ABSTRACT
The story of the ascension indicates the character of the narratives of the other superhuman occurrences in the life of Jesus. In order to enhance the greatness of Jesus, it is a tacit rule in Christian circles to describe his Jewish surroundings in appallingly dark colours. If the divine origin and life of Jesus had been known to his parents, it is impossible to conceive such a development. Having regard to the dispute of the early Christians and to the objection of the Jews and Jewish Christians to admit the divinity of Jesus, the temptations of the compilers of the Gospels were particularly great. The records of the resurrection of Jesus contained in the Gospels show that the writers heard of the event more as of a current rumour turned into a tradition than as an actual occurrence of which they knew the real facts.
