Book review
- Riley Lanier-Davies
- 19 minutes ago
- 3 min read
The Ascension of Christ. Ed Moll. (CD7) The Latimer Trust, 2025.
The first time I ever heard about the ascension of Jesus was as a kid. I remember asking my mom “If Jesus came back to life, did He then die again?” She shared briefly that Jesus ascended to Heaven and that satisfied my question even though the answer was confusing. Fast forward to now being in full time ministry for close to a decade and my understanding had not deepened much since that fateful question. I knew it was important and that it happened, but I tended to think of the ascension of Christ as more of an afterthought to the resurrection. Ed Moll’s book The Ascension of Christ allowed me to dig into an aspect of Jesus that I neglected for too long. When jumping into new theological topic, it can be intimidating with dense books with even more dense language, yet this was not that. Moll shares about how he himself used to not think much about the ascension. His work has a great structure that is easy to follow and doesn’t bog the reader down with hefty words.
With claims that include how the ascension grows our understanding of Jesus and that teaching about it shows how serious we are about the Bible, the tone is set and it is a bold one. Moll states that his goal is to show how “the ascension is Biblical, Anglican, and essential.”(P.9) He starts off by working through the verses that allude to the ascension in the Gospels and Acts, followed by a similar strategy in the New Testament epistles. What strikes me is how many verses there are that point to that event. The book focuses not only on the verses that mention Christ ascending, but also in those in which Jesus himself brings it up or others mention of Jesus already being ascended. This opens up the understanding and impact of Moll's argument.
Through these verses we see how the ascension of Jesus shaped the faith and understanding of the early believers. I appreciate how Moll highlights Jesus’ pre‑emptive teaching about the ascension.(P.15) While there are strong cases for the ascended Christ in the Gospels and Acts, what truly stands out is how clearly the theme emerges in the epistles. Moll argues that the central message of Hebrews is the ascended Jesus, and he opens the third chapter with more strong claims in that direction. (P. 34) He then explores the theme further through Romans, Ephesians, and Revelation. Throughout this section, alongside his own explanations, Moll draws on a wide range of theologians whose insights help illuminate the significance of this doctrine. What I especially appreciated at the end of the chapter is the ten‑point summary, which offers a solid and accessible foundation for understanding the ascension.
From the chapters on Scripture in which a good “where” is seen, Moll goes to "what" is seen through the lens of Anglican doctrine. He weaves through the different articles which may reference to the ascension following with the creeds and prayers instituted. I would argue that most people from reformed backgrounds that aren’t Anglican would agree and take comfort in how the ascension is shown. For those who are or might be sympathetic to Anglicanism, we can feel encouraged to recognise and acknowledge the importance of the ascension as instituted from the beginning by the English reformers and not just an add on centuries later.
Chapter five comes with the focus to show how the ascension can connect to other theological topics and positions. While this is an informative chapter, this is the one part of the book that might be a bit heady for believers that do not have a background in theology. This does not mean to avoid the chapter, but to be prepared to have some other books or google handy to learn more.
Anyone wanting to understand this often‑overlooked doctrine should read this book. I’m grateful I did; what I learned has already shaped my personal worship and enriched my conversations about Jesus with non‑believers. With Ascension Sunday approaching on 17 May, I encourage you to take time to explore the ascension and to celebrate it with the significance it deserves.
____________