesus dies and on the third day rises again (15:37, 16:6)

A' .The young man explains the departure of Jesus(16:6-8)

It is almost inconceivable that six such unique events occurred in exactly the right sequences in the story of Jesus, unless the author of Mark wrote these accounts around his parallel structure. This means it is a matter of faith whether Jesus really did talk to Elijah and Moses.

Matthew and Luke would later follow the allusion to Elijah in a subtly different way to Mark, taking the angels out of the gospel story and actually have Jesus fast for forty days, just as Elijah did after the angel ministered to him.

Answer 4

AnswerAccording to the gospels, Jesus took Peter, James and John up to a high mountain, where they saw him transfigured.

Answer 5

According to Matthew 28 the 11 disciples were there.